The Next Chapter (A Rizzoli & Isles fanfiction)

19.

The trip back to the hotel was much quicker than the journey to the Notre-Dame. Maura didn't stop for photos, as they took the same route back as they took to get there. Instead, she simply enjoyed Jane's company. She walked with her arm linked through Jane's, a smile fixed onto her face. It was the simple moments in life like this that Maura had been missing out on. Her whole life, she had been so focused on her career on having everything spotlessly perfect. She wanted everything in order - from her shoes which were stored in the original boxes, to her lab gear that had to be set out a certain way. Yes, her life was surrounded by organised order and it sometimes meant that she had no idea what living truly was. 

Unlike Jane, she didn't live in the moment. She was afraid she didn't know how to do that. One time, Jane had broken her nose playing ball with her brother. She came into work, got Maura to reset it and thought nothing more of it. Had it of been Maura who did that, she would be worried about the position of the nose after the reset or if the blood had gotten onto her designer blouse. She didn't know how to have that care-free behaviour that Jane did and she probably never would, but when she was with the detective, she worried a whole lot less. 

As the two walked back through that same garden, their pace slowed down to admire the beauty of it all. Paris was such a magnificent city, with the most stunning landmarks and buildings. Everywhere you looked, you found something you may not have seen before. It was a gorgeous place and Maura was so happy to be sharing this with Jane. She couldn't think of anyone else she would rather share this experience with and to think she was going to do this alone... It made no sense now as she thought about it in more depth. 

They took a slow stroll through the park, arms linked and grins planted firmly on both of their faces. 
"Thanks for letting me hijack your trip." Jane said, breaking that comfortable silence between the two of them. 
"You're welcome. You can hijack my trip any time you want." Maura's face screwed up as she said the word 'hijack'. She wasn't one to use language like that, so it caused the detective beside her to laugh out loud.
"You haven't said that before, have you?"
"Did it show?" Maura asked, raising a brow in question.
"A little." Jane said, her laughter slowly fading. 
"I'll work on it." Maura nodded, her lips curving into a smirk as Jane nudged her lightly.

The rest of the journey back to the hotel was filled with small chatter and a lot of laughter. As they rounded the corner of the hotel, Jane went ahead a little and held the door open in an overdramatic manor, allowing Maura to enter first. Maura couldn't help but to laugh as she walked through, bowing to Jane to thank her. Then, they headed back up to the hotel room to collect a few things and change.

The sound of Maura's phone buzzing startled her a little as they walked through the doors. She pulled her phone out and sighed, seeing it was her book agent on the other end. 
"I need to get this." Maura slid across and answered the call as Jane began to change out of her clothes. Both of them already had their swimsuits underneath, but they had made the decision to change in here instead of at the pool. Jane didn't like people staring at her. At least in here, Maura would be the only one staring... 

"Maura?!" The shrill and cut-throat voice of her agent on the other end broke through her thoughts. Maura shook herself back into the room and focused on the call.
"Yeah, sorry, I'm here."
"Have you finished with those pages yet? I need the first three chapters done by tomorrow evening." 
"Yes, I know. I'll have them to you."
"I need to proof read them."
"Yes, I heard you. You'll have them by tomorrow evening." 
"Great!"
"Bye." Maura sighed heavily and hung up the call, stuffing her phone back into her bag.

"Everything okay?" Jane asked, seeing Maura tense up.
"Just my agent..."
"You know, if you have to get some real work done, I totally understand..." Jane didn't want to distract Maura from why she was really here. "I can go to the pool by myself." 
"No!" Maura was too quick to answer. She saw the surprise on Jane's face. "I have until tomorrow evening, and I could always take my laptop to the pool with me." Maura smiled and quickly changed out of her clothes before Jane could say anything more, then stuffed her laptop into her bag. 
"Okay then. If you're sure?"
"Yes! Now, let's go." Maura said and held the door open for Jane to leave first. 

They both walked back through the lobby in their flip flops and swimsuits, making no stops on the way. They wanted to get to the pool and spend a good few hours there before they closed. Jane had been so excited about it yesterday, but they arrived much too late to take advantage of the pool. So today, Maura was determined to allow Jane that joy and excitement. They arrived shortly after, pushing the door to the pool open. Maura watched as Jane's eyes lit up, the smile on her face beaming. 

Had she always been that beautiful when she smiled? Did she always smile like this or was it just the excitement of the day causing her to radiate this... beauty Maura had never seen before? She felt a blush rise to her cheeks as they made their way over to two loungers. Maura placed their towels and bags down on the loungers and kicked off her flip flops. 
"Woah! Look at the size of this pool!" Jane exclaimed, kicking her flip flops off next to Maura's. 
"You like it?" Maura laughed, watching Jane almost bounce with joy. 
"CANNONBALL!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, jumping into the pool and soaking Maura from head to toe. 
"Oh!" Maura gasped, her breath catching in her throat. Jane smirked as she splashed Maura with more water playfully. 
"Oh, that's it!" Maura ran to the pool edge and jumped in, splashing Jane with water the second she was in the pool. 

The sound of both of their laughter filled the room, echoing off the walls and causing the one other couple in the room to look their way. They smiled at Maura; did they see it too? Did they think that Maura and Jane were actually a couple? They were looking at them like Maura did when she watched romantic movies. That longing look that said 'I want that, too'. Maura was never usually like this, but Jane brought it out in her. She made her a better person and now she was open to more things that scared her. Like a relationship with someone of the same sex... With Jane... If that's what she even wanted. Maura was so unsure because Jane had given her no signals to say yes or no. Or had she? 

"Race you! Last one to the end has to take the other to dinner tomorrow night!" Jane said, a playful and mischievous smirk across her face. 
"You're on!" Maura quickly splashed Jane in the face with water, causing her to stumble and giving Maura a head start. 
"Hey!" Jane called out, trying to catch up with Maura. It simply wasn't fair. Jane was taller and much quicker than Maura, so despite her sneaky move to get her ahead, Jane still touched the end of the pool first. Just. By a fraction of a second. Maura jutted her bottom lip out in a pout and sighed, dramatically. 

"I won, so that means dinner is on you tomorrow." Jane smirked. "Wear something pretty." And with a wink, she swam away. Wear something pretty. What did that mean? Was that Jane's way of telling her she was attracted to her? Or was Maura reading into this far too much?