Author's note: Thank you very much for all your reviews; "M" rated scenes coming soon.
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"You are half-naked, Jane, so you can't come in." Maura Isles.
Chapter Fourteen – From Oia To Thira
Jane reluctantly looked at the path that Maura had joyfully taken and rolled her eyes. She couldn't stay where she was. She had to go on and catch back on Maura who had already reached the first curve a few steps ahead.
Her lack of enthusiasm did show – a lot – but she wanted to prove her lover that she actually could do it; that a grumpy Jane wasn't necessarily meant to remain grumpy. It was basic hiking, besides. The path they had to take was rather flat.
The only issue was that it was extremely narrow and that it overlooked the Caldera. If she happened to lose her balance then she plunged right into the Aegean sea that was 220 meters below. This wasn't something that she really wanted to experience. Not just yet.
"Are you sure there's no snake? I just saw a lizzard. You know I hate snakes."
Maura burst out laughing. She had taken this path more times than she could remember. As a matter of fact, she would have been able to go from Oia to Thira by the coast with her eyes closed. However, she hadn't assumed that Jane would show so much apprehension before a hiking trail. She patiently walked back to her lover and grabbed her hand.
"We will do just fine." Her tone of voice was firm, comforting. "I have antivenom, anyway."
This was not the kind of remark Jane had hoped to hear. Wondering why she had suggested Maura that they could spend the day in Thira, she tried to put her fears aside and started walking just behind Miss Indiana Jones who, as usual, seemed to be in her element.
Maura's capacity of adaptation wasn't normal though. What kind of human was just as much at ease in the city wearing stilettos as on a hiking trail walking a very tiny path surrounded by lizzards?
"That's not funny at all, Maura."
"Oh. It wasn't my intention..." Yet the wink she gave Jane betrayed her remark. Of course, she was teasing her. "You will see, it is really a beautiful hike and I am actually very happy that you accepted to do it with me today. It means a lot to me. It really does."
A two-hour hike. Instead of taking the bus as they had done until now, Maura had suggested that they could choose the hike option instead. Then once in Thira, they would take their time and come back at the end of the day with the island public transport. Jane had accepted right away and she was now paying for her naivety.
Obviously they should have stayed in bed and should have succumbed to another kind of activity that they hadn't really stopped doing since Oula's cousin's wedding. It was a lot less dangerous and a lot more pleasant than what she had just signed for.
A warm sensation spread in her lower stomach as the reminiscence of the evening before hit her mind. Their dinner had been romantic, very romantic now that she thought about it. She hadn't really looked for something like that in the first place. She had simply wanted to find her very own way to surprise Maura the way Maura had surprised her the day they had arrived in Santorini. And it had worked out wonderfully.
She hadn't needed Kostos and whatever the past he shared with Maura was. She had managed to use the very few contacts she had to please Maura, to make sure that from now on they would have their very own addresses on the island. They would be theirs and nobody else's. Perhaps it was a bit of a territorial approach but Jane liked the idea.
They hadn't gone for a walk afterward. They had headed back to the hotel instead and had made love until very late in the night. Perhaps there was nothing to understand, as Maura had said... Yet the truth was that Jane had to admit that everything seemed oddly natural; logical. As if it were meant to be.
And maybe it was.
After a couple of lazy hours in bed this morning, they had finally got up and that was when Jane's innocence had striken. What an idiot she had been.
"I didn't know you liked hiking."
They had been walking for almost an hour now and still had to come across a single tourist. Obviously they had better things to do than risking their life on a cliff even if dying in Santorini sounded glamorous. The sun was high in the sky and Jane felt hot, thirsty. She had almost emptied her whole bottle of water already.
"I do. It is probably one of the best ways to exercize and look at this view!" Maura stopped to open her arms at the Caldera. "Isn't it breathtaking?" She approached the edge of the path, not bothered at all by the height of the cliff.
"I'd appreciate it even more if you weren't so close to the void. Come over here. I don't want to lose you when I just found you."
Jane choked on her own words. At no moment had she wanted to say such thing. It had come out by itself without her having the slightest control over it. And it had been meaningful, so meaningful.
Her cheeks began to burn yet not because of the sun. It was her words, her stupid words. Her mind speaking for her. She looked down to hide her sudden blushing. In vain. Why had she said that?
"I am here to stay, you don't have to be worried." Maura's peaceful voice echoed the serene smile that was playing on her lips. Unlike Jane who was still blushing, she had embraced the confession to fully assume it. She sat down on a rock as far as she could from the void and motioned the spot next to her. "Come on... Have a seat. We are halfway through, we can have a break. Can't we?"
Jane timidly accepted the invitation and settled on the rock. Sadly there was no much shadow. The climate was arid. Even olive trees hadn't made it here. A desert. They were walking through a desert surrounded by the sea.
She took her bottle out of her backpack then gulped down the last remaining sips of water. Maura thankfully carried two more bottles with her; two more they would obviously need.
"There is a beautiful church in Thira. The ceiling is made of gold and blue, the paintings are old but well preserved. It is my favorite one of the archipelago. I am glad to be able to share it with you today."
Perhaps Maura's confession wasn't as meaningful as her very own one but it nonetheless touched Jane a lot. She knew that Maura loved Santorini, she had even probably felt in love with the island at first sight to fantasize about a wedding here.
The fact that she kept on saying she was glad to finally be here with her, Jane, owned a very unique meaning; such a powerful one that warmed up Jane's heart peacefully.
"We'll go in when we make it there."
After all, Jane owed it to her family. She had walked by many churches and hadn't entered any yet. Her mother would not be very happy even if she had taken her distance with the Church since her divorce. Angela was still catholic. Jane too, or at least in theory. Reality was a bit different, she had to admit it.
"What?" Maura scoffed and stood up, putting thus an end to their break. It was time to resume their walking if they wanted to arrive to Thira for lunch. "You are half-naked, Jane, so you can't come in... You would have to cover your shoulders as well as your legs... We haven't taken proper clothes to walk inside a Greek church."
Jane looked down at her attire. Maura was right, she hadn't thought about that. She grabbed her backpack and they left their little spot by the Caldera.
They arrived in Thira an hour and a half later. The last miles had been easier as Jane had finally got accustomed to the height as well as to the narrowness of the path. They had taken their time to admire the landscape, hand in hand. Jane had taken pictures – even a few shots with Maura – and had gladly welcomed this feeling of pride as the first houses of Thira had appeared at the end of the path. She had overcome her fears and couldn't be happier right now.
"You know what I'd like to do?" Sipping on a strawberry granita, Jane took a deep breath and flashed a bright smile at Maura. "I'd love to be able to take my shoes off."
This wasn't the kind of confession Maura had expected to hear. It took her aback. Completely. They had stopped by a restaurant on top of the cliffs of Thira and had sat at a table on the terrace, in the shadows of some pine trees.
The big cruise ships were shining in the sun below, rocked by the quiet waves of the sea. The view was breathtaking and the place exceptionnally quiet.
"I am afraid that this isn't going to happen any time soon, Jane. However when we are back to Oia, I can promise you a massage. If you are well-behaved, that is..."
Jane was about to reply when she turned her head around and gasped in horror. A tourist had stepped over the low wall of the terrace and was now on top of a very tiny rock that overlooked the void.
She swallowed hard, unable to break eye-contact with the stranger and the sign that said such move was prohibited. It was windy, besides. What would happen if the person lost his balance?
"Jane?" The moment her lover looked at her again, Maura barely held back a laugh. She had no idea whatsoever that Jane was slightly afraid of heights. It was very unexpected. "Are you alright?"
Jane nodded and watched how the daring tourist peacefully walked back to his table as if nothing had happened at all.
"Please tell me you don't want to do what he just did. Please."
A graceful grin lit up Maura's eyes. It embraced her features beautifully. She shook her head and held Jane's hand tightly before focusing back on the Aegean sea.
"When I told you that I was here to stay, I meant it."
She was, she really was. And not just for the remaining week they still had to spend in Santorini. She just didn't add that part. What for? Jane obviously knew about it already. Perhaps they couldn't really put a name on whatever was happening but they both knew nonetheless that it wasn't just a fling.