Paper Handcuffs

Chapter 5 - Blame it on Ciroc

          The last few days for Maya had blurred together, with only increasingly bad things separating them. Thursday an impromptu fire house inspection was notified to the team, 2 hours before the battalion chief arrived and it was Maya's job to clean the floors. Friday after a structural fire in an apartment block that saw the team battle a 4-hour fire, with Sullivan in a particularly bad mood the entire shift, Maya was stopped by a middle aged man who spent the good part of 20 minutes explaining why women shouldn't be in the fire service before Jack came to her rescue. By Saturday night Maya was tired, irritable and wanted to spend her weekend alone in the comfort of her own home but tonight was Andy's birthday and there was no way she could not be there.

It was 5:50pm when Maya started getting ready, she'd spent an hour pulling apart her wardrobe with no success on what she wanted to wear, the worn-out blonde decided she would jump in the shower first. It did the job of waking her slightly. The smell of her peach and mango body exfoliater even helped her mentally scrub away some of the weeks harder moments. Maya washed her hair, moisturised and then stepped out the shower. Feeling a little better she decided on deep beach waves in her hair and after went to sit in front of her mirror to start her makeup. After another 20 minutes with no inspiration, Maya just went for it, ending up with a fairly nude eye but with dashes of rose gold, highlighter that glowed and a nude lip. The outfit was still an issue and with 15 minutes before she needed to head to the boat house, Maya was cutting it fine. She went back to her wardrobe that was half scattered across her floor when she got a message.

*Carina*

Ciao Maya! I'm sorry it's such late noticed but I'm going to be arriving later than planned to the party. Some complications have occurred with a mom that gave birth a few hours ago. I'll be there was soon as I can – C x

Maya text back reassuring her that Andy would understand the unpredictability of labour and that she'd see her when she arrived. This got Maya thinking about her last few days and her run-ins with Carina which spiralled into thoughts about her conversation with Andy and her lack of 'self care' over the last couple of months. Fuck it. She knew what she was wearing, it was a black dress Vic had convinced her to buy a few months ago after a pay-day splash. It was strong and feminine, it showed off all the best parts of Maya but still teasing the eye of whoever looked at her. It was off the shoulders, bringing focus to her collarbones, her neck and her jawline. It was cinched at the waist, which framed her hourglass figure and it stopped mid-thigh leaving her long muscular legs on show. Maya threw on her black stiletto heels and stepped in front of her full-length mirror in her room. She was ready but something was missing. She looked at herself again, checking the shoes, dress, makeup and then it hit her. Maya took the nude lip off and replaced it with a deep shade of red, titled 'Bad Blood', grabbed Andy's presents and headed out the door.

Maya had never been a big drinker, she's always been life of the party but alcohol was never normally what Maya sprang to when she needed a break. Tonight however was no exception to her out of character choices as of late. She stood in the kitchen talking to Travis about a new guy he was seeing, they were instagram stalking him when Vic came racing over Ciroc bottle in hand. "SHOTS! SHOTS!" " I didn't realise we were back in college" Maya shouted over the music that filled the room. "Hell yeah we are, college was great!" Vic had gotten to the party early to set up, which means she also started drinking early, Travis scoffed and spoke " We had very different college experiences" Maya agreed but took the bottle off Vic and waited as the shot glasses were laid out. All the of them did 2 shots one after the other and then when the birthday girl arrived it would rude not to do another. Although Maya wouldn't admit it, that third shot did threaten to come back up as she swallowed hard.

As the night went on and Maya relaxed into the atmosphere. The team toasted to Andy which brought Maya another drink in her hand. By 9:45, she was buzzed, slowly venturing on drunk, as could be said for the rest of the people there. Maya looked around the room at the balloons tapped to the ceiling, Andy's present table, the streamers claiming the walls and then to her team mates who are battling it out of the dance floor, in that moment Maya was glad she came. Maya joined the team in dancing before Andy pulled her away for a drinks refill. "Any sign of Dr McHottie yet?" Maya temporarily choked on her drink and the both of them laughed. "NEVER call her that Herrera! And nope, no sign maybe she decided not to- fuck she's here". Fuck. Both of them women turned their heads towards the door to see Carina being let in by Jack. She wore black fitted trousers which paired with her heels made her legs look like they go on forever and a black low-necked blazer with no top. "Fuck Andy, I didn't think shes actually turn up" Maya shoved her in the side and finished the drink she'd been sipping since they left the dance floor. Andy, clearly tipsy and enjoying the look of disbelief on her best friends face, thought now would be the best time to tease Maya. "Right, go on" pushing her slightly "Don't be a useless bisexual and get over there". Maya glared at her and comedically planted her feet to the ground. Yes, definitely drunk. "Absolutely no way, And- have you seen her!?" " ah HA I knew you liked her" "I'm not blind and even if I was-" Maya was cut off my Andy at that point "well chug my drink Bishop and take a deep breath cause shes walking over here". Maya, against her better judgment, finished the drink like a shot and visibly took a breath.

"You both look so beautiful! Sorry i'm late, mother nature and her wonders but I brought tequila for the birthday girl" Carina handed over a bottle of Don Julio to Andy "an American must, no?" Andy thanked Carina, putting an arm around her and calling her the favourite of the night for bringing her together with her love. The women laughed loudly and Maya shushed her making a joke about Ryan hearing. The bottle was opened a immediately, with Andy telling Carina she needed to catch up. A rounds of shots done, Andy threw an unreadable look to Maya before leaving her and headed over to Ryan to 'notebook' style kiss him in the kitchen, which was applauded by everybody in the room.

It could have been awkward but Carina was so effortlessly funny and filled with stories, that there wasn't a silent moment between them. They talked and laughed for over an hour until Carina asked from directions to the bathroom. Maya walked her over and for reasons Maya couldn't explain found herself in the bathroom with her. Maya is definitely the friend that helped you in the bathroom at a club but this felt different to that. Maya started thinking about how caught of guard Carina makes her feel and whether it was pride or fear, the mix of those with alcohol made her act out.

"Who do you think you are!?" Maya slurred as she walked towards Carina. "Im sorry wha-" Maya cut her off and continued, "you don't know anything about me and I don't know ANYTHING about you and YET I keep seeing you everywhere, so who do you think you-" Carina reached over put her glass on the bathroom sink and closed the space between them. "Your right, I don't know you but I want to. I want to know what you like," she tucked Maya's hair over her ear as she kept going "I want to know what makes you tick, what makes you cu-". Both woman jumped as a fist pounded on the bathroom door. "Hurry up! It's a toilet emergency!" Gibson. Maya was about to shout back telling him to go away but Carina grabbed her hand, unlocked the door and half dragged her to the porch. When they got outside there was no time to admire the water. Carina had Maya up against the railings, Maya honestly couldn't explain how she got here but fuelled with a need she didn't understand she lent forward and kissed the doctor in front of her. One of Carina's hands holding her face and the other hand placed in the groove of her waist. Maya pushed her body further into her and the kiss. She saw the opportunity to take some control when Carina opened her mouth slightly, Maya bit her bottom lip before dragging her tongue along to soothe it and then slipping it into her mouth. Carina moaned and Maya's legs went weak. This was getting out of hand. Maya was too far gone already to care but Carina seemed to realise this was going to go too far out on someone's back porch that she hadn't met until today, at the party of someone she didn't really know. So she pulled back and saw the darkened blue eyes staring back at her, held Maya's and once more pulling her in the direction of her car. 

•••

How will the night end for Maya and Carina? Tomorrow will the kiss mean anything or be a drunken moment and nothing more?

Criticisms and ideas always welcome. Until next time...