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The movie offered an easy distraction, and Natalie kept her eyes forward and on the screen as she spoke. It wasn't until the movie was paused that she dared to look back at her friend. It wasn't for a fear of judgement, but it was easier to talk when she didn't have to look. As if to encourage her, she felt Jodie's wet nose press against her calf briefly.
"I've always known, to an extent," Natalie began to explain, shrugging her shoulders. "And now - it's just so obvious that I do." She even dared to let a small laugh out. "I can't imagine how many bad dates I could have saved myself from had I just actually thought about it."
Though it was only part of where she was trying to get to. She knew Clarke wasn't one to open up, but she had to try for herself to an extent. "Do you remember Lena?"
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."
The similarities between herself and the actress immediately puzzled the trainer. Her eyebrows furrowed, continuing to watch a little more and not seeing it at all. "Are you just saying that because we're both Jewish?" Natalie joked lightly, a hand gently hitting her counterpart before she let silence settle a little longer, but it wasn't long before she picked up again. "But I mean, she's pretty. Like I'm attracted to her." Was it too on the nose? Natalie took another bite, chewing to buy her another second of time.
It was too much effort to put something gently - she could even grow frustrated with her own inability to be straightforward at times, so she pushed past it. "I'm attracted to women."
With the agreement made, Natalie hit play, picking up her fork to take a bite as well. The new recipe she attempted came out better than she could have expected. "It's cardamom," Natalie explained quickly, having been recently interested in cooking with it. She smiled at the idea of showing Clarke how to cook. "Any time you want." Because really, she'd been offering to teach her for years.
As the movie continued to play, she watched with curiosity as the plot unfolded. It was an interesting enough twist on the mythology, and held her attention for the most part, but as a quieter scene came forth she kept her eyes fixated on the main female lead. "She's pretty," Nat pointed out, never one to really talk much during a film. "Don't you think?"
Natalie had almost always a few options already chosen by the time Clarke had gotten there, but giving the option to her friend, she wondered what the woman had in mind. Eyebrows rose at the idea of a superhero theme, though she didn't protest. It wasn't a genre Natalie was entirely familiar with, but she wouldn't be afraid to give it a shot. "Alright then." She reached for the remote, typing into Netflix the suggestion.
"How about this?" She asked, selection hovering over the title of Thor. "I'd be interested to see how they portray a Norse god."
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."
It was hard not to see the thought process run through his mind in the way Caleb held himself. Apparently it wasn't as simple as it sounded - though what relationship was? Nat certainly couldn't speak for anyone when it came to advice, but she at least offered a listening ear, especially when the party involved her best friend. She let him think, listening when he did finally talk as she took another bite of her salad.
She wanted to laugh at the idea of luck, because she had thought the same for some time now about herself, but the subject hadn't fallen on her and she instead pointed at him with her fork. "Wouldn't the worst luck be if it turned out she was right for you, and you missed the chance?"
Natalie smiled at her friend; it was always a relief that she felt comfortable there. "You should, because you are." Clarke's company was more than something just she adored; every soul in her home felt a warm connection with the red head. Following Clarke to the couch, Nat settling next to her as she tucked her legs to the side and set her plate on her lap.
Really, the trainer had thought she could just be out with it, but the idea of familiarity watching something with Clarke was tempting. Better, it gave her an idea. "I'm not sure. What are you in the mood for?"
When she couldn't meet her gaze, the trainer's eyes settled down a little further, catching sight of the lips that she had just kissed. Twice. And there was every desire in her to make it a third, especially as they spread into their own smile. Her fingertips trailed lower, tracing along the line of her neck and shoulder before finally drawing away to settle on the bar top.
She let out a small laugh, because it seemed like a lot more than just clarity. The thought of anything coursed through her mind, but she let her voice carry another thought. "Never will I doubt anything about this again." She confirmed, if it wasn't already clear enough from her own actions. "But I wouldn't stop a dare again if it came up."
A bark from Oz let Natalie know that her guest was there before there was a sound at the door. The trainer smiled when she heard the light knocking regardless. "Come in," she called, wondering if the red head knew that she never really needed to knock or wait to be let in at all. When the door opened, her two dogs immediately went to greet the familiar face, and Beau quickly jumped down from his perch to run into the living room instead.
"Perfect timing." Natalie pointed out, holding up the plates as a gesture that dinner was ready.
Once the conversation turned to her ability, Natalie wondered if a person could so easily understand what she tried to explain. She was often met with agreements but she had yet to meet someone as genuine as any animal. Maybe she was just lucky to understand them. "That's exactly what I mean. There isn't any reason for them to hide anything." People were an entirely different case.
As they rounded the corner to enter the library, her arm slipped out from his as she walked a little faster towards the section. "So do you cook?" She asked, finding the appropriate isle and scanning the spines of the books.
It seemed physically impossible to pull herself away any further than she had, at least in that moment. When a set of blue eyes opened, she wondered what thoughts were crossing through her mind. She seemed so attentive, even in the way she looked back at her for those few seconds. Yet those thoughts weren't something she could dwell on, because after another moment, she felt the pressure of an unfamiliar set of lips against her own again.
This time, she shifted slowly, only as if to not interrupt the connection between them. A hand rose upwards, fingertips tracing lightly along her jaw before a palm settled against the lawyers cheek. Lighter connotations still felt heated as she felt her heart rate pick up in pace.
When she drew away again, her hand lingered against the lawyer's cheek. A small breath gave way to the smile that spread across her lips. "I definitely would say that's an effective approach." She joked lightly.
Since she had last properly talked to Clarke, a significant amount had happened in Natalie's life. Given that she considered the woman her best friend, it was strange when she realized she hadn't reached out to her at all. Perhaps the time spent thinking was needed before she could properly voice it to someone she knew so well, topped with a few form of distracting keeping her mind busy. So she finally texted her, asking if the red head would want to have dinner at her place, as usual, though she purposefully left out the idea of a movie to follow.
Her apartment was again flooded with a mixture of aromas as she started to plate the meal, knowing that her friend would be there within a matter of minutes. Her animals were curled up on the couch, with the exception of Beau, who watched with bright green eyes as she managed the food.
"It'll be fine." She reassured him, or perhaps just voicing her own doubts. "I know it will be."
Briefly, Natalie had to wonder if it was a joke, but the confidence this woman carried just by breathing made her think otherwise. It did well to work, and the trainer was all too aware of the way she leaned a little closer. A single word dropped from her lips and although Natalie couldn't recall the last time she had completed a dare, she had little intention of ignoring this one.
She eased herself to the edge of her seat, breaching what distance was left between them to press her lips gently against the lawyers, letting her remain in the proximity for a little longer than she should have before withdrawing a few inches to catch a set of bright blue eyes.
Though it hadn't been long at all since this had all happened, it was strange to think she hadn't said any of it out loud. There were several listening ears in her home, but for once she felt relief in opening up to a person. She was an exceptional listener. It put her at ease, or quite possibly it was with the aid of a dwindling second glass in front of her.
She let silence fall upon them, but when it was broken Nat immediately felt the heat return to her features. Her eyebrows shot upward, and a humored smile took to her lips. Because she had to admit that it was clever of the lawyer. For a moment, her voice was lost, and when she found it again she let her voice drop a little. "Only if she drinks wine."
