Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience.
 
 Bookstore by Alden Bradley Copyright July 2002

   Alex was glad he'd driven by the place those three times.  The
bookstore/coffee bar was tucked away in strip of storefronts off a major
thoroughfare.  He'd found it, then circled around to locate it again. 
Later that evening, he'd left his motel to make sure he could get there
without getting lost.  This was not his territory.  It was hers.

   The day was a brilliant, early summer jewel.  The air glistened with the
promise of a hot, dry, cloudless day.  Already, at ten in the morning, the
temperature had crested the comfortable eighty-two and was headed toward
the mid-nineties.  Later that afternoon there might be a chance of
scattered thundershowers, "the result of convection," the forecaster had
said.  Alex knew it would only add to the atmosphere.

   He sat at the dark wood table, watching the door, waiting for her.  He
was glad he'd arrived first.  That was his plan.  He knew if she arrived
first she would probably bolt.  His presence would surely calm her.  His
gaze drifted to the menu boards above the counter.  He considered what
mixture to order once she arrived.  He wondered what her preference would
be.

   The little bell over the door snapped his attention back to his task.  A
somewhat frumpy old gentleman in an open-collared beige shirt and a tan,
checked sports coat shuffled in.  His white hair was unkempt and matched a
fluffy white mustache.  As he passed Alex, the younger man could hear him
mumbling and huffing.  Alex guessed he'd once been a professor of
something, an academic turned out by the system when his age and mental
deterioration kept him from the acuity of earlier years.

   "Morning, morning" Alex heard the old man say to the somewhat seedy
tender of the coffee bar.  Coins jingled on the marble counter as the aged
gentleman anted up the payment for his drink.

   "Same as always, Dr.  Woods," the counter-tender said, more of a
statement than a question.

   "Yes, yes," the eminent man replied, impatience obvious in his tone.

   "Going to be another hot one," the clerk mentioned, his fingers dancing
quickly over the cash register buttons.

   "I supposed so," Dr.  Woods answered, his lack of interest apparent.

   The bell above the door jingled again.  She had arrived.

   Alex's heart shot into his throat.  He stared, then swallowed.  She was
everything he'd hoped, and a little more.

   She stood just inside the door, scanning the dozen or so customers
seated around the store.  Her hands clasped her purse, dangling from her
left shoulder, her right arm across her belly.  Alex noticed her hair,
first.  It was reddish, almost strawberry.  She'd tied it back with some
sort of light colored scarf rolled up.  Still, strands strained for release
from their capture.  It looked like it wanted to be wild and free,
rebelling at her attempt to control it.

   Her eyes caught his attention next.  Oh, yes, green, as she had told
him. But, a green like he had never seen.  They burned, and sparkled, in
spite of the nervous shift from side to side.  Those eyes, Alex thought,
could see directly into his mind and straight through to his soul.

   Alex started to rise.  He raised a hand to attract her attention.  Those
eyes fell on him.  She didn't smile.  She looked directly at him.  Alex saw
something in her face that made him think she was ready to run.  He gave
her his best smile and turned his hand palm upward, signaling for her to
come toward him.

   "Kira?" he asked, his voice nearly a croak with the stress.

   She gave him a half-smile, a nervous shift of her features that dropped
back into the serious expression of her own apprehension.  She took the
seven steps necessary to reach the table.

   "Alex," she said.  It was a statement of fact.

   "I'm so glad you came," he told her, indicating the chair opposite his
own.

   Kira sat, continuing to clutch her purse with both hands.  She sat on
the very edge of the hard, wooden chair.  She looked at Alex, then around
the store.  Her gaze rested on Alex one more time, then she shook her head
sharply.

   "I can't do this," she said, standing up abruptly.  She stood and looked
down at Alex, who looked shocked.  "I'm sorry.  I should have never come."
She turned to go.

   "Kira!" Alex said, more firmly than he had intended.

   The woman stopped, still facing away from him.

   "Please," he said, softly.  "We're just going to have coffee."

   Kira turned.  She stared at him.

   "After all this time," Alex continued, "we're here, finally.  Please
don't run away.  I promise I won't hurt you.  Just stay and have coffee
with me.  Please."

   Her look softened.  She sat back down in the chair.  This time she
removed the purse strap from her shoulder.  She placed the bag on the floor
next to her chair, then looked back at Alex.

   "You don't know how scared I am," she whispered.  "You don't know what
you do to me."

   "I know how scared I am, Kira.  My heart is pounding.  My throat is dry.
It's all I can do to get these words out."

   Kira nodded.  She looked around the store.  Her hands were clasped in
her lap, her shoulders hunched forward.  "So, you found the place okay?"
she said, her words sounding awkward and stiff.

   Alex smiled.  "Yes, with a little practice.  I've been here three times
already just to make sure."

   Kira nodded once again.

   Alex sat and looked at her.  She was really quite attractive, he
decided. Not a classical beauty, but very attractive.  He liked the way she
looked.

   Kira had worn a sleeveless orange shift against the heat.  Her bare
shoulders bore the faint redness of a mild sunburn.  Alex knew she tended
her garden on nearly a daily basis.  Those shoulders, he decided, were
smooth, shiny and very attractive.

   "So," she said, "do you like this place?"

   Alex looked around the small shop, then back at Kira.  "I do," he said.
"It's cool, dark, and comfortable.  I really like it."

   "I don't get to come here very often," she admitted.  "But, it is one of
my favorite spots.  I like to get a coffee and just sit here and read."

   Alex eased out of his seat.  "Then let's order," he suggested, holding
out his hand to her.

   Kira looked at his hand as if it had leprosy.  Fear shot into her face
again.  She looked up to him.

   "You're going to have to come with me," he told her, gently.  "I
wouldn't presume to order for you."

   She stood up and followed him to the counter.

   The clerk was at the other end rinsing out cups and clearing the
detritus from the morning rush.  Alex and Kira stood patiently.  Finally,
the clerk noticed them and walked the length of the bar wiping his hands on
a dish towel.

   "Yes, sir?  Ready to order now?"

   "Ladies first," Alex said, turning slightly to allow Kira access.  "What
would you like?"

   Kira scanned the boards quickly.  "Something exotic," she said.

   "Turkish?" Alex offered.  "Moroccan, maybe.  Or, Kenyan?"

   "Kenyan," Kira decided.  "Medium"

   "Make it two," Alex told the clerk.  "Two medium Kenyan."

   He looked at Kira and realized she was about an inch taller than he. 
She shifted her hips, cocking a knee, and was suddenly at his level.  He
smiled at her, and she smiled back.  Then she took his hand in both of hers
and squeezed with warmth and strength.  Alex couldn't help grinning.

   Alex paid and the pair walked back to the small wooden table.  He made
sure Kira was seated before he took his chair.

   "I know we're just supposed to sit here, sip our coffee and read," he
began.  "But I'm afraid I can't take my eyes off you.  And, I certainly
don't want to waste any of this precious time.  Do you mind if we just
talk?"

   Kira tested her coffee, then nodded.  "That's fine."

   They talked for a full hour.  The coffee disappeared as the pair engaged
each other.  Both would admit nothing earth-shattering was discussed. 
Simple things about their individual lives, jobs, habits and preferences.
They talked music, literature, relationships and dreams.  Much of it was
rehash of what had been covered in all those emails.  Still, it was better
to hear it in person, they decided, unfiltered by the time available to
compose their messages.  To be certain, it started stiffly.  But, as the
realization grew that they really did know each other from all their
emails, chats and phone conversations, both Kira and Alex fell into an easy
familiarity.

   At the end of the hour, Alex checked his watch.

   "What now?" he asked.

   Kira shrugged.  "Let's walk."

   Alex begged a break to use the restroom.  They parted for the few
moments, then reunited near the exit.

   "I've never been considered a sparkling conversationalist," Alex
admitted as they left the store, the bell tinkling bravely behind them. 
"But, I've really enjoy this."

   "Me, too," Kira affirmed.  "Of course, I've been talking to you for
months.  You know?  Like when I read your emails.  I answer them first to
the screen."

   "You talk to your computer?"

   "Well, not really.  I mean, I feel like I'm talking to you.  But, I
guess, yeah.  You could say that."

   "What do you say?  I mean, is it different from what you reply in your
emails?"

   "Sometimes.  Maybe a little different.  I mean, I can't actually say all
the things to you I say, you know, when you're not listening."

   "What kind of things?"

   "You're going to embarrass me," she protested.

   "No.  I really want to know."

   Kira shrugged.  "I don't know.  It's like, maybe, 'You're so cute,' or
something like that."

   "Or, 'You're such a moron,' like that?"

   Kira laughed.  "I never said moron.  I did say you were dense one time."

   "When was that?"

   "You really want to know?"

   "Yes," he said, definitively.  "I do."

   "We, we were talking about being together, you know?  And, I said I
really wanted to be with you.  Then you went into this long thing about
sitting together, and talking, just being, you know, next to each other. 
That's when I said you were dense."

   "Why?"

   "Because," Kira said, taking a deep breath and pausing.  "Because I
didn't mean it that way.  I meant," she paused again, "being, like,
'together' together.  Like, intimate."

   "You did?"

   Kira's voice was a whisper.  "Yes."

   The pair walked along the street in silence, glancing into the shop
windows as they passed.

   "I didn't want to push," Alex told her.

   "I know."

   "We could go to your place, if you wanted."

   "We are."

   "Are you sure?"

   "More sure today than ever," she told him.  "This could be our only
chance."

   "I don't want to think about that," he said.

   Kira stopped.  Alex walked on two paces before he realize she had
halted. He turned.

   "What?" he asked.

   "My drunken bastard of a husband is out of town.  I want you to come
back to my apartment and make love to me.  But, if you're going to be
maudlin about it, maybe we'd better not."

   "I'd just like for there to be some hope, Kira.  Something, I don't
know, in the future to look forward to.  I don't like one night stands. 
Especially with someone I care about as much as you."

   "I'm not a one night stand, Alex.  I'm holding onto you for dear life.
You have been a friend.  You will be my lover.  Until Jerry kills himself
driving drunk, or kills somebody else and becomes impossible to live with,
you are my lifeline.  After that," she paused, "then you'll be something
different."

   "History?" he probed.

   "Definitely not history.  But, we'll deal with that when it happens."

   "So, there is hope?"

   "Yes.  There certainly is hope."

   They walked two more blocks, then Kira led Alex up the stairs of an old
brownstone.  She put the key in the latch of the wooden-framed glass door,
and it snapped open.

   "Third floor," she said.  "There's no elevator.  We'll have to climb."

   He let her lead up the six flights of stairs to the third floor.  As she
inserted her key into the apartment door labeled "C", the door tagged "D"
across the hall opened.  A middle-aged woman, somewhat frumpy, wearing a
house dress and slippers, her gray hair disheveled, with strands awry from
an attempt at a bun, appeared in the hallway.

   "Hello, Kira, dear," she said, her voice laden with saccharin concern.
"And, who is this good looking young man?"

   "Hello, Mrs.  Hennithen," Kira answered, just as sweetly.  "This is my
big brother, Alex.  He's come all the way from Tampa.  He's with the FBI,
on a case, undercover.  I trust you can keep a secret?"

   "I didn't know you had a brother," Mrs.  Hennithen said.

   "Didn't I tell you?" Kira asked her, sounding astonished.  "Well, I'm
sorry.  I thought you knew us just as well as family.  We are family,
aren't we, Mrs.  H?"

   The elderly woman smiled broadly.  "Of course, dear."

   "Well, then," Kira told her, with a tone of secrecy, "you should know
that Jerry hates Alex.  He's terribly jealous because Alex works for the
government, and Jerry got turned down by the Post Office.  So, we can't let
him know that Alex was here.  All right?"

   "You can count on me," the older woman said, crossing her heart, then
kissing her thumb.

   "We're going to make some coffee and talk family.  Would you like to
join us?" Kira offered.

   "Oh, dear," Mrs.  Hennithen sounded distressed, "you know I'd love to.
But, my programs.  Can't miss my programs," said, waving her hand in the
general direction of the interior.  "But, its nice to meet you, Alex," she
said, putting her finger to her lips and making the silence motion.

   Alex smiled broadly.  "Thank you for your consideration, Mrs. 
Hennithen. The FBI depends on good citizens like you."

   The old woman looked very pleased with herself.  Kira tugged Alex into
the apartment and kicked the door shut behind him.  It closed with a bump
and a click.  She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

   "She is such a nosy old bitch," she whispered.

   "But, we depend on good citizens like her," Alex chuckled.

   "Don't be an asshole," Kira hissed.  "It was sort of a nice touch,
though."

   "I think I may have made her day," Alex grinned.

   "You always make mine," Kira said, her eyes not willing to meet his.

   The apartment was not large, but it was immaculate.  Hardwood floors
accented by several rugs marked the interior.  The furniture was decorous
without being flashy.  Alex noted a couple of antique pieces, and
complimented Kira on her decorating skill.

   "I like your sense of style," he said.  "You've got great taste."

   "Speaking of taste, should I make coffee?"

   "If you like."

   "Will you answer the question?  Do you want coffee?"

   Alex shrugged.  "I'll take whatever you're offering."

   "How about me?"

   "Do you want coffee?" he asked, puzzled.  "How would I know that?"

   "You are dense," she said, emphatically.  She took two steps toward him,
took his face in her hands and planted her lips on his.

   Alex's knees nearly buckled in surprise.  Then he let himself become
aware of the sensation of her lips on his.  They were warm, soft, and the
tongue that swept across his lips felt strong and slick.  She released him,
then backed away a single step.

   "Oh," he stammered.  "You mean that."

   Kira plopped her arms across his shoulders, grasping her wrist behind
his neck.  She searched his eyes.  "Thank you for being there for me.  All
those times."

   Alex put his hands on her waist.  He smiled at her.  "You've been a joy.
I've cherished every minute."

   "You're going to make me cry," Kira told him.

   He pulled her close to him, wrapping his arms around her.  "Overcome by
happiness, I hope."

   Kira felt safe in his arms.  She loved the feel of his body, it's
warmth, his strength.  She buried her head in his shoulder, thereby staving
off the tears that had welled up in her eyes.

   "What you do to me," she told him, releasing her grip to look into his
face.  "I feel all fluttery and weak."

   "That's not how you feel to me," Alex told her, a grin breaking out. 
"You feel soft, but strong, like a real girl."

   Kira hugged him, again.  "I could just stay like this forever."

   "My bad knees would give out after a couple of hours," Alex joked. 
"You'd be picking me up off the floor."

   She pushed him back a little, then popped his shoulder with the bottom
of a small fist.  "That's not what I mean," she chided.

   "You struck me!" Alex said in mock astonishment.  "I thought you loved
me.  But, you struck me!"

   Kira stood stock still.  Her voice was barely above a whisper.  "I never
said I loved you."

   "Yes, you did.  You have.  Not in those specific words.  But, you've
said it dozens of times in other words.  Just because you haven't said
those three specific words doesn't mean that it isn't there.  It's there.
You know it and so do I.  You just think you can deny it if you never say
those particular words."

   "I can't."

   "I know.  It's all right.  I'll say it for both of us."

   "No.  Don't."

   Alex stroked her arm.  His eyes seemed absorbing in following the motion
of his hand.

   "Kira," he began, pausing a moment before continuing.  "What really
matters is what's in your heart.  We can say anything.  But, what is more
important is how we feel, what we know, deep, deep inside."

   "Alex, please," Kira tried to interrupt him.

   "No, let me finish.  You don't ever have to say those words, Kira.  I
can look into your eyes and see them there.  I can see them in your heart.
I see them even though you're afraid to confess."

   "I'm not afraid."

   "Yes, you are.  You're afraid that to love me you have to stop loving
someone else.  But, you don't, Kira.  Because you love me differently than
anybody else.  Do you see?  It's like a mother with several children.  She
doesn't have to stop loving one to love another.  She loves them all the
same.  But, she loves them differently, because they are different people.
She doesn't love her children like she loves her husband.  She doesn't love
her best friend like she loves her kids.  Love comes in all different
variations and shades."

   "That sounds like rationalizing."

   "It just happens to be the truth.  It's an unconventional truth. 
Moralists have been trying for centuries to bury it under the rock of
fidelity.  But, it is a human truth.  We all have an infinite capacity to
love." Alex shrugged.  "You, too.  One day, I believe you'll see it."

   "I used to think you went on like that just because it was email and you
had lots of time.  But, you really do think about these things, don't you?"

   "For a number of years," he acknowledged.  "What made you change your
mind back there?" he said, shifting the subject.

   "You know me.  I'm scared.  I'm afraid of what I feel for you, what I
feel about you.  I have to work up the courage.  Then, I guess it seems
impulsive."

   "You went from nearly running away to bringing me here.  I was curious
how that happened."

   "This is what I really want.  But, I'm afraid.  I was afraid.  Still,
there's a great big ball of it in my belly.  But, I want this.  I need
this. I want to be here with you.  But, what will happen to us?  I don't
want it to change.  Will I lose you?  Will it change us?  Still, I want to
be close to you." The words rushed out of her in a gush.  All the words of
doubt, fear and desire jumbled up in an image of her concern.

   Alex brushed a lock of hair off her forehead and looked into her eyes.
"Look, Kira.  I already told you how I feel about you.  I don't want that
to change.  I will cherish you forever.  No single thing is as important to
me as our relationship.  I will hold it as tenderly, as lovingly, as I'm
holding your now.  Please don't be afraid."

   "There is that," she admitted.  "But, then I'm also afraid of me."

   "I know.  You're afraid it will be so intense it will consume you. 
You're afraid that loving me will make you miserable."

   "You can see right inside me.  That scares me, too, that you know how I
feel.  How can we be that connected that you know me so well?"

   Alex tugged her chin.  He covered her lips with his own, sucking gently
at the flesh.  Her lips opened to him and his tongue pressed against them,
circling, caressing.

   "Because," he whispered when he released her lips, "first we shared our
minds and our hearts."

   The next kiss was mutually initiated.  The level of passion was
increasing.  Alex could feel the heat rising in her as her lips grew more
energetic and demanding.  Their tongues met and slid slickly against each
other.  They tested and tasted one another, delighting in the intimacy and
sensation.  Kira's arms wrapped around Alex's neck.  Her hands caressed his
head, her fingers lightly rubbing through the soft fur of his crew cut. 
Alex wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body into his.  Kira
could feel his hands moving across her back.  The motion made her want him
all the more.

   When they finally broke the kiss, Kira gasped.  "This is not good," she
said, a hint of a smile on her face.  "I'm losing myself in you."

   "That's good," Alex responded.  "We're losing ourselves in each other."

   They stood, wrapped in each other's arms for a long time, each looking
into the face of the other.

   "You're going to made me decide, aren't you?" Kira finally asked him.

   "Yes."

   "What do I have to do to make you take the initiative?  I don't want to
make all the decisions."

   "You must demonstrate to me, unequivocally, that this is what you really
want."

   "If I lead you into the bedroom, will that do it?"

   "That would send a very strong signal, I should think."

   Kira nodded.  "Come with me." She let her hand trail down his arm until
she captured his hand.  Then she led him the dozen steps or so through the
small apartment into her bedroom.  She turned and faced him.  "Are you
going to make me ask?"

   "I think I've got the message."

   Alex slid his hands up Kira's arms.  He caressed her shoulders, his
palms cupping and massaging the smooth skin.  He slid his thumbs under the
straps of her shift, running them lightly over her collarbones as his palms
rotated around her shoulders.

   Kira's fingers were at work on the buttons of his golf shirt.  When they
were released, she tugged at the waistband, freeing the garment from its
tuck into his trousers.  She continued to lift until it was gathered under
his arms.

   He released his grip on her shoulders to grab the shirt and pull it over
his head.  He watched as Kira grabbed the material of her shift, her arms
crossed in front of her, then lifted the garment up her body, eventually
tugging it over her own head.  He tossed his shirt into a chair, and she
covered it with her shift.

   She attacked his belt.  Alex chuckled at her ferocity.  His own hands
returned to the gentle massage of her shoulders.  He slipped his thumbs
underneath the shoulder straps of her brassiere.

   "Oh, damnit!" she cried in frustration, unable to manipulate the belt.
She looked into Alex's eyes.  "We're wasting time," she announced.  "You do
it."

   Alex leaned forward and kissed her lips.  Kira wrapped her arms around
his waist.

   "I love kissing you," she told him when they released each other.

   "I'm glad.  I like kissing you, too."

   "Please," she whispered, "let's not fool around anymore.  Let's hurry up
and get in the bed."

   Alex nodded.  "Okay."

   He tugged his belt and undid it, sliding his trousers off.  Kira turned
her back to him.  He watched smiling as she removed her bra, stepped out of
her panties and slid under the covers.  Alex shucked his underwear, then
slid in beside her.  Her body felt warm and soft.

   Kira reached up to encircle his head with her arms.  She pulled him
close and offered her lips to him.  They gently explored each other. 
Alex's hand crept up to capture her breast, his thumb sliding across the
roughened surface of her nipple.  He felt her tense, then press against
him, her lips never leaving his.  As Alex manipulated the rubbery flesh, he
felt it stiffen under his touch.  He smiled to himself.  She had told him
her nipples were extremely sensitive.  The way she pressed it into his had
and wrapped her legs around his confirmed it.

   She pushed herself up until she was astride him.  Alex cocked and
eyebrow.  "What's this?" he said.

   "You make me so fucking hot," she whispered.

   Alex was stunned.  In all their communication she had never uttered the
slightest obscenity.  He was shocked.  He was delighted.

   "I don't want to play, Alex," she said.  "We can play later.  I just
want to fuck you, and I want to do it now."

   "Aren't I always here for you?" Alex asked her.

   She didn't reply.  She simply reached behind her, took his firm manhood
in her hand and positioned it at the moist entrance to her vagina.  With
several gentle shoves, she absorbed his length, clutching him in the warm,
damp embrace of her lust.

   "Oh, that feel so good," she moaned softly.  "You feel so fucking good
inside me."

   Alex had to agree.  "It feels just perfect, doesn't it?"

   "It's a perfect fit, my love."

   "So you do love me?" he kidded her.

   "You know that.  You already know that."

   "It is enough," he told her.  "I'm satisfied."

   "Well, I'm not," she said, starting to move her hips in rhythm.

   "You want me to tell you that I love you?"

   "I want you to shut up and fuck me."

   Alex chuckled again.  "But, if I shut up," he said, "then you wouldn't
hear me tell you how good you feel around me.  That, in spite of how
gorgeous you are, and you are, that what I really love about you is your
mind, your intellect, your spirit of adventure."

   Kira hummed.

   "What we have is so wonderful, Kira," Alex continued.  "We have this
wonderful ability to connect.  I know instinctively how you feel.  You were
afraid.  You may still be afraid.  But, what we have, and what you're
feeling right now is so good, so exquisite, that you want it, crave it,
need it."

   Kira's mouth had opened.  She knew all that Alex said was truth.  She
loved hearing it.  He was right, and it made her increasingly hot.  As she
pumped her hips on him she could feel his hardness moving inside her.  Tiny
shudders shot through her body, each in increasing intensity.  She felt
warm, sensual, and thoroughly alive, and loved the feeling.

   "Please," she gasped in a hoarse whisper, "touch my breasts.  And, tell
me more."

   Alex complied.

   "I wait each day for your note," he told her.  "Each one gives me a
little insight.  I sense your confusion, your frustration, and your lust. I
want to hold you, and reassure you.  You see, it will be all right.  It is
all right.  We're here.  We're together.  I can feel your body wrapped
around me, your flesh under my hands.  You are warm, alive, vibrant and
exciting.  You are my love, and I adore you."

   Kira's rhythm had become persistent and rapid.  No longer languorous and
dreamy, she pounded herself on him.  Her breathing became panting as she
drove herself up the crest of her orgasm.  As she reached the peak, she
clutched Alex's shoulders.  She threw her head back and groaned.

   "Oh, fuck!" she grunted, shoving her hips down onto him, achieving the
greatest penetration.  Her muscles spasmed around him, clutching and
releasing in an erratic cadence.  She voluntarily squeeze on him, clamping
herself around his hardness as the internal pulses diminished.

   "Ooo, baby!" she finally breathed.  "That was a real good one."

   "I'm really, really glad," Alex said.  "You know, there's always that
little bit of fear."

   Kira giggled.  "But, in my case, it's a great big bunch of fear."

   "But, we're over it, aren't we?"

   "I think we are."

   "I mean, we've already done it.  Now, we might as well fuck with wild
abandon."

   Kira stared at him as if she'd been slapped.  Alex's gut tightened. 
Perhaps he'd gone too far.

   Then her face broke into a bright smile.  She leaned down and kissed him
gently on the lips.  "That sounds like a wonderful idea."

   The two lovers hardly noticed the growing grayness of the day.  The
predicted afternoon thundershowers appeared.  Lightning flashes sparked
through the windowpanes and the thunder accented their passion.  Rain
sounded like pebbles beating against the old house.  The two cuddled
beneath the covers, listening, then reaching out for one another,
eventually joining again in spontaneous need for contact.

   "I can't just leave you here," Alex told Kira.  He stood at the door,
dressed and ready to depart.  Kira was clothed only in a white terry robe,
her hair in a wrap, fresh from her shower.

   "Yes, you can.  You have to," she told him with determination.

   "It seems so," he paused, searching for the right words, "I don't know.
Shabby?  Sordid, maybe?  I don't know.  I do know I don't feel good about
it."

   Kira put her hand on his shoulder.  "It's okay, Alex.  Really.  We have
something special."

   "You're right.  That's why I feel cheap leaving you like this."

   "You're not cheap.  You're sweet, and kind, and a wonderful friend.  You
made today more than wonderful.  It's like a marvelous gift I can keep with
me forever."

   Alex looked at the floor and shook his head.  "I'm going to miss you so
much."

   "No you're not.  We'll be in touch.  We'll swap emails and talk, just
like we've always done.  We have that."

   "We do have that.  It's just..."

   "And, we will be together again someday."

   Alex nodded.  He did not look convinced.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "I'm
not like this.  I'm supposed to be the strong one."

   Kira smiled at him tenderly.  "Sometimes I have to do it.  You're strong
most of the time."

   There was a long pause.  "We will be together again, won't we," Alex
said, his voice sounding more certain.

   "Someday.  Someday soon."

   "I think I can live with that."

   "Thank you for today," she told him.  "Good memories."

   He nodded.  "For me, too." He put his hand on the doorknob.  "Email me?"

   "Tonight," she agreed.

   He twisted the knob.  He held the door shut, then turned back toward
her. "This sucks." He pulled the door open.

   Kira smiled sadly.  "I know."

   He was gone.  Kira looked at the rumpled mess they'd left of the bed.  A
single tear escaped her eye as she started pulling the sheets into order.
Within five minutes there was not a trace of him left in the apartment.

   She sat in front of her computer for nearly a half-hour before starting
to type.

   "Alex," she wrote.  "You made today.  Thank you so much.  I love your
passion and your tenderness.  You made me feel like I haven't felt in so
long.  Special.  You know what I mean."

   She paused, considering.

   "And, you do know that I love you, don't you?" She typed, smiling,
knowing it was the first revelation of her feelings for him.  He would like
that.

   "All those words," she continued, "the ones you used to romance me; they
all came true today.  It was incredible.  What's even more incredible is
how I still want you.  And, I do.  So, let's make some plans."

   She'd made her decision.  The words seemed to fly from her fingers.

   "Maybe there's someplace near you where we can meet.  Do you know of a
quiet little bookstore, maybe with a coffee bar, close to you?"