"It's late, Jane. Perhaps you should go home and try to get some rest?" Maura smiled gently at the detective.
"Yeah, I came down here to," Jane ran a hand across the back of her neck. "To, you know, walk you to your car."
Maura smiled. "That's sweet of you, Jane. I'll be ready in a moment."
Jane watched as Maura gathered her coat and purse after putting away her lab coat. "Okay, I'm ready." She walked up to the ME and tentatively reached toward her arm but pulled back at the last moment. Maura simply continued to smile up at the detective. "It's okay, Jane. Are you ready?"
Jane nodded, and they headed toward the door.
"Have you eaten yet?" Jane held the elevator door to allow Maura to go in first. "I was thinking of going to that corner café that stays open all night." Jane could feel herself fidgeting. She'd asked Maura to have dinner with her a hundred times, but this time it felt different. She was nervous.
"I haven't." Maura looked over at Jane. She placed a hand over Jane's to stop the brunette's thumb from continuing to run over the scar on her other hand. "I'd love to go. Shall I drive?"
"No, I'll drive." Jane smiled. She kept her eyes glued to their joined hands. As the elevator doors opened, Jane jumped a little, and Maura let go of her hands.
They walked in relative silence to Jane's car. She opened the door for Maura and then hopped into the driver's side.
"I… I'm sorry, Maura." She chuckled nervously, "I don't know what's wrong with me."
"It's okay, Jane. I think I understand."
"You do? I wish you'd explain it to me."
"I believe this might be considered a first date."
"Oh," Jane chewed on the inside of her lip for a moment. "Oh, man, I guess you're right." She glanced over at Maura. "I feel like I should be taking you some place fancy, now."
"I think the diner will be fine, Jane." Maura reached over and took Jane's hand. "Would you be okay if I were to hold your hand at the diner?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure." She considered Maura's question for a moment. "I don't know how I would handle it if one of the guys came in and saw us holding hands. It might end badly, and I don't want to ruin this before it even gets started."
"If you're worried that I'd hold it against you if you pulled away because one of our friends or coworkers came into the diner, don't be. I understand that there is a delicate balance at work here between familiarity and the unfamiliar experiences of dating the same sex. I know and understand the social constraints at work here, Jane." She gave Jane's hand a squeeze. "It's okay, Jane. I won't mind."
Jane nodded as she pulled into the diner. "I… I promise to try not to screw up, okay?"
"Okay, however, should you do something I find… inappropriate… rest assured that I will let you know." Jane gave Maura a look that screamed she was now terrified. "Relax, Jane. What I mean is that I'll alert you to it once we're alone, and I promise I'll try not to put you on the defensive."
"Yeah, that'd be good." Jane slipped out of the car and walked around to open the door and help Maura out. "Let's go eat."