"You realize that at some point you’re going to have to raise your head up again, right?" Rudy regarded Keagan with amusement as her own laughter subsided. The gang seemed content to leave them alone for the time being, their goal accomplished. Keagan, however, remained hiding, arms crossed and lying on the table, her head buried in them.

Keagan’s head rose slowly as she sensed the worst was over. It was a pleasant sight that met her as she looked at Rudy, who wore a small grin on her face. "You’re enjoying this too much."

"And if I am, remember this was all your fault anyway."

Keagan raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. "And just exactly why is it my fault that the gang was sitting over there, and probably still is, gawking at my personal business?" She glanced at the pool table and surrounding area briefly, but quickly enough to see Milligan, Jackie, and the others look away as if not wanting to get caught spying. Rudy missed none of this.

"All you had to do was keep your date with me and none of this would have happened." Rudy’s face held a challenge to it, even as her eyes twinkled.

"It all gets back to that, doesn’t it?"

"Oh, absolutely, and I’m not letting you forget it anytime soon. Don’t think one little kiss is going to smooth things over just like that."

"Why not? I thought the sensitive types like you always fell for that kind of stuff!" Keagan snickered, finding her comment to be highly amusing. The problem was her companion didn’t.

"Oh, really, is that what you thought now? You’re in for a rude awakening."

"That was a joke."

"I know. That’s the problem." Rudy looked away from Keagan, contemplating her next move. She could ignore her potential girlfriend’s avoidance issues and have a pleasant evening with her. Or she could see if Keagan was willing to test the waters, and go out beyond the shallow end. "Look, I came with Eileen and Tate and I haven’t seen them in awhile so I’m going to go back and join them. When you’re ready to confront why it is that you’re making jokes about hurting my feelings, then give me a call." Rudy stood and waited for Keagan to stop her, but she made no move to do so. "Bye, then." Keagan glanced down at the table, no longer caring to look at the disappointed green eyes. She watched as Rudy went back to her friends, and wondered what she could have done to get her to stay. Presently, Cody came over and sat down. "Things were looking good. What happened?"

"I happened. I open my mouth and before I know it, I’ve screwed things up. There’s a reason we silent types are silent, you know."

"Yeah, I know. Fear. You just need more practice expressing your feelings, that’s all."

"But every time I have a feeling, I push it to the back of my mind, and a sarcastic comment comes out. I think I hurt her feelings."

"Apologize, then."

"I wouldn’t know what to say."

"How about, ‘I’m sorry, Rudy, for hurting your feelings.’"

Keagan shook her head and stood up. "Thanks for the advice, but I think I’ve done enough damage for one evening. See ya later."

"Bye, kiddo." Cody watched Keagan leave, and sympathized with the pain her friend felt. Then she rose and returned to the bar.

The rest of the weekend was a total blur to Keagan. She thought about calling Rudy several times, but all she did was think about it. When she considered the possible things she could say and how they might come out wrong, the fear always won.

When Tuesday came, she was surprised to find her stomach was on edge at the upcoming meeting with Rudy in class. She skipped breakfast because she was too nervous to eat. Telling herself that she had to regain control soon, she headed out, confronted with weather that was anything but inspiring. Keagan hated snow almost as much as rain, and there was plenty of it that morning. In spite of this, she got to school early and decided to catch up on the novel she had to read for American Literature.

Rudy went to school early, hoping to get a chance to talk to Keagan before class. Although it didn’t really surprise her, she was disappointed that her friend hadn’t called her over the weekend. Sometimes she wished she could get inside the frustrating woman’s mind for just five minutes. Rudy longed to understand her, but it became increasingly difficult to chase someone who found it easier to run. And it became downright depressing when she considered that most people did what was easier.

Rudy peeked into the classroom. She was pleased, although nervous, to see Keagan sitting in the back reading. Her side faced the door and her feet were propped up in an empty seat, so she didn’t sense Rudy’s approach. She focused intently on what she was reading, and Rudy stopped a second, just to watch her. She felt the familiar pounding of her heart upon gazing at Keagan, but was reluctant to break away too soon from watching her unobserved. It was a pleasure she didn’t get much of a chance to indulge in, and Keagan looked so cute with her brow furrowed and her eyes rooted in one direction. "Are you going to just stand there, or come on in and join the fun?"

Rudy jumped upon hearing the familiar voice. Keagan had sensed her the entire time. Pushing aside her embarrassment, she grinned and entered the room, sitting down next to her friend. "Hi. Whatcha reading?"

"She’s still talking to me. That’s a good sign."

"That’s one of the longest titles I’ve heard in a long time. Is it a classic or mainstream, current, balderdash that I’ll find on the New York Times bestseller list?"

Keagan grinned and gazed up at Rudy in her own adorable, shy way. Rudy's heart fluttered. "It’s a classic. In fact, it’s Melville’s timeless classic, ‘Moby Dick.’" Keagan snickered and turned to regard Rudy. "And hi, yourself. Why are you here so early?"

"I could ask the same of you."

"You could ask..." Keagan flashed her a devilish grin. "Let me read this to you. I want to know what you think. Have you read ‘Moby Dick?’"

Rudy groaned. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Okay. ‘Man and wife, they say, there open the very bottom of their souls to each other; and some old couples often lie and chat over old times till nearly morning. Thus, then, in our hearts’ honeymoon, lay I and Queequeg--a cosy, loving pair.’"

"How sweet, and they’re both men." Rudy gave Keagan a short wink and a small grin.

"Exactly. I find it interesting that in class we don’t discuss it in regards to the potential homoerotic subtext."

Rudy giggled. "You can’t be serious!"

Keagan got a sly look on her face that barely managed to veil her sarcasm. "Well, when you think about it, the friendship between Ishmael and Queequeg happens very quickly. They just meet and are suddenly best friends. Sounds a lot like love at first sight to me."

"And do you believe in love at first sight?"

"You’re digressing."

"So."

Keagan put up her hand. "I’ll answer that...later."

"Yeah, sure you will." Rudy gazed guilelessly at Keagan.

"No, I will, but what I wanted to say was look at the words that are used. Words like ‘married’, when Queequeg says that’s what he considers he and Ishmael to be..."

"Yes, but ‘married’ has a different meaning in his culture and he says so."

"I know, but I’m talking about just the wording, in and of itself, taken out of context--"

"If you take it out of context, it can mean anything you want!" Rudy laughed.

"Right, but look at the other words that are used. ‘Hearts honeymoon’ and he compares them to old couples." Keagan got a smug look on her face. "I think there could be something there. I mean, subtext is about what’s below the surface, waiting to burst forth. I’m suggesting a reading of ‘Moby Dick’ whereby Ishmael and Queequeg are lovers and we’re given these obvious hints in order to throw us off, to makes us think it’s too obvious, you know? All these blatant marriage metaphors. Ha! I see right through it!"

"Why don’t you write a paper on it, then?" Rudy knew Keagan was joking, but had no doubt she could actually write a convincing and properly academic paper on the subject.

"Because as it is, I’ll never even get the book read. I’m on page 48 and there’s..." She flipped to the end. "478 pages."

"You have the whole quarter, right?"

"True, but my attention span wanders after about an hour of reading this. You know if you’ve read it."

"If I recall correctly, it takes 24 hours to read the whole book. So, just read, um..." Rudy paused as she did the calculation in her head. "20 pages a day, for an hour. And you can space it out, so that you don’t have to read every day. Since you have 14 weeks left, and you’ve already started, just read for two days a week, one hour for each reading period. And you should probably only have to do that for the next 11 weeks, so you’ll be done in plenty of time for the exam. Does that make it sound easier?"

"Yes, it does. Thanks." Indeed, Rudy’s calculations, if followed carefully, would make it possible for her to finish the book on time. "Even though I don’t deserve your help." Keagan had steered around the subject for long enough.

"Look, I’m not--"

"Wait. I just need to say one thing. I’m really sorry for what I said. And that it hurt your feelings. I never want to do that. Sometimes, things come out the wrong way with me. I don’t know what else to say."

"You don’t have to say anything else. Thank you." Rudy was touched by Keagan’s words and wished they had time to discuss it further. Since they didn’t, she figured it best to change the subject. "By the way, you never answered my question about love at first sight."

"I know." Keagan drawled it out teasingly.

Rudy settled back into her seat and prepared to pursue the subject later.

In a few minutes, the class had settled down and the instructor came in. Keagan looked at her with surprise and trepidation. It was her grammar teacher, Dr. V.M. Addison. What was she doing here? And where was Parnell?

Dr. Addison had dark, shoulder-length hair and looked to be in her late forties. Today, she was wearing one of her signature outfits that always looked to Keagan like a riding outfit. Dark black boots came up to her knees, where tan trousers met them. A white, banded collar shirt and a short, black blazer complemented this. "Why is Dr. Addison here?" she whispered to Rudy, who shrugged having no idea. Keagan considered Dr. Addison a menace in grammar. The woman was always calling on her when she wasn’t prepared and Keagan had no desire to have her for any other classes. "Looks like she just came from the racetrack." Rudy couldn’t help but laugh, because, indeed, she looked like a jockey.

"Good morning, everyone. I’m taking over this class for Dr. Parnell, who had to go and do some, oh, research, or some such nonsense. I’m Dr. V.M. Addison for those of you who don’t know me...and for those of you who do...well, I’ll be calling on you first so be ready." Dr. Addison laughed, but to Keagan it was an evil cackle. She slipped down into her seat, trying to hide behind the student in front of her. Rudy looked over at her in amusement, and then glanced up front again. Dr. Addison had a grammar book, not the BritLit text. Seeing the professor catch her eye, she smiled. Rudy had taken grammar with her. "Rudy? Didn’t you already take grammar?" The woman looked genuinely confused.

"Dr. Addison. Yes, I did. But this is British Literature."

"British what? You’re kidding!" The professor scowled.

"We were reading, ‘The Passionate Shepherd.’"

"You’re sure this isn’t grammar?"

"I’m sure."

"It appears I’ve been duped again. They told me it was grammar...what do I know about British Literature? Would anyone like to read Homer's ‘Iliad’ in Greek? I can do that!" The class laughed and Keagan smiled to herself. A teacher who doesn’t know squat about the subject. She could deal with that. She got out her notebook and began to write. This class would be a breeze.

"Thanks, Rudy. And the poem was...?"

"’The Passionate Shepherd to His Love’, by Christopher Marlowe. It’s on page 767."

Keagan cringed. She absolutely despised that poem.

"Thank you. Well, class, since I am less than prepared today, I don’t have a text. So, would someone like to read the poem for us?" Dr. Addison scanned the room and spotted none other than her reluctant grammar student, Keagan. "Keagan, would you read it for us, please?"

Keagan’s jaw clenched and she had to remind herself not to grind her teeth together when she became agitated. "I’m just observing today." She faced Dr. Addison, smiling brightly, hoping that her charming wit would spare her the agony of reading the poem aloud.

"How about observing the poem and sharing it aloud with the class?"

By this time, Rudy’s attempts to hold in her amusement failed. She laughed, but quickly clamped her mouth shut, and put her hand over her mouth in an attempt to keep it that way.

"Something funny, Ms. Whitman?"

"No, nothing."

"Well, then, Keagan the class is waiting..."

Keagan glared at no one in particular and began to read. "Come live with me and be my love, and we will all the pleasures prove..."

After class, Keagan was still grumbling. She didn’t care to read aloud, anyway, and certainly not cheesy, love poems. Love poems were okay, but cheesy ones were off-limits. "Oh, it wasn’t that bad was it?" Rudy asked her as they strolled along the sidewalk outside Denney. It was snowy and cold, but sunny and an altogether pleasant day. And this state of the weather was causing Rudy’s mischievous side to surface. Keagan frowned in response.

"You read that beautifully."

"Gee, thanks."

"No, really, Keagan," she continued in a dramatic voice. "When you said, ‘Come live with me and be my love,’ I was ready to drop everything right there and follow you!" Rudy laughed.

"So that’s all I have to do to get you, is just recite a cheesy, love poem?"

"And quit canceling our dates!"

"Touché."

"Would you do it?" Rudy got contemplative look on her face as another idea came to mind. "In fact, I think you owe me. I think you should read me this poem to make it up to me for breaking our date."

Keagan thought for a moment and decided that, yes, she would do it. "Yes, I’ll do it. And then we’re even. Deal?"

A huge smile came to Rudy’s face. "Deal."

"Why don’t you come over tonight? If you’re not doing anything. We can study grammar. Or rather, you can help me study. The first exam’s next week."

Rudy nodded. "Okay. I’ll bring dinner. What do you like?"

"Chinese. I like--"

"No, no, don’t tell me. I plan on surprising you." She grinned with purpose.

"Why does that scare me?"

Silently appreciating the pseudo guarded look on Keagan’s face, Rudy steered things back to the other subject. "So...do you believe in love at first sight?"

"Huh?"

"My question from earlier that you promised you’d answer."

"Oh. Um..." Keagan was coming to learn that Rudy didn’t forget anything.

"Rudy. Hi." Keagan was saved from answering when a friendly looking woman with blue eyes and light brown hair approached them. They stopped walking to talk to her.

"Hi, Jodi. How are you?" Rudy had dated Jodi briefly a few months before. She liked her well enough, but there was no chemistry between them. And Jodi’s overly aggressive advances in spite of this fact had turned her off. They hadn’t remained friends, but not for lack of Jodi’s trying.

"Just fine. I called you last week. Didn’t you get my message?"

I got all five. The woman couldn’t take a hint. "My roommate sometimes forgets to give them to me." Rudy wondered where this conversation was going. And hoping that it went there soon. "This is my friend, Keagan. We’ve got to get going. Nice to see you." Rudy gave her a friendly smile, hoping she’d leave.

Jodi was taking in the splendor that was Keagan. Keagan didn’t notice however, because she was staring at the ground, not having anything to add to the conversation. "Nice to see you, too. I’ll give you a call."

"I’ve been busy lately with school and I probably won’t have time to do anything."

Jodi smiled, almost condescendingly. "We’re just talking about a phone call, Rudy. I didn’t propose marriage or anything."

Rudy didn’t know how to respond to that. Her experience didn’t often involve coming up with clever one-liners to deal with rude people.

That got Keagan’s attention. She casually draped her arm around Rudy. "No, but if you did, I might have a problem with it." She put on her best glare. Rudy tried not to laugh.

"Ah. I see what you mean when you say you’ve been busy. And I can’t say that I really blame you." Jodi looked Keagan up and down once more, smiled leeringly, and sauntered off.

Keagan and Rudy both laughed. "She’s not bad looking, actually," Keagan said. "It’s just…when she speaks."

"Yes. She was checking you out big time, you know."

"Really? You think I’d have a shot with her?" Keagan grinned as they began strolling again, heading to Rudy’s car. A light snow was falling.

"I think I still want my chance first. If that’s okay."

They reached the car and Rudy leaned against it waiting for Keagan’s answer. "Still?"

"Still."

"Yeah, that’s okay." Keagan felt warm inside, in spite of the cold. "So, see you tonight?"

Rudy smiled and licked her lips with pleasure. "Oh, yeah. Can’t wait for that Chinese."

"Always thinking of food."

"That’s not all I think about."

"And what else do you think about?"

"You and me in a clinch."

Keagan felt a bolt of pleasure go through her and began to feel heated in spite of the weather. And in spite of their public surroundings, she reached forward and put her arms around Rudy, not too tightly, but securely. "Like this?"

Rudy’s arms tightened around Keagan and she nestled her head under the taller woman’s neck. "Yeah, just like this."

Keagan laughed and settled her head upon Rudy’s before having an unnerving thought. What am I turning into? Giving her a last squeeze, she pulled away with an unsure look on her face, but hid it before Rudy could notice by grinning. "Later, Rudy." Keagan gave a short wave and began walking in the other direction. It left Rudy wondering if what they had planned was a date or a study session. There was always something to ponder when it came to Keagan but that was how she liked it.

"Hi, grandma." Keagan sat comfortably at home, after having skipped grammar class. One day of Dr. V.M. Addison was quite enough for her. She called to see how Gerry was doing. In the past few days, they hadn’t talked much and Keagan knew her grandma got lonely sometimes, being alone all day. Rosey was there, but sometimes a human voice was nice, too.

"Hi, sweetie," said the familiar friendly voice. But it also sounded strained and haggard.

"How are things with you and mom?" Keagan neglected to add that she hadn’t returned Joan’s latest message of the previous Saturday. Keagan tried not to feel guilty about it, but she did. In any case, Joan hadn’t called back, so it couldn’t have been an emergency.

"Oh, about the same. But she doesn’t know Sean’s been sneaking me vodka again...as if he should have to! I’m a grown woman and I’m not hurting anyone. If I want to have a drink, what’s wrong with that?"

Keagan didn’t ask how Gerry felt, even though she didn’t at all sound well. The truth was, Keagan didn’t want to know. The thought of her grandmother becoming ill was something she wouldn’t face. Grandma will always be around, because I couldn’t imagine what it would be like if she wasn’t. And if it’s something I can’t imagine, then it’s not going to happen. "Nothing." It was a lie, but she couldn’t tell Gerry how she really felt about it. If she told her the truth, Gerry would only get angry and refuse to speak to her. And that was simply unacceptable. When Keagan was young, Gerry took her to school for awhile because Joan worked third shift. The 12-year-old youngster didn’t think it at all odd when Gerry stopped at a bar at eight in the morning to have a couple of drinks; even though Gerry was heading to work after dropping Keagan off at school. She didn’t even think it was odd that every morning they would stop and get two donuts for Keagan at Krispy Creme. Gerry had told her that it wouldn’t be a good idea to tell Joan about the morning bar stop. Years later, a more older and cynical Keagan felt that the donuts were a bribe. It took time and maturity for her to understand that it wasn’t normal for people to drink before work and it wasn’t normal for a grandmother to ask her granddaughter not to tell her mother something. Keagan’s adulthood had brought on many revelations.

"Oh, well, enough about that." Gerry coughed a bit and continued. "How are things with you? Do you need any money?"

Keagan smiled. Even though all Gerry received for income was a meager social security check, she always helped out Keagan when she needed it. "No, I’m doing okay, but thanks."

"And what about your little girlfriend, Rudy? How’s she?"

"Oh, fine." Keagan didn’t want to talk about Rudy. "But she’s not really my girlfriend. We just went out once."

"I want to meet her."

"You do?"

"Yes, and then I can judge for myself about you two. Since you won’t tell me." She knew Keagan well, and that meant understanding how introverted she was. "Just bring her by. You don’t have to stay all evening, I just want to meet her. Promise you’ll do it soon."

"Sure, grandma."

"Good. Take care, Keagan. I love you."

"Me too. Goodbye." Keagan knew she should call Joan later and ask how Gerry’s health was, but she was afraid of what the answer would be. She suspected that when her grandma became seriously ill, she wouldn’t live long. After a lifetime of abusing her body, she figured it would just shut down one day, and if that day was coming soon, she wanted to put it off...to deny it, even.

Later that evening, Keagan tried to focus not on the fact that she hadn’t called Joan, but on Rudy coming over to study. She thought about her feelings often and always came to the same conclusion; Rudy was too good for her, too open, too giving, too everything. But that didn’t stop the secret fantasy she had that involved Keagan being exactly what Rudy needed and deserved. What she didn’t realize was that Rudy was always two steps ahead of her. She had already figured it all out and was waiting patiently for Keagan to follow.

Since it was just a "study session," Keagan had on a Nine Inch Nails T-shirt and old faded jeans, which sported a gaping hole in the left knee. Since she owned a pair of slippers but always seemed to lose them, she wore socks. She was listening to a new radio station that she felt had great promise. It was an oldies station, but it wasn’t old oldies, it played music from very late sixties, all the way through the seventies, with a bit of early eighties thrown in. Just what Keagan liked. The only drawback was that since it was a new station, it didn’t have the funding to play a wide range of music. Consequently, Keagan had listened to the theme to "Fame" at least 25 times in the last three weeks. Chuckling to herself, she began to sing, "Fame!!! I’m gonna live forever...I’m gonna learn how to fly....HIGH! I feel it coming together...people will see me and..." Her singing was interrupted by a knock at the door. Keagan opened the door to a smiling Rudy, her hands full of Chinese takeout. "Were you singing?"

"Nope." Keagan took one of the bags from her and placed it on the kitchen table.

"So, what did you get? Shrimp eggrolls, I hope?" Keagan looked to Rudy like a little kid let loose in a candy shop.

" ’Hi, Rudy. It’s so nice you came over to help me study and you know what? It’s nice to see you!’ " Keagan looked up from the food to take in Rudy thoroughly for the first time since she came in. Rudy grinned and took off her jacket. "You look great." She was only wearing a dark blue sweater with a grey border around the collar and jeans, but Keagan knew that she was staring at the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Appreciatively glancing at Rudy’s body, she continued to stare for a moment, suddenly feeling speechless.

"Something wrong?"

"No."

"Did you want to do something?" Rudy sensed that Keagan was experiencing a conflicting feeling, mostly because she was herself.

"Yes, this." And then she reached forward to pull Rudy into her arms, but before their lips could meet, Rudy put a hesitant finger up to Keagan’s lips. "I was wondering. Is this a date or a study session?"

"That depends on what it is you’d like to study. It could be both, you know." Keagan grinned mischievously. She continued to hold Rudy in her arms.

"What if I’d like to study every inch of your body?"

"Well, then--"

Rudy kicked herself for her flirtatious nature that popped out at the most inopportune of times. "What I really was trying to tell you was that I have a rule for this evening."

"A rule?"

"Yes. No kissing until you read me that poem. Then I’ll know you’re serious about our deal...about me."

Keagan was familiar with vulnerability enough to recognize it when she saw it. "Fair enough. I think we should eat now." Keagan relinquished her hold on Rudy, albeit reluctantly.

"You do, do you? Don’t worry, I have no plans to capitalize on the obvious double entendre just sitting there waiting to be used. And I did bring shrimp eggrolls." Rudy grinned.

Keagan smiled. "And that really good sweet orange sauce, too?"

"Of course."

"And the hot mustard?"

"The hottest."

"You really know what I like."

"Yeah, I do. And I’m going to give you exactly what you want...eventually."

"Right. But not until I read the poem." Rudy didn’t reply. Instead, she opened one of the bags and took out a shrimp eggroll, dousing it with hot mustard and placing it against Keagan’s lips. She opened her mouth and took a bite. "Oh. That’s hot." There was something so ambiguous about Chinese hot mustard. It gave both pleasure and discomfort at the same time. Keagan had never been able to rationalize it and didn’t even try. She chewed gratefully.

"So are you." Rudy’s voice was sultry, but then she laughed. "I’m just teasing you."

Keagan finished eating her eggroll, and then focused back on Rudy. "Don’t be a tease."

Rudy laughed, finding it amusing that Keagan was calling her the tease.

Keagan got a cautious look on her face. "Thanks for bringing dinner. Let’s eat and then I can read you the poem."

"Let’s eat fast. I really want to hear you read that poem."

Keagan sighed, imagining herself reading the dreaded poem aloud to Rudy. "Why did I agree to this?"

"Because you like me?"

"Of course. You’re the gay girl-next-door, after all."

"Right." Rudy reached forward and took the soup she had ordered out of the bag. She took the lid off and Keagan smelled the aroma.

"Wow." Keagan said in response to seeing the hot and sour soup. "Thanks. I love soup and I especially love hot soup, as in spicy hot."

"Good." Rudy smiled. "I got us Kung Bao chicken, do you like it?"

"Never had it."

"Then I can introduce you to something new."

"Like what?" Keagan raised her eyebrows suggestively.

"And rule number two," Rudy began, backing away from Keagan. "No flirting until after the poem. Flirting would only lead to kissing, you know."

Keagan laughed. "All right. Whatever you say." These "rules" that Rudy came up with revealed a new side to her friend that Keagan found extremely attractive.

They decided to eat in the kitchen. Keagan’s kitchen was actually quite large for the small apartment that she lived in. There were three windows that let in a great deal of light and it was a pleasant room. The kitchen table was inherited from Gerry, who no longer needed it, living with Joan. Consequently, it was shaky because of its age. A couple of legs had been replaced, but the shakiness was still there.

Keagan left the stereo on in the living room and the sounds of the oldies station drifted into the kitchen as the two began their dinner. Rudy was holding two cookies in her hands, both wrapped in plastic. "Our fortunes for after dinner." She grinned mischievously.

"Great."

"I brought some white zinfandel, too. You interested?"

Keagan nodded and produced two wine glasses from the cupboard. She was vaguely conscious of the song playing on the radio, "Keep It Comin’ Love," by KC and the Sunshine Band. She got a couple of napkins and sat down as Rudy poured the wine and handed a glass to her. Keagan looked down at the table shyly.

Rudy smiled. Keagan began eating the chicken and looked back at her, shaking her head to indicate that she liked it. The two ate for a few minutes in companionable silence until Keagan got a simultaneous look of fright and surprise on her face. "Ah!" Hardly able to move, she motioned for Rudy to hand her the wine. The younger woman complied immediately and watched as she downed the glass and motioned for more. As Rudy was refilling her glass, she realized what had happened. Keagan had never had Kung Bao and hadn’t known about the hot peppers that were included in the dish...the hot peppers that weren’t supposed to be eaten. Drinking down a second glass of wine, Keagan felt nice all over and the hotness of the peppers had been alleviated. "I can’t believe how hot those peppers were," she eventually said.

Rudy got a sympathetic look on her face. "I’m really sorry. I should have told you about that. I didn’t think about it...you’re not supposed to eat the peppers."

"Maybe not, but now that I have, I feel great." Keagan smiled.

Rudy laughed. "That’s only because you downed two glasses of wine to counteract the effects of the pepper."

"Or maybe because I’m with you." Keagan grinned shyly at the admission. "Well, now I can finish dinner safely? Or is there anything else you should warn me against."

Rudy was still feeling her heart’s reaction to Keagan’s admission. "I could warn you against me."

"Really? And why should I be warned against you?"

"Because when I see something I want, I don’t give up until I get it."

"Watch it. You said no flirting." Keagan grinned.

"That’s not flirting. That’s just me telling you something about myself. If we’re going to get through this dinner until the poem, you’re going to have to distinguish between mere admissions and me just being an obnoxious flirt...not that I’m going to give you an opportunity to point out any flirtations again." Rudy took a sip of her wine and gazed back at Keagan, noticing that she wasn’t speaking, just thinking. What’s going on in that head of hers?

Keagan considered what Rudy had said. She had never had a woman pursue her quite like Rudy did and certainly not one who was a virgin. Not that her lack of sexual credentials necessarily guaranteed timidity, but Rudy's method of pursuit almost always indicated experience. At least in the women Keagan was used to dealing with. Of course, it was possible that she had experience, but had just never made love. Keagan felt confused by the scenarios going through her head, especially in light of having met Jodi earlier that day. "Rudy, can I ask you something?"

Rudy looked momentarily surprised by Keagan’s question. "Sure."

"How many girlfriends have you had?"

Rudy thought for a moment. "What’s your definition of ‘girlfriend’?

"I don’t know." Keagan thought hard for a moment. "Maybe...someone you’re in love with?"

"I’ve had girlfriends, but I’ve never really been in love."

"Oh."

"Just crushes, you know."

"Right. I know. So, what would she be like?"

Rudy looked momentarily perplexed. "What would who be like?"

"Never mind. Let’s just finish eating."

"Keagan." Rudy knew she was asking a substantial question and then downplaying it. "Are you asking what the woman I fall in love with will be like?"

Keagan turned away. When she looked back at Rudy she was staring into startlingly verdant eyes. "Yes."

Rudy looked pensive. "Okay. Let me think about this." She paused then, almost too long for Keagan’s comfort. "She would have to be smart, considerate, and caring...have a really good sense of humor, and preferably be a creative type. That would be nice. And if she was beautiful, that wouldn’t hurt, either."

"So, you’ve never met anyone like that yet?"

Rudy recognized it as the loaded question it was. But how to answer it was another thing entirely. "Up until a couple of weeks ago...no." She would have to teach Keagan that if she were going to ask, then Rudy would answer. And honestly.

Briefly, the insecure part of Keagan wondered who it was. Kicking herself for drinking the wine instead of grabbing a glass of water, she knew she should change the subject fast. Alcohol always makes me more open...that’s why I should stay away from it. Keagan merely gave Rudy an enigmatic look and began eating again.

Rudy respected her reluctance to continue and said nothing further. The conversation through the remainder of the dinner was fairly ordinary, not getting personal again. Rudy knew that Keagan felt more secure discussing things that were already known and decided. Realizing this, she didn’t invade her space, although she knew that eventually she would have to break through the barriers to Keagan’s isolation.

Later on, they retired to the living room to begin studying. Keagan was still distant and Rudy still animated in spite of it. When they sat down on the couch, Keagan grabbed for the grammar book and opened it. Rudy held the fortune cookies in her hand, holding them up in front of her face with a grin. "Aren’t you forgetting something?"

Keagan groaned. "Oh, great. Now my whole future and ultimate destiny will be revealed, right? Inside of a mere cookie."

"No, but you might have some...fun...reading it. I know you have a big problem with fun, but I think you can handle it." She tossed her one of the cookies.

Keagan caught the cookie and began unwrapping it. "I don’t even like fortune cookies...they have no flavor."

"That doesn’t matter...what matters is what’s inside."

"I feel a metaphorical statement coming on..."

Rudy laughed. "Nope. Just a reminder. To make it more fun, you need to add "in bed" after whatever your fortune is. Okay?"

Keagan looked incredulous. "What? Why?"

"Don’t tell me you’ve never done that."

"Nooo, I’ve never done that."

"There’s a first time for everything." She giggled with pleasure at Keagan’s discomfort. Not that she enjoyed seeing her so uncomfortable, but in a way it was cute. "I’ll go first." Rudy unwrapped her cookie. Reading it quickly, she grinned and looked back to Keagan. "Accept the next proposition you hear...in bed!" She started laughing as Keagan gave her a look and shook her head slowly, with a bit of a smile.

"That’s worded strangely, don’t you think?" Keagan’s sense and awareness of the way words went together caused her to automatically replay the phrase in her mind several times and it didn’t seem to make complete sense.

"How so?"

"It says, ‘accept the next proposition you, hear,’ not ‘receive’ or even ‘get’. The implication being that you should accept any proposition you hear, even if it’s not directed at you...and if you were to do that, I would think the person who was actually offered the proposition might get a little bit peeved...don’t you?" Keagan stated all of this quite calmly and matter-of-factly. Rudy noted that she wasn’t at all being facetious. And she had to admit that Keagan was absolutely right.

"You’re right." She thought for a moment and came up with an idea. "That’s why, especially in this case, it’s fun to add ‘in bed.’ Because, if you do, you can assume that there are only two people in bed together and if one hears a proposition, then it must have come from the other person, being directed toward the first."

Keagan grinned mischievously. "Is this your way of telling me you’re not into threesomes?"

"Disappointed?"

"I have a difficult time dealing with just one person."

"Knowing you, I could imagine." Rudy’s teasing was affectionate.

Keagan rolled her eyes, held up her cookie, and shook it. "I’ll open mine now." She read it and scrunched up the paper. She put it quickly in her pocket, looked back at Rudy and shrugged.

"Oh, no you don’t." Rudy leaned over closer. "What does it say?"

"Oh, nothing."

"If you don’t let me see it right now I’ll tickle you until you give it up! And I’m not kidding." She moved her hands threateningly toward Keagan.

"You want me to ‘give it up?’ Why didn’t you just say so? You know I’m always ready, willing, and able!" Keagan grinned evilly and backed up farther against the couch as Rudy moved over closer. They weren’t touching yet.

"The flirting rule! Now you broke it! Just let me see it...please?"

Keagan’s blue eyes looked into Rudy’s green ones with purpose and resolve. "No...way." She stated it firmly. And before she knew it, Rudy had pounced on top of her and begun tickling her. Keagan tried to hold in her laughter and even tried to fight back a bit, but all her efforts were futile. Rudy ended up on top straddling Keagan and pinning her arms over her head playfully. "Okay, okay! I surrender! Please stop!" She descended into helpless laughter and Rudy joined her. When they stopped tussling, both were breathing heavily. Rudy’s position on Keagan’s stomach caused her to feel very pleasant sensations in the lower part of her body. Keagan felt something similar, especially when Rudy moved her legs slightly to allow her to move closer. They gazed deeply into each other’s eyes, as Rudy felt her breasts brush against Keagan’s. She leaned forward to kiss Keagan and then something made her remember the rule; it must have been her stubbornness. Releasing Keagan’s arms, she sat up and moved away with a heavy sigh, holding out her hand. "You’re not going to make me break my resolve. Hand it over." A flushed and heavily breathing Keagan dug the fortune out of her pocket and gave it to her. She began to read. "The love of your life will appear in front of you unexpectedly!...in bed." Rudy giggled.

Keagan sat quietly, still debating after their close encounter, whether or not to try breaking Rudy’s resolve, but decided against it. "You know, the word ‘appear’ is rather deceiving in that one."

"Are you gonna critique every Chinese fortune we read?" Rudy had never gone out with anyone who paid such close attention to words as Keagan did. She found that part of her alluring.

Keagan shook her head. "Well, how many are we going to read tonight? By my calculations, we only have two fortune cookies, thus two fortunes, thus I’ll only be critiquing two...right?"

"You are so arrogant." Rudy enjoyed Keagan’s arrogance and found it attractive, but she wasn’t going to let her know that...yet.

"I just state things as they are."

"Right." Rudy smirked.

"You don’t think so?"

"I didn’t say that."

"Okay. Here’s a good example. This party of Gretchen’s. I’m not going and do you know why?"

Rudy sank back on the couch. The song, "Fire," by The Pointer Sisters began to play. Rudy giggled. "I’m sorry, this song is so hilarious!"

Keagan grinned in recognition. "I’m ridin’ in your car...." She began to sing in a lampooning way. "You turn on the radio...you’re pullin’ me close...I just say no...I say I don’t like it, but you know I’m a liar...."

"’Cause when we kiss...oooh...FIRE!!!" Both Keagan and Rudy sang this part together. And then both dissolved into a fit of laughter.

Since Keagan could never resist the urge to make fun of silly lyrics, she continued to sing and Rudy continued to laugh. "Late at night...you’re takin’ me home...you say you wanna stay...I say I want to be alone...I say I don’t love you..." Keagan gave a fleeting glance at Rudy whose eyes were focused on her, in spite of her laughter. "But you know I’m a liar..."

"Cause when we kiss...oooh...FIRE!!!" Both women collapsed into a fit of laughter as the song continued. Keagan held her stomach, as she laughed so hard, she could hardly speak.

Rudy stopped laughing before Keagan did. "You know, it might not be that funny...I’ve had kisses that were like fire."

"Oh, really? Who is it? I’ll kill ‘em!!" Making fun of the song had propelled Keagan into a goofy mood that she didn’t often find herself in. Rudy found it refreshing.

"Are you going to commit suicide, then?"

Keagan did a huge double take and settled her eyes upon Rudy. "No, but I really don’t think we should go there, right now, with the kissing rule and all."

"I know." Rudy got a guileless look on her face. "You wouldn’t be able to control yourself."

"No, it’s you who would have the problem. You almost kissed me after you tickled me. Admit it!"

"And you almost kissed me back!"

"Why does that not make any sense, when we’re talking about something that never happened?"

Rudy grinned, hoping to steer the conversation back to the party and away from kissing before what was left of her resolve was gone. "My point exactly. So why aren’t you going to the party?"

"Because, honestly, I don’t see any reason for parties. All I see at parties is a bunch of people getting drunk, looking for someone to take home, or promoting their status as part of an entity." Keagan gave Rudy a look of utter disgust and settled back onto the couch.

"An ‘entity’?"

"You know, those inseparable couples...kind of like Eileen and Tate sort of...no offense meant, I know they’re your friends."

"None taken...I just don’t know what you mean."

"There are some couples, actually like my friend from work, Nate and his boyfriend, Derek. They can’t do anything apart. They’re always together, no matter what friends they see. It would be unheard of for Nate to just go out with me without Derek. I just think it’s dysfunctional to be that dependent on one person."

"It could be. I see what you mean." Rudy began to get a better understanding of Keagan’s insecurities by her admission.

"What it amounts to is what if that person dies or leaves. They’re not around anymore and then what happens to the person left?" Keagan shrugged. She hadn’t meant to reveal that much but felt comfortable with Rudy.

"That’s the risk we take when we give our heart to someone. If we don’t risk it, we never experience the joys of...loving someone."

"I suppose, but I’m still not going. I have no intention of sitting there all night listening to that drivel. Oh, and I forgot to tell you another thing I despise...the gossip."

Rudy grinned and had no intention of trying to persuade Keagan to go. "Okay. I’ll try to have a good time without you."

"I’m sure you’ll manage."

"I’m quite capable of managing without you. It’s just that I’d rather not."

Keagan picked up a nearby pillow and pelted Rudy with it. A startled Rudy retaliated by picking up the pillow near her and bopping Keagan over the head with it. A fierce pillow fight ensued, with Rudy emerging the victor. "I see you’ve found a new way to avoid things."

"I’m not avoiding anything. Just havin’ some fun!" Keagan grinned evilly. She held Rudy at arms length and decided to get daring. "My grandma wants to meet you."

Rudy looked shocked. "She does?"

"Yeah, so think about it, okay?" Keagan looked away, indicating that she didn’t want to continue the subject further.

"Okay."

"Good, let me know."

"No. I mean, okay, I’ll meet her."

"Oh. Cool. She’s a really neat lady." Keagan looked away, slightly surprised that Rudy agreed so quickly.

"I have no doubt." Rudy smiled.

Rudy helped Keagan with her grammar for a couple of hours. They reviewed the ten sentence patterns again, and this time Keagan got them all correct. Rudy tried in vain to eliminate the flirtatious tactics she used the last time they studied. Her friend pointed out to her several times that she was breaking the flirting rule, but she just smiled and said it didn’t apply to sample sentences used for studying purposes. Keagan said that she couldn’t make "addendums" to the rules, but Rudy insisted she could, because they were her rules. Near the end of their study session, one of the sample sentences practically screamed at Keagan to break the kissing rule. "Some teacher you are. Trying to get your student to kiss you all the time."

"Excuse me? I don’t have to try to get you to kiss me. It’s what you want and you know it."

"You don’t know what I want."

Rudy leaned closer to Keagan so that their shoulders were touching. "Oh yes, I do." Her voice lowered and took on a sultry edge.

"And what’s that?"

"You want to keep your part of our deal."

"Huh?"

"Hello? Paybacks for standing me up. You recite the infamous poem, ‘The Passionate Shepherd to His Love.’ Remember?"

Keagan paused to try and clear her head. "I was hoping you’d forget."

"But if I forgot, we’d never be able to break the two rules I made. And besides, I never forget--"

"Anything. Yeah, I know."

Rudy smiled, pleased with herself, as Keagan reached for the BritLit anthology. She opened the book, where Rudy had strategically placed the bookmark; right to "The Passionate Shepherd." She began to read.

"Wait. One condition."

"What’s that?" Keagan glared slightly at Rudy.

"You can’t lampoon it, you can’t parody it...you can’t make fun of it. You have to read it seriously."

"Oh, joy. I should have known you’d say that."

"Yes, you should have." Rudy grinned.

"But, how can I? You know what the poem is...it’s completely cheesy--"

"For our time and place, yes, but it has its place in the realm of pastoral poetry. In any case, a good orator will make it good...right?"

"I don’t know where you got that idea, but I’ll try." Keagan picked up the book and read it the way she felt Rudy wanted her to.

Come live with me and be my love,

And we will all the pleasures prove

That valleys, groves, hills, and fields,

Woods, or steepy mountain yields.

And we will sit upon the rocks,

Seeing the shepherds feed their flocks,

By shallow rivers to whose falls

Melodious birds sing madrigals.

Keagan began to laugh. Rudy gave her a stern look. "I’m sorry, but I’m doing okay so far, right?"

"No, you’re not, because you stopped and laughed. The deal was for you to read it through to the end...seriously." Rudy raised her eyebrows and tried to avoid smiling. The truth was that she was just curious as to how far Keagan would go to please her.

"Okay." She continued with the poem.

And I will make thee beds of roses

And a thousand fragrant posies,

A cap of flowers, and a kirtle

Embroidered all with leaves of myrtle;

A belt of straw and ivy buds,

With coral clasps and amber studs

And if these pleasures may thee move,

Come live with me, and be my love.

Rudy sighed audibly. "That was beautiful. You did a wonderful job. And now I have a reply for you."

If all the world and love were young,

And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,

These pretty pleasures might me move

To live with thee and be thy love.

"Oh, no you don’t." Rudy had just gotten Keagan to recite to her an extremely passionate pastoral poem and now she was offering the reply from the nymph, the object of the shepherd’s affection. "You know damn well the nymph’s reply comes over as cynical." Rudy grinned with pleasure and continued reciting.

Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,

Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies

Soon break, soon wither, soon forgotten--

In folly ripe, in reason rotten.

Keagan realized Rudy was joking around, but she had a serious thought when considering the shepherd and the nymph. "So, what does this mean? You’re the nymph and I’m the shepherd?"

"More like you’re the nymph."

"Well, maybe I can become more like the shepherd."

"Nah. The shepherd likes the nymph just the way she is." Rudy smiled.

Keagan didn’t reply, just gazed back at Rudy. "It’s pretty late." Keagan glanced at the clock. It said 1am.

"I’m sorry. You have to work tomorrow don’t you?"

"Don’t remind me." Keagan grimaced at the mere thought.

"Where do you work, anyway? You never told me."

Keagan hated it when people asked where she worked. Gigantic was not exactly the most glamorous of retail establishments and the service left something to be desired. "It’s a store called Gigantic. We sell cheap junk. My job is to put it out."

Rudy’s face brightened in recognition. "Hey, I shop there! They have a lot of good deals. But there’s this one woman up front who’s really mean. I tried to return something once, but I lost my receipt. She was pretty scary."

"Don’t tell me. Bleached blonde, beady eyes, too much makeup, string for hair..."

"Yeah, that’s her."

"That’s my boss. She’s completely incompetent."

"Yes. So, I take it you don’t like working there?"

"That’s an understatement. The job is boring, the management doesn’t communicate, and they constantly expect us to work these obscure shifts. The only reason I’ve stayed is that the company pays for part of my tuition and I couldn’t stay in school without it." Keagan didn’t feel like discussing work anymore. It was depressing.

Rudy thought for a second and then grinned at Keagan, who was beginning to frown. "I could call up and ask for the manager and tell them I had some great customer service from someone named Keagan. I could make up a whole story about how you helped me."

"I’m sure you could, but it wouldn’t matter. They don’t like employees who threaten them in any way. And me doing anything well is a threat to their authority...even though they’re all twenty years older than me." She shrugged. "But thanks for the thought." She smiled at Rudy.

"Okay, then...okay. How about this? I call up and complain about this boss of yours. I’ll tell them she treated me abominably and I’m never shopping there again." Rudy’s eyes lit up at this prospect and she got an adorable, devilish look on her face.

Keagan laughed. "Two problems with that; first, they wouldn’t know what abominable meant and second, it’s normal for her to treat people like crap. They wouldn’t think twice about it!"

"I tried."

"Thanks." Keagan usually didn’t tell anyone about work, but was glad she told Rudy, who was inexplicably able to make her laugh about it.

"So, you kickin’ me out now?"

"No. You can stay here if you want, but I expect certain things from my overnight female guests." She snickered.

"That sounds interesting. What do you expect?"

"No snoring and no blanket hogging."

"Well, I don’t know if I snore or not, but...wait a minute. You’re not suggesting we sleep together, are you?" Rudy gave a pseudo suspicious look to Keagan.

"I have a big enough bed, there’s no reason why we can’t sleep together." Keagan’s response was delivered in her usual rational tone, but inside she began to feel nervous at the prospect. "And anyway, I kept my part of our deal and read the poem. So, anything’s allowed to happen now. Flirting, kissing, whatever..."

"Oh, I see what you’re getting at. You just want a kiss." Rudy leaned closer.

"That’s not what I said."

"I’ve come to realize you don’t always say what you mean."

"You have?"

"Yes. And sometimes what you say is in fact the opposite of what you really feel." Rudy was so close that Keagan could feel her breath on her face. It was soft and sweet, just like Rudy. She took a moment to study Rudy's verdant eyes, and thought how pretty they were. She had never seen quite that color of green before. Shaking her head to clear it, she began to feel her body responding to the close proximity of this woman. And she felt her rational side take over, telling her to back off. Her mind flashed into the near future and the scenario that arose in her head made her feel uneasy about sleeping with Rudy. "You take the bed, again, and I’ll take the couch. I already changed the sheets." She smirked.

"Scared of me, huh?" Rudy wondered why Keagan had changed the sheets on a Tuesday, though.

"Yes. Maybe just a little." Normally, she wouldn’t have admitted that much, but since knowing Rudy, some of her actions had been anything but normal ones. "There’s something for you to wear on the bed. Goodnight."

Rudy chose not to explore Keagan’s admission, but to file it away for later. "Now wait a minute! You changed the sheets and you already have something for me to wear. Did you plan this?"

"No, I’m not the one who plans things," she began, raising her eyebrows to indicate she hadn’t forgotten Rudy’s previous scheme to spend the night with her. "I just like to be prepared. And when I knew you were coming over to study, I realized you might stay late and might even stay all night. That’s all."

Rudy was surprised at Keagan’s actions, but impressed as well. "Okay, but you’re the one who has to work, so you take the bed." When Keagan tried to protest, Rudy held up her hand. "I’m not taking no for an answer." She acquiesced, then, but with reluctance. Rudy fleetingly wondered when the last time was that someone had taken care of her. Keagan fell into the role of caretaker easily, but didn’t seem to be as eager to be taken care of herself.

Rudy leaned over and gave Keagan a goodnight kiss. It was short and friendly almost, but contained a hint of restrained passion in it. Although Keagan might have prolonged it, she realized it wouldn’t be a good time for that kind of exploration. "Didn’t want you to have to go to sleep without that kiss you’ve been waiting for." Rudy grinned mischievously.

It was on the tip of her tongue to tell Rudy that although it was a nice kiss, she was hoping for something more passionate, but she remained silent. Best not to go there now. She grinned at Rudy and rose, going to her bedroom. Returning in a few seconds, she threw a pair of shorts and a T-shirt at her, which Rudy gratefully caught. "Thanks." Looking at the T-shirt, she laughed. It was the 2Q2BSTR8 shirt.

Keagan shrugged and feigned indifference. "It’s just...you, I guess." She allowed a small grin to surface. "Goodnight."

"G’night." As Rudy watched Keagan return to her bedroom, she entertained a thought of following her, but that’s all she did. She hoped that sometime soon she would be able to act on her frequently entertained thoughts involving the dark-haired, enigmatic, English major.

Keagan drowsily awakened upon hearing the alarm. She glanced at the clock and then closed her eyes again. It said 4am. Her routine allowed her to sleep off and on for thirty more minutes until she really had to get up. Recalling that Rudy spent the night on her uncomfortable, lumpy couch, an idea occurred and she forced herself to rise. She quickly used the restroom and then went to the kitchen to make coffee. Glancing into the living room, she saw that her overnight guest was far from comfortable. Rudy was lying on her stomach, her left arm draped over the edge of the couch. Her right arm was unnaturally positioned on top of the couch. She seemed to be squirming too. And the blanket was lying on the floor. Looking closer at her companion, Keagan wasn’t sure if she was asleep or still trying to get there. She felt a flash of regret at not letting Rudy sleep in her bed. Why should she be uncomfortable all night just because Keagan was wildly attracted to her and afraid of things becoming too physical? With a sigh, she went over to the couch and knelt beside Rudy. Her eyes were still closed, but when Keagan gently touched her shoulder, she stirred and they opened. A half grin. "Hi."

"Hi." Rudy’s hair was tousled and her T-shirt was pushed up her stomach quite a way. Keagan grinned. Rudy was very cute in the morning. "I’ve got to get ready for work. If you want, you can sleep in my bed."

Rudy yawned. "It’s about time you asked me into your bed."

"But we’ve only known each other for two weeks. That would be scandalous."

Although still exhausted from tossing and turning on the couch all night, Rudy came up with a suitable reply. "Somehow, I think I’d get over that aspect of it pretty quick." She gave Keagan a lazy grin and yawned.

Keagan’s only response was a short grin. "C’mon." Before she knew it, she had been guided into the bedroom and tucked in. "You can just hang out as long as you want, doesn’t matter to me." As Keagan began to rise, she felt a hand on her arm. "I need to ask you something."

"Sure. What?"

"I had this dream last night and it was about your story...you know, the one that you write at the bar, and well...I was wondering. What’s your story about? The one you were writing the night we met."

Keagan sat down on the bed. She knew Rudy would ask eventually, but hadn’t prepared herself for the question. "I don’t have a lot of time."

"In a nutshell, then."

Keagan grinned and turned away. It wasn’t yet dawn and the dark shades in her room added to the feeling of concealment. She was glad it was dark and that Rudy couldn’t see the slight blush that colored her cheeks. "Actually, you’ll laugh...it’s about two English majors who fall in love." She laughed uneasily.

"It is, really?"

"Yeah, it is really."

"That’s not what I expected."

Rudy could see Keagan’s smile, even in the darkness. "Right. But I have to get ready for work. I can tell you more about it later, if you like." She stood up and headed for the door.

"I like." Rudy settled back comfortably into the bed, letting her thoughts wander briefly before falling into a deep relaxing sleep.

The day passed quickly for Keagan. She divided her mental musings between thinking about her story and devising topics for conversation starters at parties. She still didn’t intend to go to Gretchen’s party, but felt it was a useful mental exercise nonetheless. So far she had come up with several things to chat about that avoided the label she hated the most...small talk. Why do people slow down for cops? A cop can be coming in the other direction and everybody slows down. Do people really think that cop’s going to do a U-turn and stop them for speeding? More likely she’s heading for the donut shop. Or he. And what is it with the cereal aisle in grocery stores anyway? All those cheesy toys they have displayed at every four-foot section that cost three times as much as any toy in the regular toy aisle. Do retailers really think parents are going to shell out their hard-earned money for that crap? And what is with these bowls that come with built-in straws? How lazy has society become anyway? Now we’re too lazy to pick up the bowl and drink the milk left over from our cereal? And this new yogurt that comes complete with a collapsible, easily assembled spoon. What the hell is that? We can’t bring our own spoon along with our lunch?

Keagan was making a bale of used cardboard as she had these thoughts. As the stockers emptied their cartons, they placed them into a machine called a baler and when it filled up, the cardboard was extracted from the machine and sold to a company that recycled it. All the job really involved was opening up the machine, threading some wires through the bottom to the back of it and up through the top again. Then the wires were tied around the bale to keep the cardboard in place and the whole thing was removed from the machine onto a pallet so it could be moved. Keagan didn’t mind volunteering for this because she could hang out in the stockroom for fifteen minutes and avoid customers. There was also something that appealed to her sense of creativity about making a bale. Every bale was unique. And she could always devise new ways to twist the wires together; she could even crisscross them if she chose to. Although the one time she had done that her boss, Slone, wasn’t very pleased. So Keagan hadn’t done it again.

After she had threaded the wires to the back, she stood and moved to the back of the machine. Her thoughts began to wander again as she began threading them back through. And what is with those coffee filter extractors, or whatever they’re called? Keagan had been surprised once when she had picked up a package of coffee filters only to find a free filter extractor inside. It was a small piece of blue plastic that resembled a mini set of tongs except it had little white rubber pieces on the end, presumably to allow the device to adhere to the filter. It was about three inches in length. When I tried to use one it didn’t work. The filters were stuck together so tightly I had to use my hand to get one anyway. The whole process took much longer trying to use the device than simply not using it. Where’s the sense in that? Keagan didn’t have much patience for useless things. Working in retail, she was exposed everyday to ridiculous items that people didn’t need. People were constantly spending their money on useless junk. Why? Why? Stop the insanity! She came back to the front of the machine and began to twist the wires together. What kind of tie today? She decided on the neat, small, twist that took longer but made the bale more secure. And I like how it looks.

With great effort, she let her mind go blank for a few minutes tying the wires swiftly. She would have to go wash her hands when done, because the wires were extremely oily and turned her hands black. When she was on the fourth wire, her thoughts went to Rudy. I told her what the story was about. Mistake. What's she going to think now? The truth be told, when Keagan saw Rudy that first night at the Grotto, she began writing a story about a young vivacious woman who has an encounter in a bar. There wasn’t really any point to it. To Keagan it was just a writing exercise with a real, live, subject. Only later, when she discovered that Rudy was an English major did the idea occur to make the protagonists English majors. And then, the more she got into the story, she realized that her characters really liked each other a lot. I got this grand idea to write a love story. Where did I get that idea? I don’t really mind well written love stories, but didn’t ever think about writing one...until I met Rudy. Strange. As she finished tying the wires, she stood and turned toward the controls on the machine. It was at that moment that her boss, Madeline Slone, approached.

"Um, Keagan, what are you doing?"

Keagan turned around. What does it look like I’m doing? "I’m making a bale." Keagan stated it matter-of-factly with little intonation in her voice. It was necessary not to let any irritation show.

"It’s too small and you tied the wires wrong again." Slone’s beady, little eyes bored into Keagan’s blue ones.

"So...what did you want me to do? I can either complete the bale or I can untie all the wires and see if I can force the door shut again, which is unlikely. Or if your problem with it is more that the wires are tied wrong I can just untie them and retie them the way you would like them to be tied. On the other hand, if it’s more important that the bale be bigger, I should probably stick to my second option, which probably won’t work as I’ve said." Keagan stated all of this in a dispassionate voice, but she could see Slone’s face getting red as she spoke. She didn’t intentionally set out to piss off her boss, it just happened.

"Oh, just finish it!" Slone stomped off in the other direction. Keagan couldn’t help but smile.

Rudy ended up sleeping in at Keagan’s for three more hours. She didn’t really have anything planned that day, except studying, so when she got up and saw that Keagan’s kitchen was a bit messy, she decided to tidy it up. One thing led to another, and eventually she had cleaned the entire bathroom, mopped the kitchen floor, and vacuumed and dusted the living room. She finished around 1:00 and left Keagan a note:

Hi. Now don’t get mad. I just wanted to

do something nice for you, since you gave up

your bed for me and all. (Although you might

have decided to do that last night...ha, ha)

I’ll see you tomorrow at school or you can always

give me a call.

Love,

La Roux

Rudy grinned when she got a mental picture of Keagan coming home, seeing what she had done, and reading the note. She’ll get that dumbfounded look on her face that says, "what the hell happened?" and then she’ll go into a mock glare, but eventually allow a small grin. Too bad I can’t be here to see it. Rudy considered hanging around until Keagan returned, but didn’t want to invade her space.

When Rudy got home, she was surprised to see Courtney on the living room floor scrubbing it vehemently. She had a scowl on her face and looked agitated. Rudy approached her. "Spill something?"

Courtney sighed disgustedly. "You’re lucky you weren’t here last night...where were you, anyway?"

"At Keagan’s." Rudy sat on the couch.

"Oh. Jake decided to have a last-minute party...here! He brought about ten people over here, people I didn’t even know."

Rudy laughed. "Have you ever heard of the word, ‘no’?"

"Yes, I just have a hard time using it! Anyway, they spilled beer and I’m trying to get the smell out of the carpet. It’s awful!" Courtney leaned down and put her nose to the rug, sniffing with fervor. Scowling, she began scrubbing again.

"I think we should make a rule. No more beer in the house."

"Ha, ha! And I’d have no more friends!"

"Sure you would. They’d just be quiet, reserved types who like to stay in the background and not get boisterous."

Courtney laughed. "That almost kind of sounds like your friend."

"Keagan?"

"Yeah, her. I’ve only met her a couple of times but that’s how she comes off." In between scrubbing, Courtney would periodically bend down to sniff the rug.

"She is a little shy, kind of. But she’s different when you know her."

"Bring her over again. I’d like to get to know her better. You two are dating, right?" The whole time Courtney talked she was still scrubbing the floor and so Rudy couldn’t see her eyes.

The first thing that registered with Rudy was shock. She had never discussed her sexual orientation with Courtney. Not because she didn’t trust her, but because it never came up. True, Rudy’s best friends were Eileen and Tate, an openly lesbian couple that had been over to the house a few times and Rudy never showed an interest in the opposite sex, but still...how had Courtney figured it out?

"You could say we are...how did you know?"

Courtney stopped scrubbing and sat on the couch next to Rudy. She appeared to contemplate this for a few seconds. "The main thing was that you turned down the irresistible Dave. I mean what more could you want in a man than that? And he’s very talented. He can drink anyone under the table and he can crush a beer can with one hand!"

Rudy began to laugh at Courtney’s banter. It relieved her to know that her roommate wasn’t going to have a problem with it.

"Seriously, I suspected it for awhile, but then the night I met Keagan I knew."

"How?"

"You and she have chemistry, you know? It’s very obvious." Courtney shrugged, not being able to explain further. "So, now that I know, we can do girl talk, right?"

"Sure." Rudy felt like Keagan for a second, with her monosyllabic responses.

"Rudy! How serious is it?"

Rudy thought about her question for a second. "We’ve only known each other for a couple of weeks. I--I don’t know. But I think about her all the time." Rudy’s voice quieted as she made the last admission.

"Okay. I have an idea. You bring her over for dinner, I’ll invite Jake and we can double date. Then I’ll get the real lowdown on you two."

"I don’t know if I could get her to do that. She’s not much into social stuff."

"Oh, I think you’ll find some way to convince her."

Rudy grinned mischievously, contemplating the possibilities.

Gerry had called Keagan at work that day and asked if she could stop by and take her to the store. So, after work, she and her grandma got lottery tickets, cigarettes, and vodka. Keagan tried to dissuade her from getting it and suggested beer instead, but Gerry was adamant about it, so Keagan gave in with reluctance. Joan would be furious when she found out. She was not looking forward to the impending confrontation with her mother, but couldn’t refuse her grandma. She was continually torn between the two of them and the only way to eliminate that feeling would be to distance herself from both of them which she was unwilling to do. Keagan thought about when she was a child and would spend the weekends with her grandma. Every weekend they would go to the store and Gerry would buy her a toy. Of course, the young girl would have to endure sitting in a bar for hours. But Gerry’s kindness to her granddaughter usually always outweighed her weaknesses...usually.

When she finally returned home, it was to a sparklingly clean apartment. Shaking her head with amusement, she thought about how Rudy never failed to surprise her. Reading her note, she smiled and said aloud, "Now, La Roux, why would I be mad? I hate housework!"

She dialed Rudy’s number. After a couple of rings she heard a voice say, "Shakespeare’s den of iniquity. Dark lady speaking. Can I help you?"

Keagan held in a laugh. Does she come up with these spontaneously or plan them? "This is the rival poet. Is Bill in?"

"Wouldn’t you rather speak with me?" Rudy lowered her voice into a seductive tone.

"That depends on what you’re offering."

"How about a fun filled evening of frivolity? Petrarch is having a party. If you came, you, he, and Bill could discuss sonnet styles..."

"English, Italian, they’re all the same to me. And anyway, I’m not much for parties, unless they’re private. I might be interested if it was our own little party...just you and me."

"Oh, really? But what would we talk about? I’m just the dark lady, not a poet."

"And that is a problem...why?"

Rudy stopped for a minute. Was Keagan turning into a flirt? Could it be possible? Tempted to remain in character and continue their discourse, she nevertheless reverted back to her real persona. "It’s not a problem at all, but...you surprise me."

"And why’s that?" Keagan was grinning broadly in spite of herself.

"So flirtatious. And more bold about it."

"We’re on the phone. It’s easier."

"Ah."

"Rudy, thank you for what you did."

"No problem. I like doing things for you."

Keagan didn’t know how to respond to that. No one had ever said anything like that to her before. Her mom had done things for Keagan her whole life, her grandma practically begged to do her laundry for her, and her brother helped her out financially when he could. But no woman ever said that she liked doing things for Keagan with no ulterior motive. And somehow she knew Rudy had none.

Sensing that Keagan was uncomfortable, Rudy changed the subject. "Courtney knows I’m gay."

"She does? Did you tell her or--"

"She guessed."

"It must be because you’re so butch."

Rudy laughed. "Actually, it was because of you."

"Because I’m so butch?"

"Nooo...it’s probably going to embarrass you, but I’ll tell you anyway. The couple of times she’s met you, she’s sensed a...chemistry, between you and me. That’s what she said."

"Hmm..."

"She, uh, was really cool with it. She even suggested you and I having dinner with her and her boyfriend, Jake. But I said--"

"Sure."

"Sure...what?"

"I’ll do that."

"You will?" Rudy’s voice was filled with incredulity.

"Why not? It won’t kill me, right?" Keagan couldn’t believe what she heard herself saying. It had suddenly become important to her to please Rudy.

Rudy laughed. "No, it won’t kill you. I promise. And it’s only for a few hours..."

"You don’t have to convince me. I already said yes."

Rudy decided to change the subject before Keagan changed her mind. "So what about the party?"

"Still not goin’."

"Aw." Rudy tried to communicate a pout over the phone but failed miserably. "And I thought you would decide to go."

"You’re such a nag."

"I’m pouting."

"I don’t care. That won’t work."

"What will?"

"Nothing, nada, zip."

"How about bribery. Seafood?"

"Nope."

"Chinese?"

"Forget it!"

"Sex?"

"Hmm, now that depends. Who with?" Keagan snickered.

"What do you mean, ‘who with?’ You’re impossible! I hope you have a nice, sedate, lonely Saturday evening...alone. I hope you enjoy yourself."

"Oh, I intend to." Keagan sounded smug, although a part of her almost wished she could go to the party with Rudy. But parties just weren’t her thing. The phone conversation with Rudy ended, and she found herself feeling uncharacteristically lonely.

Keagan saw Rudy Thursday at school, but she didn’t bring up the party again. Usually, women she dated tended to be needy and nagged her until she gave in. Sounds like some of my family members. Keagan didn’t want to admit it, but Rudy’s decision not to pursue the matter made her want to go to the party. Her seeming indifference had a reversed psychological effect.

Keagan spent the day Saturday catching up on schoolwork and writing a bit of her story. There was one particular part that was giving her problems, so she left the computer and headed into the living room to contemplate it. She glanced out the window and noted that it was sunny, but probably freezing cold. It looks lovely outside, but if I go out I’ll freeze. She didn’t know why but that made her think of Rudy. She rubbed her eyes with irritation and sank onto the couch. Why do I always think in metaphors? She was almost glad when the phone rang.

As usual, the answering machine clicked on. "It’s your mother, Keagan. Pick up the phone." Keagan started to do so, but then stepped back and waited. Joan didn’t sound happy. "I found your grandmother with a bottle of vodka again. Sean must be buying it for her. You’re going to need to talk to him again for me. I can’t believe he would do this. Bye."

Keagan sighed. "The continuing turmoil of my loving family." Keagan didn’t think about how angry Joan would be if she discovered that it was she who let Gerry buy alcohol. Pushing it to the back of her mind, she returned to the computer room.

"Cody, I’m surprised you got the night off." Gretchen Fuqua, social animal that she was, was enjoying being in her element immensely. Spotting the bartender in a far corner of the spacious living room, she immediately approached her.

"Even career bartenders like myself get nights off." Cody smiled and quickly scanned the room. The CD player was squawking out an early 80’s, Boy George song. Most of the people there were from the bar, but there were several she didn’t recognize. It was around 9:30 and there were already about 30 people there. The house was immense and Gretchen had it suitably decorated with 80’s paraphernalia. Various pictures of rock stars adorned the walls and there were streamers and balloons everywhere. On the coffee table, Cody spotted a Rubik’s cube...an unsolved Rubik’s cube.

"Mabel took pity on you, huh?" Gretchen took a sip of her punch. "Don’t forget to try the punch. It’s an old family recipe and it’s just to die for!"

"Okay, but what’s in it?"

"Secret." Gretchen grinned devilishly.

"So, whose house is this again?" Cody moved over to the large table that contained an assortment of snacks and not cheap ones. Among the treats were shrimp, crab cakes, eggrolls, and spinach dip with an assortment of vegetables and crackers. That could wait until later. She was interested in the punch.

"It’s my stepdad’s. He’s out of town this weekend and gave me the keys!" The house was impressive. It was a four bedroom, three story dwelling with a two-car garage and a swimming pool in the back. And a hot tub inside. The floors were all natural wood and obviously shined and well maintained and the place was lavishly decorated. Expensive hand-blown glass pieces were scattered about and several rare art prints decorated the walls. Gretchen left everything as it was for the party. If something happened, it happened, she had told herself. That was just life.

"And naturally he gave permission for you to have a wild party." Cody poured herself a cupful of the green substance. It actually didn’t smell too bad. "Green," she commented, sniffing it gingerly.

"That’s the lime sherbet." Watching as Cody took a sip, Gretchen’s eyes got a look of anticipation. "Well?"

Cody swished the cool fluid around her mouth before swallowing. Definitely vodka, but well hidden. "It’s good. My compliments to the bartender."

"Thanks, hon!"

Cody’s brow creased and she regarded the substance cautiously. "I’d be careful with that stuff. It tastes great and goes down too easily." She chuckled under her breath.

"That’s the whole point!"

Rudy accepted Eileen and Tate’s offer to ride with them to the party. She knew she could have continued to bug Keagan about it, but decided to feign indifference instead. She suspected pestering Keagan would be a waste of time and it wasn’t in her nature to do that kind of thing anyway.

When they arrived, Gretchen immediately swooped over and led Rudy to the infamous Murphy’s punch. "I hope it’s not anything like ‘Murphy’s Law’," said Rudy, sniffing the beverage with caution. Tate and Eileen went off in search of Milligan and the pool table.

"It’s divine, I promise hon." Gretchen watched as she took a rather large sip. Rudy’s eyes widened a bit and she shook her head slowly up and down with approval. "Ooh, you were right, this is good."

"I told you. And now for the real question. Where’s your datemate? Miss-I-am-a-reclusive-dark-brooding-English-major, hmm?"

"Home I suppose." Rudy poured herself another cup of Murphy’s punch.

"And you didn’t convince her to come? I thought you were going to."

"I guess my powers of persuasion aren’t as good as I thought."

Gretchen rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Let me give you some advice with that one, dear. She needs to be forced into almost everything. Keagan never learned how to have fun. You have to make her have fun. It’s the only way with her."

"I’m not at all comfortable with the word ‘force.’"

"How about persuade, entice, suggest, then?"

Rudy smiled at Gretchen. She had actually become quite fond of her, even if her methods seemed a bit rambunctious. "I see your point but in the end, Keagan will do what she wants to do."

"You don’t get it do you? She has to be shown what she wants. Oh, she knows, deep down somewhere but she needs an instigator, a catalyst, you know?"

Rudy giggled, imagining herself as that instigator or catalyst.

"Here, have some more punch, hon. The night is young!"

Not knowing that she had a natural non-tolerance for alcohol, Rudy acquiesced because the punch tasted so good. It tasted almost like Kool-Aid. "Oh...sure, why not."

Nate and Derek arrived fashionably late at around 10:30. Not expecting to see Keagan they scanned the room, looking for a familiar face. They saw Brad lurking in the back by himself, drinking an MGD, and looking rather forlorn. "C’mon, let’s see what’s up with Brad," said Nate.

"You’re looking rather contemplative this evening, Bradley." Nate smiled at the young man, who was known to be moody on occasion.

"Oh, hi. I was just thinking that maybe Keagan’s got the right idea."

"About?"

"Keagan’s at home right now all by herself and I’m here at this party all by myself. What’s the difference?"

"You’re not by yourself. We’re here." Derek rolled his eyes at Nate’s attempt to make him feel better and began scanning the room. Soon, he spotted Char and an unfamiliar woman sitting in the back of the room singing to each other. "What’s Char doing?"

Brad looked disinterestedly at the two women. "Oh, that’s the flower lady from the bar. Angelique, I think is her name. Apparently, she hit it off with Char. They’re singing..." The young man paused for a second to determine the song. "Oh, yes. Now it’s Chaka Khan’s ‘I feel for you.’" He shrugged. Derek laughed and Nate grinned. "Hell, you should have been here when they were singing Mister Mister’s ‘Broken Wings.’ That was a real hoot. "

"You’re a veritable fountain of 80’s music trivia," Nate commented.

"I did a little research to impress partygoers...by the way, stay away from that punch. That stuff’s potent."

"What punch?"

"The great Gretchen Fuqua hasn’t introduced you to her family’s secret recipe of Murphy’s punch?"

"Nah, we haven’t seen her yet."

"Judging from what it’s done to sweet, innocent Rudy, I’d steer clear of it."

"Rudy Whitman? The girl Keagan went out with?"

"Yeah. Her. Oh, no, now they’re singing ‘Head over Heels’ by the GoGo’s." Brad cringed visibly.

"Which one is she?"

Brad pointed out Rudy, who could be seen sitting in a circle surrounded by several women and at least two drag queens. "Oh, she’s the one reciting all the poetry." He snickered.

Nate laughed. "You really only came here just to watch people, didn’t you? You’re more like Keagan than you realize."

Brad only looked at the floor and grinned.

Rudy attracted quite an audience. It all started out innocently enough. She had been chatting with Jen about school and they discovered a mutual affinity for poetry. It wasn’t like the affinity she and Keagan shared. This mutual interest mostly involved Rudy reciting and Jen listening. But Rudy didn’t mind and it took her mind off of Keagan, which she had been trying to do unsuccessfully all night. When Danielle came over and sat next to her, Rudy didn’t protest, not wanting to make a scene. But she did feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Rudy recited several classic poems and as she was trying to think of another one, Jackie Daniels spoke up. "Do you know any lesbian ones?"

"Several." Rudy continued to drink the punch, but was starting to feel a bit different. Hmm, I hope I’m not getting drunk.

Dani put her arm around Rudy. "Why don’t you recite one of those for us?"

Rudy felt pressured and her head felt a bit fuzzy. Consequently, the only one she could think of was the poem she read to Keagan after their date. She’d memorized it the day after, because they both liked it so much. As she recited, she thought about Keagan and how she missed her. So much for the poetry distracting me. Eventually, she got to the final lines, "Tell me love, how to speed time now, how to slow it then, when I call your name."

The group applauded and Rudy decided she was finished reciting poetry for the night. As she turned around and began to stand up, she noticed a tall, dark, figure standing near the corner, leaning against the wall. Her arms were folded and she simply stood looking at Rudy curiously.

Rudy’s heart leapt into her chest. She felt a range of emotions that spanned the gamut from surprise to happiness to irritation and back again. How long had Keagan been standing there?

When Dani noticed that Keagan wasn’t making any move to approach Rudy she touched her arm. "Can I get you some more punch?"

"I don’t think so. I think I’ve had enough." Her eyes never left Keagan’s who continued to stare. "Will you excuse me, please?" As the rest of the group broke up, Rudy approached Keagan gingerly and watched as a small grin surfaced on her face. "Hi."

"Hi, yourself. How did you sneak in here without me seeing you?" Rudy stepped forward a bit and almost stumbled right into Keagan, who caught her effortlessly. She put her arm around Rudy and laughed. "You haven’t been into Gretchen’s punch, have you?"

"Oh, no. Just drunk on life." She giggled uproariously. Sensing that Rudy needed a little help to keep standing straight, Keagan put her arms around her, holding her from behind. She whispered into Rudy’s ear. "I thought that was our special poem. And you shared it with all of them." Rudy leaned back into Keagan and felt like she was floating. "You smell so good."

"Let’s sit down." She took Rudy’s hand and guided her over to the couch, which was surprisingly unoccupied. Rudy put her head on Keagan’s chest as a strong arm encircled her, pulling her close. "It was the only poem I could think of...they wanted a lesbian one."

"Yeah, I know, I was there the whole time, remember?"

"Why didn’t you say anything?"

"I was enjoying watching you. And...didn’t want to interrupt."

Rudy considered that for a moment. "So why did you come? I thought you hated parties."

"I do hate parties, but when I considered my options for what to do this evening, rationality won out."

Rudy lifted her head up and gazed into Keagan’s eyes. "And what were your options?"

Keagan looked over to the table and spotted the Rubik’s cube. Removing her arm from around Rudy, she picked it up and began playing with it. "I could sit at home and brood, the idea of which I actually found quite appealing, try to write my story which I have a mental block about, or go to the party which could be a chance to get some great material. It just seemed to make the most sense to come to the party, considering the options."

Rudy nodded her head and hid her disappointment that she didn’t figure into the options. "I still want to know more about this story." Just then, her stomach grumbled loudly. She looked embarrassed.

"Hungry? Stay here and I’ll bring you something. I saw a few delectable treats over there. This isn’t a Chex Mix party, apparently." She set the puzzle down on the couch and took off.

As Keagan was grabbing some crab cakes and shrimp, she heard a bellowing noise. "Keagannnnn!!!" It was Gretchen and she was heading over to the table.

"Hi, Gretchen. Great party."

"’Hi, Gretchen. Great party.’ Don’t sound so enthusiastic."

"Believe me, I’m trying not to." She glanced over to the couch to see Dani approaching Rudy and sitting down beside her. Keagan glared daggers their way. Couldn’t that woman take a hint?

"You can’t leave little miss cutie pie alone for a minute can you? You better claim her soon, hon, before somebody scoops her up!"

"You make Rudy sound like a piece of land."

"Excuses, excuses! Now go on back over there and mark your territory!" She gave Keagan an affectionate shove.

When Keagan returned, Dani was chatting and Rudy was looking uncomfortable. Keagan realized that her younger friend was too polite to tell her to leave. "Danielle." Keagan handed the plate to Rudy whose eyes widened with pleasure upon seeing the shrimp and crab cakes.

"Keagan."

"You mind if I ask you a question?"

Dani looked suspicious. "No, I suppose not."

"I was just wondering why you had the gall to think Rudy would want to talk to you when you tried to win her in a pool game. That’s all."

"What?!?!"

"You know, you tried to win her like she was a prize. That’s really low. And what’s really sad is that she’s too polite to tell you that. But you know what? I’m not." Keagan kept her voice low and unwavering with her eyes boring straight into Dani’s. And then she simply motioned with her hand for Dani to leave.

Dani stood up, glaring at Keagan. "You’ll pay for this, Keagan!" She stomped off, hoping to find Jill and the entourage.

Keagan plopped down next to Rudy who was chewing contentedly on her shrimp. She picked up the Rubik’s cube and began to play with it again. "Why do all the women say that to me? ‘You’ll pay for this!’ I did nothing but bring the truth to light."

"People don’t like dealing with the truth." Rudy dipped a piece of shrimp into the cocktail sauce and offered it to Keagan who took it between her lips and began chewing. "Great shrimp," she murmured happily.

"That’s your reward for standing up for me."

Keagan swallowed the shrimp. "Is that all I get?"

"Is that all you want?"

"No, but you’re drunk."

"I know. Isn’t it great? I don’t think I’ve ever been drunk before. All my feelings feel...exposed, on display!"

Keagan laughed but also felt a sense of sadness. She knew first-hand what the abuse of alcohol could do to people. And here was Rudy, saying it was great. "So you’ve never made love before, you’ve never been drunk before...what else haven’t you done?"

"Lots of things and I want to do them all with you." Rudy leaned over and put her hand on Keagan’s face, caressing the soft skin she found there. Barry White could be heard crooning in the background. I’ve got to keep you pleased in every way I can. Going to give you all of me, as much as you can stand. Make love to you right now that’s all I want to do. I know you need it girl and you know I need it, too. ‘Cause I found what the world’s been searching for, here, right here my dear I don’t have to look no more... "Oh! I just love Barry White!"

"You’re crazy! Barry White. Hey, that’s 70’s. I guess Gretchen kept her promise to me. But I didn’t think it would be Barry White." She chuckled lightly, but kept staring into Rudy’s green eyes. Rudy leaned closer for a kiss, but Keagan could see Brad approaching out of the corner of her eye. "Rudy, this is my friend, Brad." Rudy, who had been focused completely on Keagan shook her head and turned to greet the young man. Brad held out his hand. "I know of you, but I don’t think we’ve actually met." He smiled warmly and shook Rudy’s hand.

"Nice to finally meet you, Brad."

"You have impeccable timing." Keagan smiled at her friend, glad to see him but perturbed that it interrupted her kiss with Rudy.

"Sorry. I was just about to head out but couldn’t resist the urge to meet this very special, lovely woman who has attracted my friend’s attention. And now that I have, I shall be off. Rudy, I would very much like it if you and the big, brooding one--"

"Why does everyone always call me that?" Keagan frowned.

Brad cleared his throat noisily. "Would have dinner with Michael and myself sometime soon."

"Michael?"

Brad shrugged. "My latest."

"Oh. Cute?"

"Not bad. And he works at The Garage. Free beers and no cover." He smiled gleefully.

"Must your ‘companions’ always provide you with some free service?"

Brad grinned evilly. "Nope. But it doesn’t hurt, right? Goodnight, ladies. Enjoy your evening." And he was off.

"He certainly is charming."

"He’s a good friend. A bit complicated, but we all are to a certain extent."

"And you’d know complicated when you saw it, huh? Now where were we?" Rudy leaned over but before she could capture Keagan’s lips, two more visitors interrupted them. "Nate, Derek, this is Rudy." Keagan completely took her hands off of Rudy and gave up.

"Hi. We are really so happy for you two." They almost said it in unison.

"Happy? Why?" Keagan was confused.

Rudy ignored Keagan. "Nice to meet you both."

"What do you mean, ‘happy, why?’ You can be so dense sometimes, you incompetent boob." As Nate said this, Derek just rolled his eyes and prepared for Nate to be his typical, nosy self. Nate extended his hand to Rudy who shook it. "I work with Keagan."

"Oh. I hear it’s an interesting place to work."

"That’s an understatement or too big of a compliment for the place, I don’t know which. But we have fun, don’t we?" He glanced at Keagan and their eyes locked.

"Stop the odiousity!" They both said it in unison and then laughed. Derek shrugged his shoulders, sighed and gazed at Rudy sympathetically. Obviously, they were witnessing an in-joke between co-workers.

"You had to be there, I guess," said Keagan meekly.

Rudy grinned. "Probably, but I’d like to hear the story behind that one."

"I’m sure you’ll get it out of me eventually."

"Well," Nate said, "I think Keagan has finally found someone to keep her in line. Goodnight to you both. We’ve got to leave."

"Bye." Keagan watched her friends go. "This is so cool. I’ve managed to avoid the small talk." Keagan smiled with delight.

"And what’s wrong with small talk? It can be very revealing, you know."

"I can think of a lot more revealing things than small talk."

"Oh, really? Like what?" The alcohol had lowered Rudy’s inhibitions to the point where she no longer felt apprehensive about entering Keagan’s personal space. She leaned over and kissed Keagan’s neck and felt her breathing catch. She didn’t stop until she reached her lips and then her tongue entered Keagan’s mouth and she felt her moan. They parted and Rudy placed her hand at the top of Keagan’s chest to feel her heartbeat. "Your heart’s beating fast."

"It’s your fault."

"And why exactly is that?"

"Um..."

"Keagan, Rudy?"

The women both looked up to see none other than the infamous Dr. V.M. Addison standing before them. To Keagan, it was some sort of warped, reversed, poetic justice, vindicated upon her for not being the best grammar student she could be. And for not being into British Literature. Of all the people to interrupt a private moment with Rudy. Rudy, however, even in her inebriated and embarrassed state, managed to be pleasant and friendly. She smiled brightly at the professor as she casually removed her hand from Keagan’s chest.

"Dr. Addison, how nice to see you. I wasn’t aware that you knew Gretchen."

"Oh, I’m an old friend of her stepdad. And when he let me know she was having a party, I couldn’t resist stopping by to see what damage would be done." She chuckled lightly, giving no indication that the situation she had intruded upon had at all affected her. "So, what are you two up to?"

Rudy chimed in promptly. "We were just discussing Freneau...right?"

Keagan, who was still in a state of confusion, embarrassment, and mortification, nodded silently. She reached for another piece of shrimp and chewed on it to have something to do other than to come up with something to say.

"Certainly you could come up with a more stimulating topic than that. I know. How about another recitation of ‘The Passionate Shepherd?’" Dr. Addison laughed.

"We’re not in school now." Keagan regarded Dr. Addison for the first time.

"Sentence pattern?" Dr. Addison meant for Keagan to name the sentence pattern of her statement.

Keagan put her hands on her head and buried it in the pillow on the couch.

"I think it might be pattern one," she heard Rudy whisper.

"See you girls in class!" And with that, Dr. Addison was off to mingle with the other partygoers.

After Dr. Addison was well out of earshot, Keagan and Rudy looked at each other and exploded into hysterics. "So, what do you think the V stands for?"

Keagan appeared to consider the question carefully. "I think Vicky. Definitely Vicky. Like, Dr. Vicky Marie Addison."

"Not Veronica? Or Violet...or Vivian?"

"What do you think of Vega, Vanessa, Venus, Verbenia, Viola, Virginia, or Volupia...that one means sensual pleasure. Yep, I’ll bet that could be it, too. She’s a woman of mystery anyway. And then she shows up at a gay party. Hmm."

Rudy was too busy laughing at Keagan’s long list of V names to comment. "How did you know all those?"

Keagan shrugged. "I’m a writer. It’s my business to know a lot of different names. I have this great, little book with over 20,000 names in it. That’s where I get them."

"Ah." Rudy smiled and glanced down at Keagan’s hands, which had been working the puzzle almost non-stop since she had picked it up again.

With no bravado, she set down the solved Rubik’s cube. "You want to get out of here?" Keagan didn’t want to know what would happen next if she hung around at the party and she didn’t think she could handle much more stress in one night...or much more embarrassment.

"I came with Eileen and Tate. You could drive me home if you want."

"All right. Let’s get out of here...but let’s finish the shrimp first."

After Rudy let her friends know that Keagan was driving her home, they headed for the door. "Leaving so soon?"

Keagan turned and was startled to see Jill and Terry standing together, blocking her way. "A match made in heaven," she remarked.

"I never thought you were one to resort to cliches," said Terry.

"If the shoe fits..." Keagan couldn’t help but smile upon hearing Rudy’s laughter at her remark.

"Thought I’d give you some advice about your new girlfriend, Rudely." Terry had obviously had both too much punch and too much of Jill’s influence.

Rudy actually laughed at the mispronunciation of her name. But Keagan didn’t. "Her name is Rudy."

Jill chimed in. "Rudely Witless, right?"

Rudy glared at Jill, not seeing the humor in that one.

Looking at the two women she had once dated, Keagan had only one comment. "Remind me never to date again."

Rudy took hold of Keagan’s arm. "You could just date me, if you want. Then you wouldn’t have to worry about dating anyone else."

Keagan glanced down at her, but said nothing.

"Have fun with your little girl-toy, Keagan. But, eventually she’ll see what you’re really like."

"I’m surprised at you, Terry. Still carrying a torch after all these years?" Keagan tried to make her voice sound light. If she didn’t, her anger would show and she didn’t want to give Terry the satisfaction. She had a lot of nerve making such comments after she had dumped Keagan and left town.

"Nah. I never was in the first place. But I just like to watch out for sweet, young things like her."

"Interesting. You never watched out for me when I was a sweet young thing."

As both Jill and Terry glared back at them, Keagan said, "Now do you see why I hate parties?"

"I actually do now. And remind me to have a talk with you about your taste in women." Rudy grinned at her companion.

"It’s improving. Don’t you think?"

"Oh, definitely. Let’s go."

As Rudy and Keagan exited the house, she could feel Keagan’s arm around her shoulders almost tentatively. Her consumption of the shrimp and crab cakes had improved her ability to focus on her surroundings, even if it didn’t improve her ability to maneuver in those same surroundings. "You souse!" Keagan snickered, unable to stop herself from teasing Rudy.

Rudy slapped Keagan in the stomach playfully. "Hey, that’s not fair! I didn’t know how potent that punch was." They continued down the steps to the front porch, with Keagan guiding her, not in a condescending or overbearing way, but as more of a security blanket. If Rudy stumbled, she would be caught.

"I know." When they reached the car, Keagan realized that Rudy would either have to ride in the backseat or climb over the driver’s seat. Deciding to give her a choice, she looked to Rudy questioningly.

"What?" Keagan simply raised her eyebrows and gazed at Rudy guilelessly. The streetlight illuminated Keagan’s blue eyes in just the right way for them to have an effect on her, causing her to almost forget about the broken lock on the vehicle’s passenger side door. "Oh." She laughed. "I almost forgot. I can climb over, no problem." Rudy plopped into the driver’s seat and Keagan gazed at her with amusement as she tried to get the upper part of her body into the passenger seat first, which left her sprawled over the gearshift with her legs trapped beneath the steering wheel.

"It usually works better if you put your feet and legs over first."

From her uncomfortable position, she managed to twist her head around to face her friend. "Are you going to just stand there gawking or are you going to give me a hand?"

Keagan grinned evilly and began clapping, howling, and whistling. "Sure. You deserve a hand after contorting your body like that!"

"I think you’re enjoying this!" Rudy grunted. Her position was beginning to make her right foot cramp.

"Why would I enjoy seeing a young woman with brains, talent, and beauty get sloshed and then get herself stuck in a vehicle because she tried to climb over in a completely illogical way?"

Rudy didn’t know if she should be flattered or insulted. She decided on flattered. But nonetheless, she directed a glare in Keagan’s direction.

"Okay, okay." She moved forward, intending to help but stopped. "I think if you just start over you could get over easier. Just come out--"

"I can’t!"

"All right, all right." Keagan leaned down into the driver’s seat, thinking how funny the two of them must look to anyone watching. "This isn’t going to be easy. I’m going to try and pick you up a bit, and when I do you are going to have to move your legs up and over to your seat. Okay?"

Rudy laughed. "That sounds like fun."

Keagan moved the driver’s seat back as far as it would go to give them more room. "Just think of the fun we’ll have trying to get you back out."

"Oh, I know, umph--" Before Rudy was altogether prepared, Keagan had embraced her from behind around her torso and pulled up. It was a rather intimate position due to the lack of space. For a brief moment, their bodies were tightly pressed together. Rudy was somehow able to concentrate enough to pull her legs up and over the gearshift and onto the floor. Before their maneuver was completed, however, Keagan’s hands accidentally slipped down to caress Rudy’s hips.

"Sorry." Keagan gazed over sheepishly.

Once Rudy was settled into her seat, she gazed over at her companion with mirth, and ignored her apology. What a great opportunity to torment her. "So, was it good for you?"

Keagan realized that she could play openly with Rudy because, simply put, she was still drunk and absolutely nothing was going to happen between them. "Oh, baby, I’ve had it better."

"Give me another chance, then. I’m new at this."

She pointed at the seatbelt and Rudy had the sense to immediately reach for it to put it on. When she had difficulty doing it, Keagan did it for her. Then she directed a sultry smile toward her and started the car. "So, what do you want? Lessons?"

"You mean love lessons? Sure if you’re offering."

"Oh, honey, I think it’s you who will be doing the offering." As she pulled into the street, Keagan began to reconsider this kind of conversation while driving.

"Oh, really? And just what do you think I’ll be offering you?"

"Your body, your heart, your soul." Keagan grinned a little and refused to look in Rudy’s direction.

"You must be really good."

"I haven’t had any complaints."

"None?"

Keagan appeared to think for a second. "There was this one woman who didn’t share my...appetites if you know what I mean."

Rudy played innocent. "Um, no, what do you mean?"

Keagan finally glanced over and met the mischievous green eyes of her companion. She knew that Rudy wasn’t that naive. And that it would be a perfect time to end the conversation. "Okay, that’s enough of that. I think we’re almost at your place anyway."

Rudy remained silent and considered why her attraction to this woman seemed to grow every time Keagan clammed up. The more reclusive her friend became, the more Rudy wanted to break through that isolation. I must be one of those women who like the hard to get types. If she threw herself at me, I’d probably take three steps back and bolt. On second thought, at this point, I probably wouldn’t. Gazing over at Keagan and taking in her delicate features and strong hands on the steering wheel she felt her heart begin to pound. Nope. Definitely not.

When they reached Rudy’s house, she invited Keagan in and they discovered that Courtney wasn’t home. This relieved Rudy. She feared they would come home to find a group of her roommate’s friends and she didn’t feel like having them all see her drunk. Keagan was still helping her maneuver around and although Rudy’s coordination was improving a bit, she didn’t say anything, enjoying the touch of her friend too much.

After Keagan helped Rudy off with her coat, she insisted on helping her to the bedroom and she didn’t argue. As they got in the door, Rudy plopped onto the bed with a sigh. Keagan stood in the doorway. "I guess I’ll leave now if you’re okay."

"Um...Keagan could you help me undress please?" Rudy gazed at her with such a sincere look that Keagan almost didn’t suspect any underlying motives in the question.

"Uh, what do you need? Your shirt unbuttoned or--"

Rudy laughed. "If it makes you too nervous I can try and do it myself."

"I’m not nervous." Keagan walked over to the chair sitting in front of Rudy’s desk and picked up a nightshirt draped over the back. "You want this?"

Rudy nodded. This was starting to get interesting. Keagan came over to the bed, nightshirt in hand, and laid it on the bed. With a guarded look on her face she reached forward but then stopped. "Can you sit up?"

"I don’t think so." Rudy’s eyes looked back at Keagan challengingly.

Keagan almost grinned, but held back. She was convinced Rudy was playing with her. Two can play that game. Swiftly she reached over and unbuttoned Rudy’s blouse, never breaking eye contact. "How hot do you keep it in here anyway?" After four buttons, she leaned back and took off her leather jacket, letting it lie on the floor. Returning her attention to Rudy, she finished unbuttoning the shirt, but did it agonizingly slowly. Too slowly for Rudy whose eyes remained riveted on Keagan, who was beginning to turn a simple undressing into a seduction. "You’ll have to lean up a little so I can take it off. Can you do that?" Keagan’s face was inches away from Rudy’s and she never let her darkened blue eyes leave Rudy’s green ones.

Rudy nodded as her breathing increased. She leaned up a bit and Keagan helped her the rest of the way, slipping the blouse from her shoulders easily. Maintaining her eye contact with the now aroused young woman, she allowed Rudy to lean against her while she reached for the nightshirt. Not wanting to embarrass Rudy, whose upper body was now clothed in just a bra, she tried to speed the process along a bit. "Keep leaning against me and I’ll put it on for you." Every time Keagan spoke, her voice was a whisper, a sultry mixture of low, seductive intonations. Having avoided looking directly at a topless Rudy initially, her eyes eventually betrayed her and she glanced briefly down, just as she brought the nightshirt around her and Rudy slipped her arms into it. Total lace. I had wondered. "Have I got you speechless again?" Keagan was buttoning up the flannel nightshirt.

Rudy was breathing hard. "I think so. And you didn’t even kiss me this time."

Keagan just smiled. Play with me, will you? I’m the master at this game. Without warning, she reached her arms around Rudy to unhook her bra, but found no clasp. She leaned back only to see a smiling look of triumph.

"The clasp’s in the front."

Keagan realized that if she put her hands anywhere near Rudy’s breasts, it would be extremely difficult to remove them again. However, she wouldn’t, couldn’t let her win the game. "Oh," she said with nonchalance. Her hands moved under the nightshirt and very deftly undid the clasp, barely touching her friend's overheated skin. Within a couple of seconds, Rudy had slipped her bra off with a still attentive Keagan helping her.

Rudy knew exactly what Keagan was doing and that she was losing. She had never been so turned on by anyone and now wished that Keagan had left. Or at least that she hadn’t asked her friend to undress her.

"I’ll get your pants now." Keagan didn’t wait for a signal from Rudy, she just leaned over and reached for the top button to her jeans. When she did, Rudy felt a sensation of heat that she hadn’t previously, centered somewhere between her legs. She exhaled a little too loudly.

"No, no. That’s okay. You’ve done enough, really. Thanks. I think I can get that." She tried not to pant, tried to control her erratic breathing.

Keagan smiled with mock seductive intent. "Oh, no. I always finish what I start. And I did agree to...undress...you. Didn’t I?"

"I’m sure you always finish what you’ve started, but undressing me isn’t all you’ve started." Rudy mentally kicked herself for admitting it. Face it, she beat you at your own game.

Keagan almost sat back, but decided to remain leaning close to Rudy. The verbal banter was too much fun for her to give up easily. "Oh, really? And just what else have I started?"

"You made me want to feel you close to me, you made me want--"

"Rudy, I’m sorry." Keagan felt it necessary to interrupt because things were starting to leave the realm of flirtation and get serious. And she didn’t do serious.

"Sorry for what?" At Keagan’s words she felt a pain in her heart.

Keagan grabbed her jacket and headed for the door. "I’m just sorry but I can’t deal with this right now." She turned and left the room.

Rudy felt her heart breaking and knew she had to make a decision and quickly. Should she follow Keagan and stop her, thereby admitting that she wasn’t really that drunk anymore or let her go and risk not seeing her for days? Jumping out of bed quickly, she headed out her bedroom door with determination.

Continued...Part 5

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