Without thinking Jane replied, "Anything, you name it." By now Jane's could hear her heart pounding in her ears. What could Maura possibly want from her? Jane took another steadying swig of her whiskey.
"Jane," Maura said, in a deliberate measured tone, followed by a long pause. "Since we are both two mature adults who can appreciate such encounters but considering our close friendship a direct intimate encounter between the two of us would be out of the question I was wondering if you would consider... mutual masturbation?"
Maura's words fell on Jane's ears but they did not seem to register on her brain. She knew Maura was asking something profound but it was just out of reach.
"Sorry Maura. What? I don't get you." She shook her head to clear the fog.
"Jane, would you masturbate for me, please."
Jane was not sure she heard correctly. Maura's tone was so deliberate and measured like she was asking something rather mundane. It flummoxed Jane. Jane met Maura's gaze. She was dumbstruck by the sincerity in Maura's eyes. It seemed like such a simple request. Her mind was caught in treacle. Oh God! She wanted to, so badly, but how does one say yes.
Before she knew it the word just popped out of her mouth. "Yes." She hardly recognised it as her own voice. "If that's what you want?"
Maura held her gaze and simply nodded once slowly.
Jane, finding the tension too much she burst out laughing.
Maura looked confused. "Why are you laughing?"
Jane looked at Maura. "Well, Maura," Jane did not even know how to explain the peculiarity of the situation. "Normally when you like someone one tends to try and steer the conversation towards finding out whether they feel the same. Then if that is the case you try to orchestrate a situation in which one can be close which ultimately if you are lucky will end up in a kiss. And then if that feels good you might end up in bed." Jane waved her hands in the air indicating their current predicament. "The first request is not mutual masturbation."
Maura just looked at Jane, either choosing not to answer or waiting for Jane to draw her own conclusions as she usually does when she thinks Jane is up to the intellectual rigour required to make the correct deduction in a case.
Then is dawned on Jane that she had just made a massive assumption. "Oh God!" Jane said. "You don't necessarily like me at all." She dropped her head into her hands wishing the earth would swallow her. "This is merely one of your experiments, isn't it?"
She felt a small cold hand on her arm. She looked up.
Maura sat straight-up next to her, resting her hand on Jane's arm. "Yes, Jane I do like you."
"I don't just mean 'like me'. I know you like me. I mean like me, like me," Jane said.
Maura nodded. "I know what you mean, Jane. I do like you."
Jane felt relieved and also a little overwhelmed by the revelation but before she could process this new information fully Maura continued. "But we cannot do anything that jeopardises the nature of our friendship. That includes any physical contact outside of the normal bounds of platonic friendship."
Jane shook her head. She was really struggling to take this all in. "You like me? But we cannot do anything?"
Maura nodded again. "...Do anything that contravenes the physical boundaries of a platonic friendship between us. Our friendship is too important to me, to us to risk it."
"You like me, like me, but you do not wan to contravene the physical boundaries of a platonic friendship by say," Jane searched for a words, "kissing or touching or hugging or making love?"
Maura nodded. "But that does not mean we can not do other things," Maura said.
"So you want us to what did you call it... mutually masturbate?" Jane had to hand it to
Maura nodded. "Well that would be very nice and I'd like that a lot."
Jane shook her head. She had to hand it to Maura. She never failed to surprise her. Maura was right, as usual, on some level. Sleeping together would probably interfere with their friendship. Oh the other hand the thought of seeing Maura masturbate gripped Jane like a powerful vice. She instantly felt her body react. That would be awesome.
She looked at Maura, trying decide whether Maura was really serious about this. "You serious?" she asked.
Maura nodded.