Author's Note: Thank you very much for all the messages and reviews (I'll try to take the time to reply to your messages this week).

Chapter Sixteen

It was hot. Way too hot. Jane didn't like spending the summer in Boston. The air was humid and she could barely breathe. She wasn't made for these two months of high temperatures. She preferred the fall and its beautiful colors to any sunny day of August. The Bostonian summer was unbearable.

"Why won't you turn the AC on?" She followed Maura till the laundry room and pushed the door behind her. "The AC is a blessing."

Maura walked to the shelves where she stocked recyclable paper napkins. Her eyes fixed upon two different sets of napkins. She pouted in front of the different choices she had: colorful napkins probably matched a birthday party a lot better. However, she liked a lot the beige and gray ones. She found them to be elegant.

"AC is evil, Jane. I've already told you why." Maura cast a glance at her friend and waved the paper napkins. "Which ones are the most appropriate?"

Jane shrugged nonchalantly. Her reaction caused Maura to smile. Of course, Jane didn't understand the importance of choosing the best paper napkins. These were just paper napkins to her. As long as they did their job, Jane couldn't care less whether they were gray or purple.

Maura was in a good mood. Today was her birthday and the guests were about to arrive. Jane and Angela had organized a small party at her place which made Maura very happy.

She would spend the day with people she loved, people she considered as family. Her own parents were in Europe but they had called her in the morning. Everything was perfect.

"Dunno... The purple ones?" Jane didn't miss the smile that suddenly played on Maura's lips. "What's funny about that?"

Maura picked up the set of purple paper napkins and observed them closely. She ran a finger along them before laughing quietly.

"Oh, nothing at all. You simply seem to have a thing for the purple color."

Jane didn't need any further explanation for she immediately understood what Maura was talking about. She didn't blush though. As a matter of fact, Maura's remark caused her heart to start beating faster. She made a step towards her friend and let her fingertip brush Maura's bare shoulder playfully.

"Is it what you're wearing now?"

If lingerie had remained a foreign world for years to Jane, she had changed her mind since she had begun to sleep with Maura. Maura loved lingerie. She owned a multitude of bras, hipsters, corsets and garterbelts that all embraced her curves like a second skin. Jane had grown fond of her friend's underwear. She found these to be sensual, and sexy.

The last bra Maura had bought was a purple one and it had gone straight into Jane's top ten. The lace was thin, almost transparent, and delicate. The color contrasted with the paleness of Maura's skin. Jane had been mesmerized by it.

And turned on.

"Well..." Maura put the set of paper napkins back on the shelves. She turned around and looked into Jane's eyes. "There's only one way to find out."

"Do your panties match?"

Maura raised an eyebrow. Her mischievousness caused Jane to swallow hard. They had gone from the most random conversation ever to a game of seduction within a couple of seconds. As usual.

"Who said I was wearing any?" As Jane rolled her eyes, Maura grabbed her friend's hand to rest it between her legs; under her dress. "See? There's only one way to find out."

Jane couldn't but agree.

...

Everything was ready and most of the guests were already there. The only ones who were missing were Jane and Maura. Luckily everyone was chatting and nobody seemed to be in a rush. Happiness reigned over the courtyard. They were here to celebrate a birthday anyway.

And the birthday girl could make them wait a little.

"Do you know where Maura is? Is she getting ready?"

A glass of Champagne in hand, Finn walked to Angela. Mateo followed him. Obviously he was looking for Jane. Both men had been invited to the party in spite of the fragile bond they had built with their respective so-called dates. Maura and Jane had simply felt forced to invite them.

"I guess she went to pick up paper napkins with Jane. They're in the laundry room... First door on your right by the stairs. Would the two of you mind and go tell them everyone's here?"

Angela wanted to enjoy TJ's presence. She wasn't in the mood to chase her daughter and Maura around the house. Besides, Mateo and Finn were Jane and Maura's dates. They could go after both women.

"Oh, sure."

Finn put his glass of Champagne down on the table and walked inside the house with Mateo. They crossed the kitchen and headed straight to the stairs. The house was quiet. The brouhaha of the conversations came from too far in the distance.

They didn't hear anything at first in spite of the relative silence. It is only when they reached the door of the laundry room that had been left open ajar that stifled sighs stopped them. Confused, Finn quietly pushed the door. He froze.

Just like Mateo.

The dress that Maura was wearing was up to her waist, revealing her pale hips to the bright light of the day. Jane was knelt in front of her friend, her face between her legs. With her eyes closed, Maura had leaned against the shelves and held them tightly with a hand while the other was sunk into Jane's curly hair. Her cheeks were red. Her back was arched. Her moans were loud in spite of her efforts to stifle them. She suddenly leaned her head backwards as Jane sped up the pace of her circular movements against her sensitive flesh.

Carried by an extreme confusion and the sentiment to have been betrayed, Mateo and Finn walked back to the courtyard in silence. They mumbled inaudible excuses to Angela and pretended to go on as if nothing had happened. Except they couldn't even look at each other anymore, as if the secret they now shared was too much to handle.

Maura turned out to be the first one to walk to the courtyard, followed by Jane a couple of minutes later. With a confusing casualness. Everyone welcomed the birthday girl happily.

Everyone but Mateo and Finn who were still shocked and silent.

"Is everything alright?"

The question was sincere and terribly innocent. Finn looked at Maura and seemed to hesitate for a few seconds. He glanced at everyone before giving her a nod.

"Happy birthday."

Maura waited for him to kiss her at least on the cheek but nothing happened. He barely brushed her shoulder with his hand then went straight to the buffet for a Champagne refill. Maura smiled to hide better her sudden confusion.

Thankfully the rest of the afternoon went smoothly, from her opening the presents to the cake that impressed a lot TJ. She was glad to have her Sunday off to celebrate her birthday with everyone.

The house turned quiet around 6pm as the last guests left the house.

"Where's Finn? I thought he'd stay with you tonight."

Maura shrugged. Angela's question was fair but Maura hadn't seen him in a while. As a matter of fact, she hadn't seen Mateo either. Yet she knew that Jane had left on her own. Something was off. Maura didn't know what but she could say that something was going on.

"He... He left."

Angela didn't say anything back. She must have felt Maura's uncertainty. She politely put the last paper napkins in the trash can before going back to the guesthouse. Lucy was peacefully working on her laptop in the courtyard.

Intrigued, Maura walked to the kitchen counter and picked up her cell phone. She hesitated between calling Finn and sending him a message. She wasn't being nice to him. Lucy was right. Maura hadn't even tried to spend the afternoon with him. She had talked to everyone but him. Though he was the one who had tried to avoid her at all cost.

She turned her phone on and barely held back an "oh" of surprise as she realized that Finn had sent her a message. She opened it.

I don't think it's going to work out. It was nice knowing you, Maura.

Finn

The disappointment she felt barely lasted two seconds and only highlighted a bruised ego. She had been dumped on her birthday. It was embarrassing. Though she hadn't tried to make things work either. She couldn't but admit it.

I don't know what to say. I'm sorry.

Maura

Calling Finn would have been a lot more polite but Maura didn't have the courage to speak to him. She barely knew what to write. Their break-up was strange, almost as much as their so-called fling.

I don't really understand why you've come to me in the first place if she was already a part of your life but it's okay. I wish you and Jane the best nonetheless.

Finn

Maura's heart began to beat a lot faster. Her hands got moist and her mouth dry. An icy shiver ran down her spine. Feeling dizzy, she leaned against the kitchen counter and took a deep breath to calm down.

She didn't like trusting her instinct but she had to admit that her instinct had been right for once: something had indeed happened. Something important.