Party of Two

by Tey Holden

  When Alex told Addy and Karen that she was coming back home, both women shed tears of joy. “M’Addy, I made my choice to stay home many years ago when you gave it to me when I had that fight at school, remember?”

  “How could I ever forget, my child? You had no idea of what I went through that day.”

  “I only left home because I had to go to the university, but this girl belongs to the country of Shetland ponies and Scotch whisky! I got a good offer from a firm in Edinburgh and that’s where I’m going.”

  She had inherited her bright financial mind from Karen and had learned all of Addy’s social skills. Alex was a natural like Addy. She was friendly, outgoing, funny, and pleasant. In addition, she had Karen’s gorgeous green eyes, which Addy had taught her to use to her advantage. She had only to wink and smile to win people over. Alex was the whole package of brains, beauty and wits.

  ***

  The minute she arrived at her flat, she took out her phone. The napkin with the number was still on the kitchen counter where she had left it on Friday. “Why do I think this is crazy?” She punched in the number.

  “Blair Reilley.”

  Alex smiled. She liked the sound of her voice. It was serious, but sweet. Alex felt nervous. Why? “Hi Blair Reilley, this is Alex.”

  “Alex? I’m sorry. I’m not sure I know any Alex. I usually know the people I give this number to, but I can’t place you. Can you help me here? Refresh my memory?”

  Alex chuckled, and spoke in a mocking tone. “Well, that’s probably because I didn’t give you my name, and you didn’t give me your number. But frankly if you answer like that to women calling you, it's no wonder you can’t find a girlfriend. And don't take me the wrong way, please, it’s not that I'm interested, I'm calling you just because I’m a socially responsible person.”

  Blair stopped dead on her tracks in the middle of the hallway, suddenly recognizing that melodious, sweet, adorable voice. She leaned against the wall for support, and raked her short black hair in disbelief that this could actually be happening.

  “Hello?”

  “Yes, yes! I’m here.”

  “Your alleged sister, Megan, gave me your number Friday night. I’m the blonde woman, shoving you off at the bar, who wouldn’t give you her number.”

  Blair couldn’t help but smile. She was smiling so hard it hurt. “You mean the non-gay, woman, in a gay bar who thought I was some kind of pervert trying to pick her up?”

  Alex grinned and silently chuckled. “Yessss, that very one.”

  Blair continued to smile. She liked the way Alex had dragged the ‘s’ in the ‘yes.’ “This is a surprise. I didn’t expect you to call, considering that I might be a pervert and all. Your name is Alex?”

  “Well, I hope it’s a good surprise, and yes my name is Alex. Am I catching you in a bad moment?”

  No, I’m only going into surgery, but the entire surgical team can wait for me, and hopefully the patient will survive! “You know, you are going to be surprised when you realize that Megan is really my sister, and by the way, who says that I can't find a girlfriend?”

  Alex had a devilish smile on her face but decided to stay on track. “Is this a good moment or not?”

  Blair liked the way Alex got right to the point, just as she had at the bar. “Yeah, it’s a good moment, and a wonderful surprise, by the way.” She turned to face the window in the hallway to hide her goofy grin from any onlookers.

  “Listen, I don’t want to keep you long, but I was wondering if you were free sometime to grab that cup of coffee you suggested?”

  What? Blair continued to smile. “Coffee is good, coffee is perfect. Yes. When were you thinking?” Is this really happening? Blair felt like jumping and screaming with happiness. Her heart was going so fast she thought she might need to go to emergency room before going to the operating room. What the hell is wrong with me? The prospect of a date had never had this effect on her.

  “How about Friday?”

  “I’m on call all weekend, sorry. How about tomorrow morning?”

  Alex was surprised. This request was unexpected. Tomorrow, a Tuesday? And in the morning? Alex thought it was all too weird. Still, this might even be quicker, since it was a workday. “Well, okay, where and at what time?”

  “There is a coffee shop by the university called ‘De Java Vu’ how about seven thirty?”

  “In the morning?” Alex again was shocked by the time of day.

  “Yeah, my scheduled is bad, really bad. If that’s not good for you I can call you back later and we can arrange another time, but I really would like to see you soon.” She didn’t want to let this get cold and maybe risk a cancellation.

  “No, tomorrow is fine. I’ll be there.”

  “Okay, great. See you then, now I need to get back to work. Good bye, and thanks for calling.” Blair rushed to the operating room grinning from ear to ear. Wow! I’m going to have to thank Megan for this big time! This is unbelievable! I wonder what made her call? What was that about being socially responsible? Did she like me? Blair’s ego got an immediate boost. But it was not her ego boost that made her happy, it was the anticipation of seeing Alex again.

  “Bye.” Alex thought the time to meet was odd and sudden too. She was wondering what Blair did for a living to have such weird a schedule that she would only be available to meet at seven thirty in the morning. Was Blair also choosing a quick encounter for the same reason she was? In case the whole thing was a bust? After all, she had told her that she was not a lesbian, and therefore Blair had to know that there would be no hanky-panky with her.

  She also thought that there would be nothing to lose. The meeting would be short and quick, and she would have met Addy’s suggestion to explore all ‘things.’ Yeah, this had turned out to be better than expected. Coffee would be fast and she could go about her life without regrets of not having explored all the possibilities. This was just going to be an easy thing to get over and done quickly.

  Chapter 2

  The next morning Alex felt rushed. Getting up so early was the exception rather than the norm. Attorneys in her law firm customarily worked late hours and were never in the office early in the morning. She would normally start work at around nine thirty and leave by seven or eight in the evening. There was no one waiting for her at home, so working late hours was fine with her. If she ever had anything to do on a Friday night, then she would leave earlier.

  As unusual as it was for her to get up so early, she was the type of person that did whatever she needed to do when a situation called for it. Thus, she was sitting at the coffee shop at seven twenty-five in the morning. Blair was not there yet.

  She sat next to the window, browsing her phone and looking out the window. As she watched people getting out of their cars to get their morning caffeine fix, she noticed the arrival of a black Harley. The rider dismounted in a hurry and removed the helmet. Alex’s jaw dropped when the rider turned and the face she saw was Blair’s. Her heart began to beat at a million thuds per minute.

  With the same speed that the motorcycle had arrived in front of the store, Blair rushed inside the coffee shop. She immediately scanned the room, and almost became paralyzed when she spotted the green eyes on her.

  Still dumbfounded, Alex was staring and barely able to move as well. She quickly remembered Addy’s saying that ‘once you are on the horse you have to ride it,’ and immediately regained her composure and waved to her. When Blair saw her waving, she walked towards her table. Her eyes were totally engrossed on the blonde vision waiting for her.

  “Hi, sorry for being late. I got caught up in real bad traffic. I wouldn’t want to make you late for work.” Blair seemed breathless.

  “No, you are actually early. It’s not even seven thirty yet, and I normally don’t get in until later. Sit down, please.” Alex thought Blair looked genuinely worried. As she spoke, she couldn't help noticing how awesome Blair looked in her bike attire.

  Blair smiled apprehensively when she felt the gr
een eyes scrutinizing her. The minute she sat down the waiter came to take their order. “May I take your order?” The waiter looked at Alex.

  “I’ll have a latte and a blueberry muffin.”

  “And for you, miss?” The waiter asked Blair, who seemed to be transfixed looking at Alex.

  “Same.” Blair never took her eyes from Alex. Those eyes!

  Alex was aware that she was attractive, and that people were often captivated when looking at her. The difference this time was that she also felt captivated by the hypnotic effect of the blue eyes on her.

  “So, you ride a Harley.” Alex broke the ice.

  Blair smiled and the dimples appeared. “It was a good buy. It’s easy to park, its fast and it gets me places.”

  “Does that describe you as well?”

  Blair smiled shyly, feeling almost inadequate. Her shy smile barely allowed her dimples to show. She pursed her lips and looked down, a bit flushed. “I somehow manage to continue to give you a wrong impression. Looks like I just can’t get it right with you. Can I?” As she said this, she tightened her fists under the table, as if to force herself to get her act together and project the right image.

  “I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my comment. Sometimes I get carried away teasing. I wouldn’t say that I’ve gotten a wrong impression of you. If I had, I don’t think I would have called you.”

  Blair smiled, pleased with the response. “Please, don’t take this wrong, but may I ask what made you call after you were so adamant about not giving me your number?”

  Alex smiled. “Family.”

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “Well, first there was your sister.” Blair grinned and shyly looked down nodding.

  “And then there were my mothers.”

  “You told your mother?”

  Alex chuckled. “If you knew my mothers, you’d tell them too.” Alex stressed the plural, just to see if Blair would pick up on it.

  She did. “Did you say mothers, as in plural, or did I hear wrong? Is there more than one? A stepmother perhaps?” Blair was puzzled by Alex’s statement.

  Alex smiled. “You heard right. I said mothers, I have two of them, no father.”

  “Sorry, I don’t get it. You must be saying this for a reason, I sense a message here somewhere, but I’m not getting it. Sorry.” Blair seemed anxious, as if not getting the message was an unpardonable mistake.

  Alex bit her lower lip and looked away when she perceived Blair’s uneasiness. She knew she was causing devastating damage to the other woman who seemed desperate to understand and could hardly take her eyes from her. Just then the coffee arrived.

  Alex thanked the waiter, who was also delighted with her smile. When she turned to look at Blair, she found the blue eyes still fixed on her. She was so entranced by the green eyes that she felt awkwardly stupid looking at them. The feeling was worse now than at the bar. In the dim light of the bar, the green eyes did not shine as they were shining today. Today, she thought they looked like beacons of light, which were possibly visible from another planet.

  Alex took a deep breath and looked down to her coffee before she looked up again. “Blair, my mothers are lesbians.”

  Although Blair was pleasantly surprised by the revelation, she was also shocked. “Wow! No wonder you weren’t intimidated at the bar. I must have sounded really stupid. I’m sorry.” She smiled nervously and her dimples showed. For some inexplicable reason, her anxiety level was worse now. She brought her hands under the table when she noticed they were shaking. No one in her entire life had made her lose her composure until now.

  She was expecting that meeting Alex at the coffee shop would have been more like their meeting at the bar with the casual bantering, but it seemed that the conversation had taken an unexpected twist that had totally derailed her. It had not just been Alex’s disclosure that had unsettled her, it was also that seeing Alex in broad daylight had revealed more of the stature of the woman she had met a few nights ago. If Alex sounded and looked great at the bar, now she was astonishing. Her beauty, her voice, her pleasant demeanor and poise were so overwhelming that Blair had lost her own confidence.

  “What’s wrong?” Alex asked in a very soft tone.

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “It’s not a big deal.” Alex responded thinking that it had been her revelation that had thrown Blair off.

  Aware that Alex had picked up on her uneasiness, she felt even more anxious and felt an urgent need to leave. “You must think I’m an idiot. Every time I see you, I feel like I’m making a fool of myself. I’m sorry, I think I should go.” She opened her wallet and laid more money than was necessary to cover the coffees and pastries and got up to leave, not having drunk or tasted either. She turned around and headed for the door.

  “Wait!” A very stunned Alex took her briefcase and jacket and ran after her. Blair walked toward her bike, stopped to put on her helmet and gloves when she felt Alex grab her arm.

  Blair looked at her briefly and then to the distance as if trying to find an explanation somewhere. “Look, I don’t feel like myself. I’m afraid I’m making matters worse. I think you have a bad impression of me, and I don’t know what to do to fix it.” Blair had spoken looking everywhere except at the gorgeous green eyes that were mesmerized looking at her. When Blair’s eyes finally settled on her, Alex could have sworn they were moist from unshed tears.

  Blair immediately noticed that Alex was shivering. “You are cold. You are going to catch a cold if you are not careful. You need to put on your jacket. Here, let me help you. Let me hold your briefcase.” Blair placed the briefcase between her legs on the ground and helped Alex put on her jacket. As she placed the jacket around Alex, she couldn’t believe the desire she felt to hug and engulf her in her arms. Her warmth and her perfume were inebriating. It was like a dream and a nightmare at the same time.

  “Thanks.” Alex replied, feeling as if gravity was taking her directly into the arms that were almost around her. Blair’s arms seemed to radiate comforting warmth, which was pleasant and frightening at the same time. After she helped her with the jacket, Blair handed the briefcase back to her. Then she smiled anxiously. She raked her fingers through her short black hair again. “Can we give this another shot? Can I get a rain check for today? Or maybe it’s just better to leave things as they are.” Blair added in a tone that clearly indicated her hopelessness.

  Alex’s long stare made Blair uneasy again. “I don’t think that leaving things as they are is an option anymore. You intrigue me, Miss Blair Reilley. I think that we should meet again, but on my terms.”

  I intrigue her? Shocked and relieved with the response, Blair smiled and her dimples showed. She felt a bit relaxed now that she knew that she hadn’t totally screwed up and that Alex would give her another chance. Whatever! I’ll do whatever it takes!

  Although she was curious to know why she intrigued her, Blair decided not to ask and stayed focused on the rain check. “What are your terms?”

  Alex liked Blair’s response and smiled. “You said you are not free this weekend, so when are you free? Next weekend?”

  Blair sighed and sadly looked down. “I have an awful schedule. I had nothing planned and committed to work every weekend for the next three months.”

  Alex looked surprised. “Oh wow! What kind of work do you do? Do you work every night also?”

  “I work tonight, and tomorrow, I’m free Thursday night.”

  “Okay, Thursday it is. Let’s have dinner.” Alex pulled out a piece of paper. “Give me your address.”

  Blair was stunned by the immediate rain check, but was excited with the turn of events. “I’d rather meet you wherever we are going, or somewhere.”

  Alex wondered why, but thought that maybe she didn’t want her to know where she lived for whatever reason. “Okay, we’ll meet here. Thursday at six p.m. Dinner is on me. I’ll drive and pick the place.”

  Blair smiled and nodded. “I’ll be here. But I�
��m not sure I’ll let you pay.”

  “I thought we agreed that I would be setting the terms? Alex asked.

  “Okay. Whatever, thanks.” She felt the urge to leave while she was ahead rather than stay and maybe make a fool of herself again. She was afraid Alex might change her mind and cancel their dinner date. She put on her helmet under the watchful green eyes.

  “Drive safely.”

  “I will.” Blair started the Harley and left. She could still feel the green eyes on her as she rode away.

  She did not remember how she got to the hospital. She had no idea if she had run traffic lights, or what roads she took. All she knew was that she was at the hospital. Somehow, she made it to the locker room. Still dressed in her street clothes, she lay down on her cot, closed her eyes and tried to calm down. She could feel her heartbeat pulsating throughout her body, and wondered if her blood pressure was high. Oh God! What are you doing to me? How could she rattle me like this when I don’t know anything about her! How could this be?

  ***

  After her shift was over, she went home and found Megan in the kitchen. She took a chair and sat.

  “Hi sis.”

  “Hello. How did it go? Did you meet her?”

  “I did, but I made a total idiot of myself. I still can’t believe it. You should have seen me! Would you believe it if I told you that my hands were shaking? I’m even ashamed of admitting it. I was a mess. I guess that the only good thing is that I got her to give me a rain check and we are going out again.”

  “You are kidding, right? You? Shaking?” Megan seemed to be joking at first, but then she got serious. “Blair, be careful. She told you she’s not gay. I don’t want you getting hurt.” She went back to loading the dishwasher. “I really don’t know why I gave her your number. Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

  “Don’t worry sis, I don’t think this is going anywhere. I think this next outing is just a pity date. She probably felt sorry for me because I was so nervous. I think the part that shook me up most was when she told me that her mothers are lesbians. That’s why she felt so comfortable at the bar.”