Simple Complexity

Part 1

'It doesn't exist?'

Erin shook her head.

'What do you mean?'

'Well, I guess it's the romance I want, the love I want,' Erin blushed, her eyes looking away from the engineer and down to the book cover, 'it's something I've looked for, but you can't find something that doesn't exist.'

'Er, c'mon, we've proved the existence of ghosts, it's what we do, so why wouldn't romance like this,' Holtz tapped the book, 'exist?'

Erin sighed softly, biting the inside of her cheek, 'It just doesn't Holtz, ghosts are more real than this,' and she flipped the book in her hands.

Holtzmann nodded, chewing her lip, looking at the book cover, an image of a blonde woman standing amongst trees, dressed in maybe nineteen hundred clothing her hair long and caught up in a breeze.

Erin turned the book back to the page her thumb had been marking and she began to read again, Holtzmann watching her as she sighed a little, her lips parted.

The woman almost looked sad, Holtz thought, disappointed even, as though her heart was so heavy, filled with everything she wanted, yet having to tell herself that what she wanted didn't exist, she wouldn't find it, no matter how hard she searched.

'It does exist you know.'

'Mmm?'

'The romance you're looking for, it does exist.'

Erin just smiled at her, returning her gaze to the text of her book.

'It doesn't Jill, but thanks.'

They were silent for a while and Holtzmann exited the action movie she had begun to watch, selecting something more of Erin's taste, finding a cheesy romance and pressing play. The screen was silent, subtitles littering the screen and the movie opened with couples dancing in a ballroom, the women's long gowns dragging the polished floors, men in suits spinning them to the music.

'Jill,' Erin said with a chuckle, looking up at the screen, 'what are you watching?'

'Nothing wrong with a little romance.'

Holtz grinned at the screen, 'Jut some silly romance.'

Erin smiled, folding the corner of the page she was on, and placing the book down next to her, looking at the television. The woman moved a little on the couch, pulling the blanket up to her shoulders and her arm brushed Holtzmann's beneath, neither flinching.

Holtzmann turned up the volume and turned off the subtitles, looking at Erin with a smile.

Holtzmann reached for the woman's arm under the blanket, her fingers gliding over it and the physicist automatically moved her arm closer, hand opening, and Holtzmann continued to stroke softly, Erin's fingers curling a little as fingers dragged along her palm and then back towards her wrist. Neither woman looked at the other, both focused on the film. It wasn't unusual for them to touch like this, it was just something they did.

They watched most of the scene, it was mainly dancing, with not much conversation and Holtz heard Erin sigh softly. She turned to her colleague, her fingers stopping on Erin's palm, and she slid her fingers into Erin's, lacing them together, pushing the blanket off her legs slowly with the other hand.

'C'mon.'

Erin creased her brow as Holtzmann stood above her, hands still linked, Erin still snuggled into the blanket.

'C'mon,' Holtz said again, tugging her up softly, and the brunette rose, confused and she let the blanket fall to the floor.

The music from the film was playing softly and the two women were silent as Holtzmann pulled Erin into her, swaying her softly as she began to move to the rhythm, Erin smiling as she slipped her arms around the engineer's neck letting her pull her close.