Author's Note: Thank you very much for all your reviews and messages (it won't be a huge storm, don't be worrried; I mean I don't think it will).

Chapter Nineteen

Lying flat on her stomach, Jane picked up a shell and observed it. She and Maura had gone to the beach for a large part of the afternoon. They had sunbathed, had gone for a swim on multiple occasions and had let the hours pass by quietly.

It is Maura who had decided to start picking up shells in the late afternoon, twenty minutes before them to head back to their little house. As a souvenir, she had said. Now lying on top of the bed, Jane observed the white shells her friend had chosen. They were quite random for anyone who used to go to the seaside. Jane didn't know why Maura had absolutely wanted to bring them back with her.

"What are you going to do with them?" Jane laughed. "A necklace?"

Jane looked up and watched how Maura walked into the master bedroom. She was wrapped in a white bath towel and was fresh from the shower. Her hair was still tied up in a loose bun while a few water drops that hadn't dried yet shone like little diamonds on her bare shoulders.

She glanced at Jane before sitting down on a whicker armchair to apply body lotion on her legs.

"Nothing. I may simply leave them on my bedside table... Thus when I look at them, I will remember our vacations in Maine."

The sun was sliding on the ocean. It had lost its bright colors and had begun to melt into orange and pink shades. Jane didn't say it out loud but she found Maura stunning in the sunset light. Her friend was glowing and her hazel eyes seemed to be sparkling with delight.

"Come over here."

Jane stretched her arm towards Maura. The way she had asked Maura to come to the bed had been full of a delicate sweetness. Jane set the shells down on the hardwood floor and flashed a bright smile as her friend came to settle next to her.

"Here."

Maura held out the body lotion to Jane before lying flat on her stomach. She had previously got rid of the bath towel in the most natural way ever. Maura's sudden nudity didn't make Jane blush. It didn't make her feel uncomfortable either.

She knew Maura's body by heart. She had caressed it and had kissed it more times than she could remember. She knew its curves, the smoothness of the skin. Maura's reaction when Jane planted kisses in the crook of her neck. They had only started sleeping together six months earlier but it felt like an eternity. A glorious one.

Jane began to rub Maura's back. Slowly. They didn't have much of a plan for the rest of the evening. Perhaps they would stay home, and in bed. Unless they decided to go for a walk again.

Maura closed her eyes and focused on the touch, on Jane's fingertips that were sliding up and down her skin. She swallowed hard as her friend reached her lower back. Jane's gestures were anything but innocent now. They may be sweet, they were still rather suggestive.

A smile played on Maura's lips.

It was the right time. They had waited for a while and they now wanted it. There had been no rush since they had made it to Maine. Everything had been perfect.

Jane noticed how Maura spread her legs slightly. Her face remained impassive though. She wanted her gesture to look casual, and unintentional. It made Jane smile. She leaned over to brush her friend's ear with her lips. The tip of her tongue caressed Maura's earlobe.

There was nobody susceptible to walk in on them. Nobody to fear. They were only a few hours away from Boston but Maine seemed to belong to a completely different universe. Jane loved it.

She resumed her kissing down Maura's nape. Her hands were now traveling down her friend's hips. Maura's body was hot under Jane's fingers. And smooth. The curves of Maura's buttocks caused a wave of warmth to spread within Jane's lower stomach. She didn't understand how this could happen. How Maura could turn her on without doing the slightest thing. It worked every single time though.

Jane took her shirt off. She unhooked her bikini top and got rid of the shorts she was wearing. During all that time, Maura remained quiet and still. She patiently waited for Jane's next move.

Jane could have slid a hand between Maura's legs. She could have topped her friend from behind in order to control everything. Yet against all expectations, she lay down next to Maura and grabbed her by the waist to make her roll on her side so they could face each other.

The ocean was loud. They had let the French windows open and the sound of the waves invaded the house now.

Jane caressed Maura's cheek with the back of her hand. The moment was sweet and it went at a delicious slow pace. It had nothing to do with the frenzy of their sexual encounters in Boston. As a matter of fact, it was so different that what was about to happen oddly looked like a first time.

Jane's fingers slid along Maura's nape until they sank in the depth of her blond hair. She leaned over and closed the distance with Maura's lips. The touch burned. Sweetly. Lovingly. They had kissed a multitude of times but the current sensations that the kiss stirred up were new and a lot more powerful.

The tip of Maura's tongue barely brushed Jane's lips before her friend responded to the gesture and deepened the kiss.

Maura's gasp died in her throat. She abandoned herself to the moment, to the glory of Jane's embrace. To all these feelings that had passed underneath her skin to make her feel even more alive and loved.

...

The Italian fair was random. Since Angela had moved to Beacon Hill, she had got the habit to buy her Italian products in the neighborhood. Thus the only reason why she had decided to go to the Italian fair on this hot evening was only to catch back on the latest gossip of her old neighborhood.

She knew everyone there, from Maria who had married an Irish guy in the fifties to Paolo who was the grandson of the best pizza chef of the area.

"Hey! Watch out."

Angela winced in pain and rubbed her shoulder as she looked up at the passer-by who had inadvertently pushed her. Her eyes widened with surprise as she found herself standing in front of Mateo. She hadn't heard from him in a while. As a matter of fact, Jane hadn't talked about him since Maura's birthday.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Angela. Are you okay?"

Angela nodded. Mateo was a good boy. He was polite and caring. The perfect husband for her daughter. He was divorced but then one couldn't be too picky. Once you reached forty years old, chances were that these things would happen. He didn't have children though.

"Mateo! It's good to see you. How are you?"

Mateo shrugged rather nonchalantly. He looked a bit unsure, even afraid. He cast a glance around him as if to make sure that nobody would overhear whatever he was about to say. He then focused back on Angela.

"I'm okay... You?"

Angela forced herself to smile. The conversation was dull and it sounded fake. Perhaps Mateo was in a bad mood. He used to be chatty and joyful. She suddenly noticed the depth of his traits and how his lips were pursed. Whatever was going on, he was obviously going through a bad patch.

"I'm ahem... I'm fine. I've got the house to myself and Lucy. Maura has left with Jane for Maine. They'll stay there for a few days but of course you already know about it."

Of course, Mateo knew about Jane and Maura's plans to leave Boston for a while since Jane had offered the getaway to Maura on her birthday. She had simply held out a postcard from Maine by then but after an explanation, all the guests had got to know what her birthday present was. Mateo too.

"Obviously."

"Jane must have called you anyway to let you know about it. I hope you'll see each other some more when she's back."

The silence that followed Angela's remark made the temperatures of evening drop rather abruptly. Confusion invaded Angela. She didn't understand what was happening. She was trying to be chatty and to sound cheerful but the more she talked, the less Mateo seemed to feel like cooperating.

"I don't think I'm still in the picture, to be honest. I mean I don't think I've ever been in it."

Angela frowned. She didn't know that Mateo and Jane had argued. Though it made sense and it surely explained plenty of things now that she thought about it.

"What do you mean? Has Jane told you something? She has her little temper, you know. It's okay though. Give her a few days. It'll pass."

Mateo shook his head and let a sarcastic laugh pass his lips. Disappointment and bitterness rose in his voice.

"I'm not what Jane's lookin' for. Your daughter may be nice, Angela, but she's..." Mateo ran a hand through his hair. He seemed to be embarrassed suddenly. "She fooled me."