Jubal smiled when he seen Stuart listening to make sure that Kristen had locked the apartment door behind them, he couldn't blame him, he would have checked too only he seen Stuart standing at the door and he knew exactly what the younger man was doing. Maggie and Jubal didn't say anything to him about it though, they didn't want to embarrass him. They made their way out of Kristen's apartment building as Jubal looked at them both
"Do you both need lifts home or Maggie did you drive here?"
"Drive here at lunch time? No thank you" she laughed softly "I took the subway"
Stuart laughed hearing Maggie and he totally understood it, he really only drove when he had to for work "Thanks for the offer Jubal, but I'm actually going to take the subway I'm going to meet my sister for dinner and she's not that far from here"
"As long as you are going to meet your sister and not go back to work, you have the day off, you have no reason to go back there today" Jubal was now speaking as Steuy's friend and boss because he seen how exhausted the younger man had looked when he found him at his desk earlier
"I'm going to meet my sister I promise, she text to check we were still on for dinner when we were in Kristen's and I haven't seen her for a while, so I'm heading straight there now" Stuey smiled, he really appreciated that Jubal genuinely was worried about him and cared about him.
"We will see you at work tomorrow" Maggie smiled waving at Stuart as he left them heading towards the subway
"So you want me to give you a lift home?" Jubal smiled much softer now as he looked at Maggie as they were alone
"Hmm sitting in a car with you does seem a little more appealing than the subway right now" She smirked playfully teasing him as he gently nudged her shoulder before nodding at where his car was parked
"I'm glad that my company is more appealing to you than strangers pushing against you at the subway" He laughed as he opened the car for them and climbed in to the drivers seat
Maggie climbed in to the passengers seat laughing and she got comfortable looking at Jubal before she spoke again "You sure you actually know how to get to my apartment since I've just been going to your's lately?"
"I still remember your address don't worry" He chuckled softly, but he wasn't sure if that meant Maggie was going to her own apartment alone, he had enjoyed their day at Kristen's apartment he seen how good it had been for them all, but he didn't want his time with Maggie to end.
As if being able to read his mind, Maggie reached over and lay her hand on top of his squeezing it gently "You know that you can come in and stay if you want when we get there? I was running out of clothes at your place and I have been neglecting my apartment lately"
Jubal smiled turning his hand around in Maggie's so that they could intertwine their fingers, he ran his thumb over her hand as he spoke "I know that we have been spending a lot of time together with how crazy things have been at work and then being together outside of work as well, I totally understand if you want or need some time on your own honey"
Maggie smiled, she couldn't help it when she heard him call her honey as it was the first time he had called her that, she wanted to frown at his words, the fact that he thought she didn't want the evening with him, but he called her honey and she just couldn't stop the smile "I promise you Jubal that if I wanted or needed time alone I would tell you, I just needed to sort some things out at my apartment and I had started some of them before Kristen text"
Jubal had stated to relax hearing Maggie's words, a part of him still couldn't believe that this incredibly smart and beautiful woman was choosing to spend her free time with him "Mags I don't mind being at your apartment, I hope you know that, we can start spending more time here, I really don't mind that at all"
Maggie's apartment was an old brownstone that had been converted in to apartments, her place was actually bigger than Jubal's, his had just been easier lately because she had been the one that had the spare clothes and he was the one that had to usually be in work before her so it meant the days she didn't have spare clothes she had time to go home and change before work.
"You sure? I know you have gotten comfortable in your apartment and it's what you are used to so I don't want to change that too much on you but I promise that I am not hiding a full cupboard of alcohol anywhere in the apartment, in fact there isn't actually any there at the minute"
Jubal squeezed Maggie's hand gently as he heard her words, he should have known that she would have been thinking about him so much, it still was something he was trying to get used to "Even if you did have a cupboard full of alcohol Mags I promise I would tell you if it ever got uncomfortable to be around and thank you for even thinking of that, but I know that you love your apartment, I know it's what you dreamed you would live in here in New York once you got settled, so we can honestly start spending more time there. I'll take clothes so that I can leave from there on the really early mornings"
Maggie was speechless, she had no idea Jubal had been paying so much attention to that conversation years ago, she had spoke to him, OA and Kristen when the apartment had become available, it was what she had dreamed of living in and she wanted and needed the change from where she and Jason lived, it was just too painful to return to their apartment every night and him not be there, they had always dreamed of an apartment like the one she had now and she couldn't believe her luck when she got this apartment. But for Jubal to have remembered that was a huge surprise to her
"I can't believe you remember that conversation"
"Mags we all knew that wasn't an easy decision for you to make, me, Kristen and OA agreed that if and when you spoke to us about anything to do with Jason or helping you try to heal that you would have our full attention. You were hurting, we wanted to help you through that and with OA as your partner we knew that you had someone that was willing to protect you both at work and in life"
Maggie could feel tears in her eyes as she listened to Jubal's words, she would never have made it through Jason's death without her family or her friends at work, they let her throw herself into work but always stood up to her when they felt she needed it. She was really starting to notice lately just how much they had been there for her. She knew OA had been nervous at first to mention anything about Jason, he never forced Maggie or asked questions, he let her just tell him things when she was ready and that meant so much to her it's why she turned to him when she thought Jason's death wasn't just an accident.
"You know when I think back now I realise just how much you, Kristen and OA helped me without always realising that you guys were helping. People were afraid to say anything to me even when my behaviour was out of line but you always stood up to me and pushed back when you had to and especially when OA was too afraid to"
"Pushing back and standing up to you wasn't always an easy to thing to do especially when you were hurting so much, but I also didn't want you doing anything that was going to destroy your life or your career because I know how much you love the job. So I know what this apartment means to you honey, so we can be here more"
Maggie had to swallow the lump in her throat, how had it taken her so long to realise that this man wanted to protect her and take care of her, she wasn't one that needed to be taken care of but with Jubal it was different, she liked it because he never made her feel like it was what she needed, it was just what he wanted to do because he cared about her.
"That's the second time you've called me that now" Maggie smiled looking at Jubal and she chuckled softly when he looked at her so confused "You've called me honey twice since we left Kristen's"
"I'm sorry.. I can stop if you want" He was struggling to read Maggie's expression right now, he had seen the tears in her eyes as they talked about her apartment and Jason, he had wished they had kept the conversation until he wasn't driving so that he could hold her while they talked, but he also thought that them sitting like this was actually helping Maggie open up to him more.
"I don't want you to stop, if you want to call me that I'm not going to object in the slightest. I'm just starting to think that we should hang out with Kristen and Stuart more when this is the reaction that I get from you after" Maggie smirked playfully but her eyes were full of so much affection and he could have swore he seen something in her eyes that he hadn't seen before but he couldn't explain what it was right now
"Maybe my chat with Stuey made me realise how lucky I am that I finally worked up the nerve to tell you how I felt, well technically it was hinting heavily" Jubal laughed softly as he glanced at Maggie before back at the road "He is falling hard for Kris and when I was listening to him it made me thankful that I didn't have to hide from you about how I felt anymore, it's hard enough hiding it from everyone else right now without trying to hide it from you too"
"Yeah maybe I should talk to Stuart about telling Kristen how he feels rather than just heavyily hinting at her" Maggie laughed joking with Jubal as she squeezed his hand gently and she showed him where to park as they pulled up to her apartment. When they got parked Jubal looked in to the back seat and seen his bag laying there and he looked at Maggie
"Do you mind if I shower here and change out of these work clothes?"
"Of course not, but do you have something to change in to, I'm not sure you would really suit my clothes" she smirked playfully and watched him leaning in to the back seat and lifting out a bag, it was the same bag he had brought her clothes in to the hospital
"Since the kids moved I try to keep some clothes with me so that I can drive to see them straight away and with our jobs you know that we never know what the day holds so I like to have these just in case"
"I'm shocked we don't all have our lockers and cars filled with spare clothes with our jobs, so with having the kids I totally get it.. I may be a little sad that I won't see you trying to fit in my clothes" Maggie couldn't help the proper laugh that escaped as she seen the horrified look on Jubal's face as she climbed out of the car and up the steps to the brownstone with Jubal following close behind her
"You know I don't think I told you how beautiful this place was, the only other time I've been here I think I was too nervous to really pay attention to your apartment"
"Wait you were really that nervous?" Maggie turned her head to look at Jubal before she faced her door unlocking it and stepping inside holding the door for him "You hid it really well because I thought I was the only one of us that was nervous"
Jubal stepped inside and followed Maggie as she lead him in to the living room area and he watched Maggie as she lay her house keys in to a bowl on her counter "I was really that nervous.. I was convinced that you could tell how nervous I was because you seemed so calm compared to how I was feeling"
Maggie shook her head laughing "Trust me I was not calm, that was our first date so I was nervous.. C'mon I'll show you around properly so that you can make yourself at home.. Take your bag with you, you can use the en-suite to shower and change"
Her kitchen was only separated from her living room by a breakfast bar, she lead Jubal down the hallway pointing out the bathroom downstairs and the spare room that she had left as a guest room, she reached the small set of stairs at the end of the corridor and lead Jubal upstairs where there was two doors
"That one is another guest room and then this is my room" She opened the door stepping in to her bedroom letting Jubal follow her, both realising this was the first time that he was actually seeing her bedroom, he sat his bag down on the chair in the corner of her room and he looked around the room
"I can see why you fell in love with this place, I did not realise you had so much space here, the outside makes it look so much smaller"
"The first time Mel was here she just kept walking around the place saying there was no way this was hiding at the top of those steps and small front door" Maggie laughed softly as she opened the door to the en-suite "You can use away at the shower here, clean towels are on the top shelf of that cupboard" Maggie was pointing at cupboard in the bathroom
"Thanks Mags" Jubal smiled as he was still taking in the apartment, he really couldn't believe how beautiful it was and that Maggie had given this place up basically for most nights out of the last three weeks just to be with him. He was about to speak when he spotted something laying on her bed and he raised his eyebrow looking at her "Eh honey, is that my hoodie?"
Maggie looked at her bed and chuckled when she spotted what he was looking at "I could lie and say I accidentally packed it in with my things, but I wore it back here.. I was planning on bringing it back to your place with me don't worry"
Jubal made his way over to Maggie while she was talking and when he was close enough he pulled her into his arms, his hands resting on her lower back "Oh I'm not worried at all, I already knew I had lost that hoodie last week when you kept appearing in it.. I'm still trying to get my head around the fact that you like wearing it so much"
When she had felt Jubal's arms slide around her waist she ran her hands along his arms resting her hands behind his neck stepping as close to him as possible "Well I'm glad that you are okay with the fact that you have lost this hoodie" she chuckled softly and before she could say anything else she felt Jubal's lips against hers, softly at first before he deepened the kiss more. Maggie ran her thumb along the skin at Jubal's neck as she lightly leaned her body against his completely giving in to the kiss.
Jubal broke the kiss before he got carried away, he wanted to wait until later tonight to make love to the woman in his arms in her bed for the first time and then fall asleep with her in his arms for the rest of the night, and right now that wasn't something they could do. He smiled against her lips, running his hands along her back slowly
"I've wanted to do that since you answered the door at Kristen's"
"I'm not sure Kristen and Stuart ever want to see us kissing like that" Maggie chuckled softly against Jubal's lips placing another kiss to them before she reluctantly stepped back "Go shower.. You can join me down stairs when you are ready"
Jubal pulled Maggie back in for one more quick kiss before he squeezed her hand gently and he stood watching her leave the bedroom, he realised that she really trusted him to be leaving him alone in her bedroom, he knew that was a big step for her.
