Maura and Natalie go shopping
Maura's viewpoint
As we settled in the car for the ride downtown Natalie looked around in delight.
"I love your car, the leather smells divine" I smiled fondly.
"Yes, my baby's only four month's old and I didn't want it locked away for six months in Boston, so I had it shipped out when we relocated" I saw Natalie snuggle back into the seat, which I had to say were one of the main reasons I bought the SLK, they were so soft, but held and supported you so well.
"Driving her is one of my vices, I got hooked on driving fast cars after I got Jane race driver lessons for her birthday, she insisted that I accompany her and I found I liked it" To be honest, I liked the feeling of control, the speed and doing something physical very well.
As I pulled up at the first set of lights, I flipped a switch and the roof folded back.
"That's something I do like about LA, you can't do that in Boston for most of the year" Natalie laughed happily.
"I know what you mean; I have an old red MGB and couldn't get the top down very often in Seattle. Here, it's practically mandatory"
"Well, it would be a shame to let the sunshine go to waste" She smiled lazily as we made our way downtown.
"You do know we're practically a LA cliché" I frowned, not following her.
"In what way exactly?" She laughed happily.
"Two hot blondes in a convertible heading out shopping" I smiled, finding her happiness infectious. She was so different from Jane who could be all dark and intensity. Come to think of it, that also described Ana as well. Natalie by comparison shone with life; it was like she was so happy that she glowed most of the time.
"Well, the next cliché would be having us pulled over by a highway patrol officer who would flirt with us as we tried to get off from a ticket" She giggled, obviously smitten by the image.
"Well, in our case we could probably flash our IDs and he'd back off, but it makes a nice image" Her voice changed, getting very breathy. "We're so sorry officer; couldn't you just let us go with a warning, please? I promise we won't do it again, we'll be good, very good" I giggled.
"No need to flirt, we could just tell Jane or Ana, they would probably threaten to castrate him if they thought he was hitting on us" Natalie cackled with laughter at the thought and I couldn't help myself, joining in. When we finally settled down she nodded.
"They are very protective aren't they?" I smiled, remembering Jane's intensity.
"Yes they are; it's nice though"
"I used to hate it when guys got all macho and protective. Don't get me wrong, I like feeling protected, but most guys want to lock you up away from anything. But it's different with Ana, it's…special" I glanced over to see a slow smile form.
"I know, in prior relationships I was often the odd one out. Men either wanted to wrap me in cotton wool or couldn't handle that I was 'different', it usually ended badly"
"Different?" Natalie interrupted. "How so" I paused as I changed lanes, I was still getting used to the chaotic LA traffic, before I replied.
"I wasn't that good in social settings; I missed out on a lot of that at boarding school. I often made mistakes and misinterpreted the actions of others. Many men found that they couldn't handle my job, my financial independence or my family's social status so I spent a lot of time alone, before I met Jane"
"Their loss, your gain, I've watched you and Jane, you're a great fit together" I smiled.
"Jane just accepts me for who I am, although that doesn't stop her teasing me"
"It never does. Ana gives me no end of grief too" I pulled up at a red light and waited for it to change, when I heard a long, low wolf whistle, looking over I saw an old Mustang had pulled up and two young men smiling at us.
"Hey lovely ladies, we're out for the day, want to hang out together" I was about to say something when Nat held up her left hand and wiggled the ring there, looking over the top of her sunglasses at them.
"Sorry boys, but we're both taken. Thanks anyway" They looked disappointed, before waving and laughing as the lights changed and we moved on. Natalie snickered before turning to me.
"And that Maura; is why I wear a ring, it's a great escape from sticky situations. You should think about it"
I bit my lip; I hadn't thought about exchanging rings with Jane, I'd like to, but was it too early? How would it look? What would Jane think? Suddenly I felt Natalie's hand on mine where it sat on the gear stick.
"Hey Maura, you ok? I lost you for a moment" I smiled to cover my uncertainty.
"Sorry, I was just thinking about what you said"
"It's ok; it'll happen in when it happens. We didn't exchange rings until our first anniversary" I frowned, our first anniversary as a couple was coming up.
"How did you approach it, the ring issue?"
"We were out shopping one day and I stopped in front of a jeweller and told her if she liked it then she should put a ring on it" I laughed, pleased at getting the reference to one of my favourite singers.
"Had you planned it that way?" She laughed out loud.
"Shit yes! I'd been looking at jewellers for weeks before finding rings I liked. I made sure that the shop had the rings I wanted in the window that morning, so that I could point them out. Fortunately Ana liked them too and that was that"
I pursed my lips, wondering if that would work for Jane. I felt a bit uncertain; she might find it too much, too soon. Obviously reading my mind Natalie spoke again.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It'll happen in its own time" She paused, obviously thinking about it.
"Hey, if it helps I can arrange to find out how Jane feels about it. Either Ana or I can bring our rings up in casual conversation and hear her thoughts". I glanced over at her before returning my eyes to the road.
"I don't want Jane to feel railroaded; she needs to take her time to get used to the idea"
"Ha, if she's anything like Ana, she'll love the idea and be out looking in windows before you know it"
"Well, Jane can be… a little impulsive, at times"
"You sure you're not talking about Ana here. The more time I spend around those two the more alike they seem" I nodded.
"I had noticed a certain similarity in outlook. I hope that Anastasia takes better care of herself than Jane has in the past. Heaven's knows Jane's never been one for being careful"
"Yeah, Ana's had some close calls in the time I have known her. I've ended up sitting around in the hospital emergency rooms more times than I care to remember. Nothing like as bad as Jane though thank God; your girl's one tough cookie" She paused for a moment, eyeing me.
"Have you had that conversation with her?"
"What conversation?"
"The one where you point out that she is now responsible for two lives not one, that she needs to think of what she is doing, what she's doing to you every time you get the phone call telling you to get to the hospital quickly?" I thought for a moment then shook my head.
"No. I haven't wanted to do that. Jane is who she is and I didn't want to try and restrict that. She might resent it and me" I'd always been scared that Jane would feel I was trying to change her, make her something she wasn't.
"What? Maura, are you kidding me?" I looked across at Natalie; she had a stunned expression on her face.
"What do you mean?"
"Jane would do anything you asked, anything to please you, hell, you told me she climbs into heels and dresses to make you smile, she would do absolutely anything you asked"
"I couldn't as her to do that; I couldn't take advantage of her like that"
"Maura, that woman worships the ground you walk on. You are the single most important thing in her universe. She loves you more than life itself. Hell, she would step in front of a bullet to protect you. Both Ana and I saw that almost right away. You can see that protective streak a mile away, if you're looking" I nodded slowly, Natalie was right.
"So making her understand that she is equally as important to you, and that she needs to take care so that you have each other for the rest of your lives is the most important thing in the world" She pulled down her sunglasses down her nose to look over them at me.
"Ana and I had that conversation after she almost died. It was hard, damned hard, but losing her would be unbearable"
I thought back to that terrible day when Jane shot through herself to get Bobby Marino. It had been the worst day of my life; Jane told me later that she did it because as long as Marino held her hostage, help couldn't get to her brother Frankie and I.
I almost lost her that day, I spent long days sitting by her bedside, waiting for her to come out of a coma, desperately afraid that she wouldn't. It was during that horrible time that I realised that I loved her, that she was a part of my life and I needed her in it.
Natalie's hand slid over mine on the wheel, where I was clutching it in a white-knuckled grip.
"Maura, please, I'm sorry. Please, pull over. Stop. Please". Her voice was pleading with me. I looked across to her to see the anguish plainly visible on her face. I pulled the car over to a stop.
"Oh Maura, I'm so sorry, you went away to somewhere that was terrible, I could see it. I'm so sorry" I could see the tears in her eyes. I nodded slowly, feeling the tears forming in my eyes as well.
"I nearly lost her you know and she did it for me" Natalie rubbed her hand over mine, offering warmth and comfort.
"Of course she did. And Jane would do it again in a heartbeat if she had to, to protect you" I nodded, knowing she was right. "And you would do the same"
"I'm not brave like her, I don't have her courage" Her brave, impulsive, stupid courage.
"Of course you do honey, if you had to" She leaned over and wrapped her arms around me, holding me as she rubbed her hands soothingly on my back. My hands fluttered helplessly for a moment, before I found myself hugging her back.
"It's OK. It's OK" I heard her whispering the words over and over and then I heard a gentle laugh.
"It's a good thing Jane can't see me now, I think she'd kill me for making you cry" I smiled and pulled back a little to see Natalie smiling gently "Or for hugging her girlfriend"
"No she wouldn't. I wouldn't let her"
"Well that's a relief; it saves you having to explain that to Ana. I don't think she'd take it well" I smiled gently at her.
"Damn Maura, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. It's just that well, I really care for you, so does Ana and I don't want you hurt like that again". I was about to reply when I noticed several people were watching us. I suppose I couldn't blame them, two women crying in a sports car by the side of the street.
"I think we have an audience watching" Natalie glanced around then turned back to me
"Fuck 'em. I don't care"
"Well I do, we should head on" She nodded and I put the car in gear and pulled back out into the traffic.
"OK, but we need to talk about this again. It's too important not to" In a blatantly obvious change of subject, she continued. "So which shops do you particularly want to see on Rodeo Drive?"
"Well, I was thinking shoes, so Jimmy Choo's and Cavalli's, plus Valentino's. I still want to look for something for the Ball. What about you?
"I have a dress already but I'm always up for something new; however I'd like to look for jewellery, a necklace and earrings set if possible" I nodded.
"Do you have anything in particular in mind?"
"Mmm, sapphires are nice. Ana keeps saying that blue suits me" I nodded,
"She's right, they match your eyes. What colour dress are you wearing? Something blue would look good too"
"No, I normally wear black for these sorts of occasions" I frowned.
"Really, I understand that black is classic, but it's not like you to go for dark tones normally, why so for this?" I saw her shrug.
"Well, I am getting Ana into a gown, which she does as a favour to me. I figure that by dressing in black and letting her wear a bright colour the attention is all on her. She really is stunning, even if she doesn't normally dress to highlight it" I smiled.
"That's sweet. What colour is she wearing?"
"I'm not sure; she has a red vintage Vera Wang, plus a classic white Alexander McQueen that she totally rocks. Sometimes she surprises me on the night, pulling out something I haven't seen before, so I just can't say. What about you and Jane?"
"Well, as I said I'm still looking, although I have a green Versace that Jane loves to see me in. I have a few others as well. Jane has a red Donna Karan gown I convinced her to buy last year, but I hadn't thought about getting her into white, that would look nice"
"What's her best feature?" I smiled, where do I start?
"Well, I think they're all good…" I heard Natalie laughing.
"So I can see from the look on your face…" She smiled. "…but what do most people not see?" I thought for a moment.
"Her legs, she has the most amazingly long, strong legs". Nat laughed.
"Really; that good?" I nodded.
"I've seen good legs, hers are exceptional, if I do say so myself" Natalie laughed happily.
"Damn, now I want to see them. You have to get her into something that shows them off, something with a split"
"Well, we will have to see what we can find then, won't we"
"Lead on Maura, lead on"