| Chapter Six The four friends headed to Pleasure Island to listen to live music and dance. The band that was playing had a distinctive sound steeped in Latin rythms. Howie grabbed Kat's hand and pulled her onto the dance floor. They caught the beat and began to salsa, their bodies moving to the rythmic Latin beat. Kat let herself go, determined not to worry away the remaining time she had in Florida. She lost herself in the way their bodies moved together, touching and bumping. Howie smiled at Kat and took her by the hand, flinging her away from him and pulling her back. She twirled on her toes and gasped lightly when she landed against him. "Havin' fun?" he asked as his hips swiveled against hers. She stiffled a groan and managed a nod, as the hot flames of desire ran through her. As the song came to an end, they made their way back to their table and sat down to rest. Kel and Matt followed suit and pulled up to the table, thankful for the break the band was taking. "That was fun....even though I didn't know all the steps" Kel said. "You couldn't prove it by me" Matt teased. Kel playfully pushed his arm in embarassement. They ordered drinks and settled in. The band returned to the stage and after resting, the two couples made their way back onto the floor. Long after midnight, they decided it was time to go. "I'll see you later" Kel said as Matt led her out to his car. "See ya" Kat called after them. Howie watched as Kat's eyes went sad. "Come on" he said as he took her by the hand and led her to his car. Ever the gentleman, he opened her door and waited until she was seated before shutting the door and making his way to his side of the car. "You want to talk about whatever keeps bringing that look of sadness to your eyes?" he asked as he pulled out of the parking lot onto the main road. Kat looked at him and then sighed. How was she supposed to tell him what was on her mind? It wasn't like they had talked about anything past this weekend, but still she had hoped. Hoped for what though she questioned herself. For a deeper relationship, for love? Yes, she could admit that to herself, but admitting it to him was another matter. "Kat?" Again she looked at him, and this time he smiled at her. "Tell me what's got you so upset." "Its not that I'm upset, just confused" she answered truthfuly. "I just....well I was wondering if we...what I mean is, after I go back to Cincinnati, will there be an....us" she finished on a whisper. "Do you want there to be an us?" he asked, not revealing his own feelings. "Yes" she answered again whispering, not trusting her voice to stay steady if she spoke louder. Howie smiled happily and replied, "I'd really like there to be an us too" as he reached for her hand. He brought her hand to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss to the back of her hand. A tremor of pleasure shot up Kat's arm and settled in her heart, quieting the nervous beating that had begun when Howie had asked what's wrong. The rest of the ride to Kelly's was spent in contented silence, both lost in their own thoughts. "Will I see you tomorrow?" Kat asked as they stood on the front porch saying good night. "I have to work tomorrow. I don't know when we'll be done" he answered sadly. Kat nodded and Howie leaned over and kissed her good night. "I'll call you when I get done, if its not too late" he said and then stepped off the step and headed for the car. Kat watched as the tail lights on the purple corevette became smaller as it disappeared down the street. Now that she was alone, the doubts began to assail her. The distance seemed the biggest hurdle, but then again, they were in the same city and they probably wouldn't see each other tomorrow. Sighing heavily, she turned and opened the door. Could a relationship work over that much distance and time apart, she wondered as she prepared for bed. Was she strong enough to deal with it all and still not be resentful towards Howie when they were together? The questions continued to circle in her head, giving her a roaring headache and leaving her feeling edgy. Forcing the thoughts away, Kat turned on her side and tried to fall asleep. ~~~****~~~ The next morning Kel found Kat sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in one hand, her head pillowed on the other. "Wanna talk about it?" Kel asked after she'd poured her coffee and sat down. Kat just shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "Hey, this is me. Talk to me" Kel said as she reached a hand across to hold Kat's. Over the years, they'd been through so much together as best friends. There wasn't anything that they couldn't tell each other, and the fact that Kat seemed reluctant to say anything had Kel's imagination off and running. "You're making me imagine the worst here Kat. Just tell me!" "Howie and I decided we wanted to be an us even after I go back to Cincinnati" Kat said in a rush. It was said so fast that it took Kel a minute to decipher exactly what was said. "But that's good news isn't?" she asked when she figured out Kat's jumbled sentence. "Yes...no... Oh I don't know" Kat grumbled, irritated that after a long night of no sleep she still didn't feel any better about the doubts she was having. "Yes, its what I wanted, but I'm confused. I'm having doubts about the whole thing. Just how are we supposed to make a relationship work with thousands of miles seperating us? With little or no time together during the year to build on that relationship? Its not that I don't have feelings for him, I do, I always have. But this....this is so different" she finished on a sad whisper. "Oh sis. You gotta have faith. If he loves you like I think he does, and if you love him like I think you do, things will work out" Kel answered. "Love! That's not even part of the equation right now. Neither one of us have uttered that word yet," Kat paused taking a breath before continuing, "I can admit to myself that yes I love him. I think I have since the moment I laid eyes on him in the ninth grade." "See, a love like that will last. And so what if you two haven't admitted it to each other? It doesn't change the fact that you both glow when you talk about each other, or when you look at each other. Sometimes actions speak louder than words" Kel advised as she rose from her seat and left Kat to her own thoughts. Could it really be that simple, she wondered. Could the love they felt for each other really carry them through the time and distance? A little spark of hope began to beam through the doubts and a small confident smile broke across Kat's face. Maybe with a little faith, trust and love they could make it work. Back to Index Back to Main page Links |