Chapter 15
On Friday Kelly made a discovery that left her dizzy. She had been looking for the fingernail clippers in the bathroom, and she looked in Mike’s toiletry bag. As she took things out, the pills dropped on the floor. She picked them up and saw that three pills were missing from the blister pack. She sat down on the bed, and her heart started pounding. Three pills missing, and she and Mike still had not been together. Why were pills missing? She quickly put the items back in Mike’s bag and went to the computer. She pulled up his school email and tried to access it using the password she remembered. It said the password was incorrect. Then she tried his home account. Again, the password she typed in was incorrect. She felt sick to her stomach. So that was why Mike was so distant. He didn’t need her anymore because he had someone else. Kelly leaned over and put her head between her knees for a few minutes. Then she composed herself. She had to get ready for school. She couldn’t think about this now. She’d deal with it later.
After Kelly got to work, she closed her office door, turned up the volume on the CD that Andrew had given her, and tried to immerse herself in work. Talking to anyone and being sociable was out of the question, but she also didn’t want to think about all the painful questions pressing at her mind. She was in the middle of writing notes for a proposal when a sound announced that she had a new email.
“Hey, what are you doing hiding in your office?” The email was from Andrew.
Kelly smiled. “Just listening to this great CD someone gave me. I don’t understand why he doesn’t like it.”
“He does, but he just doesn’t ‘connect’ with it like you do.”
“Maybe you just need to get in touch with your feminine angst side.”
Andrew didn’t answer her message, and she went back to reading. Then, after about five minutes, she heard the ding again.
“Touch who? I would have to get to know her first.”
Kelly’s head began to pound. What had he meant by that? She started to ignore it, but she had to know. “Are you sure you want to know the answer to that question?”
“When I ask questions, I expect answers.”
Kelly stared at the email. Here it was. If she ignored the email, he probably wouldn’t send another. But if she replied…there was no doubting his intentions. Kelly took a deep breath and typed, “Well, there is this one girl. She’s getting older, but she’s still got it. Except that she’s a little vulnerable because she thinks her hubby cheated on her.” She pressed send, and tried to quell the butterflies in her stomach.
The ding announced a reply, and she opened it, holding her breath….
“Vulnerability is my specialty.”
At 5:00, Andrew stopped by Kelly’s room. “You doing okay?” He asked. Kelly shrugged. “Hey,” Andrew said. “Instead of working here all night, why don’t we go to my house and order in. I’ve had about all of this building that I can take.”
Kelly smiled. “Actually that sounds really good. Just let me call Mike.” She dialed her home number, and Mike picked up the phone. Hey, Mike. I wanted to catch some dinner and maybe a movie with some work friends. Did you think you can get the kids in bed if I’m late?”
“Sure,” Mike said. “I have some things to do on the computer anyway. Go ahead, and take your time.”
Andrew looked at her, puzzled. “Do you want to go to a movie? We really need to work.”
“I just didn’t want Mike to wait up.”
Andrew smiled and shrugged. “Okay. Well, let’s get our notes and laptops and get out of here.”
Kelly followed Andrew to his house. Kelly had been there once before, when he had a few friends over a couple of years ago. She placed her laptop and briefcase on the floor beside the door. Andrew’s house had an open floor plan, with a big room that housed the living, kitchen, and dining areas. The house had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The master bedroom was downstairs and the two others were upstairs, along with a small study. Andrew had often said it was too much space for a single guy, but that he didn’t plan to be single forever. Kelly wandered around the house and then went into the kitchen area and leaned on the counter.
“So, what’s for dinner?” Andrew asked. “Chinese, pizza, sandwiches?”
“How about Chinese? I’m the only in my house who likes it, so I hardly ever get to eat it.”
“A woman after my own heart,” Andrew joked. He placed an order, and they sat at the table work spread out, waiting for the food to come. They discussed their progress, made notes and changes, and came up with a game plan for their latest presentation. Their worked flowed easily, and before they knew it the food arrived. They didn’t want to have to put up all their work, so they decided to eat on the sofa. Andrew brought some napkins and plates in from the kitchen, and they set up their dinner on the coffee table.
“This was a great idea,” Kelly said. “It’s nice to get out of the offices for a while. And this couch is way more comfortable than an office chair.”
“I know,” Andrew said. “I love this couch. I’ve had it since college. It’s been recovered a couple of times, but it’s so comfortable I just can’t get rid of it.”
As they ate, they chatted about little things. Kelly steered clear of serious conversation. She wasn’t interested in talking about Mike or anything else that was life changing. It was nice just to relax and unwind. Andrew joked around, and they unabashedly flirted. Somewhere in the middle of dinner, however, the jokes became fewer and the silence seemed to stretch itself with electricity. There was an undeniable tension in the air. As they finished their dinner, Andrew began gathering the dishes and boxes. Kelly said, “You took care of dinner. I can at least do the cleaning.” As she took the dishes from Andrew, her hand covered his. They lingered that way for a moment, and then Kelly stood up and went into the kitchen, aware that her heart was pounding rapidly.
She felt Andrew come up behind her and place his hand on her shoulder. He moved it then to stroke her hair, and then she felt his face in her hair and his mouth next to her ear. “The dishes can wait. Come back to the couch,” he said softly. He took her hand and led her to the living area. Then they sat down, not letting go of each other’s hands. Kelly reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, her eyes never leaving Andrew’s face.
In the next moment, Andrew brought his face closer to hers, and he kissed her. She brought her hand to his face. The kiss left her breathless. Andrew reached around her and took her into his arms as they lay backward. After a few moments, Kelly bent her head back as Andrew began kissing her ears and neck. She felt no warnings, no hesitation, only the excitement of being near Andrew and the forbiddenness of it all. In a hoarse whisper, Andrew asked, “Is this okay? I really want it to be.” Kelly nodded without hesitation, and then pulled him with her as she lay farther back on the couch.
They were lying on the couch, their kisses becoming more intense. Kelly knew exactly where they were headed, and she didn’t want to stop it. She had dreamed about this, nursed her fantasy for months. As Andrew’s presence became more intense, she let herself go completely.
Afterward, they lay on Andrew’s couch for a while for a while as the clock ticked. Andrew reached over and covered them with a quilt. Kelly had her head on his shoulder.
“Well,” Andrew finally said, lacing his fingers with hers and kissing her hand. “I guess we lived the fantasy, didn’t we?”
Kelly sighed. “I guess we did.”
Andrew chuckled. Then his face grew more serious. “This will be our secret, right? Something we shared that only we know about.”
“Of course,” Kelly said.
“It was nice, wasn’t it?”
“Yes.” Then Kelly looked at Andrew anxiously. “Our friendship is okay, isn’t it? Do you still respect me?”
“Of course I respect you, Kelly. This doesn’t change anything about how I feel about you. Your frie
ndship is important to me.”
They lay there a little while longer, and then Kelly sat up. “I should probably go. I’ve been gone awhile.”
Andrew helped her find her clothing and watched as she dressed. He walked her to the door and they stood there awkwardly for a moment. Finally Kelly gave him a hug and said, “See you Monday.”
Andrew leaned forward and gently brushed her lips with his. “Sure will.”
As Kelly drove away, she was aware that she was still smiling. She still felt the sensations. But she was also aware of something else. She felt no regret whatsoever.