"Well the concierge recommended the restaurant right next door." Maura said pulling her coat on. "Its probably a good idea to stay close tonight, since its still snowing."
Jane agreed and they made their to the aptly named "O'Hare Bar and Grill" that was quite literally right next door to their hotel.
The place was fairly busy but Jane and Maura were seated quickly at a table near the bar. Maura ordered wine for herself and Jane, on a whim, decided to drink wine also. She rarely did and most of the times she had drunk red wine it had been with Maura.
Both women chatted about their respective conferences although by the way Maura was talking, she had definitely enjoyed her conference far more that Jane had enjoyed hers. Maura went on for a quite a while about the research being presented on a new technique for determining the age of food found in the stomachs of cadavers. Jane tuned out after a while and was content to sip her wine and watch Maura gesticulate passionately about the thing she loved most, science. Their food arrived and they chewed in relative silence. After a few more glasses of wine for both and a dessert to share they decided that they should head back to the hotel.
Jane didn't realize until she stood up and her head swam, just how much wine she'd had. Maura seemed to be fairly buzzed also because she was laughing a lot and leaning on Jane's arm on their way back to the hotel. Jane reveled in the warm feeling in her head and stomach and reached down to take Maura's hand in hers. She was barely aware of what she was doing until she found herself stroking Maura's palm with her finger. It was as if her body was acting of its own accord. Maura's nonstop talking slowed as they made their way into the lobby of the hotel. Jane released Maura's hand and instantly wished she hadn't because her own hand felt empty and cold. The two women walked close together, Maura bumping into Jane's side a few times down the narrow hallway to the elevator.
The doors closed on Jane and Maura in the elevator when Maura turned to face Jane. "Why'd you pull your hand away?" Maura asked, her words slurring just the tiniest bit. She leaned into Jane and batted her green eyes seductively.
Jane laughed, trying to decide if Maura was just joking or not. Their relationship had always been playful and perhaps a bit flirty. Jane had assumed it was all in good fun, although the look that Maura was giving her currently was making her reconsider that thought. Jane decided quickly, perhaps thanks to the amount of wine she'd had to drink, that she didn't really care at that moment. She brought her hand up, running a fingernail down Maura's forearm. Maura grinned and made a move to grab Jane's hand herself, when the elevator doors opened to their floor.
Jane grasped Maura's hand in hers and lead her easily down the hallway. She leaned up against the wall as Maura reached in her purse for the room key. Jane grinned as she watched the woman shift her weigh from one foot to the other.
"Those heels aren't even comfortable are they?" Jane asked, still grinning.
Maura looked up from her search through her bag. "What? Oh. Well… They're not uncomfortable." She said finally finding the key and swiping it on the door.
"I think those incredibly expensive Louis Vuittons are just an excuse to make your legs look good."
"They're Louboutins, Jane. Louis Vuitton makes purses." Maura said, shaking her head as she flipped on the light in the living room. "Thank your for saying they make my legs look nice though." She added and Jane was glad she was behind Maura because she could feel her face redden.
"Want another drink?" Maura asked, seemingly unaware of any awkwardness, as she stepped behind the counter of the kitchenette. She pulled out a bottle of wine from somewhere underneath it. Jane wouldn't be surprised if this suite came with its own wine cellar.
"Sure." She replied, kicking off her boots and sinking down into the overstuffed suede couch. She flipped on the TV, switching it to ESPN. Maura poured them both a glass of wine and came to join Jane on the couch. She slipped off her heels daintily and pulled her feet up underneath her. Jane glanced away from the sports recap on the screen to find Maura staring at her.
"Sorry. You can change it if you don't want to watch sports." Jane said, gesturing to the remote on the coffee table.
"It's okay. I doubt that there's anything else on this late anyway." Both women sipped their wine slowly for a while until Jane suggested they order a movie to watch. She even let Maura pick out one of the cheesy romantic comedies she loved. Jane had to admit that this one actually wasn't horrible and she even found herself laughing and rooting for the couple to get together in the end.
Maura had emptied her wine glass and gotten herself another halfway through the movie. By the time the credits rolled she was leaning on Jane's shoulder snoring slightly. Jane smiled as she looked down at the golden hair splayed across her shoulder and the way Maura was curled up against her like a child. Jane shifted to grab the remote off the coffee table and Maura stirred beside her.
"Sorry." Jane said, her voice scratchy from unuse and the late hour.
"Mmmph." Maura groaned, stretching her arms and legs out as Jane turned off the TV. She picked their wine glasses up off the table and took them to the sink. Jane looked back at Maura stretched out on the couch, her eyes half open and peering up at Jane.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" She asked in a groggy voice.
"You didn't miss that much. They got together in the end." Jane said as she put the wine bottle in the recycling bin.
"You sort of liked it didn't you?" Maura asked with a smile.
"Ehh. It was okay." Jane said feigning disinterest.
"You are such a liar Jane Rizzoli." Maura said throwing a pillow in Jane's direction. Jane ducked and the pillow hit the wall behind the bar.
"Hey, people who can't aim shouldn't throw pillows." Jane teased, walking around the bar to stand in front of Maura.
"I think you got that idiom wrong…" Maura said with a thoughtful look on her face as if she wasn't sure whether Jane had deliberately misstated it or not.
"C'mon Doctor Isles. We should go to bed. Just in case it stops snowing and we can get a flight out tomorrow." Jane said pulling Maura up off the couch by both hands.
Maura stepped toward Jane but tripped over her heels lying on the ground. She fell forward and Jane caught hold of her arms before she hit the coffee table. Maura looked up at her with a sheepish grin.
"Whoops." She said quietly, never taking her eyes off of Jane.
"I gotcha." Jane replied her hands gripping both of Maura's forearms. Their faces were only inches apart when some, not quite so wine addled part of Jane's brain sent out a warning. "Maybe not so normal to desperately want to kiss your best friend" the warning voice in her head said.
Jane steadied Maura by the shoulders and reached down to pick up her boots and Maura's heels. Then she followed Maura to the bedroom and deposited the shoes in the closet. She also grabbed her flannel pajama bottoms and old BPD t-shirt. She took her clothes into the bathroom to brush her teeth.
When she came out after she changed, Maura was already in bed, wearing her light blue, silky long sleeved pajama set. Jane normally didn't care what she wore to bed but she did wish that she had brought something other than the ratty flannel PJ bottoms. She tossed her clothes into her suitcase and climbed in bed. As she arranged the pillows the way she wanted them she realized that Maura had been right. The bed was so big they would never even know the other was there. As Jane lay back on the pillows she felt a twinge of regret at this thought.
Maura sighed slightly and Jane flipped over to face the blonde. She blew a dark curl out of her eye and Maura opened her eyes halfway, grinning at Jane lazily.
"You're so pretty Jane."
"And you are sooo drunk Maura." Jane answered back with a wry grin.
"Mmmm." Maura seemed to agree and closed her eyes again.
The wine seemed to hit Jane all at once and she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was Maura's hand on her cheek.