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Her own confidence was lacking, but Natalie was sure she made some sort of point clear, because it was an actual effort to draw her hand away at all. In a room full of curious people and prying eyes, her own couldn't tear from the woman in front of her.
She sucked in a quick breath, because there it was - a second dare, followed by the most straightforward of requests. It was a refreshing change to hear open thoughts said aloud, even in company that she barely knew.
Actions spoke more quickly than her words could, because it was invitation enough for the trainer to breach the distance between them, and catch those lips a third time. "Let's go."
Despite the signals Teddy thought she'd received, she still wasn't entirely sure what kind of answer she would get here. It could have been too much, too soon for someone who seemed to be recently questioning where she stood with her interest in the genders in this world. But if she got a no, she would bounce back. She'd already figured out how she would.
But the answer she got was the exact opposite. At first, she thought even that kiss might be a warm way of letting her down, but it was the lead in to a set of words she mightn't have had the courage to say otherwise. She smiled for her, then, because she'd earned a little more genuine behaviour from the lawyer.
Easing out of her seat, Teddy rested the palm of her hand against the small of her back as she walked her out, letting it filter towards her hand when the door was breached and they were out in the night air. A free hand let her check her phone for a morsel of a second to find a barrage of texts she didn't really have the time to read. She got the gist, and spent as little time as possible offering an eloquent reply to the borderline stalker best friend before she drew her full attention to the woman who agreed to come home with her.
"This is mine." She said, pointing to the still-new Lexus in the nearby park. A press of a button and it was unlocked. She eased herself into the driver's seat, turning her attention to Natalie before she moved any further. Really, any excuse to just look at her was worthy. But silence somehow managed to kick her heartbeat into high gear, and stalling felt like a waste of time. "You're stunning." She had to say as the realisation of the weight of everything hit her. She deserved to know the honest thought the second it materialised in her head.
With more than half a bottle of wine left at the bar, Natalie stood to her feet. Even while her companion had the aid of heels, her natural height still put her at a higher level. The hand on her back did well to guide her out of the bar and into the parking lot. With a quick excuse, she reached for her phone out of her back pocket to text the elderly neighbor she befriended some time ago; a request to let her dogs out for the night - and to hopefully reassure them that they shouldn't worry. As quickly as she'd taken the device out, it was put away again, ready to be forgotten when there was a person who held her attention so easily.
A sleek black car welcomed them, and Natalie drew open the passenger side door, slipping inside and settling into the seat. As she drew the seat belt across her form, a compliment rang in her ears as she turned her gaze back on the lawyer. Genuine surprise hit her features in a way she couldn't control, and a wavering breath escaped her lips.
She wanted to repeat those words back to her, but didn't in fear of sounding as if she were just doing so as a response. Instead, she let the twitch of her hands follow through to move back to the lawyer, a hand settling on her thigh lightly. "I'm beginning to believe I have better luck than you."
Finally after what felt like forever, Teddy got to catch her eyes again. She looked so surprised at something Teddy assumed she heard a lot. Surely anyone with half a chance with her would let her know all the great things about her. There were a great many words to describe how she looked, but everything about how she acted with such grace was just as imperative.
A hand settled against her leg and, and that was enough of a response for Teddy as the tension forced her back to straighten. She was sweet enough to then talk about luck. It was then that she wished she lived closer, just to cut down the already short amount of time they were destined to sit side by side with little contact.
She pulled out of the carpark and started the tumultuous journey home. "We could argue about that all night." She finally pointed out with a laugh. In the end, she didn't think either would budge on how they felt.
Even as the car began to move, Natalie kept her hand on the lawyer like it was some kind of lifeline. She couldn't imagine a time before where she would have gotten into a strangers car and headed to their home, but there also wasn't a doubt in her mind that this was exactly what she wanted. There was no way for the trainer to know how long the drive was, but it already felt like it was too long of a journey.
But, at the very least, she drew a laugh out of Natalie with the reply offered. Though she knew so little about this woman, she believed those words to be true. It would be a respectful disagreement in the end, surely. As the drive continued, she had the benefit of not having to look at the road, her attention remaining steadily on Teddy until the buzz of her phone forced her attention away, just for a moment.
"My dogs," she explained, as if she wanted to offer reason as to why she would tear her eyes away from the lawyer. "I had to make sure they'd be checked in on - otherwise they'd worry too much and likely ruin a couch." With confirmation that her neighbor would look in on them, she turned her phone off entirely. It wasn't a distraction she wanted.
Teddy hadn't thought much of the attention to her phone. They were firmly stuck in the digital age and even she had checked her own in the spare moment she had. Emmett was still likely cycling through a series of messages to her. They'd all have to go unread until the morning.
Still She listened to the explanation offered anyway. It was so polite and so seemingly like her to give one without needing to. "That must be nice. To have pets for company, I mean." The city style they lived in could easily get lonely. "I've thought about adopting once or twice since moving here."
They landed on a subject that Natalie could easily fill the time driving in with, even if she wished the minutes would pass more quickly. "I can't imagine living in an empty home now." She replied honestly. "It's been so long since I have." The moment she was in her own place, there was at least one companion with her, and from there, her household grew.
Her thumb brushed along the material it settled against. "What's held you back on adopting a pet?" She asked, curious as ever when it came to peoples opinions on animals.
"I often work long hours." Teddy admitted. It wasn't the best thing to admit, she knew, but there was no point in being dishonest. "And sometimes - though not too often - I have to go out of state to settle a case. That can take a day or a week, depending." The last one she suffered through was no exception for the latter. It had almost been depressing to take so much time to complete.
It was all the less than appealing aspect of her work. At least, Teddy was sure it would seem that way for an outside party who might have wanted to see her again. "I don't think that would be fair. I feel like I'd need to be able to devote more time than I have to another living creature."
A very honest answer came forth, and Natalie at the point provided. This woman seemed incredibly dedicated to her work; it was admirable, to say the least. And selfless, in a way, to know better than to take on something that would require a time that she didn't necessarily have. She'd seen enough people that didn't have time for their animals, and it was almost always depressing for the person that could listen to them.
Furthermore, it gave insight to the way she lived her life. It could easily be translated beyond the thought of owning a pet. Natalie had to wonder what this woman was looking for. "It's hard to balance work and a personal life. I imagine more so in your line of work." Natalie was fortunate enough where her schedule and job allowed for her to live the style she did.
Teddy was certain she'd given the first piece of information that didn't make her sound good. She frowned very briefly at her own admission, but she didn't want to start anything off by being a liar. She didn't dwell on the idea that she lived alone, or how empty it might have felt. She didn't really want to.
"I like to think I'd make time for the right person." She just hadn't found someone worthwhile yet. "There are so many people suffering for things they can't control. Is it really so wrong to sacrifice a little of my life to help them?" Teddy asked her.
It was surprisingly easy to have a conversation with her. It was straightforward, and that was something Nat could appreciate now more than ever. She liked the woman's honesty, even on something that could be seen as unflattering to a person's character. More so, was the romantic way she had put a spin on it. That with the right company she could find the time even with a busy schedule and important job. Natalie even thought to point out how cute the thought was.
"That's very selfless," the trainer pointed out, lips curling up into an adoring smile. To an extent, she could relate with her own work with her desire to help students gain control over abilities they never asked for, but it seemed like nothing in comparison to a lawyer protecting the rights of metas. "I think it's just a matter of finding someone that can understand how important that cause is, too."
Finding someone who understood had always been key. Teddy had always assumed that understanding would come from another lawyer, but her history had proven just how wrong an assumption that was. She smiled to herself, though, at the idea that even a near stranger could understand that lightening her work load completely wasn't the key to fixing the potential problem.
"You're absolutely right." She replied in time, happy to settle on the agreement, "Everything would feel so empty if I just stopped." She imagined there would be great difficulty in going from making a difference to nothing at all.
Pulling into park finally, Teddy left the car faster than she would usually bother to. She walked around the other side to meet the individual who agreed to follow her home for the night, ready to secure her hand and guide her to the elevator. Eleven slow flights up.
As the car came to a halt, Natalie finally drew her hand away, only to allow for them to get out. As she shut the door, the lawyer was already making her way around to the meet her. A hand took her own, and she was let herself be lead into the the building, letting a comfortable silence fall between them again on the short walk to the elevator.
The press of a button indicated it was a higher floor, and it forced the trainer to suck in a slow breath. She never realized how slow a lift could be. Her hand twisted in the lawyer's, shifting only to interlace their fingers as her eyes settled on her. It was a mistake, because the weight of the situation was starting to fall more heavily on Natalie, and a lengthy ascent put a toll on her patience when she was looking at someone so captivating.
Teddy kept her eyes squarely on the door. The only time she let them move was to watch the digital display slowly track numbers up from the ground floor. Though she adored where she lived, she was regretting choosing a high floor in a moment like this. She didn't feel nervous, but she felt a specified kind of anxious.
A hand twisted in her own, but not to let go. Instead, it cemented the hold Teddy had on her, and it was enough to pull her from her short daze. She looked back finally, bright eyes catching sight of the set that had easily been stuck on her since they left. She had the luxury of staring in the car; Teddy didn't. And now that she had the opportunity, magnetism made it impossible to break.
With a turned step, she curled her free hand around the back of her neck. She gave herself a few more seconds to look without saying a word before she finally leaned in to kiss her again.
It shouldn't have been so painfully long of an elevator ride, but with every floor they climbed, her pulse was picking up in pace. It was only intensified when she finally caught sight of her eyes again, even if it were for a mere moment. Because a hand at the back of her neck did well to draw her in, and when she felt the pressure of lips against her own she underestimated how much she craved that contact between leaving the bar and getting to where they were now.
Her hand moved to the small of her back, gentle pressure easing the lawyer flush against her own form. It wasn't necessarily the privacy of a closed apartment, but there were four small walls to keep prying eyes away. And the moment she broke for air, she barely gave herself the time to catch the much needed oxygen before kissing her again.
