Over the next few weeks, Jane and Maura caught a couple of times.
The first was to the Museum of History; Maura's choice, obviously. Maura found herself revelling of the rises and falls of all the various cultures and eras. Most significantly her interest was drawn to an exhibition devoted entirely to decorative furniture throughout history. Always appreciative of the sentimental values of many of the pieces, she was also quite aware of the monetary value, which was rather high as a result of the collection being one of the finest of its kind in existence. Jane, on the other hand, was mostly bored. She adored seeing Maura fall in love with each section, and watching her face light up as something struck her interest, she simply couldn't understand why anyone would care this much. However, when they reached the Militaries Throughout History exhibit, specifically the ammunition section, she was more than intrigued.
Even out of all the exhibitions they had seen that day, it became Maura's favourite too as she loved seeing Jane enjoy something that she did.

Their second meeting in this time was to a pizzeria local to Jane. She knew that it would still seem pretty casual to Maura, but had hoped that the particular pizza joint she had chosen was upscale enough to offset the informal nature that was 'the pizza'. In her opinion, the night was a success as Maura was surprisingly open to simply having a relaxed evening of food and idle conversation. She sometimes forgot that Maura had a simpler (less expensive) side, but she was always thankful for it. It makes her even more complex than what most people see, but she loves that. Jane's favourite part of this one though was the ending. Having dropped Maura home (she had decided to pick her up so she didn't have to go out of her way, after all, Jane knew the area well), they kissed each other's cheeks as a goodbye gesture. To most, this wouldn't seem like much at all. And to them, were they with anyone else, they probably wouldn't have thought much of it either. This one was different though; much like their somewhat untraditional relationship. When they did kiss, they both enjoyed it a little more than was expected. It could even be said that when the kiss finished they seemed to remain still, for no other reason than to linger in the closeness.

Over the latter days of this period though, Maura had a growing feeling of uneasiness and anxiety growing within her that she couldn't seem to hush.

Since having coffee with Jane that first time, she knew that exploring their relationship (as friends or otherwise) was something that she really would love the opportunity to do.

When Jane was in high school, Maura would never have said that she had an interest in Jane being anything more than a friend within the bounds of the school. She certainly thought that she was interesting, intelligent, and had immaculate bone structure, but it simply wasn't something that her ethics would allow, so it was never a need for concern in that regard.
Having this opportunity now though, it was as if any feelings that she may have suppressed in the past, have now been brought to the surface. Unfortunately, the associated nervousness; addressing aspects such as co-workers, the fact that she was a student and the fact that she is still younger, was still going strong.

She tried to remain rational through it all. She attempted to meditate, though found it very difficult to clear her mind which has only ever happened on a few occasions in her life. She also went for a run and, whilst she didn't deny the endorphin release, she still found that the same thoughts still plagued her when she stopped. Unfortunately, she didn't see running for eternity as a viable option.

•••

"Sorry this was such short notice," she said quietly, trying to remain level-headed.

"Yeah, no worries," she smiled casually. "It's good to see you anyway." Her smile was a little more genuine this time.

Maura smiled shyly, almost embarrassed at this point.

Jane could put her finger on it, but something didn't seem quite right with Maura. She decided that the gentle approach was the best option, so she asked cautiously, "Is everything okay?" Starting to piece together the puzzle (as any detective would), she became concerned that Maura had gotten her here with only a few hours' notice.

For a moment, she actually debated about coming up with some extensive lie to tell Jane. Eventually though she decided against it, after all, it wasn't really in her nature in these sorts of circumstances. She let out a little sigh. She still didn't speak though. She didn't really know where to start. Maura looked Jane in the eyes and saw this unwaveringly kind woman before her. She owed her honesty, she felt. "I apologise," she began, "for getting you here on such short notice." She paused, straightening her shirt and skirt, biding time. "May I please be honest?"

Jane gave a rather confused look, before letting a reassuring smile show. "Maur', of course you can." She was surprised it was even a question.

Maura pursed her lips before rephrasing the question. "Taking into consideration that my honesty and my social skills don't always result in good things, are you certain?" She needed to be sure.

She was now a little concerned. Scratch that; she was quite concerned. "What's wrong?" She asked, suddenly feeling very vulnerable.

Maura saw that her thoughts, even though unspoken, were making Jane uncomfortable. She had to speak them now or they'd never be resolved, leaving her an anxious mess and Jane an unjustified one. She sighed once again. "I know we touched on this the other day," she tried to say formally. "I just feel that perhaps it is a topic that needs revisiting, for my sake at the very least."

Jane simply watched intently, waiting for Maura to drop whatever bomb on their days.

"I was your teacher," she paused.

Jane suddenly knew exactly what was going on, but felt like Maura maybe needed to get some things out in the open, so she waited.

"That would have been a fairly different relationship, in terms of the dynamics of it," she stated.

She nodded in understanding.

"And whilst I really do think you're quite brilliant for a number of reasons, I am concerned that this perhaps isn't a good idea."

Jane's fingers betrayed her as they lifted but an inch from the table, drawing Maura's attention. She dropped her shoulders relenting though knowing that she could not undo her interrupting fingers. "Maura," she began, "I'm concerned too."

She looked a little surprised at this point.

"Look, I'd really like the chance to see what happens here, and I think you would too. Don't get me wrong, I know that it may not work out. I know that it could mean bad things for both of us, and that's true even if it does work out. But I like you," she said truthfully. "And look, nothing says we have to rush into anything or even tell anyone right now. I just want us to be friends and then," she shrugged. "Then we can go from there."

Maura was moved by all that Jane had said, but was still feeling a little uneasy. Apparently, it was noticeable too.

Jane added, "I know we said this stuff the other day… But what if we actually let them happen? And, if it's clear we can't do it or whatever, I guess we'll just have to take that. But wouldn't you like to at least try?" Jane hoped to God the answer was yes.

She inspected the woman before her for signs of deceptions or doubt, only to find there were none. She too knew the circumstances weren't exactly perfect but, to Jane, she already meant enough to try anyway. The least she could do was the same. So she smiled, genuinely but small, and said, "Thank you." She meant it too.

Jane smiled back, with an unspoken 'you're welcome.'

A moment past before Maura said, "May I ask you something?" Not quite realising the immediate connotation to the topic they were practically still discussing.

Jane didn't seem to mind though. "Yes."

Maura was beginning to feel so safe with Jane. "What is your favourite food?"

For a moment there, Jane actually thought she knew what was going on. Now though she raised an eyebrow and gave Maura a puzzled look. Her words were spoken slowly and with uncertainty. "I… like… potatoes?"

"Me too," she responded excitedly. It didn't even seem to faze her that Jane was entirely confused at this point. "They're so versatile," she continued. "Aren't they?"

Jane tried not to look so completely oblivious but was pretty sure that wasn't working. All the same though, she responded appropriately, "Yeah.. I mean, they can be mashed, or baked or fried… And you can eat them with almost anything." She was pretty sure she still looked confused despite the truth in her words. She paused for a few moments before asking, "Why?" After all, it was a rather strange question.

Maura, whom just a moment ago seemed unfazed by the change of topic, responded honestly by saying, "I thought that perhaps if I learned more about you, I may feel less uneasy." Trying to make it seem less odd, she added almost insistently, "You can ask me questions too, if you'd like."

Jane displayed this little half smile at how cute the woman before her could be. It wasn't long to change into a grin as she became interested in the concept. "Okay…" she narrowed her eyes a little deviously. "So, it's my turn now?"

Maura politely nodded, "I think that's only fair." If she was honest, she was relieved that Jane wasn't entirely weirded out by the idea.

Jane took a moment to think, and it was obvious the cogs were spinning in her head. "Do you have any pets and," she emphasised, "tell me about it/them."

"I do have a pet. His name is Bass, and he is an African Spur-Thigh tortoise," she added informatively.

"I see… That's cool. So does he have like a tank and a little pond?" She asked curiously.

"Tortoise, not turtle," she corrected. "So he is a land animal, and he just sort of wanders," she tried her best to answer. "He's also a little too big for a tank," she said as if this were a normal thing.

Immediately Jane's face became humorously cynical. "How big is this thing?!"

"Oh, approximately 60 pounds," she said unabashedly.

"Holy cow!" She exclaimed. "I was picturing something that was, like, the size of my hand or something. That's," she paused, "Impressive," she said a quite flabbergasted.

Maura simply smiled. "Well, yes… He's a little bigger than that," she quipped.
"What about yourself? Do you currently or have you had any pets?"

"Nah," she said casually. "Didn't have any growing up; other than my brothers," she joked.

Maura smiled, amused at Jane's quick humour. A small part of her will always be reminded of that young girl whom it seemed like no-one had ever really cared about. Not wanting to dwell (and seeing no need to) she then asked, "Do you have a favourite pastime?"

"Hey," she nagged. "It's my turn," she raised an eyebrow as she caught Maura out.

"It is not," she said with certainty.

"Yeah-huh! You asked me about food, I asked you about your turtle and then you ask me about my pets," she said positively.

"True, but only by omission," she said cleverly in a friendly manner. "I asked about food, you asked about pets, then proceeded to ask about his living situation and his size, before I asked about your pets," she said a little smugly. "By my count, I still have two more questions."

Never let it be said that Maura was one to be messed with.

Displeased by the unfortunate truth, Jane sighed and relented a "Fine…" before slouching back playfully.

Maura was quite satisfied with herself. "So, do you have a favourite pastime?"

"Mm…" she said unenthusiastically. As she continued to speak though, she perked up a little. "I like running. That's probably about it."

"Running is a wonderful thing," Maura was quick to say. "I rather enjoy it myself," she smiled, honestly. "Your turn."

Jane momentarily began to think of a question before remembering. "Wait… You still have one more question," she said fairly.

Maura smiled. "Yes, but I'll let you have it," she said, happy to allow Jane the next one.

The evening went on like this for a while before they were politely asked to leave by the staff, shortly before 10:30pm.

As Jane dropped Maura back to her place, which she was never any less impressed with the architecture of, she stepped out of the car and gave her a gentle hug and once again kissed her on the cheek.
Neither of them lingered as much this time, not from disinterest though. There was simply this mutual feeling that perhaps it would happen again, and it would happen soon.

Hello lovely readers,

My apologies that the chapter took so long.
I do hope you enjoyed it though and would love to hear any thoughts you might have.

Hope you're happy and well.
Happy New Year.

CC