"Der Rosenkavalier, Part Two"
By: Melissa and Cathy
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Carter wasn't sure if Kerry even found him attractive. Sometimes he thought
he caught a little glint in her eye -- only at home, never at work -- but it
was always fleeting. Maybe it was imagination, wishful thinking. He knew
he was not her type at all: her dates were always older, distinguished
looking, even rugged.
When one of those escorts cancelled on her at short notice for a formal
charity benefit, Kerry noticed Carter was at a loose end and asked him to
stand in. He could sense that she liked the way he looked in a dinner
jacket, but her only comment was, "Is that a clip-on tie?".
As part of the Carter family, he'd attended countless events like these in
the past, usually bored witless, but somehow this time was different. They
hadn't mixed with others much. Instead, Carter pointed out the familiar
people to Kerry and regaled her with stories of the skeletons in their
closets. This man was a secret cross-dresser, that one undoubtedly had a
flask in his pocket, one particular woman was a bit "grabby".
It was a fun, relaxed evening, but when they'd gotten home, all hell broke
loose in his mind. Since it was a warm night, they'd sat on the steps
outside Kerry's house for a few minutes. He'd overheard a joke earlier, and
tried, unsuccessfully, to tell it himself. Kerry, as usual, laughed
helplessly at his discomfiture, making him laugh, too. Then, unthinkingly,
he leaned over and kissed her. At first she responded, deepening the kiss,
but then she pulled away gently, without comment on what had happened, only
an "I'm on early...think I'm going to turn in." It wasn't an invitation to
join her.
Carter remained outside for some time, considering what had just happened,
and hoping it hadn't ruined things between them. He didn't know, couldn't
know, that Kerry was upstairs, reliving that kiss, savoring the memory of it,
and that she was half-hoping that he'd knock on her bedroom door.
The next day things between them were just as they had always been. A polite
and casual friendship between a landlady and her tenant. A polite and
cordial working relationship between an attending and a resident. Nothing
less and nothing more.
And yet there were times when Carter would find himself remembering the way
her
lips had felt -- how soft and pliable they had been under his own. How her
laughter had buoyed his spirits and made him feel special. But, those moments
were few and far between and he knew he had to make sure they remained that
way.
Kerry, too, had those moments when she could feel the weight and heat of his
hand as it rested upon her arm when he leaned over to kiss her. The firmness
of his lips, the open question in his kiss. The way he smelled. Things she
knew she had no right to dwell upon. Things that had to be ignored if they
were to continue to work together -- to live together.
Besides, they both thought, it's nothing more than wishful thinking.