THE BEST OF TIMES
Chapter 3: "Musings and Hot Coffee"
.o.o.o.
The atmosphere was extremely pleasant for the two of them. Maggie had started the coffee maker while Nenene scrounged around for her glasses. She placed them back on the ridge of her nose and smiled slightly. She slipped on her underwear and grabbed a white robe off of the chair near the door as she exited the room.
She left the room, stepping out into the 'den' section of the suite where they were staying, complete with a large couch and a television and a potted plant in one corner. The generic art mounted on the walls failed to grab her attention as she moved into the kitchen where she could now see Maggie standing on the other side of the island.
The authoress glanced at the sliding doors that lead to the balcony, noting that the curtains were open- casting warm sunlight on her face and glasses. She turned back around and walked over to the kitchen in time to see Maggie retrieving a pair of coffee cups from one of the cupboards.
A smile graced Nenene's lips as she took note of what the paper master was wearing- a loose tank top and a pair of shorts that showed off her long pale legs… her smile widened. She finally moved in and rested against the other woman's back.
Maggie made a small startled noise at first, but eased into the contact and smiled faintly. Nenene inhaled deeply, resting her hands on Maggie's hips and nuzzling against the small of her back. "Are you having a good time?" she asked- her voice a honeyed whisper.
Maggie smiled to herself. "Yeah…" She began, enjoying the sensation of the other woman pressed against her. "…I always enjoy being with you." She replied. She felt Nenene pull back from her and she turned around in time to make eye-contact with her.
The brown-haired female author reached up and caressed her cheek softly, looking up into Maggie's earnest violet eyes. "Maggie… thanks," She began. "…Thanks for… just being here for me." She remarked with a smile.
Maggie smiled down at her and surprised her by snaking an arm around her neck and pulling her gently against her chest. "I… I'll always be here for you… as long as you want me to be." She told her, mentally wondering if she was being overly sappy. Images of her stopping her from falling down those steps passed through her mind.
.o.o.o.
Maggie cradled Nenene while the two of them sat at one end of the couch, looking across the room- out through the glass sliding doors, at the morning skyline. The sunlight highlighted the edges of the London cityscape with warm orange auras.
Nenene cradled the cup of coffee in both hands and sipped it carefully with deliberate movements. She smiled, nestling against the other woman's side. "So, what do you think of London?" She asked her, taking a quick glance over her shoulder at Maggie.
Maggie, who was taking a slow drink from the coffee cup, looked down at her. Through the little puffs of steam, she smiled at her. "It's nice." She replied simply. "It's kind of like how I pictured it in the books I've read." She added.
"We've got a few days before the book signing," Nenene began. "That should give us some time to soak in the scenery and do a little traveling." She paused and smiled suddenly. "I expect we could also go to Charing Cross Road… if you like?" She added.
Maggie perked up at that moment and looked down at Nenene, who smiled attractively up at her. She flushed with excitement as she pondered the offer. "Oh wow, there are a lot of book stores there." She commented. "Do you mean it?"
The authoress nodded. "For you: of course." She answered. The two of them where silent again for a time till Nenene spoke up again. "I was wondering, Michelle referred to the three of you as 'bibliofiles', do you think that's a good descriptor?"
Maggie rubbed her head as she about the question. "I guess it does sort of describe us, but it's not everything. We're all a lot different, so it doesn't have much baring on our personalities." She said, noting that she'd been talking a lot more than usual since the trip had begun. She mused on the notion that she behaved differently when she was away from Michelle or Anita- the other two seemed to always dominate the focus of things…"
"That's for sure…" Nenene began. "Yumiko couldn't keep a practical thought in her head if her life depended on it- the amount of things I had to do keep her functional was insane." She added, falling into a bit of a rant. "It was always you need to pay that bill or you have go shopping and so on. No offense but when I met Michelle- it was just a few steps away from turning into 'Yumiko 2.0'."
"Big sis can have the effect on people… I worry a lot about her also." Maggie admitted, looking up at the white ceiling above them. "She's a great sister as everything but she's so undependable…"
Nenene smiled. "Listen to the two of us- this whole conversation is starting to sound like a bad internet rant." She said, berating herself. Nenene hopped up onto her feet, much to Maggie's disappointment, and turned to face her. "Still, I'm glad you're here… This trip would be intolerable without you." She told the taller woman confidently. This time, it was Nenene's turn to blush faintly as she realized something. She crossed her arms before speaking up.
"Maggie Mui, you are the storybook hero I've needed in my life all this time." Nenene sighed, feeling silly and closed her eyes. "But I'm probably just embarrassing you by rattling on like this, aren't I?"
She squeaked when she felt someone take hold her in an embrace. Without having to even open her eyes, it was clear that Maggie was holding her. Nenene sighed and relaxed in the taller woman's arms. "It's alright, I don't mind." She told the brunet reassuringly.
Nenene nodded. "…What do you say we do a little sight seeing?" She asked calmly.
(- End of Chapter 3 -)
.o.o.o.
Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I think I'll have another chapter out soon… I'm not sure where this is going, but I'm still enjoying writing it. Sorry it's taken so long to update this. I hope you all can take some time and check this out and then let me know what you thought about it.
I'm not sure when I got interested in this these two as a couple. It just sort of seemed like the natural evolution of their characters (for me at least). As soon as I saw the show, I was crazy about Maggie… she was just so cute. I liked how she played off of Nenene in a couple of episodes. Still, I probably wouldn't have written anything if I hadn't come across Rhaiwen's work. She inspired me to write all these little stories.
Also, I'm going to try and fix up the last chapter of Silver and Pink and really try to get the next chapter of that one out as soon as I can. Thanks for your reviews and encouragement.
-Bojack727