The weekend came with no relief to Gail, who had already spent the past night back in a surveillance van, and was barely into her shift tonight, the final night of this operation. Gail pulled the phone from her pocket and scrolled mindlessly though her contacts. The moment she saw Holly's name on her screen she hesitated. Holly of course would be at home relaxing right now, probably watching some documentary or hockey. Maybe she was out with friends, it didn't matter either way. Gail knew that regardless of her current location, Holly would respond if she text her. The urge was almost overwhelming, but her better judgment kicked in. She noticed Chris glancing at her curiously as she shoved the phone back in her pocket with a sigh.
"Uh, Gail?"
She closed her eyes for a moment, not really in the mood for whatever Chris was going to ask her. "Yeah?"
"Is everything okay? Between us, between you and Dov?" She flipped her head in his direction. This was completely unexpected.
"Yes Chris. Why?" She couldn't quite hold her impatience with the question back as she replied.
He took a moment before continuing, clearly not in complete belief of Gail's answer. "Well, it is just that you haven't really been around much lately. I'm not trying to be intrusive or anything. It's just I noticed that you spend a lot of time at Holly's now."
"So, what is it to you?" Gail didn't like where this was going. She was in no place to explain her friendship with Holly, or whatever it may be with anyone right now.
Chris gave her an apologetic glance, but continued anyways. "It is just that Dov and I were worried that something happened to make you not want to live with us anymore. I know Holly has an extra bedroom, so I guess I just wanted to know if you were moving out. If you were going to be her roommate?"
Gail opened her mouth to answer, still unsure of what words were about to come out, when the door to the van slid open. Traci stepped in and closed the door behind her. "Okay, game time. You remember the signals?"
It was barely morning, the first light of dawn filtering through the city, when Gail arrived at Holly's. She moved to knock on the door, and then stopped, realizing the early hour. Gail stood slightly irritated, not wanting to wait in the cold, but not wanting to wake Holly so early either. She was about to leave when she remembered the key Holly had given to her the night of the wedding. She had forgotten that she had yet to return it. Gail dug through her bag and pulled out the key in question. She stood for far too long in front of the door, staring down at the key, trying to decipher if it would be inappropriate to use it.
A shiver ran deep as the wind picked up. Her decision was made for her in that moment. It was way too cold outside for this. She slipped the key in the lock and stepped through the door. The apartment was warm and welcoming as always. Gail felt the stress of the past few days melt off her as the room warmed her through. She shut the door as quietly as possible, locking it behind her. She immediately set about removing her jacket and getting comfortable. She had just taken a seat on the couch when her stomach growled.
30 minutes later found Gail in the kitchen, mid breakfast preparation. She had her earphones in, tuning out the world as she chopped up an onion for the breakfast hash. She had always found cooking with music to be much more relaxing. Something about it just soothed her. Everything in the moment was just calm and collected. She let her thoughts stray back to the key that sat on the counter next to the stove. She had been staring awhile before she came to the realization that her hand had found the key and was now turning it over in her palm. Chris's words fluttered into her mind, and for a moment she considered his statement.
Just as she was returning the key to the counter, a hand grasped her shoulder. Acting purely out of instinct and habit, she grabbed the hand aggressively, turning to place a very stunned Holly in a rather tight defensive hold. Realizing who her "attacker" was Gail dropped her hands instantly.
"Oh my god, Holly. I am so sorry. You took me by complete surprise." Gail nearly shouted. Holly still stood rooted to the spot, rubbing absently at her wrist.
Lucky for her Holly found it funnier than anything. After the initial shock of being overcome so quickly left, Holly started laughing. "I didn't mean to scare you Gail. I'm sorry."
"You can't apologize. I am the one who basically broke in, and then attacked you in your own kitchen."
This somehow made Holly laugh harder. "Okay, so what, you picked the lock on my door so you could make me breakfast? That smells really good by the way."
"What?" Now Gail was really confused. "Holly, I just…you just…you really aren't mad?"
Holly took a step towards Gail, resting her palm on the blonde's waist. "No. I surprised you, it is okay. I'm not broken. Besides, I could take you if I wanted to."
"And you aren't mad that I let myself in?" Gail pointed towards the key on the counter, brushing off Holly's last comment.
"Why do you think I gave it to you? I knew you were bound to keep showing up in the middle of the night or in this case ungodly early. This way, I get to sleep."
Gail still felt uncomfortable at how the morning was playing out so far. Holly of course noticed. "Besides, what is mine is yours."
Gail smiled to herself, feeling slightly less apprehensive. "Even your apartment at…" Gail took a moment to look at the clock. "6:49 on a Sunday morning."
Gail felt Holly's hand squeeze her waist gently, and she looked up to find Holly's eyes awaiting her own. "Yes. What's mine is yours Gail. Everything." She couldn't help but think that somehow Holly wasn't referring to just her apartment anymore. It was a thought that scared her and excited her at the same time. She pulled Holly into a hug, glad she hadn't just pissed Holly off with her intrusions.
Gail finished preparing breakfast as Holly read her emails, mumbling the whole time to herself. It was just one of the quirks she found captivating about the woman. She truly was a weirdo, and Gail wouldn't trade it for anything. She set a plate down in front of Holly, taking a second to kiss her on top of her messy head before settling into her own seat and digging into her food.
The conversation about the key and what meanings it held was a tempting subject, but it was early, and they were content in the renewed calm. So instead, they ate in happy silence, taking in the simplicity of the morning. It wasn't until Holly was clearing the plates that they spoke again.
"How do you feel about camping?"
Gail gave Holly a look, letting the woman know she should know better than to ask silly questions. The look did nothing to deter Holly though so Gail gave her a firm 'No."
Holly swatted at her with the dishtowel. "I didn't ask if you wanted to go. I asked how you felt about it."
"Same difference Stewart."
"I hope you know that phrase does not make any sense." Holly didn't bother waiting for a response. "So my brother has a cabin up north a bit, and I was thinking about going up there for a bit. Just get away for a few days or something."
Gail just stared awkwardly back at Holly. "Are you asking me to go to this cabin with you?"
"Not necessarily. I just thought it would be nice to get out of the city for a while. Doesn't have to be the cabin." There was no mistaking the nerves underlying Holly's suggestion. As casual as she made it seem, both knew it wasn't a light request.
Gail took a moment to mull it over. "I am not really a huge fan of camping, and it is still really cold. But I could go for a trip. Maybe somewhere warmer?"
Holly smiled at Gail and turned back to the dishes in front of her. "Okay, well my schedule is fairly flexible, so let me know when you have a few days, or even a long weekend off and we can find somewhere."
"Deal." Gail leaned back in the chair, content to watch Holly clean up the kitchen. It didn't really matter what Holly was doing, Gail would be happy to watch her clean out gutters, or do a crossword. But this was a nice enough vantage point here.
The day passed quickly. The morning had been spent lazing around Holly's living room watching old superhero cartoons. Around noon Holly dragged Gail out of the apartment to get groceries since Gail seemed to always eat all of hers. They found a small diner on the way and indulged in burgers, fries and shakes (plus the pie Gail had insisted she needed). After putting everything away, they took a walk to a specialty beer shop Gail had never seen before. After purchasing more than enough beer to keep Holly's place stocked, they returned to finish their lazy day on her couch.
After drinking more than their fair shares of beer, Gail had found herself staying the night again. They set the alarms on their phones and took turns getting ready to go to sleep, just like any other night. This night was different though. Gail had ended up in Holly's bed numerous times as of late, but each had a precise reason as to why. This night however, offered no excuse. Yet both women found themselves curling up together, limbs fighting to draw the other in impossibly closer. It remained unspoken, but something had shifted in their arrangement. There was no longer a pretense for Gail to leave Holly in favor of the spare bed. Instead it had been silently and unanimously decided that Gail would share Holly's bed from now on.
When Gail woke the next morning it was to a cold and otherwise uninhabited bed. She dressed quickly and gathered what she would need for her shift. Gail stopped to grab a cup of coffee before she left, finding a note stashed under her keys.
Gail,
Sorry I left without saying goodbye. Didn't want to wake you. Court date got moved up last minute, and I needed to review the files beforehand. My phone will be off most of the day probably, but I should be home around 7. Have a good day Officer.
-Holly
P.S. - I couldn't very well leave you to get chopped to bits (how you so elegantly put it), so I locked the door behind me. I put the spare key on your keychain. Don't be afraid to use it.
Gail picked up her keys and spotted the newest addition. She smiled to herself as she folded Holly's note and slipped it into her pocket. Gail finished her coffee and made her way out the door, stopping to lock up on her way out. Even though she knew that Holly wouldn't see it until later, Gail couldn't help but leave her a text.
'Thanks for not letting me get murdered. :) See you tonight.'
