Boom. Two updates in one day. Everybody keep calm and enjoy.
Jane paused and looked around her kitchen. It looked like a disaster zone. Glancing at her phone, which was currently sitting in a pile of flour, Jane picked it up, dusted it off, and checked to see what time it was. 7:49. Shit! Jane started to panic as she realized Maura was going to be here any minute. She cranked up the heat on the simmering pot of water and gave the pork ragout another stir, before heading to her room to make sure she didn't look like a complete disaster.
Taking stock of her appearance in the full-length mirror on the back of her closet door, Jane brushed the flour off her basketball shorts and quickly shucked off her tomato-stained t-shirt, replacing it with a clean white tank top. She yanked her ponytail out, trying to organize her mass of dark curls into something somewhat attractive, and then gave up, instead sweeping the curls back into a ponytail. It's too hot to have my hair down she justified, taking one final look in the mirror and padding back into the kitchen.
Jane groaned as she entered the kitchen, noticing how hot it was in there. I should have just gotten takeout, we are gonna be sweaty messes after like five minutes she lamented. The window unit air-conditioner that she had pilfered from her parent's garage was barely making a dent in the unbearable heat. It didn't help that every burner on her stove was currently in use, adding to the already sweltering environment. She tossed the fresh pasta into the now-boiling water, giving it a quick stir before grabbing a sponge and starting to wipe up the flour explosion on her counter.
She was dipping her finger into the pork ragout when she heard the quiet knock. Licking her finger and deeming the sauce acceptable, she wiped her hands on a nearby towel and called "It's open!" over her shoulder. She heard the door click open and glanced over her shoulder to see Maura letting herself in.
"Hey Maura! Welcome to my humble abode." Jane was grinning as she made her way to where Maura was standing. "Sorry it's so hot in here."
Maura smiled in return, holding out a bottle of wine, which Jane promptly took. "It's okay. I dressed accordingly, I hope you don't mind my casual attire." She blushed and gestured at her cropped yoga pants and tank top.
Jane waved a hand in dismissal. "Oh please…that's pretty much the uniform around here. No worries. Come, sit. Dinner is just about ready."
Maura glanced around the small apartment as she sat at the tall stool by the kitchen counter. "It smells wonderful in here Jane." She watched as Jane strained the pasta and put it into a serving bowl, and after, ladling a fair amount of a delicious smelling sauce over the top. "Can I help you with anything?"
Jane tossed her a corkscrew and got down a couple of wine glasses from the cabinet, nodding to the wine sitting on the counter. "I think we are pretty much good, but if you wanna pour us some wine, we should be good to go."
A few minutes later, the wine was poured, the food had been served, and Jane settled on the stool next to Maura. A few seconds after she sat down, Jane hopped back down and headed to the fridge. "Hang on, don't eat yet. I forgot something." She reemerged with a small block of cheese in her hand, and rummaged around in a drawer for a grater. "Pecorino romano. I almost forgot the best part." She sat back down on her stool and grated the cheese on top of both of their bowls of pasta. "Okay…now try." She urged.
Maura could feel Jane's eyes on her as she wound the delicate noodles around her fork and took a bite. She was pleasantly surprised by how good it tasted, and quickly dug in again for more. "Jane, this is really good. I didn't know you could cook."
Jane smiled between bites of her own pasta. "I thought we already established that there was a lot we didn't know about each other…" She teased, secretly loving the smile that appeared on Maura's face as she did. "But thank you, it's a family recipe. Ma will be glad that I didn't screw it up too badly."
They sipped their wine and enjoyed their meal, keeping the conversation full of lighthearted banter and gentle teasing. As they settled down on the couch, both women groaned, their stomach's full to the limit.
"Oh god…I shouldn't have had that second bowl." Jane rubbed her stomach for emphasis, settling back against the cushions and stretching her legs out on the coffee table. Maura laughed and settled into the couch as well, curling her legs up under her.
"So…I guess we should talk about your meeting with the lawyer." Jane started. "Not to ruin the mood or whatever, but that's why you're here…right?"
Both women knew that wasn't the only reason Maura was there.
"Marcus suggested we get an annulment." Maura replied quietly. "He said it is probably our best choice. As he explained it, it basically means that our marriage never took place. He said something about it involving less paperwork than a divorce and it would be effective shortly after both parties sign the paperwork. Marcus gave the paperwork to me before I left his office." She paused, trying to gauge Jane's reaction to the information she had just laid out.
When Jane finally spoke, it was so quiet that Maura almost missed it.
"Is that what you want Maura?" Dark eyes fixed intently on hazel ones.
"No." Maura whispered. "No…I mean, I don't know." Maura was fumbling as she tried to verbalize the turmoil that she was feeling over the situation. "Jane…I-I…"
She was cut off by the ringing of her phone, both women groaning inwardly at the sudden interruption.
"Sorry Jane, let me just see who it is. I can probably ignore the call." She rose from her position on the couch and retrieved her phone from her purse- her heart sinking when she noticed the call was from her mother. "I'm so sorry Jane, it's my mother. I have to take this."
Jane rubbed her hand over her eyes in frustration and stood up, ushering Maura towards her bedroom. "It's fine Maura, feel free to talk in my room and then we can finish our conversation after." She watched as Maura accepted the call, mouthed her thanks to Jane, and shut the door behind her. Jane started to clean up the kitchen to distract herself while Maura spoke to her mother.
Quite some time passed and Jane had cleaned up all the dishes, swept the kitchen floor, and wiped down all the counters, and still no sign of Maura. She glanced at the clock again, noting that it had been over thirty minutes since Maura had gone into Jane's room. Jane tossed the sponge into the sink and strode over to her bedroom door, listening for a minute to see if Maura was still on the phone. It was completely quiet on the other side of the door so Jane knocked softly and cracked open the door slightly to investigate.
"Maura? Is everything okay? I have some ice cream if you want to…" Jane stopped abruptly when she noticed Maura sitting stiffly at the end of her unmade bed. Tears were streaming down her face. Jane crossed to Maura in a few steps and sat down, pulling the distraught woman as close to her as she could. Maura continued to cry in silence for a few more seconds, and then started to cry harder, large gasping sobs shaking the both of them, and Jane felt her heart break as she watched Maura fall apart in front of her.
Jane began to rock Maura gently, stroking her hair softly and trying to comfort her the best she could. After some time, Maura calmed down enough to allow Jane to reposition them against the headboard, grateful of the soft and soothing caresses and gentle kisses that Jane was giving freely, trailing her hand along Maura's bare upper arm and pressing kisses against her forehead. She relaxed into Jane's embrace, her breath still coming in large gasps even though her tears had stopped falling.
"What happened Maur?" Jane whispered, brushing a sweaty strand of hair from Maura's brow.
Maura took a shaky breath. "My father is dead." She played with one of the straps of Jane's tank top, running her index finger along the smooth cotton as her words registered with Jane. She felt the air leave Jane's body and Jane shifted so they were both lying face-to-face. Jane reached out and grabbed one of Maura's hands, bringing it close so she could kiss the back of it before placing their intertwined hands on the cool sheet in the space between them.
"I'm so sorry Maura." She whispered, knowing that her words would offer little comfort to the heartbroken woman lying next to her. "God…I'm so sorry." She craned her neck to kiss her sweaty forehead again. She watched as Maura's eyes fluttered shut, suddenly wanting a glimpse of those beautiful hazel eyes. Releasing her hold on Maura's hand, she placed her hand gently on Maura's cheek, wiping away the tears that were still falling.
Without warning, Maura placed her hand on top of Jane's, trapping it against her cheek. Her eyes opened slowly, regarding the beautiful brunette woman lying so close, yet somehow not close enough. Maura wiggled and shifted as close to Jane as she could, at the same time leaning in and capturing Jane's lips with her own. She slid her hand under Jane's arm and onto Jane's lower back, meeting warm skin, sticky with sweat. She pushed softly against the skin there, gently encouraging Jane to press her body against Maura's.
Maura's body began to move on it's own accord, suddenly craving intimacy and comfort on a deep and visceral level. She broke the kiss, but after taking in another shaky breath, leaned in again and pressed her lips against Jane's, this time with increased fervor and hunger. She felt Jane tense up, and shifted her hips so that she was straddling Jane, effectively trapping her against the tangle of sheets.
"Maur…what are you doing?" Jane looked up at her with a sad look in her eyes. "Come on…this isn't the time for this."
Maura responded by leaning down and hungrily kissing Jane's neck, feeling Jane squirming as she did so. When she straightened back up, she grabbed a hold of the hem of her top and slid it up and off in one swift movement, watching as Jane's eyes widened at her bold move. She bent down and resumed kissing every exposed inch of skin she could find.
"Maur…Maura!" Jane's hands squeezed at her waist, a small groan also escaping as she tried to protest against Maura's sudden onslaught. "Please…I think we should talk about this."
Maura straightened up again, looking down at the woman underneath her with pleading eyes. Jane could sense the desperation and desire in Maura's eyes, and swallowed thickly as Maura leaned to kiss her on the lips, pulling back agonizingly slow after she did.
"Jane." Maura breathed. "I need you."
"I'm here Maura…tell me what you need." Jane rasped.
"Jane…I-I need you to help me forget." She paused as Jane's eyes snapped up, unsure if she was hearing Maura's request correctly. "Please. I need to forget. Even if it is just for a couple hours." She leaned in again, kissing the area behind Jane's ear. Jane felt Maura's hot breath against her ear as she whispered her final plea. "Please Jane…help me forget."
Jane was silent as she released her grip on Maura's waist, but let her body convey her answer as her hands slid along Maura's taught stomach and upwards toward her breasts. Maura leaned in again to kiss her passionately, and it wasn't long until clothes were stripped off and two bodies began to move against one another in the stifling summer darkness.
A few hours later, when it was all over Jane held Maura close, even though their bodies were sticky with sweat. She kissed her tenderly and watched as Maura's eyelids began to droop with exhaustion. She listened as Maura's breathing evened out, sliding her fingertips idly along Maura's freckled back.
Just when she thought Maura had succumbed to sleep, she heard Maura speak quietly.
"I have to go Jane." Her fingers paused for a few seconds before resuming their explorations on Maura's skin. "Mother booked my flight to Paris and I need to get my affairs in order before I go." Jane felt Maura's lips brush softly against her ribcage.
"What time is your flight?" Jane asked softly, while at the same time reaching with her free hand for her cellphone on the nightstand.
"My flight leaves from Logan at 8:30pm." Maura responded quietly.
"Stay." Jane murmured. "It's only a little after midnight. Get a few hours of sleep. Please…stay."
Maura's eyelids were heavy with sleep and she knew she couldn't fight it much longer. Yawning, she settled in against Jane's bare chest, nodding her assent. "Okay."
It was still dark when Jane woke to an empty bed. Her eyes searched the darkened room for evidence of Maura, noticing that Maura's clothes were no longer among the piles of discarded clothes on the floor. Jane rubbed her eyes and sat up, feeling some minor soreness as she did, a reminder of the previous night's activities. She pulled the sheet back and stood, walking into the kitchen hoping to find that Maura had moved into the air-conditioned area for some relief from the stifling heat. Jane was disappointed as the room was empty, meaning that Maura had slipped away at some point. Jane's eyes stopped on the kitchen counter, suddenly noticing a large manila envelope resting beside the fruit bowl. She moved closer, noticing a small yellow post-it note attached to the front. Jane peeled it off to read it.
Jane,
Please sign and return to my lawyer. His contact information is inside.
I'm sorry.
-Maura
With shaking hands, Jane picked up the large manila envelope and opened it, sliding out the thick packet of paper inside. Her breath caught in her throat as she thumbed through the pages, realizing that this was the document to annul their marriage. On several of the last pages there were several colored tabs, indicating areas where Jane would need to sign. She took in a shaky breath, slightly stunned that Maura had simply left this with her.
As she started to put the packet back into the envelope, something stuck out in her mind. She thumbed through the pages again, taking note of the areas where she was supposed to add her signature.
In her rush to leave, Maura had apparently forgotten to sign the document. All of the areas were blank.
After a particularly long flight, Maura was not looking forward to being in Paris. She knew the next several days were going to be extremely taxing emotionally, and she tried to prepare herself for it while she was on the flight. Unfortunately, all she could think about was the awful way she had left the annulment document on Jane's kitchen counter like a coward. Jane had been nothing but wonderful, holding her while she grieved, satisfying her fully when they had sex, and holding her gently once again as they fell asleep. Maura frowned as she retrieved her bag from the baggage claim, knowing that her quick escape was bound to hurt Jane. She exited the terminal to a rainy and gloomy Paris, quickly finding the familiar black town car parked along the curb. Their chauffer Stephan stepped out into the rain and took her bag, placing it in the trunk. He held open the door for her, and she slid inside, surprised to find her mother sitting on the leather seat next to her.
"Hello Mother." Maura leaned over to hug her mother, who instead of returning the hug, simply sat there stiffly. When Maura pulled away she noticed Constance's red-rimmed and swollen eyes, the only outward indication of her grief over the loss of her husband.
The car pulled away from the terminal and Constance finally spoke. "I trust you took care of your situation before you left?"
Maura turned to look at her mother, whose gaze was fixed out the window. "Yes Mother. It has been taken care of."
Constance nodded, still refusing to look at Maura. "You might want to freshen up dear, there are going to be a lot of people at the house when we return."
Maura turned away and looked out the window as well, tears stinging in her eyes. She found herself wishing that Jane were there, her long arms wrapped around her and her quiet voice whispering reassuring words in her ear. She couldn't help but wonder if she had let her mother ruin the one thing that had felt so real and so right last night.