"Okay, spread your legs out and we're going to lift our hands up and come into Warrior One pose," Maura said, as she gracefully moved into the yoga pose.
Jane and Maura were running through an hour of yoga at Maura's insistence, before ordering food in—at Jane's insistence, of course. This was their compromise between the healthy and the delicious.
Jane half-heartedly shifted her feet and raised her arms in the air. But she was a lot less focused on her breathing, and more focused on the way Maura looked in her yoga wear. Toned arms, the way her leggings highlighted her butt…she couldn't stop staring.
She shook her head and tried to think about something else, like baseball.
"Get a grip, Rizzoli," she muttered to herself.
"There's no talking in yoga, just focus on your breath, okay?" Maura said, turning around to look at her friend who was in a completely awkward Warrior One.
"Jane, are you even trying?" Maura sighed, as she walked over to where Jane stood with her legs spread apart.
When Maura touched on Jane's upper thigh to push her leg back further, Jane felt heat spread to her cheeks. She couldn't even focus on what Maura was telling her.
"Jane? Come on, just twenty more minutes and then we can order in, alright?"
Jane took a breath, then looked at Maura to flash her a smile, trying to come up with something sarcastic, but she couldn't think because Maura's hands were still touching her. She was annoyed with herself. Maura touched her in some way at least ten times a day, she should be used to it by now! …..just never in these places before.
She thought of nothing to say. The moment passed.
"You're quite flexible, you're just not focusing!" Maura said, as she went back to her spot. Jane knew Maura wasn't really annoyed. She caught the hint of a laugh in her voice.
"Okay, let's try coming into a bridge pose, working the abs," Maura said, as she found her way to the ground.
Jane sighed as she plopped onto the matt.
"Although, you don't really need to work on yours," Maura said, softly, lifting up into the pose.
A little shocked and feeling somewhat proud, Jane stretched into the bridge pose. Even though she couldn't see Maura, she was still thinking about the way strands of Maura's honey blonde hair fell in her face as she leaned over to stretch, her body slim, small, but strong.
"Think of something else!" Jane whispered under her breath to herself.
She couldn't think about her best friend in this way. She wanted to stay in Maura's life, not scare her off. And surely, Maura didn't feel the same way.
Just then, Jane's stomach growled, breaking the silence of the room.
She tried to suppress a laugh, as Maura sighed deeply and dropped onto her back in frustration.
"Jane, I told you to have something more substantial for lunch than a coffee and a cupcake!"
"That's what I live off of, Maur. Caffeine, sugar and carbs. It does the trick."
"It most certainly does not. I worry about you. You're not providing your body with the right nutrients and—"
Jane couldn't stand the rambling and nagging anymore. She was on her feet and by Maura in a flash, crouching beside her and poking Maura near her ribs, where she knew Maura was ticklish.
"Ah, Jane!" Maura laughed, as she curled onto her side, shielding herself. "No, don't!"
"Then don't lecture me, Maura Isles!" Jane said with a mischievous grin, sneaking in a tickle from behind.
Before either of them knew what was happening, Maura curled up into Jane as she tried to stop her from tickling her. Maura laughed and laughed, trying to get the words out for Jane to stop, and when Jane finally did stop, she pressed a little kiss of apology into Maura's hair without thinking. Her lips were just….there.
Jane froze when she came to her senses. That was a major slip-up.
Feeling Jane tense behind her, Maura turned around in concern, her smile fading.
"Hey. What's wrong?" she asked, as Jane bolted up right from the ground, fiddling with her hands.
"I don't—um—Wanna order the pizza now?"
On a typical night, Maura might let a clearly uncomfortable Jane change the subject, but she had a gut feeling that this stemmed from something related to her and she wanted to fix it.
Maybe it was the way she had fallen back into Jane's arms during her laughing fit. But it had just seemed so natural to her….
"Jane, it's okay," she said, reaching out a hand towards Jane, who fiddled nervously with her ponytail.
She just wanted Jane to be comfortable and herself around her again. Jane carefully took Maura's hand, then knelt to the floor, crouching beside Maura.
"It's okay if—I'm sorry, I overstepped," Jane said, clearing her throat, her eyes avoiding Maura's.
Maura furrowed her brow in confusion. "What? No, Jane, I thought—I thought that I was the one who made you uncomfortable."
Jane looked surprised, yanked her hand subconsciously from Maura, putting it to her chest.
"You? No, I um—it's me. I act impulsively sometimes when I'm with you? I try not to, but sometimes I slip up," Jane said, rubbing her palms together nervously, the scars clashing against one another.
Maura started to smile, seeing what was going on here. They were on the same page, even if they hadn't realized it for a long time.
"Jane," she said, putting a hand over Jane's. Jane looked up, slowly meeting Maura's eyes. She was so beautiful.
Then Maura leaned forward, took a deep yoga breath—not deep enough for how nervous she was—and kissed Jane Rizzoli.
She actually kissed her best friend. Not on the forehead or the cheek like she had before. On the lips.
And Jane kissed her back.
And suddenly Maura couldn't remember anything about Warrior Ones or yoga breathing, because it was just the taste of Jane, the feel of Jane in her arms, the sound of Jane sighing in relief and contentment that filled Maura up and started a fire somewhere deep inside.