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Though Natalie was on a small task of her own, that didn't prevent her from listening. It was hard not to, especially when Teddy was so close. Her free hand clicked the lock of her door, drawing it open, followed by the screen as her two dogs happily went outside. She closed the screen, allowing them to take their time just as her counterpart was wrapping up her phone call. Already, she had her attention again, and Natalie smiled at the fact as she gave her hand a little squeeze.
"Was that Olivia?" She couldn't help but to ask, curious. "I actually saw her yesterday at Bellefonte. I hadn't realized she had family there."
The moment Teddy stepped away, Natalie was taking a breath. With the minute of time where her attention was occupied, Natalie knew she should have been finding her own phone to cancel for the day. But dark eyes instead watched the lawyer call up her office, and only then did it filter into her mind the person she would call to make such an announcement.
Though she shouldn't have assumed, she absolutely did. And with it came the reminder of the strange encounter she had the prior day.
Familiar fingertips found her again so easily, like the perfect little reminder that she wasn't forgotten about, even while Teddy was on the phone. Intertwining her fingers with the lawyer's, she gave a little pull, leading them out of the bedroom and across the length of her tiny apartment to let the dogs out into the backyard.
It seemed that with both of them in an attempt to half try to take some sort of responsibility, it was enough to get them moving, even if it was slowly. And what seemed like a promise was reassurance that they'd find their way back to this spot. That it would really only take a minute. It pulled a little nod out of Natalie as she finally let her grip ease, hoping not to have wrinkled perfectly pressed clothes. They stayed on her for a few moments longer, drawing down the length of her form slowly before dropping.
"Alright." She breathed with a heavy exhale. She knew she had to take a step back before she lost the little bit of willpower that kept her. Still, she found the means to smile, because Teddy was there, and that meant everything.
There was so much about the lawyer that could completely consume Natalie. Work was a priority, but she was so affectionate that it hardly seemed so. Hands in her hair were adorning, offering a stark contrast to the word she tried to convey. Okay. Like she could really find the means to let go and progress with the day. Such a thought seemed almost impossible, even for the optimistic woman.
She kissed her again instead, packing the weight her first one hadn't carried physically. Hands even dared to tighten around the fabric that she had only just put on. At the very least, she needed to make it known how hard it was to even fathom stepping away from her long enough to pick up a phone. "Okay." She repeated, though breathless and with eyes still closed as her forehead pressed against Teddy's.
Though she offered something of a lighter connection, it was weighted with its own emotions. Overwhelming, just like she was. And it wasn't hard to feel the way it left her breathless - or to recognize the inevitable way it made their situation shift. She had to try to be responsible, even if she knew it would likely end in failure. Though she had no complaints about that.
And, at the very least, Teddy recognized those words. She even agreed to them, though barely before her lips were stolen in something far more heated. It brought strength to her arms as she pulled the lawyer in closer, tired of any distance that was left between them when she'd much rather have her flush against her own form.
It was sweet how close she was to her brother - how the answer to her question felt like so much more than a simple yes. There was reassurance in her voice - like there was already a plan in action. That confidence Teddy was known for shined with such a short answer. And of course, she would visit him. It only made sense, and moreso when Natalie learned she was still an active member of the board at her father's firm. The work was truly never finished for her - and yet here she was, in Natalie's arms rather than in her office.
It drew a little laugh out of the trainer, breath dusting the set of lips that were now so close to her own. The little bit of contact against the tip of her nose was almost teasing, and Natalie hadn't the willpower to resist. She kissed her. Lightly. Slowly. They'd only just gotten to a point where they had stopped, and that all seemed to crumble with a little bit of contact.
And it was as if her final statement had reminded her of their ultimate goal. "You really should call your office." She tried, though weakly.
Teddy spoke affectionately about her brother, she wondered what it would be like to ever see the two of them in the same room. Closeness with a sibling was a foreign concept to Natalie, but she could think to compare it to the family that lived in her home with her - that bond was something that should be taken seriously.
Hand empty, it was already making its way to Teddy's form, settling on the lawyer's waist and slowly circling around to the small of her back. Closeness was something she couldn't help but to be drawn to; had she a hand free, it would almost always surely find its way to her in this sort of proximity.
"Do you think he'll visit?" Given their closeness, she could only imagine that he would want to - or at the very least, Teddy would make her way back to London to do so.
Alexander. Natalie nodded, her own smile widening at the way hers grew. It was uncontrollable. And it seemed like she needed to ask so little to learn so much about Teddy, and she was happy to listen to anything the lawyer had to offer. Any question she had to follow up was promptly answered; how her brother wasn't interested in law - and how her father felt about it. As Teddy dove into how her father loved her so unconditionally for everything she was and wanted to be made her chest swell like she really could share those emotions.
"You don't see that very often at all. He sounds like an amazing man." Purposefully, Natalie didn't offer a past tense when referring to the man Teddy very clearly looked up to. She bent at her knees, slowly lowering Oz down to the floor before standing upright again, all while keeping contact. "So does Alexander know what he wants to do if he's not interested in law?"
There wasn't a need to know every detail about the lawyer all in one sitting, but if an opportunity came up, Natalie had no qualms with asking for more information. And already, she found herself curious for more as Teddy still chose to go a little further. She'd take anything she was given happily, by means of conversation or the little bit of contact she was granted. It was all worth cherishing.
"What's his name?" The thought of siblings hadn't even occurred to her until it was brought up, Natalie being an only child herself. It was the perfect example of waiting to ask until something prompted her - the trainer would have never considered asking such a thing in the first place.
Catching a set of eyes that she knew could see every detail was arguably dangerous, but an acute gaze didn't scare her away. How could it, when it was part of what made her so special? And even if she lost them for a moment, they were quick to return back to her. The urge to pull her in was only halted by the life in her arm, but it brought another gentle squeeze out of her hand to Teddy's neck before it filtered up into her hair.
Natalie was almost settled with the small amount of silence between them, but it was broken with a sentence that within itself was a little broken, compared to the usual way Teddy held herself. It was impossible not to notice. And with it, came every possible question she could think to ask in a moment where it was so available.
"Of course I do." Natalie replied easily in a lighter tone. "But there isn't a rush, is there?" At least, Natalie had every intention of staying near the lawyer for as long as she would have her. She didn't want to force a conversation past the natural bounds in which it was created.
Settling her attention on her dog was easier than she imagined; as much as she wished to keep her eyes on the lawyer, she was so overwhelming. Though that was hardly a bad thing. Still, she kept her hand firmly planted on Teddy's neck, refusing to give up that connection just yet.
To call it optimism or not, she was sure she'd much rather find love at the risk of its loss than living never having found it. And it seemed she was agreed with, and for that, it pulled a small smile out of the trainer. She was glad the idea didn't sound too ridiculous.
"Absolutely." Only then did she let her gaze slowly filter back up to the lawyer.
Heartbreak was shown genuinely; like she could really feel the loss of two people she had never known. But she knew the product of the James family, and that was enough to draw genuine sympathy out of the trainer. It was probably for the best that she lost those bright eyes; they carried a different sort of intensity, and her own shifted down to the same subject.
It was as romantic as it was tragic. To love someone and not be able to find true resolution without them. Her lips pressed together as she took another long breath through her nose. "But worth it, don't you think?"
It had taken a moment before realization shifted Natalie's expression. She couldn't help the way it flickered in her eyes as she took in a slow breath, like it could fix the way she knew her voice would sound when she did finally speak. "Both?" She couldn't stop the surprise in her tone, how it carried concern like she couldn't believe the implication. Teddy was still young, at least in the grand scheme of things. The idea of having already lost both parents seemed devastating.
Her father's importance was obvious, and so it only seemed natural to ask about him. She wanted to know all she could about the lawyer; what - and who - was important, and why. By no means was Natalie trying to force a conversation, but she seemed willing to talk about him, especially once she started. The corner of her mouth twitched upwards at the explanation of Teddy's father being everything.
The dog in her arm was happy to gain the attention of an affectionate hand, like Oz was sure it made a paramount difference.
A short laugh escaped Natalie when the detail she offered perfectly suited the explanation. Protective and strong. "It seems like he must have loved you very much." She knew she couldn't speak from personal knowledge, but the minor tactics she used to describe how she was raised made it obvious. Her thumb brushed along the back of Teddy's neck with slow, rhythmic motions.
Folded arms might have refused to reach out, but it didn't stop either of Natalie's dogs from fighting for her attention, and that same magnetic pull always brought the trainer closer. She shifted Oz's weight into one arm, her other stretching outward as she curled her fingers around the back of Teddy's neck, offering a gentle squeeze. "Of course. There can always be multiple reasons to a choice. There usually are." So to hear that her father's legacy was - in part - why she left, wasn't too surprising to hear, though Natalie had to wonder if it had to do with her loss of him as well.
"What was he like?" Finally giving into her dog's request, she inched a little closer, enough where Oz could reach out and lick one of Teddy's folded arms.
