Shudder. Giggle. Told myself I could never risk it with anyone because I'd probably have a hard time getting married once I knew -

...how does that make sense?

Made more sense when there wasn't someone petting my hair -

Giggle. Pet pet pet. You're adorable.

Thought for a while that Eru dropped you in particular on our world just to torture me -

Oh no. Look, hairpetting! Hairpetting: is not torture.

Very not torture. Maitimë is not feeling tortured at all, Maitimë is delighted and fascinated and overwhelmed and leaning in to Isabella's fingers and so so so happy.

So cute.

...let's see, when is a good time to sneak off to somebody's bedroom without getting caught -

Eleven minutes from now. Eleven minutes from now is a good time.

And eleven minutes later -

Up you get, lovely, your office is perfectly nice for office purposes but this isn't one.

Have you checked if we're safe -

If anybody catches us they do not make this clear in the next hour and six minutes. Pat pat. Standing up! What a concept!

She stands up. I don't really want to braid my hair again but that'd be impossible to play off as harmless -

Nobody sees us. Less sure nobody hears but they can't hear your hair.

She tosses her hair back carelessly and then looks absolutely astonished at herself and then opens the door.

Adorable.

To Isabella's bedroom. It is not closer but the route to it is less frequented.

An important consideration. 

Can't stop caring about the Valar even once Secretly Florida's doing fine on its own, come to think of it, if there are more worlds than just the two -

There is some way to do portals without them, we just don't know what it is yet. Oh look a bedroom. Oh look a closed door. Maitimë is too tall for Isabella to just kiss her but maybe if she reaches up and threads her fingers through her hair Maitimë will gracefully collapse to a more convenient altitude.

How could she possibly have anticipated that outcome.

Magic.

Kisses.

Kisses are nice. Pulling Isabella closer is nice, though she does it tentatively in case that's a Thing They Have Competing Compatibility On.

Nope, that's fine.

Oh good then she will pull Isabella very close and have kisses and be happy.

Marvelous.

(Isabella cheats flagrantly. Kissing and hairpetting are things she can do while remembering-the-future. If she has her way there will be no surprise incompatibilities at all. Or awkward fumblings that she can reasonably avoid.)

The way she cheats is definitely one of the things she likes about Isabella. Taking advantages and using them ruthlessly to get exactly what you want is so attractive if you want good things. And this is such a good thing. All the things Isabella wants are good things. Kisses are good things.