Simple Complexity

Part 6

Erin laughed a little at the sound, picking up the blanket, folding it, meeting the blonde's eyes and they shared a smile, Erin feeling her cheeks glow.

'Hey Er,' Holtz said quietly as Erin put the blanket back on the couch, and she raised her eyebrows to the woman.

'You sure you're, okay? And nothing happened last night?'

Erin nodded, 'Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks though.'

Holtz nodded, both turning to the door to see Patty and Abby arrive, both holding take away cups of coffee in each of their hands.

'Now that is exactly what I need,' Erin said as she walked over to meet the women, Holtz joining her, and they all sat together on the couches. Chatting about their schedules and plans for the day.  Holtz sitting in the corner of one of the couches, the one she and Erin had just shared. Erin of course sat next to her. Right next to her, not even just on the couch, but against the blonde. They were closer than they needed to be, thighs touching, elbows touching.

Holtz cleared her throat and walked past Erin's desk, tossing a ball of paper on it and continuing to walk over to her own desk. The ball rolled off the wooden top and onto Erin's lap, the physicist creasing her brow at Holtz on the other side of the room, and she looked down to the paper ball, opening it. Holtz was looking away, pretending to be very interested in the lab wall.

Erin smoothed the scrunched-up paper on her desk, looking down at the two boxes the woman had drawn and words next to each - Yes and No, with 'are you free tonight?' scribbled across the top. Erin laughed, looking up to her colleague, opening her mouth to respond.

'Uh uh Er,' and the blonde tutted, motioning to the note, as Erin giggled a little, smiling as she picked up a pen, made a few scribbles and she scrunched the paper back up, throwing it towards the engineer, who caught it with one hand.

Erin watched as she unravelled the creased paper, Erin had ticked Yes but also written, 'don't forget we are on nightshift.'

Holtz ripped another paper from her notebook, leaning down and writing on it, Erin focussed on her the entire time, watching as the blonde met her eyes briefly and then went back to writing.

The engineer scrunched up the paper, throwing it swiftly in Erin's direction, Erin of course missing the catch and having to stand up and pick the ball of paper up from the floor behind her. She remained standing as she opened it, her face scrunching in confusion and she looked up at Holtzmann.

'What's a secret cinema?'

Holtz squinted her eyes at Erin, 'You're really not very good at this game.' She widened her eyes and pursed her lips, looking back to her work. Erin sat at her desk, smoothing out the note and picking up her pen. Holtzmann had the two boxes again, and her question read, 'I have two tickets to the secret cinema tonight, would you like to come with me' and then at the bottom, in tiny writing she had written 'we won't leave the firehouse so we can still do nightshift.' Erin smiled, ticking the Yes box, scrunching up the paper and hurling it towards the blonde.

It was early evening and Abby and Patty had left, leaving the two women to the night and Erin's curiosity about the secret cinema had peaked.

'Did you just buy a bigger tv?'

Holtz shook her head, looking up at Erin, the woman was standing opposite her, leaning on her hands at Holtz's desk.

'But we aren't going anywhere?'

'No, we're staying here.'

'Did you hook something up in the basement?'

'You want to hook up in the basement?'