Gail sat facing the window overlooking a busy downtown street, nursing a warm cup of black coffee. She was in silent reflection of the past months events, letting the dark bitter liquid pool in her mouth before eventually sliding down her throat. One, two, three big gulps and she'd start to feel more awake. It was 11:30pm, being more awake probably wasn't the best idea, but the thought of crawling into her empty bed with it's cold sheets and lingering smell of Holly wasn't something she was willing to succumb to just yet. Yes, awake. Awake was much better.
She had to fight the urge to pick up her phone, to check it again for the 100th time in the last hour. Hoping that just once instead of seeing the time, she would see a notification of a text. Or of anything that came from Holly. She'd take a candy crush invite at this point. Just any sort of contact or confirmation that Holly was out there, that she was thinking about Gail as much as Gail was thinking about her. But every time she took a sideways look towards her phone sitting on the table near her she shook her head to diminish the thoughts. Space. That's what this was right? Space? It was Gail who left that night. After hearing her friends talk shit, after not hearing Holly defend her. But I guess that was more than she should have expected. They were only together a short time. Maybe Holly didn't feel as strongly about Gail and she had thought. Maybe Gail was the only stupid one who felt like she was falling in…. OK no. stop it right there. Just stop. Gail shook her head again.
"Get out" she said out loud to the empty room. "Just get out of my head please. I can't take anymore of this". Gail set the now empty coffee cup down on the window frame that she had been resting against and ran her fingers through her short blonde hair and sighed. There was too much static noise going on inside her head for her own liking. She decided a walk would probably be beneficial in ridding her mind of the fuzz so she made quick steps towards the closet to put on a jacket before braving the streets of Toronto in mid October.
There wasn't any snow on the ground yet, but the stillness in the air and the temperature felt like that could change at any moment. Gail pulled her jacket tighter against her small frame and fought her own mind from remembering how that night was just like this one. A cold chill sat heavy in the air as her and Holly took slow steps between the car and to doors to the bar. Holly had smiled at Gail as she intertwined both her arms around the one that hung free at Gail's side. The fingers of right hand gripping playfully at Gail's bicep while she snaked her left hand fingers into Gail's hand.
"Are you nervous?
"Peck's don't get nervous lunchbox. We just sit there in silent contempt and judgment"
Holly's head went back in laughter at this; she knew it was mostly true. But decided not to bring up their previous moments of intimacy that proved Gail Peck did in fact, get nervous. Instead she just squeezed her hand and said "I just think it's kind of a big deal you know, you're meeting my friends for the first time. Granted, they are sure to love you"
"of course they will. I'm awesome"
"Yes, yes you are the queen of awesome. They will all bow down to your hierarchy of awesome"
"duh"
Gail smiled knowing that Holly played into her sarcastic ego just enough to make it fun, but not enough to actually let her get away with thinking too highly of herself. In reality, she WAS nervous. Holly was intimidating enough, throw three or four more Holly type people in a room? The though made Gail tighten her own grip on Holly's hand. A movement that wasn't lost on Holly, but she let it slide. Both women were nervous for their own reasons, and were quite comfortable trying to hide those nerves from the other.
Gail momentarily let go of Holly's hand as they came closer to the entrance to the bar, with the intention of opening the door for the brunette. But as she was reaching towards the handle Holly stopped her, grabbed her jacket sleeve and pulled her slightly to the side.
"I need to tell you something"
"ooook" Gail's eyebrow arched in a questioning manner as she stared at Holly, slightly taken aback by the swift movement Holly had just made.
Holly pushed her palms flat into Gails hips, backing her towards the stone wall, a small but very present half smirk on her face. Gail's other eyebrow shot up to match the others questioning raise, "What are you doing Lunchbox?"
A full smirk crept across Holly's lips as she felt Gail hit the wall, her palms pushed harder against Gail's hips making sure Gail knew they were present. Gail knew two things for certain. One, that Holly's hands on her hips, applying a specific amount of pressure to keep her locked in place, was a move she wasn't expecting, but didn't dislike. And two, that Holly's sudden twist of dominance that she was using to keep her in place, was sexy as hell.
For just a few moments they stood there. Gail's back hard up against the cold brick, Holly's hands applying perfect pressure and heat. Holly caught Gail's blue eyes with her own and forced a moment between them of silence. She moved her mouth closer, wisps of warm breath creating fog between them in the chilly air. Gail held her breath slightly, anticipating warm lips caressing her own, she closed her eyes in waiting, but opened them again when nothing happened. Holly smiled her trademark slightly off center smile and drew the back of her hand across Gail's stomach, lifting her sweater and making Gail gasp as the cold night air hit her warm bare skin.
"Officer Peck" Holly whispered into Gail's mouth, her lips brushing painfully light against the shorter woman's own.
"Yes Dr. Stewart?" Gail was barely able to voice these words, there was a too much sensory overload happening. Holly's knuckles on her bare skin, the pressure from her other hand still holding onto her hip, keeping her in place. The warm breath shared between them, the feather light touches of their lips touching. Gail could hardly breathe. Let alone speak.
Holly was just as aware of her senses as Gail. Reveling in the feeling of Gail's tight but soft stomach as she dragged her knuckles across the smooth skin. She swears she can feel Gail's heart beat escalating against her hand, but she isn't sure if that's what was actually happening, or if it was her own heart beat trying to escape through her fingers. Amused by her own actions, Holly decided that she needed to push things a little further before making her point known. She moved her hand that was holding Gail's hip and brought it up to Gail's face. Slowly she traced the sharp edge of Gail's jaw and watched as Gail's pupils dilated. Their constant eye contact was becoming harder and harder for both women. Holly was addicted to the reactions she got from Gail. She did want to look away. But she broke the icy blue gaze to look down at that perfect mouth as she traced her fingertips over Gail's lips. She felt Gail's breath stop and catch in her throat and she smiled before placing a small gentle kiss on Gail's mouth. Deliberately, she made contact at the same moment with her fingertips over the top of Gail's pants. Just dragging the pads of her fingers barely inside. Gail stopped everything. Stopped breathing. Stopped staring. The grip she had made on Holly's forearm of the hand that was snaking its way to hidden territory had suddenly lost all of its force. Holly smiled, these were her favorite moments. Her favorite reactions. She loved the instances when Gail became hers, in anticipation.
Holly smiled into Gail's lips, a small but very fortunate kiss had broken Gail's trance and she fought to open her eyes only to be met with those soft brown ones looking back at her with such intent that she felt her knees about to give out.
"I thought Peck's didn't get nervous." Holly whispered against Gail's lips, grinning at the obviously nervous officer.
Holly stepped away from Gail, twisted her hand up to catch long slender fingers in her own
"Come on, we're already late"
Gail shook her head to remove the memory from the forefront of her mind. The cold air was supposed to help get rid of the fuzz inside of her head, not escalate it. Maybe this walk wasn't such a good idea. Maybe she should try to get some sleep. She pulled her collar up over her neck and turned around to head back home. Sighing as she came to the rational understanding that the burning feeling of fingertips dragging across her stomach would be the last perfect memory she had of Holly Stewart touching her. So I guess it wasn't all bad.