A/N: Thank you so much for the fic love. I'm glad some of you are enjoying the '90s setting. :)
Maura was stopped dead in her tracks by the sound of a Gin Blossoms song blaring from her dorm room. She was a mere ten feet down the hall from her room, but she debated whether she should enter or enjoy the song from out in the hall. No one would judge her if she listened to it from out in the hall, but she worried about how Markie might respond to her enjoying a Gin Blossoms song. They were her favorite band—Markie was well aware of it—but they also reminded her of Jane and anything that reminded her of Jane was sure to spark an hour-long conversation about her. Three days had passed since their first kiss, three days in which they hadn't seen each other, but the two of them spent countless hours on the phone. Maura's mother had paid for Maura to have a phone in her room and, although Maura had once thought it was a waste of money, she was now grateful for her mom's added expense.
"Gin Blossoms," Maura said as she finally entered her room. "They're Jane's third favorite band."
"And your favorite," Markie pointed out. "But this is going to turn into another talk about what Jane likes instead of what you like, isn't it?"
"Yes," Maura said bashfully. "I'm sorry."
"She's your first crush, Maura. You don't need to apologize for talking about her," Markie pointed out. "Since it's Jane and I know she has good taste, I guess I'll ask what other bands she likes."
Maura neatly put her belongings on her desk before sitting on her bed directly across from Markie. Most people would have become annoyed, but she was grateful that Markie was willing to listen to her talk endlessly about Jane. "Her favorite band is Nirvana," Maura began. "They have been since she was fifteen. Her second and third favorites are Green Day and Gin Blossoms although they fit into the category of pop/rock instead of alternative. Her fourth favorite is Hole. Her fifth favorite is Mazzy Starr, but we were listening to one of their songs as we kissed in the car so she said they're moving up on the list. Her sixth favorite is Pearl Jam. Her seventh favorite is Soundgarden. Her eighth favorite is Stone Temple Pilots. Her ninth favorite is Alice In Chains and her tenth favorite is Collective Soul. She has twenty favorites, but I'll just listen the first ten."
"You've memorized the order of her twenty favorite bands?" Markie asked in disbelief.
"I like learning about her," Maura responded. "She's so complex."
"Jane? Jane Rizzoli is complex? We're talking about the same girl, right? The sarcastic one with the out of control hair?"
"The way she acts around you and Mark or anybody else isn't how she acts around me," Maura said dreamily. "Around me, she's so gallant, even more so when we're alone."
"Maura, you've only been alone once," Markie pointed out.
"Once was enough for me to know," Maura told her. "She let me wear her shirt when I was cold. She made me a wish bracelet. She holds doors open for me. When we're on the phone, we tell each other the most intimate details of our lives and we're both so absorbed in what the other is saying."
"Just promise me you won't get hurt," Markie told her. "She's your first kiss and your first crush. I just don't want her to be the cause of your first broken heart."
"She won't be," Maura promised. "But, thank you for being so concerned. I'm not used to that from anyone other than Jane."
"Maura, we're frooms, remember? Frooms for life."
"Frooms for life," Maura agreed. "Should we do the secret handshake?"
Markie moved to Maura's bed so the two of them could slap their right hands together three times before slapping their left hands together five times followed by linking their right pinkies and shouting the word 'frooms.' It was, perhaps, one of the most juvenile things they had ever created, but Maura was thrilled she was finally close enough to someone to have inside jokes, nicknames, and a secret handshake.
The Basement typically experienced a lull in the afternoon and that afternoon was no different. The store was never particularly messy and there weren't any tasks to be completed, so every moment there were no customers, Mark and Jane used it as an opportunity to complete their house of cassettes. Cards weren't accessible at work, so they decided to use cassettes instead. Their house of cassettes behind the counter was now three feet tall and growing taller by the minute. Jane was adding another cassette when she and Mark heard the sound of the door opening. Instead of customers, Markie and Maura entered the store. Jane couldn't take her eyes off of her, which brought about her downfall. She lost her footing on the stool and fell to the ground, bringing the house of cassettes down with her.
"Jane!" Maura said worriedly as she rushed to her aid.
"I'm okay," Jane insisted, but she still allowed Maura to help her up. Had anyone else offered, it would have insulted her pride, but Jane wasn't about to object to physical contact from Maura. "A kiss would make me feel even better, though."
Maura looked around to make sure only Mark and Markie were present before giving Jane a peck on the lips. Kissing Jane in public didn't embarrass her in the slightest, but she was worried about what would result from kissing Jane at work. "How was that?"
"I feel better," Jane said as she intertwined her fingers with Maura's. "But we have three kiss-less days to make up for."
"Rizzoli!" Jerry shouted from his office. "What's going on in there?"
"Jane broke the story, Jerry," Mark shouted.
"You damn kids screw around too much," Jerry began. "Sometimes I wonder why I hired either of you, let alone both of you."
"It's because we're hard workers, Jer," Jane responded. "I've been working so hard that I need to take a ten minute break."
Before Jerry could respond, Jane had grabbed Maura's hand and led her outside to the alleyway. Mark and Jane had taken their breaks their many times, but Jane had a feeling this was going to be even better than standing in the alleyway with Mark. "What brings you here?" Jane asked as she leaned against the wall. "Did you drive all that way just to see me?" Maura leaned against Jane, her head resting on Jane's shoulder. It had only been three days since she had seen her, but the days lasted an eternity for Jane. Holding Maura felt right and she wanted nothing more than to be near her everyday.
"I've missed you," Maura whispered in her ear.
"Is that a secret?" Jane asked. "Why are you whispering in my ear?"
"It's an excuse to get even closer to you," Maura admitted. "I brought you some s'mores. Markie and I made them in the microwave and they're probably cold and hard now or maybe Mark has already eaten them, but if there are any left, know that I made them just for you."
"Maura, you baked," Jane said excitedly. "Even if they're as hard as a rock, I'll still love them. It's good to know you and Markie have mastered microwave cookery."
"We've almost mastered it," Maura responded. "She burned popcorn last night and the smoke detectors went off. The entire building had to be evacuated."
Jane tried to stifle her laughter, but the moment she saw Maura smile, she knew it was okay to just let go. "I wish I would have been there for that. I could just imagine how worried you two must have been."
"Nobody knows it was us," Maura informed her. "We aren't supposed to have microwaves in the dorms, so Markie and I made sure to unplug it and hide it before we left the building."
"My little rebel," Jane said once she was able to control her laughter. "You have a lot of fun with her, don't you?"
"She's my best friend," Maura responded.
"And my best friend is dating your best friend," Jane pointed out. "We should all hang out sometime, or maybe me and you could do something by ourselves. It doesn't matter. You and I are always on borrowed time. I want an entire day with you. I want an entire week with you. I'm either at work or school or you're at school—"
"How about an entire night together?" Maura interrupted. "You could spend the night with me in my bed or you could have my bed and I'll sleep in Markie's bed. She's going home for the weekend and I don't want to sleep alone."
"So we're having a sleepover?" Jane asked.
"With kissing involved," Maura added. "A whole night of kissing and talking to each other with no interruptions."
"Unless you burn something else in the microwave," Jane teased. "I have to get back to work. Can I call you tonight?"
"You never have to ask if you can call me," Maura reminded her. "Or if you can kiss me. I have a crush on you, Jane."
"Really?" Jane asked.
"There's no need to be facetious," Maura quickly pointed out.
"I have a crush on you, too," Jane told her. Jane was overdue to return to work, but she just couldn't let go of Maura. Pace yourself, Jane. It's only a matter of time before you're in love with this girl.