Just One Week
Sunday
Maura was nervous.
She knew that it was foolish to be so nervous about this person beside her but she was. She didn't think the girl was dangerous…but she was nervous about the reaction her body had to her the moment the elevator doors opened to reveal her.
The girl was tall, a little lanky, and had strong features that reminded Maura of the ancient Greek sculpture of Artemis but there was a gentleness to her as well and that reflected strongly through the girl's eyes.
Those deep chocolate brown eyes.
"You're staring," the other girl stated as a smile appeared on her face.
Maura flushed. She shouldn't be so blatantly staring at this girl. "S-Sorry," Maura stammered out as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Don't be," The girl replied with a lopsided grin.
Maura felt her stomach flutter.
Why was her body reacting in such a peculiar way?
"So Hazel eyes, what are you doing out here In the middle of the night?" The girl asked.
Maura blinked.
Hazel eyes?
Oh! Because of her eye color!
Maura felt proud that she got the reference but then she blushed again. No one had ever commented on her eye color before.
No one ever commented on anything that "Maura the Bore-a" had…
"I just wanted to grab a snack without waking up my mother," Maura explained. "Mother was so exhausted and my room is across from hers so I figured I'd go down to the restaurant to get one. What about you…Chocolate eyes?"
She watched as amusement flickered on the other girl's face. "So my eyes are like chocolate? I like that," The girl said. "I wanted to get the lay of the land. See what this fancy-schmancy has to offer."
"Is this your first time in a hotel like this?" Maura asked.
"This is my first time in a hotel like this AND New York," The girl replied.
"This is your first time?" Maura asked in surprise. "So what brought you to the city of dreams?"
"Well, I hail from Boston. I'm on my high school's Basketball team. We won a pivotal game against the Gotham City Sirens which launched us into the playoffs for the first time in our school's history and well this was one of the rewards. We're supposed to play a team here to determine the champion of this region. The winner earns a lot of cash for our school and also a grand prize for the team."
"It makes sense honestly. With your height and body structure, you do have the body for basketball," Maura commented only to shut her mouth immediately.
"You checking me out?" The girl teased with a cheeky grin. "How forward of you, Hazel eyes."
"I-I am so sorry," Maura apologized, her face beet red. "It was meant as a compl-"
The girl laughed, a wonderful sound to Maura's ears. "Rilassarsi. I'm messing with you," the girl said with a grin.
"You know Italian?" Maura asked.
"A few words. My folks can speak it more fluently than I can. The only reason I know that word so well is because of my grandpops," The girl replied before she paused and clarified, "I got some Italian blood in me."
"I see. Well, I for one will say you're in for a wonderful treat. This city is very beautiful and has some amazing tourist spots. You'll enjoy it for the time you are here," Maura said.
"I hope so, no sense in staying in this place and not having an adventure," The girl chuckled with a wry smirk. "So…What brings you to the big apple?"
"My mother has an art exhibit on Thursday and brought me down with her," Maura explained. "Normally, mother would have left me in Paris but since I'm out of school for the next week, she invited me to come along. I've been to New York a handful of times when I was young and I always wanted to return so I agreed."
"Whoa…You're from Paris?" The girl asked with a surprised tone in her voice.
"Yeah. Been there my whole life," Maura replied.
"That must be cool. I'm just from plan old Boston," the girl replied.
The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal the first floor. The pair stepped out and the girl announced, "Well looks like we're at our stop. It was nice talking to you but I better get going on my walk."
Maura frowned.
Admittedly, she didn't want to part with the girl so soon. She was very easy to talk to and that was hard to find for someone like her. "Well…" Maura began shyly. "I may have only been here twice but I know the place well enough. How about I show you around?"
The girl stared at her for a moment before she replied "You sure? I don't want to keep you from getting your midnight snack…."
"Oh, you won't. We'll be going there last," Maura said with a teasing smile.
Jane couldn't help but let out a laugh.
This girl was truly something else but admittedly, Jane was glad Hazel eyes didn't depart.
Jane liked talking to her and it also helped that she found the shorter girl very cute.
"You know what? I like that idea," Jane told her new friend. "Besides, this hotel is pretty big…Don't want to wind up lost."
The girl laughed a bit and said, "I did wind up lost here once. It was terrifying admittedly. Too many floors so I'm glad I can be your tour guide for this."
"And thanks for that. Oh, by the way, my name is Jane," Jane introduced as she held out her hand.
"Maura," The girl replied as her hand clasped Jane's. Maura's hand was soft, unlike her own and it made sense to Jane as Maura looked as gentle as a feather. "It is nice to meet you, Jane."
"Likewise Maura…" Jane replied, suddenly feeling bashful as the other girl's eyes stared at her with warmth. "W-Well, Maura. Show me around this fancy place."
"Yes ma'am," Maura replied.
From the luxurious Spa area that her mom would adore to the gym which Frankie would adore, to the indoor pool Jane was excited about, the girl from Paris led Jane throughout the Four Seasons and during that time, Jane was able to learn more about the beautiful hazel eyed girl.
She learned that:
Maura was a few months younger than her. She wanted to become a doctor or an equivalent Her folks were divorced. She had a pet tortoise named Bass She was pulled out of school for a week, most likely due to to her mom's event.
But despite this knowledge, Jane felt that there was something more to the girl that she didn't know and it confused her that she wanted to know more.
But why?
This girl was a stranger who would be gone out of her life in a week and yet…she wanted to know more about her. "And here is the Enchanted Dining room also known as The Garden," Maura said with a smile, snapping Jane from her thoughts.
Jane looked and saw a row of four trees that separated two rows of tables. Along with the warm but very dim lighting, the beams of light from the moon filtered through the three oversized windows that sat at the end of the room.
But as Maura, who stood in front of Jane, turned around with a smile, the glow from the moon seemed to make an aura around the girl that made Maura look magical to Jane's eyes.
"Time for a small bite," Maura said with a smile but Jane continued to stare for a moment before she shook her head and grinned back.
"Lead the way…" Jane murmured.
Jane followed Maura to the counter and Jane watched as a bald heavyset man with a salt and pepper goatee wearing a Four Seasons vest walked up and asked, "Hello. How may I help you this Evening/Morning?"
"What is the lightest thing on your menu?" Maura asked.
"I would say that would be our signature Lemon Ricotta Pancakes," The man answered.
"What do you think?" Maura asked.
"Sounds good to me," Jane replied with a hint of confusion.
"Wonderful, I would like 2 orders of that. Jane, do you prefer orange juice? Coffee? Tea?" Maura asked.
"Coffee. Definitely coffee," Jane replied.
"And I can get 2 cups of La Colombe Coffee as well?" Maura asked.
"We sure can? Anything else?" The man asked.
"No, that is all, thank you," Maura said.
"We'll be right up with your order. Until then, take a seat anywhere, there are plenty of seats available," the man joked.
Maura nodded and motioned for Jane to follow, who followed and was led to a table closer to the counter where they had placed their order. The pair sat across from one another and Maura let out a small apologetic smile.
"Do forgive me. I didn't want to just order for me while you sat there," Maura explained.
"Nonsense, going around this big place built up an appetite. I just wish I had some forewarning for our morning date," Jane responded with a wink, which caused Maura's face to turn red.
She didn't know why but seeing Maura blush made Jane enjoy teasing her that much more. "I should stop teasing you so much," Jane said.
"Do you enjoy it?" Maura curiously asked.
"I like the reaction it gets. It's cute," Jane replied before she blinked.
She did not mean to say that out loud.
Maura let out a giggle, something that made Jane feel funny in the stomach. "No sense in stopping now since you've been teasing me since we met in the elevator," Maura said with a smile that made Jane's heart flutter.
"Hmm," Jane replied as her smile grew, happy Maura was comfortable with the teasing. "I guess not."
"So I'm curious, are you on an all-girls basketball team?" Maura asked.
"Nope. I play with those meatheads we call males," Jane replied. "Trust me, I'm still surprised by it."
"How did that happen?" Maura asked.
"Well I'm pretty fast you see," Jane began. "Even at my heaviest, I was faster than my siblings and my 3-pointers are out of this world good. Not as good as Larry Bird but good in my own right. I was trying out for the all-girls team when Coach Deville pulled me aside and said he wanted me to go for the men's team instead."
"That must've been a surprise," Maura commented.
"It was," Jane confirmed. "I actually turned it down at first but my brother Frankie, who is also on the team, and my best friend were annoyed about my choice and they both let me know it. So in the end, I joined. My teammates were their normal, charming selves."
"Meaning sexist pigs?" Maura asked.
"Got it in one," Jane replied. At Maura's confused look, Jane smiled and said "That means you've guessed it correctly."
"Oh, good," Maura said with a smile.
"But after seeing me win game after game, they came around," Jane concluded.
"How do you deal with them being jerks?" Maura asked.
"Well…As the eldest to two idiotic brothers and daughter to "Mr. Strong Man," I have my ways of dealing with the male lifeform," Jane replied.
Maura giggled and propped her right arm on the table and leaned her head against her right open palm, her eyes holding curiosity. "What are they like? Your family I mean?"
Jane once again felt the word "Cute" echo through her mind as she stared at the girl before her. "Well…I have both parents and two younger siblings," Jane began and for the next hour, Jane regaled Maura with amusing stories about her misadventures with their, often leaving Maura giggling or full-on laughing.
Soon, their food arrived and Jane finished with "And with that one punch, the bad time at the circus ended and our family can never go back…"
"Wow…Your brother Tommy should have his picture beside the definition of "Trickster" in the dictionary," Maura commented before another burst of giggles left her lips. "I can't remember laughing so hard before."
"Glad I can entertain you," Jane said with a genuine smile. "But enough of my weird-ass family. I want to know about yours."
"There isn't much to tell really," Maura said with a frown. "My father is an archeologist-"
"Like Indiana Jones?" Jane asked with excitement in her eyes.
Maura giggled and answered, "Not quite like Indiana Jones. More paperwork, fewer adventures."
"Aww, bummer…" Jane pouted, eliciting a smile from Maura.
"-And my mother is an Art Director and a darn good one at that. They adopted me when I was a baby and told me when I was ten years old."
"Wow, do have any idea who your birth parents are?" Jane questioned.
"I've been interested in finding out but Mother has no idea who it could be," Maura replied with a faint tone of disappointment.
"Well, I think you'll find out soon. Maybe not today or tomorrow but soon," Jane confidently told her.
"I'm glad one of us has faith in that," Maura softly replied. She then gave Jane a smaller smile and added, "Other than that, I go to school in Paris…Nothing interesting there as well honestly…My life is boring."
"Nah," Jane waved off. "Boring is watching the paint dry. You're living in Paris. One of the most popular cities in the world. I bet there are some neat things that you found there and even if you didn't, I'm sure you have some dope friends to make it interesting."
"I wish," Maura sadly replied. "I don't really have any friends…"
Jane frowned at this and said, "Seriously? I mean from the short time we've talked, you really could have fooled me."
"It's the truth," Maura confirmed.
"Well that's bullshit," Jane huffed with an annoyed tone but then she grinned. She smacked her chest and declared, "Well you know what? You can add my name to your list of friends."
Maura looked up in surprise.
"I mean, sure it'll only be for a week…" Jane sheepishly continued, but Maura could see the determination and sincerity in her eyes. "But I'm seriously lacking in friends and from this night alone, I can tell you're a good person so why not make a new friend?"
"Really?" Maura questioned.
"Really, Really," Jane confirmed.
Jane watched as a tender smile appeared on her new friend's face and Jane felt giddy at seeing it. "Thank you," Maura replied.
"No need for thanks," Jane replied. "Trust me."
After taking care of the bill (Which was split fifty-fifty) Jane and Maura were back in the elevator. Maura was honestly shocked at how much time had passed. From meeting at midnight to the tour, which was two hours, and after sitting in the dining room for four hours just talking.
She had spent time with someone her age for six hours and didn't feel like the other person was forced or pitying her for being friendless. Jane seemed to have a genuine liking to her and that made her feel giddy.
"I can't believe the sun is rising. Not a bad way to spend your night," Jane replied with a grin.
"I certainly agree," Maura said.
The elevator dinged at the 32nd floor and the elevator opened up and Maura stepped out while Jane stood on the other side. "I guess this is goodnight…Or good morning," Jane said with a grin.
"I kinda wish we didn't have to sleep so we can talk some more," Maura glumly admitted.
"I feel the same way…." Jane also admitted. "I-Uh…. I have basketball practice for most of today so I won't be free… but I'm free after 1P.M on Monday, I wanted to know if you were doing anything that afternoon? I-I mean I figured since we're friends…Might as well hang out, you know?
Maura felt a burst of both excitement and nervousness at the question and instantly replied, "My mother is going to be gone on business until midnight on Monday, so I was going to go to a Museum around that time…Would that interest you?"
"Y-Yeah," Jane replied, a broad grin on her face. "My suite number is 3051. Meet me there at 1:30 PM tomorrow."
"I will so…see you tomorrow?" Maura asked.
"Tomorrow…" Jane softly confirmed.
Their eyes locked for a moment and Maura felt her face heat up but to her surprise, Jane's face became red as well.
"Well…I'll see you then…" Maura agreed.
"See you then…" Jane replied before the elevator doors closed, giving Maura a glimpse of a gentle smile on Jane's face before they closed completely.
Maura let out a happy breath and placed both hands on her reddening cheeks.
She had made her first friend.
But as Maura returned to her hotel room and got situated in bed, still floating on cloud nine, she would never know that the girl she fell asleep thinking about felt exactly the same way.
"Jane! Can you stop dropping threes like this?!" Frankie exclaimed. Jane looked at her shocked team and her equally stunned brother and smirked before she dribbled the ball and took the shot.
Nothing but net.
"Another three-pointer, Rizzoli? You are on fire today," Coach Deville declared with an impressed tone. "Bring that game to Friday and we're going to win for sure."
Jane smirked. She didn't know why she was so focused today. Could it be the deep rest she got on Sunday? She did sleep nearly the entire day after her excursion to the hotel. Could it just be luck?
Or could it be the hazel-eyed beauty Jane fell asleep thinking about? The same hazel-eyed girl Jane was going to see after her practice today.
The thought alone made her buzz with excitement.
She shouldn't be excited to see someone that she was going to lose in a week and yet she was. There was just something about this Maura that made Jane want to see her more but what was it? Was it the girl's personality?
Jane was able to glean that Maura was very intelligent and from knowing her parents' jobs, probably really rich. However, Maura was lonely but that didn't stop her from becoming Jane's friend. So lonely, smart, surprisingly outgoing, and easily flustered.
Jane couldn't help but smile as she landed another shot to the basketball hoop at the memory of Maura's blushing face appearing in her mind.
Was it Maura's looks? It wasn't out of the ordinary for Jane to find other girls her age cute and while Jane thought Maura was "cute" several times yesterday morning, now she felt that Maura seemed to make "Cute" an understatement.
And that smile…It seemed to light up the room every time she did it.
'Maybe both?' Jane thought as she sunk in another three-pointer.
Those people in France didn't know how lucky they were to have Maura there.
Well, until they were to part, Jane would do her best to show her how lucky she was to have met her.
"Man, Sis, you have been on you're "A" Game since this morning. What the hell put you in such a good mood?" Frankie asked.
"A pair of hazel eyes," Jane answered without thinking about it as she nailed another three-point shot.
"A pair of hazel eyes?" Frankie repeated, which caused Jane to miss her next shot.
Had she said that out loud?!
"Yo! Did you meet a guy last night when you snuck out?" Frankie teased.
Jane scoffed.
"No, Why would I go out and meet a random guy?" Jane asked as she caught the basketball Frankie had tossed her. "No, her name is Maura."
"Maura? That's a pretty interesting name," Frankie said as Jane nailed another three-pointer. "A cute one though. So, what did you guys do then?"
For a moment, she could see Maura's smile in her mind and it made Jane return back to cloud nine.
"I think I'll leave that between me and her for now…." Jane whispered with a fond smile.