Work Text:
I've never seen the phenomenon commonly described as 'entering the room as though you own it' in person. I was starting to believe the whole concept was pure fiction. And yet that's exactly what she just did. The hearts of everybody in the arched hallway simultaneously skipped a beat. She stole everyone's breath. I bet she keeps it like a trophy in a little locket around her neck. She has to, it probably happens so often it'd be foolish not to take advantage.
Her assistant talks and talks and talks at her, and she simply nods in response. She glides through the hallway like a corporeal vengeful spirit, footsteps resounding against the beige marble. Her presence fills the room, devouring my attention with a single look. Her platinum blonde ponytail bounces with her every step. As does the little bow around her neck and the gold bracelet around her wrist. It must be deliberate – if she didn't want it to bounce, she could've simply held her leather briefcase with that hand.
As she passes me, I struggle to stay standing. My knees have gone soft and wobbly like jelly. She'd tower over me even without her five inch heels. All she needs is a sword at her hip and some shining armour and she'd be the spitting image of a warrior princess. Even without it, she could command an army with a single look. When she's right beside me, her gaze rests on me. Her lips play with the idea of smiling. Or perhaps she's just smiling with her eyes.
Someone taps my shoulder and I jump in place with a gasp. The background noise of the courthouse washes over me. I turn myself around as elegantly as a confused toddler. I lay eyes on Eileen, already dressed in her judicial robes. She cocks an eyebrow at me with a smug smirk.
"Reign in your heart for a moment, Petra," she says, on the verge of giggling. "This isn't the time to fall in love with the defense." I exhale deeply with a sheepish smile.
"Is it illegal to stare a little?" I mutter.
"No, but it will be if you don't hurry yourself up. I'm warning you," she says and points at me. "Now go get ready." I nod wildly. She blinks at me, definitely smiling with her eyes, and follows the stream of the crowd, heading towards the courtroom. I sigh, close my eyes, and look over the files in my binder one more time.
My mind is always fuzzy after a battle. At least this time it's a satisfying fuzz. I sink into my wide leather chair and spin around. It's not good for my head, but it sure feeds the light, tingling feeling in my gut. When someone knocks on the door to the office, I slam my feet down on the floor and rotate myself back around to face my desk.
"Come in!" I say with a shrill voice and clear my throat. My heart skips a beat anew when she peeks in. I shoot up and straighten my blouse.
"Maria!" I exclaim and try to stand in a natural position. It turns out anything but natural. While I'm frantically rubbing my neck and shuffling my feet, trying to find the perfect flowery words for her, she glides towards me and reaches out her hand.
"Well fought today, Petra," she says with a small, but genuine smile. I timidly shake her hand. Her skin is soft, her hand is warm, and her nails are impeccably tended. I could swear I smell sunflowers in her perfume, and her nail polish matches their brilliant yellow hue as well.
"Thank you. And right back at you," I say. She clicks her tongue.
"I certainly tried, didn't I. It just wasn't quite enough to top you," she muses. My cheeks heat up and I can't curb my smile. Usually I take compliments in stride, but now I find my brain short-circuiting, scrambling for words.
"Thank you," I breathe. Unlike me, she successfully resists the urge to smile too wide, though the idea obviously crossed her mind. I tuck my hair behind my ear for the 37th time today.
"Now, to what do I owe the pleasure once again?" I ask. She holds her briefcase up against her chest, bracelet sliding down her arm. Electricity prickles in my stomach. Could she be nervous?
"I was thinking that, perhaps, if you'd like to, no pressure, of course—" Definitely nervous. "We could cap off the day by going out somewhere. Getting a drink together. If you want," she says. Lightness surges through my entire body. I might just float away in spite of gravity and hold the rest of our conversation from the ceiling. I open and close my mouth like a suffering fish and shuffle the papers on my desk. It's been a year or two since I've been on a date, not to mention been asked on a date, not to mention by a woman like her.
Meanwhile, Maria's careful enthusiasm falters. Her expression crumbles into that subtle look of dejection that I know all too well. Personally, I call it the 'have I misjudged the lesbianness of this other woman?' look. I force myself to stop fidgeting and place my palms on the table. They'll no doubt leave sweaty marks on the mahogany surface.
"Uh, yes, of course. I'd love to," I stutter. Her whole face lights up, and her rose lips part in a big smile.
"Oh, lovely!" she says, shifting her weight on each hip. "Is there anywhere in particular you want to go? If I might make a suggestion, I passed this really nice place on the way here—"
"Oh, The Cathedral?" I cut in. She nods immediately.
"Yes, exactly. It looked so cozy from the outside, my eyes were glued to it," she says.
"You'd be right. We usually go there if we need to celebrate some big win. Though usually not with, you know, 'the other side', so..." I say, trailing off.
"There's a first for everything," she states with a light voice and a warm gaze that almost makes me melt onto the floor. I have to clear my throat before speaking again.
"When? Are you picking me up or should I pick you up, or?" I ask, pointing a finger between the two of us. She raises her brows and tilts her head slightly.
"Actually, I was thinking we would go right away. It's well past 5pm, after all," she says. My jaw drops again, and my heart beats faster yet. It's tempting to simply shove everything off of my desk, leap across it, and drag her out the door. I tap my nails on the desk.
"Uh, there were a few things I was hoping to take care of before leaving today, but... give me 20 minutes—15 minutes. Then I'll be there. Okay? That okay?" I ask. She giggles, making my stomach flutter and my whole body fuzzy. If this keeps up, I might pass out before I even set foot in that bar.
"I think I'll survive waiting 15 minutes. Why don't I go order for us? Then you can join me when you're ready. I promise I won't get completely plastered meanwhile." I giggle back, making her press her lips together.
"That sounds super," I say.
"Do you already know what you want? Or should I surprise you?"
"Oh, you already have," I blurt out. Finally, we both laugh.
"I really like that espresso martini they make there," I say. Her eyes widen and she smirks.
"That does sound good. I haven't had coffee in a whole two hours anyway, I might get one too." She motions towards the door. "Okay, so. An espresso martini or two, at The Cathedral, 15 minutes. I'll be counting," she concludes and glides out the door with a wink. I immediately grab the damnable files and the nearest pen and scribble away at breakneck speeds.
- 1 year later -
My heart hammers in my chest as I'm torn back to reality. I try to open my eyes, but I can only squint. My phone shines like an enormous star in the shadowy space that is the bedroom. I bat at it with my hand, stomach tight with the hope that maybe that'll stop its penetrating ringing noise. Pulling it into my hands, I diminish the invasive sunshine and thus am finally able to look directly at the display. The office is what's creating the despicable ringing. It's one of the only numbers I let do that, whether I like it or not. The clock says 6:30am. On my day off. This is murder with the tiniest little knife.
I pick up and groan into the microphone, only barely listening to the sleep depriving demonic entity on the other end of the line. Something, 'need you at the office asap', something, 'new evidence', something. With another deep moan that hopefully sounds vaguely positive to them, I hang up. The less bright sun disappears and I'm left lying on my back engulfed by darkness.
"What are you doing?" she mutters, grabs my arm, and wriggles closer.
"Dying," I croak.
"Don't do that," she says softly. I slowly rise and sit up, much like a mummy from a horror movie. She lets go of my arm and wraps her arms around my waist instead. The room is much too cold for my tastes outside of the warm cocoon of the comforter. With shivers rolling down my back, I tap my bedside lamp. It turns on with the lowest light intensity.
"No, don't get up," she whispers.
"I have to."
"No you don't."
"I wish I didn't. Ugh, it's so cold, this is the last thing I want to do right now," I complain. She rises with me and drapes herself around my shoulders. Her hair brushes against my back, and she places a kiss on my shoulder. I can't help but smile despite myself.
"Then I'll be your human blanket," she says. Her long, pale, unshaven legs intertwine with my sepia unshaven legs. We sit like this for a few minutes. We breathe in sync, and I can feel her heartbeat against my back. My skull might as well be made of iron, it feel so heavy, but she eases the ache in my tired head.
"Seriously though, what are you doing?" she finally asks. I exhale through a smile.
"They need me down at the office," I groan. She clicks her tongue.
"What? Come on. What about our plans?" I sigh deeply. I'd been looking forward to that lunch all month.
"I know. I don't know, I'm hoping we can still make it. Otherwise I'll have to book us in for dinner instead. I'll make it for dinner whether they like it or not," I say.
"The usual place?" she asks.
"If you'd like. We can make it more upscale, too."
"I would like that. The usual, that is," she says and nuzzles her face into my hair. I angle my head towards her. She meets me and we kiss. Her lips are slightly dry instead of soft and covered with color. Despite hints of morning breath, her natural taste makes my stomach fuzzy. I'd kill to stay with her like this for hours on end. She pulls away, but I chase her down and kiss her deeper. She giggles underneath me, and I put my arms around her and give her a big squeeze. We part and just look at one another. The soft light caresses her face. She still has lines on her temple from lying on a pillow for hours on end. I brush away tousled hair from her face, and she smiles widely. She places a quick kiss on my hooked nose and swings her legs over the side of the bed.
"Okay, I'll go make you breakfast," she says and stands up. I wave my hands in front of me.
"No, no, you don't have to. I just have to get going," I say and follow her up. My head disagrees with my body and blurs both my sight and my hearing for a few seconds.
"I didn't say I'd make a banquet." She pulls the bedroom door open and glides towards the kitchen. I squint at the bright light like some kind of startled vampire. She notices and grabs my hand to guide me along. As long as I can feel her warmth, I'll make it through the morning just fine. But there's no telling what'll happen once I get outside the front door. She puts the kettle on and pulls out a big glass, yoghurt, and some fruits and berries.
"You should take a vacation," she muses. I sit myself down on a stool and melt across the kitchen counter.
"Yeah," I mumble.
"We can afford it. Then I won't have to spend my days off so lonely," she says with an exaggerated pout and wipes away imaginary tears.
"Aww. You're right," I say. The water finishes boiling and she pours me half a cup of coffee, filling the last half with milk so it isn't too hot. She stirs thoroughly and hands it to me. I put my lips to it immediately and drink up. Just how I like it.
"Should we go travelling then?" I ponder. She pauses as she opens the honey and chews on her lower lip.
"Yes," she concludes. "Where?"
"Barbados," I say immediately. "Or Sri Lanka."
"That's where we went last time, though. The former," she says, and exchanges the empty cup in my hand with the glass of yoghurt with stuff.
"Where do you want to go?" I ask and tuck in. She hesitates again, before grabbing another glass and repeating the process.
"Norway." I furrow my brow at her.
"Norway?" I repeat with food in my mouth.
"Yeah. I want to ski," she says innocently. I snort. I can already envision myself in a hospital wrapped in plaster from head to toe.
"You do not want to see me on a pair of skis. I don't do slapstick." She giggles and shakes her head at me.
"Now I definitely want to see that," she says, sleepy voice crackling. I roll my eyes at her and finish my yoghurt.
"You know, we could also go to Kuala Lumpur," I say, putting the glass in the sink. Her eyes widen just as she puts a spoonful of yoghurt in her mouth. I try to suppress my smile, but I fail miserably.
"I'd love that!" she says through the dairy. "I bet you already know all the best places to go." I shrug with a smirk.
"I have some ideas." She points at me.
"Okay, so we go to Malaysia as soon as you're able. When this trial is done and over."
"It probably will be soon if they need me so urgently now. If we're lucky it'll all be over by the end of the week," I say and snap my fingers. "Hopefully you won't run into some big case meanwhile."
"I won't if I just say no," she says with a wink. She gulps down the rest of the yoghurt and dumps the glass in the sink next to mine.
"Okay, let's go. Do you want gum too?" I shoot up from my stool.
"You're coming?" She glares at me.
"Of course. Do you want gum?"
"Yeah, sure. I'll go get dressed, then."
"Me too." She hands me a piece of gum. I eat it out of her hand and press myself up against her, hands on her tush.
"You could also just go like this. Oversized shirts are already in this year," I say and crunch the gum. She smirks right back at me. The look in her eyes almost automatically drags me back into the bedroom.
"I'd rather not freeze my toes off," she says and kisses me.
"That's fair, I guess," I say underneath her, and she giggles. Every laugh from her is like a dream come true.