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Of course, there was an internal conflict with her own choice to speak up. There was no denying how the closeness they shared effected Natalie; her heart raced in the proximity, and also with fear of losing it. And when an apology was offered in response, she felt the way her grip tightened to contradict the tone she had used. Dark eyes remained squeezed tightly shut, nose crinkling as Teddy continued, despite the way she didn't move, either.
"In a minute." Natalie tried her hand at the phrase Teddy often offered in those moments, exhaling it heavily against the lawyer's lips.
Making it known that all she had to do was ask felt imperative. Like for some reason the lawyer might not be away of the power she had over Natalie. And apparently she knew, and that within itself carried a sort of relief. And before she could say anything, heavy pressure hit her lips in a way that was both perfect and dangerous. Her hands fell to Teddy's shoulders, fingers tightening to draw her closer - as if she could somehow close any millimeter of distance that might have existed.
And when her lungs couldn't take the pressure, she eased away, though only by a fraction. "Teddy," she breathed, like just calling her name would describe the warning in her tone. Because there was more than just her entire family just a wall away.
It was a stubbornness that Natalie was oblivious about with herself. The desire to apologize again was overwhelming, she hadn't the chance to offer it again before Teddy spoke. And how perfect she was. Quick to clear the air of negativity with a statement that was more powerful than the lawyer might have realized. "You have all the time in the world," she replied confidently. Light pressure pulled her counterpart back in before she kissed her lightly.
Because there was relief in knowing that at least she didn't want to spend time away - or to keep it to a minimum. "And you don't have to worry about being away from me. Just ask and I'll be here."
An endearing name, one that threatened to soften the features Natalie wore, but what followed cemented her furrowed eyebrows. She immediately had an answer, but offered a few moments before she voiced it. To try and articulate it in a way she wasn't positive how to. At least, without sounding at least a little ridiculous. The trainer sucked in a slow breath, looking into the bright eyes that had opened for her, like maybe she could just see it on her face.
"I like to think I do," she said finally. Slowly. "And I really shouldn't have asked - that's not fair to you." When making a mistake, she would own it; it was the least she could do. "We're not even -" Natalie let her words fall flat. "I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that."
Too kind. She had to smile at that. It was something she was growing used to hearing from her counterpart, and if kindness was how Natalie was defined, she would be happy with that. Kind was a wonderful thing to be, and she so appreciated that it was the way she saw her.
But as she continued, the trainer faltered. Natalie had no reason to doubt Teddy, and really, a negative thought hadn't filtered into her mind about the lawyer at all. So when a statement like that came out of her mouth, Natalie's eyes finally opened, eyebrows twitching together with hints of confusion. "I don't think you're controlling," she replied immediately, feeling the desire to mend whatever thought it was that made her think such a thing. Her thumb brushed along Teddy's cheek lightly. "I'm sorry; it wasn't appropriate of me to ask."
The question burned in her mind like a fire that couldn't be ignored. Natalie knew better than to ask a question like that, but she had little willpower over the way it pressed against her.
The answer she received was clever. Perfectly balanced in a way that only the lawyer would know how. There wasn't an answer, and with as much turmoil something like that could create, it offered a sort of relief instead. With the mess Teddy described, Natalie wasn't sure how to handle either of the other possible answers.
"Okay, I won't." She breathed, head tilting down to press her forehead aganist Teddy's. "I promise."
A connection as simple as the tip of her nose brushing along the length of her own drew a breath out of Natalie. Her own eyes remained shut, though for a different reason than her counterpart chose. It was easier to keep them closed, even as her hands continued to move, eventually both settling on the lawyer's cheeks.
Her pulse shouldn't have been racing so quickly over something someone else said, but she felt the way her heart wanted to push out of her rib cage. "Is it true, then?"
It was a well known fact that even Teddy had pointed out about herself; she was ego driven. It so perfectly suited the lawyer to be, and that wasn't a bad thing. Natalie found it endearing, like she did with so many of the traits her counterpart carried. The corner of her mouth twitched up at the reply before she leaned closer and caught Teddy's lips. One kiss hardly seemed like enough, and she wasn't so quick to pull away, despite the lightness and thought she put behind it.
"She seemed very confident in her thoughts." She replied finally, lifting a hand to draw it up through Teddy's hair.
All it had taken was a little encouragement and Natalie was happy to find a connection with the lawyer. Any call that Teddy could possibly make would draw a response out of Natalie within moments. Her fingertips made small circles in an attempt to further ease any tension away.
Her features found gentle humor again, but they softened with the way she was kissed. How perfect it and she was. Though it really hadn't been so long, it felt like ages since they last made such a connection.
"You love it." Her response came forth before she could think to halt herself on using a word Emmett had thrown out so quickly and factually.
Steps taken towards her were a relief, and with the movement came her own. She eased towards the lawyer, hands finding her shoulders as she offered a little squeeze. It was hard not to see the tension that filtered through Teddy at certain points of the evening, and even if that was resided now, Natalie still applied pressure to ease it away.
"She knows you are." Natalie pointed out, turning any attention on herself at her counterpart. She wore the title of perfect far better.
Natalie couldn't help the way she smiled at Teddy's explanation. Hard as she might have tried to keep humor from her features, she couldn't really help it. Her nose crinkled a little bit as a little breath of laughter crept out from her chest.
"She has some pretty... strong opinions." It took a moment for the trainer to come up with the best word to describe the way Emmett spoke of not only Teddy, but others as well. "I'm flattered, really. That she seems to like me." Or dislike the subject of conversation that somehow managed to come up a few times, but it wasn't like Natalie to take a negative turn even on something that was so blatantly laid out in front of her.
With the bowls taken from her hands, Natalie made quick work to scoop the finished meal into them. "Thank you," she smiled, putting down the large utensil before taking one of the bowls for herself, free hand reaching for two forks and holding one out for the redhead. "Hmm, I think that just came out in theaters?" She recalled hearing about it in passing, but wasn't entirely sure.
Her free hand returned to her glass of wine, bringing it to her mouth to take a slow sip. "If you're interested, we could go out to see it after dinner. I could look up the movie times."
The mechanic that owned the title of Teddy's best friend was not at all the type of person Natalie had expected, though that was hardly a bad thing. What had first expected to be a nervous meeting quickly became something more laid back and casual thanks to Emmett's strange charm. It was hard not to like her, and despite the odd pairing, the two managed to fit within their friendship flawlessly.
And as the night came to an end, the mechanic seemed excited to let all of Natalie's pets - even her tortoise - share the spare bedroom. It was a good mark in her book.
Natalie turned to face the lawyer as the door drew shut, smiling at her counterpart. Dark eyes were a little slow to meet hers when she turned around. "She's very sweet." Natalie replied with a nod. "It's endearing how highly she speaks of you."
The beer was taken, and Natalie was already moving back towards her gas stove. A large cast iron carried contents of a colorful meal. Rice, brightened with tomatoes, green herbs, and colorful peppers. "It's like a tomato rice with tofu," Natalie replied, mixing up the ingredients one last time before turning off the heat. Her shoulders shrugged without a proper name to call it.
Taking a sip of her wine, she raised her eyebrows at the DJ before grabbing a couple of bowls. "Should be good." She laughed, hoping that it turned out alright. "So work's been running you to the bone?"
Once again, Natalie found herself consumed by Teddy's presence. How was she supposed to let her go for long enough to make a call when she spoke such sweet words? Even when that necessary fraction of distance was created, the trainer kept her eyes shut. She could feel the smile that was so close to her own mouth, and with the request asked of her, she could hardly contain her own.
"Of course." The formality of asking wasn't even necessary. Natalie doubted she would be able to sleep in a bed without the lawyer's company that night, it had been too long, though only a couple of days. She kissed her again, and as brief as her intentions were, it was anything but. "I'll stay whenever you want."
