Joanne had never settled upon what it was that made her so beautiful. Was it the long brown locks that fell ever so gently upon her shoulders? Was it the hidden golden highlights that rested deep in those brown curls, the highlights that made her hair look as though it shimmered in the sunlight? Maybe it was the soft texture of her cream colored skin, skin that felt like smooth silk beneath her hands. Of course, it was quite possible that it was simply the brilliant brown eyes that captured Joanne's heart and soul every time she looked into them. Lucky for Joanne, she could not get lost in those wonderful eyes at that moment because they were hidden by a pair of large black sunglasses.
Due to the blocking of a direct view of those magnificent irises, Joanne was able to take in the rest of the other woman's appearance. As she reflected upon her former lover, the lawyer came to one conclusion within seconds.
Maureen Johnson was not having a good day.
The sunglasses were the first giveaway. Joanne was well aware that Maureen only wore those glasses when she wanted to hide her thoughts. Anyone who knew the diva knew that Maureen's eyes couldn't lie. They always told you her thoughts, and while the actress was great at controlling her expression, her eyes were the one thing she could never manipulate effectively. The disguise made Joanne wonder what was troubling the usually expressive woman.
The next thing Joanne noticed was the grimace on Maureen's face. It was hard to get Maureen down. She was a woman who knew what she wanted out of life and went after it, a person who had dreams that would never die, and whose aspirations were the essence of her life. A high spirited person, Joanne had only known Maureen to have a look like that on her face once, and that had been when Angel had died. Then, of course, the look had been much worse, and Joanne shuddered as the memories of those days flooded back.
"Didn't give an inch when I gave a mile. I'd be happy to die for a taste of what Angel had, someone to live for, unafraid to say I love you." She remembered the tears that had cascaded down Maureen's face that day, and even how they'd kissed and made up. Those days were gone now. It had been almost a year since then, and their grief at Angel's death as well as their incompatibility had finally torn them apart for good. Now, Joanne and Maureen rarely interacted except at the usual hangouts when the Bohos met at the Life. The irony struck her that they were there now, the place where much of the magic that had been their life together had been made.
The lawyer watched as Maureen glanced around the Café, obviously looking for a corner to hide in. Joanne could tell by the way she gripped the oversized bag on her shoulder that Maureen was looking for a release, and at four in the afternoon, an ice cold beer was probably very promising to the diva. No matter their tumultuous past, Joanne still considered Maureen a good friend, and the young woman was never one to leave her friends alone when they needed her.
"Maureen?" She questioned softly, and the other woman spun around as soon as she'd spoken. The look of recognition that passed over her face was almost unnoticeable, and had any person other than Joanne been watching it would have gone unseen. Of course, Joanne knew the other woman intimately, and little things like the small smile that had crossed her face would never go unnoticed.
But that's the past, and this is now. Maureen and I are just friends and that is all we ever will be. Joanne thought. It wasn't a particularly exciting thought, but it was something that the lawyer had accepted. Fighting the customary hesitation that Maureen's presence usually caused, the young woman waved her friend over to the table and smiled.
"Hey Jo." Maureen's reply was low, and came with a small smirk upon her face. Joanne watched as she walked over to the table and slid her lithe body into the chair across the table. The tension in her shoulders relaxed ever so slightly as the scent of the green tea Joanne was drinking wafted over her. The lawyer stifled a chuckle at the familiar sight.
"Would you like a cup, Mo?" She asked, indicating the cup of tea between them. Maureen usually hated the drink, but in this very unusual state, anything was possible. The other woman shook her head and smiled, pulling the black sunglasses up into the dark curls on her head.
"I'd rather have a tall glass of some hard liquor right now, but it's a bit early for that so I'll just settle for a Coke." Joanne smirked slightly, gratified that she still knew her friend so well despite… well, everything. "So how are you?"
The lawyer groaned and shook her head as she rolled her eyes. Maureen's head tilted to the side and a look of confusion stole upon her face.
"Let's just say it has been a long day." Maureen nodded knowingly and signaled to the waiter, who came over with an ice-cold glass of Coke. She took a long drink of the soda then spoke again.
"I can relate. Got a big case coming up?" The diva questioned.
"No more than the usual. You know me, tireless worker. All the days are long." A silence fell between them as they watched each other. Joanne knew what the look on Maureen's face meant. That was the problem of your ex-girlfriend also being one of your closest friends. She knew you too well to be lied to. To be a person whose job often counted on the ability to deceive or to mask one's emotions, Joanne had never been able to hide the truth from Maureen.
"Anna showed up at the office today with the usual monthly lecture. I'll just say that it got a little more intense than normal." The bitterness she felt was difficult to hide and she could see Maureen's agreement on the other woman's face. "If I'm lucky, she'll be too pissed tell Dad today, but you know as well as I do that I am never that lucky when it involves my mother."
"Well that must have been fun." Answered Maureen with a smirk. "I haven't heard from the Wicked Witch of Scarsdale in a couple months which is nice. Guess that means I'm due for another spell." With a sign, she took a sip of her Coke and reached over to squeeze Joanne's hand.
"Don't worry about her, Jo. Your mother just doesn't get how brilliant you are. She can go fuck herself." Joanne smiled at Maureen's words. True to form, the woman had said exactly what Joanne wasn't willing to say for herself. Anna Jefferson was at best a pain in the ass, and Joanne was tired of the stress of trying to live up to her expectations.
"What about you? Was your day a day from hell too?" She asked with a concerned look in her eyes. Maureen attempted to smile, but it failed and she sighed, shrugging.
"It hasn't been the worst day ever. It's just been really long. Been walking the streets job searching all day." She glanced down at the table. "I hate that fucking smile they give you."
"The 'gosh you're pretty but that's the only reason I'd hire you so I won't hire you' smile?" Joanne responded. She knew that smile. She'd seen it on the faces of her coworkers plenty of times. Maureen nodded.
"That's the one. Fucking pricks. That is not letting a girl down easy." Her tone held a hint of bitterness, and Joanne could see there was more to the story than Maureen had said.
"I thought you had that job as a secretary somewhere. I remember Collins mentioning it to me the last time I talked to him." The chuckle Maureen answered with came with a cryptic smile.
"Well they pulled the 'we're moving in a new direction and no longer need your services' card and fired my ass. So now, with the audition season pretty much dead for the next few months, I need a sustainable job."
Joanne nodded and the conversation continued after that. It meandered to a variety of topics, just in the way it had been when they'd first met. For Joanne, the conversation was like a trip into the past, or a glimpse of what the future could be if they let it. Their relationship as lovers was over, and it had to be for both their sakes. No rules had been written saying they couldn't be friends. If friendship was all Joanne got from Maureen, it would be enough.
She only wished she knew a way to help her friend out with a job. She knew the type of life Maureen lived well enough to know that her giving up auditions meant her need for money was serious. The lawyer didn't offer to give Maureen any money; however, because she knew the diva wouldn't accept it. No, to help Maureen Joanne had to find another way to do it. She just didn't know how.
AN: made some minor edits to chapter one, and sorry for the title change. The other one just didn't fit well enough for my tastes.