Teyla's lips were soft and full, the kind of lips that seemed almost designed for kissing and Elizabeth thought that was why it took her a couple of seconds to stop kissing them. It took her another couple of seconds to take a deep breath and step away.
Teyla looked faintly puzzled.
"What was that for?" Elizabeth asked, proud that her voice only shook a little bit.
"I thought you might be uncertain about my preferences and you did not wish to offend me," Teyla said. "I'm not offended."
Her explanation was delivered in a completely reasonable tone, as though it should explain everything. It didn't.
"I'm not certain that you . . ." Elizabeth trailed off, not quite sure where the sentence should be going. "Why did you . . .? Teyla, did I do something to make you think we were . . .?"
Teyla's face fell. "I have misread you."
There was a moment where Elizabeth searched for an appropriate response, something about being sorry that she couldn't be what Teyla wanted and hoping it wouldn't interfere with their friendship, but the words didn't appear and the appropriate moment to say those things slipped away.
"I am sorry," Teyla said. "I did not mean to offend you."
"No, Teyla, you haven't. I'm very flattered, really."
The Athosian woman smiled, but the expression did not quite reach her eyes. "I will leave now."
Before Elizabeth could call her back, Teyla was out of the door and walking hurriedly down the corridor.
It was instinct, something anyone would do after a very good kiss, Elizabeth reassured herself a couple of minutes later when she realised that she was still standing in the middle of her quarters, a finger on her tingling lips. Teyla had obviously had some practise (she refused to speculate further on that subject) and a person would have to be dead not to feel something.
She used that excuse for the rest of the evening and gave up on her book early when she had read the same page four times without taking it in.
***
Over the next few days, it seemed as though Teyla was suddenly everywhere. Elizabeth kept finding her in the mess when she went in for a meal and there were half a dozen meetings and briefings that Teyla had to be in.
If Elizabeth had been a suspicious woman, she would have thought it was planned.
The planning theory couldn't account for the fact that all the meetings and briefings had been in her diary for weeks and there was no way that Teyla could predict when Elizabeth would have time to eat.
Teyla had the unfair advantage that she could be distracting no matter how she dressed or what she said. It wasn't something that Elizabeth had noticed before, but she found her heart racing whenever Teyla smiled or laughed, which seemed to be a frequent occurrence. Teyla's shirt always showed just a hint of smooth, flat belly and Elizabeth discovered that there was something mesmerising about Teyla's arms.
The afternoon when she bumped into Teyla outside the gym remained in Elizabeth's mind for a long time. It was bad enough that she was so distracting in her usual clothes; her workout kit, with the slits in the skirt exposing smooth, shapely legs, was impossible to ignore.
Just to make it all worse, Teyla behaved as though nothing had happened. She didn't avoid Elizabeth or try to spend more time with her. She was just . . . Teyla. Friendly with everyone, kind and serene at all times.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, didn't feel serene. She felt disturbed, distracted and disoriented.
After a few days, Elizabeth decided to be sensible and admit to herself that she seemed to be attracted to Teyla after all.
That decision required a bit more soul searching to discover whether the attraction had been there before Teyla's kiss or not. It seemed a valid concern, until Elizabeth realised that she couldn't reconstruct her feelings before the kiss with enough detachment to make an unbiased choice. Whenever she tried to recall past conversations or meals together, there was an undercurrent between them that she couldn't eliminate. Everything that had seemed innocuous and friendly now had deeper significance. Was it that gesture that convinced Teyla she was interested, or had they lingered too long over that meal?
In the end, it was a small thing that convinced Elizabeth that the attraction was a real thing. A moment that would remain with her through the years, no matter what else happened.
She was making a rare visit to the mainland to see the new harvest. Teyla was proudly showing her the fields of ripe fruit and berries as the sun was setting. The golden light fell Teyla's face just as she turned to smile and Elizabeth's breath caught in her throat at the beauty and joy she saw.
This thing was real.
Teyla had already told her as much on that strange evening and Elizabeth needed to do something before she lost her chance.
***
There were any number of ways that Elizabeth could have chosen to approach Teyla. Most of them would have been much more elegant than what actually happened. Most of them would have had the benefit of planning or, at least, a few seconds foresight.
The best that could be said for what actually happened was that it was spontaneous.
Elizabeth was passing the gym a couple of days after they returned from the mainland. The door had been left ajar and, out of habit, Elizabeth glanced in as she passed.
Teyla was doing something complicated that involved two sticks, a lot of leaping around, and at least one back flip. It was entrancing to watch. Elizabeth silently squeezed through the door and leaned against the wall to watch. The gym was empty except for them and it smelled faintly of sweat. Teyla had her eyes half shut and didn't seem to be seeing anything outside her sticks and the floor. Elizabeth caught flashes of muscled thigh and coffee-coloured skin as Teyla's skirt flared around her. She realised after a moment that her heart was racing.
Teyla slowed as she neared the end of her workout, jumps and kicks becoming slow glides and controlled turns. She was breathing hard and there was a light sheen of sweat on her skin.
It had been a long time since Elizabeth had felt this much desire for someone.
Eventually Teyla stopped moving completely and stood at the centre of the gym with her eyes closed for a long moment, her breathing slowing and deepening. She did not see Elizabeth until she turned and opened her eyes.
"Hi," Elizabeth said.
Teyla smiled and walked towards her. "Have you been waiting long?"
"Long enough."
Elizabeth hesitated, trying to find the words she wanted, and gave up when they refused to appear. She closed the distance between them, put one hand on Teyla's shoulder and kissed her.
Teyla's lips were as full and soft as Elizabeth remembered. She tasted of salt and tea.
After a few minutes, Teyla pulled away. "You have changed your mind?"
Elizabeth smiled. "Yes."
"That's good."
Teyla's kiss was more forceful, passion unleashed and Elizabeth fell into it eagerly. Rational thought was impossible and Elizabeth's last coherent thought for a long time was that rationalism was overrated anyway.
*fin*