2020-02-28 - Catching Up with Love

It's been way too long since Jessica has seen her BFF. And she hasn't seen her since returning from Paris! There may have been the occasional text but now it is time to rock up in person to share gossip...and hand over presents to Harper. A light rapping on the door before Jessica lets herself in. "Bonsoir, Harpo!" she calls out while removing her coat. Underneath she has her 'French' gear on; hooped long-sleeved t-shirt, short skirt, tights, and a beret on her head.

There have absolutely been texts. Many of them. Harper texted Jessica in Paris. She's texted her since she returned from the trip with fond regularity. She wants to know how things are now, where Hera and Jessica are. But she doesn't want the scoop via text. Come over! Harper wants to look her best friend from high school in the eye and see how things really are.

Since Valentine's Day, Harper has kept in regular touch. But inventory and the quarterly task of choosing what books to order is at hand. Harper has been working quite a lot. And then there's Geoff. The times when she's come up for air, she often ends up with him. To say Harper is smitten is a vast understatement.

Unusual. It's a Saturday night and Harper is at home, post bath, wearing her kimono robe and curled up on the sofa as she paints her toenails. Her hair is still damp around her face. She looks up, one knee drawn up on the sofa as she paints her toes a deep wine color and smiles delightedly. "About damn time!" is her greeting.

She puts the brush back in the bottle of polish, twists it closed, and sets it on the nearby coffee table so she can hold up her arms, clearly expecting Jessica to swoop in and give her a hug. "Get your sexy self over here." Harper slides her bright-eyed gaze over Jessica. "Damn, Jessica. Do you even speak English anymore?" Her smile is ready and warm.

"Some would say I could barely speak it in the first place" Jessica laughs, quickly closing the distance between them to offer that desired hug. The tight hug of long-time friends who care deeply about each other. "I only learned English phrases like 'Damn you're a sexy woman' or 'You are so incredibly smart!' so I could talk with you" she winks before holding up a bag. "And I have presents from 'La Belle France'."

Jessica plonks herself down on the couch like she's been doing it for years - she has. "Miss me?" she asks nonchalantly, despite the dozens of texts that have been flying between them. "Ooh, look at you, doing your nails for your man? Lucky Geoff." A little laugh before she asks, "Does he wear polish too? Only teasing."

As is typically the case, when the pair reunite, it's like no time has passed. Sometimes since high school. "Don't butter me up. It makes me worry," Harper answers, her brown eyes sparkling. "You brought me presents? Presents plural? Presents plural from France? How did you even have time for shopping? You should have been amour-ing all over the city. On the river. In the cathedral. At the tower. In quaint bistros and patisseries." Harper trails off. She could go on and they both know it. And who needs to be specific about Notre Dame, the Seine, or la Tour d'Eiffel. They both know what she's referring to. A warm squeeze of a hug is given. Harper smells faintly of the bath salts she uses.

Harper watches Jessica take a comfy seat on her sofa and breathes a slow, happy sigh. "No. I didn't even notice you were gone. Are you kidding? Of course I missed you. My one consolation was that you were getting some with a beautiful and intelligent woman who also happens to be an artist. For that?" Harper pauses for effect. "For that I'm willing to wait awhile between visits." Doing her nails for her man. "Seriously? Did you bring French sexism back with you? For my man? Can't I paint my nails for my own enjoyment?" Harper curves a small smile. "He might like the color, but still." She tips her head and pulls her damp hair around and over one shoulder. Lucky Geoff? "I'm the lucky one, Jess. I'm so damn lucky." That's an unusual statement to hear from Harper. Does he wear polish too? "He'd probably let me paint his toes, too, if I asked him the right way."

"We didn't leave the garotte much" Jessica admits with a blush. "But, hey, it still counts even when it's outside the building, right? You don't have to go outside to be in Paris. We visited some places...when the sheets needed changing." Too much information? For Harper, never. "You're right about sexism though. And I'd also through in rude. But, hey, we weren't there for the locals." A sigh at listening to herself. "I may blab a little tonight." Pursed lips as she takes Harper's hands in hers, looking her deep in the eyes as she admits, "I'm in love, Harpo. Not with you! With the most wonderful, kindest, artistic, sexiest woman in the world...that is not you obviously."

Jessica flops her head on the back of the couch, letting out a big sigh and looking all starry-eyed. "Hera is wonderful. Getting some? I was getting so much it more than made up for the fallow years. And the quality..." Jessica smiles the smile of the truly content. But then back to the serious stuff. "Sorry, of course you can paint your nails for yourself. And a very nice color it is too. 'Damn lucky' gets a quirk of an eyebrow from Jessica. "Harpo...are you smitten? Have you said the 'l' word too? And I don't mean lesbian. Though that is a nice word too. Really rolls around the tongue."

Jessica blushing? Someone call the paper. Wait.

"Well, I mean, yes. You could stay in. But if you wanted to stay in, you didn't need to fork over the money for plane tickets and all the rest. Hopefully between bouts, you saw the City of Lights. I'll be disappointed if there aren't all sorts of stories." She listens, nods. "Oh. You will blab. There will be blabbery. If you want something to drink there's juice, soda, and a bottle of rose in the fridge. You know where the glasses are." Harper's warm, comfortable, and settled in for all the stories while her toenails dry.

"Tell me what new ways you learned she was wonderful," Harper demands. The quality of the some Jessica was getting. "Not feeling like a novice anymore, hmm? Who told you that would be the case?" Harper waits for the obligatory 'you were right, Harper'. Jessica gives her That Look. "Yes. I'm head over heels in love, Jessica. I can even say it." She adds after a moment. "Most days. On the others he knows." That ring hangs from its chain around her neck, dangling low against the hollow of her chest. "He's everything," she confides more quietly. Yes. Jessica might detect a glow.

"So get started already. I don't care where you start. Just start. Tell me everything."

"Wine it is then" Jessica decides, popping back to her feet to take care of it. They can converse over distance, they're good at that. "That woman can do things with her tongue that I wish I knew existed. I might not be feeling like a novice, but I still have a lot to learn from Hera. And I do love being a student. The practical exams are amazing." She brings out the glasses and the bottle, placing them carefully on the coffee table.

"You're in love too?" Jessica beams at Harper with a mix of joy and pride. "I'm so happy for you" she sighs before another hug has to be given at such news. Such a huge step for Harper. The ring making Jessica smile even more. "Sounds like we both have a lot to tell each other."
Wine is poured and distributed as Jessica resumes her seat. "You want the talking before the presents? Okay" she shrugs nonchalantly. "Some things happened before we left...bad things...so we decided to leave a day early. She had no idea where I was taking her until the airport announcer blabbed, but I think she was pleasantly surprised. I hired us an artist garotte in an old part of town. So romantic. Such history. And, yes, she painted me like one of her French women. Not that we could ever do a long sitting before things got out of hand. If you know what I mean."

It's one of the nice things about the Great Room design. The living room, dining room and kitchen are all open. The ceiling is vaulted with exposed wooden beams. The lighting is well thought out and adds to the decor. Harper watches as Jessica pour them both glasses of the (more than decent) rose wine. "Talented tongues are a definite plus. I'm sure she's giving you all sorts of lessons." The practical exams. Harper's laughter is low and warm.

"It will be six months on Friday, Jessica. I have all sorts of plans." Yes. Harper wants the talking before the presents. At least some of it. "She painted you? On canvas or on your skin?" Because either would make sense to Harper. "I hope there are pictures." Of the garotte, silly. What were you thinking? "Things getting out of hand is definitely a favorite," Harper agrees while lifting her glass of wine for a sip.

"Six months? Wow. He should be asking you to marry him by now" Jessica grins, "If he wasn't already married, of course. Want me to start a campaign in the paper to legalise polygamy? And there may be paint on both. Like I said, sometimes we couldn't keep our hands off each other." She sighs before admitting, "Okay, most of the time we couldn't. The old lady who owned the building got mad at us on the first day for being in the shower so long that we used all the hot water. I didn't even notice we had."

A sip of the wine - it's not bad at all. Jessica finds her phone to show off pictures of the garret they were staying in; a small room with sloped ceiling, and a wonderful view of the repairing of Notre Dame. There are also pictures of the pair of them around Paris, both individually and as a pair that are obviously very happy...and very in love. "It was a bit chilly" she explains about the beanie in one shot.

"What are you and Geoff going to do for your six-month anniversary? What did you do for Valentine's?"

The friends have been through the marriage topic at length and ad nauseum. So Harper just replies (again), "I don't plan on getting married, Jessica. I'm quite happy just how things are. You, on the other hand, can make all the wedding plans you like. You know I'll be there."
Polygamy. This, too, is a repeat. "I am not boffing Easton. And I have no interest in breaking up a perfectly good marriage. What Elvis has joined, let no woman put asunder." Harper smiles slowly at the story about the shower. "That's what baths are for, sweetheart. Or hotels." For the never-ending hot water. Harper slides a still drying foot over to nudge at Jessica's knee playfully. "Let's drink to water and its many delightful uses." She takes a healthy drink of her wine.

Leaning in to watch the slideshow, Harper asks candid questions here and there. She says 'tres bien' many, many times. Scattered with plenty of 'magnifiques'. It was cold? "You went there in the middle of winter, Jess. I could have told you to expect cold," Harper teases warmly. "So, you were worried before you left that it would be too much, too soon. How did that turn out?"

Harper and Geoff? Harper glances toward the kitchen, beyond which are sliding glass panels that she opens up to the back yard in the summertime. "I told Geoff sometime in January that I don't celebrate Valentine's Day." Jessica knows how Harper feels about Hallmark holidays. "No cheap chocolates, tacky jewelry shaped like hearts, no teddy bears with hearts for eyes. You know. All those things I despise. He was very good. He didn't buy me anything. But we did enjoy the day." There's a huge freaking euphemism for you. "And he read me poetry. It was --" Harper shakes her head slowly. Jessica would have some inkling of just how seductive Harper would find spontaneous poetry being read to her." Geoff clearly chose wisely. As for the anniversary? "You know we gave each other wrestling gear for our alter-egos for Christmas. I'm going to wear mine and surprise him when he gets home from work on Friday." The librarian smiles a feline sort of smile. "If you want to see, I'll show you. But not until you dish several more servings. You told her you loved her?" Harper can throw no stones about taking things quickly. But the l-word? It's a big, damn deal in her book.

"You do know that I'm going to pester you about marriage until you give in, right?" Jessica smiles sweetly to her dearest friend; she knows the buttons it pushes. "Just like you pestered me about how I would find someone. And you were right. Which means that, one day, I will be right too. And then it will be your turn to say 'You are the smartest woman I know'." A beat. "To me, you'll say it to me. But, yeah, we moved to baths afterwards."

A joyous laugh as Jessica raises her glass to the toast. "I'll drink to that." Another sip before slide show comments. "I knew it was winter. But, hey, we live in Cold Harbor...sorry...Gray Harbor...anything is warmer than here. Which may not be actually true." The phone slipped away as she considers a rather serious question. "With her, Harpo, I don't know if anything could ever be too much. She told me that one of her friends had bought an engagement ring for her girlfriend, and they haven't been seeing each other very long. It wasn't a hint or anything, but just some information that had me thinking. I really think she could be the one, Harpo. If there ever is going to be the one." A wince at her own words before she takes a deep breath. "No, I won't rush into this. I have to be logical and sensible. I mean, we don't even live with each other yet, so there is still plenty to learn about each other before we do something like that. Right?" A beat. "Sometimes I worry that I may forget my own advice."

Back to Harper's life. Jessica nods about Harper's restrictions...something else that she will help wear down over the years to come. "Glad you enjoyed the day" she smirks. "I hope you enjoyed it multiple times. Poetry...someone knows you very well. That sounds wonderful." Nodding about the wrestling outfits though the idea of the surprise has Jessica laughing happily. "That sounds awesome! A big thumbs up for kinkiness on anniversaries. Yes, I definitely want to see this outfit. Are you still going to Wrestlemania? Isn't that soon?"

Jessica blushes once more and nods slowly to that last question. "Yep, I told her I loved her and she told me she loved me. Big change in my life...but I couldn't be happier. You were right, Harpo. You're always right."

She knows Jessica will pester her about marriage. "Jessica. How can I put this, so it makes sense to you?" That's not exasperation; that's Harper truly trying to speak the words in a way Jessica will hear them. "As pro-marriage as you are? I'm just the opposite. The man already talks about the rest of our lives. I don't need a piece of paper to make it real. I don't want a wedding. I just want him. Always. It's really stunningly simple." Harper is incredibly stubborn. Jessica has somehow navigated a friendship with the woman despite that personality trait. "You've been right many, many times, Jess. And you are the smartest woman I know." A breath. "There. Satisfied?" Of course, they moved to baths. Jessica's a smart woman.

Harper sips from her glass again. "What did you learn about her that you didn't know before the trip?" And Harper isn't asking about the woman's favorite kind of wine.

With her. "That feeling is breath-taking, isn't it? The expansive feeling that there's nothing that will be too much. The idea of 'together'." Harper looks incredibly happy for Jessica. "I'm so ecstatic for you. I can't even tell you how much." Engagement rings? Harper has to look away. She is quite for a bit and rewarded by Jessica going on and finding her own advice. "Time never hurt anything that good," she agrees finally. "You just said 'yet'. Are you making plans to move in together? Would you live with her or would she join you on the Honeybuns?" Right? Jessica's best friend from high school nods in agreement. "So much to learn. Don't rush past it. It's exhilarating." The librarian finishes her wine, sets her glass down on the coffee table, then scoots down on the sofa so she's mostly reclining with her feet propped on the edge of the coffee table. Forget her own advice? "You always come back around to it, sweetheart. I have confidence in you. And, you know I like Hera very much. But if she hurts you ..." Harper's usually-warm brown eyes are flinty for a few long moments before she lightens up.

'Enjoying' the day? "If anything, we 'enjoy' our time together too much. But I don't think that's really possible. The man makes my heart skip beats and frequently causes me to forget to breathe. I think it's safe to say there will always be a bonfire's worth of sparks."

Telling someone you love them and hearing it back: Harper pushes up enough to lean over to hug her friend warmly and for a bit of time. Affectionately she teases, "Of course I am."

The only thing that humility and Harper have in common is that they start with the letter 'h', and Jessica would have it no other way. A laugh as she hugs Harper back. "I'm glad you know it" she teases in return. "I don't know if I'm pro marriage" she mumbles softly. "I totally agree with you. No need for paper or other's approval to feel what you feel."

"What did I learn about her? Hmm. I assume you don't mean the kinky sex stuff" Jessica replies before quickly adding, "Not that there was any." And then she winks. "I guess I learned that she really, really wants me to be happy. Beyond what I thought beforehand. We're dating, of course she wants me to be happy, but in Paris...she laid her heart out for me and I saw how much she truly cares." A quick wiping away of any eye moistness caused by the air conditioning.

"Yeah, breathtaking." Jessica finishes off her wine. "That's something we need to discuss right there" she laughs. "Honeybuns or her place? I love Honeybuns. It's been my home for years but I love Hera even more. Would I give up Honeybuns for her? Probably, Harpo." A firm shake of her head. "She would never hurt me. Even if we broke up, she would never hurt me."

"Yep, bonfires. I hear you, Harpo. Wow, look at us. The start of last year we were alone romantically and thinking nothing would ever happen. Now, we're both so happy. Though if this does work out with Hera, guess you'll forever have that 3-1 victory."

Let's not go overboard. A hug. Some teasing. And a firm nod in agreement about marriage not being a panacea of any kind. She doesn't argue that Jessica sometimes sounds very pro-marriage.

"No. I didn't mean the kinky stuff," Harper agrees. Though Jessica knows Harper would listen to anything Jessica wanted to share. She does snort with amusement at the suggestion that there's no 'kinky stuff' between Jessica and Hera. "And Paris is just a quaint city," she remarks midly. "She wanted you to be happy before you even had your first date, Jessica. She seems like the sort of person who makes it their mission to bring sunshine into people's lives." Harper watches Jessica get misty with a gentle expression.

"There's no rush, either way," Harper suggests. But again, her own biases are seeping through. The librarian doesn't point out that breaking up with Jessica would likely hurt her.

Look at the two of them. "It's about time, I say. But so worth waiting for." As for the 3-1 score. "The first one you're counting wasn't one at all. It was a kiss. The second one? I suppose that counts. But if you're counting that, then you have to count all my one-night stands. And if that's the case, then I'm a hardcore floozy. A genuine case of glaring promiscuity." Harper 'dated' two or three times a year. But she let none of those one-night stands continue past the 'stand' portion of things.

"I know she wanted me to be happy before but...it's like a whole new level, you know? Everyone wants to do that when dating... This is so hard to explain. When you start dating you may be things you're not to please the other person. Hera is herself and I can feel the love for me emanating from her. Gah! You need to lend me some poetry books from poets who know what I'm trying to talk about" Jessica grumps.

"No. No rush. I'm enjoying the journey" Jessica kisses the top of Harper's head. "You're such a great friend. I couldn't have made it this far without you. And 3-1 is only the last year. I did have sex before this year, you know?" A beat. "Honestly. I did. Perhaps not as many one-night stands as Hussy Harper but I was open to it. Just...no one else was."

Harper listens and nods slowly. "Are you being things you're not, Jess?" She settles back into the cushions while watching Jessica with a thoughtful expression. "If you really want poetry books, you know you're talking to the right person."

"So it's sex? Then it was only two-one. I was nearly convent-bound." This is accompanied by an amused expression. Yes, yes. Harper is quite aware of Jessica's prior liaisons. "You were more picky than I was, that's all." Harper arches a brow. "No other revelations about Hera? Or are you being sweet and keeping her secrets to yourself." Because that is okay with Harper, too.

"No, I'm being me" Jessica assures her friend. "I always am. Which I guess is why I had less dates." She considers the request for more details. "You know that she has had a hard life? I think I told you that without going into details, but she has such strength to get over it. Such will. And that she is the angel she is, is a testament to the human spirit. Hera is amazing. She was an unwilling sex worker."

Harper ignores what Jessica's statement about being herself and dating less implies about her own choices. "Yes. You told me without going into details. She did, too." But then Jessica does go into one particular detail. "I can't even ... that makes me want to hurt people. Slowly and with much pain and agony."

"It makes me want to hurt people too" Jessica admits. "And protect her with everything I have. Not that she needs my help. She has quite the anger now that she is free. Hera won't let it happen again." A warm smile for her BFF. "And you know I meant that when we're being ourselves, you would get more dates because you're a nicer person than I, not that you are in any way fake. Anyway, let me cook you up something nice and we'll watch some movies like in the old days. We can even watch romances now."