“Thank you ma’am..” he smiled at her warmly before turning and leaving. Jane slammed the door and for the first time in two days, gave herself over to panic.

-/-

With a soy latte in hand, Maura isles found a seat in a quiet corner of ‘911’ and slumped silently at the table, her usual concerns over cleanliness all but forgotten as she struggled to work out the best course of action. Despite her many academic achievements, nothing had prepared her for falling on love with her best friend. There was no study she could refer to that told her the best way to deal with it, tell her what to say. Yes, she’d had sexual encounters, even relationships with other women, but she’d always known in advance that they would end up in a physical place, there was nothing at all in her past that equipped her for what she was about to face.

As if on autopilot, she had gotten ready for the day, driving over to Jane’s neighbourhood without even checking the time. It was only  when the 8am news report blared into the car that she’d realised how early it was. Returning to the ‘scene of the crime’ as it were, did nothing to quell the confusion and hop that fought within her.

“Erm…. Hi.” A soft voice cut into her reverie andmaura looked up, surprised to find a woman of no more than twenty standing before her, shifting nervously on her feet.

“hello.” Maura replied, grateful for the distraction. “May I help you?”

The young woman smiled, “May I sit with you, just for a few minutes.” The blush that ran across her face reminded Maura a lot of herself at that age, nervous, and a tad too polite to fit in with her peer group. “I am meeting a friend and I’m early you see.” The girl explained with a weak smile, “And there is a very peculiar man who keeps asking me bizarre questions that I’m not entirely sure are appropriate…. Or even in English”

Maura nodded slowly, gesturing for her to sit.

“Thank you so much.” The girl curled herself into the chair, one long leg bending up so, should she wish, she could rest her chin on her knee. “I’m Louise Steinman.” She extended a hand slowly, “My friends call me Lou.” Maura shook the coffee warmed hand gently. “Maura.”