Chapter 36

Her kitchen was spacious and warm. The appliances were shiny and looked as if they had been taken out of the box maybe a month before. I could only imagine how much her place cost; right on the beach, almost brand new and big.

Efficiently, McKayla fixed me a plain bagel with cream cheese, then sat down next to me. I nibbled at the food, not really hungry, but I knew I had to get something into my stomach. I just hoped I could keep it down.

"I didn't do anything stupid last night, did I?" I finally managed to ask.

She smiled slightly. "Not really."

It was then that I remembered my drunken pass at her. I looked away, embarrassed. If she was going to call me on it, that was the time, but she didn't.

"Where are Allyson and Bretlynn?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Allyson is in one of the guest bedrooms," McKayla replied gently. "I took Bretlynn home on the way to mass."

"You go to church?" I asked.

"Every Sunday," she said, very matter-of-factly.

I was taken aback by her reply. I didn't figure being Catholic and a homosexual went together very well, given the papal stance on same-sex relations. What did I know, though? My family wasn't very religious and I never went to church regularly.

"Eat up," McKayla said gently and patted my hand. Then she stood. "I'm going to wake up Allyson and then get you girls home."

As she walked away, I wished her touch had lasted a little bit longer.

McKayla got us up and dressed, then took us back to our apartments. There was no throwing up involved. Just a massive headache. I sat on my couch for the rest of the day, partly hungover, partly confused.

What was it about her that gave me chills just thinking about her? Was it really a sexual kind of arousal? She was certainly a pretty girl. Plus she was smart, funny and kind. However, I had never had any sort of lesbian feelings. I liked guys; that much had always been certain.

Still, I couldn't deny that there was some sort of attraction between us. And it wasn't just as friends. There was just something about her...

The memory of our kiss—however fleeting, however clouded by liquor—was the only thing from the previous night that was crystal clear in my mind. Her lips were so soft. Her touch so gentle. Just the thought of that kiss made me tingle from head to toe. What did it mean?

The next week flew by. We had plans to go out on Saturday night and it was my week to be the DD, which was kind of a relief since I didn't feel like drinking much anyway.

We decided to go out for dinner and then hang out along the boardwalk.

There is a really nice seafood restaurant that's right on the intercoastal and not too far from my apartment. There's a dock around back, and in the early afternoon a boat pulls up and unloads the day's catch. Talk about a fresh meal.

McKayla came over to my place after work and then we went to pick up Allyson and Bretlynn. There was a palpable tension in the air between us but neither of us wanted to talk about it, or even acknowledge it.

While waiting for our names to be called, Allyson and Bretlynn had a glass (or two) of wine. We sat on the deck watching the sun set and making small talk. The restaurant pager went off and we got up to go inside.

On the way, we passed another group of girls. One of them waved at McKayla.

"Hey," she said shyly.

"Hi," McKayla replied, her usual poise gone, suddenly becoming uncomfortable. She stopped for a second and the rest of us piled up behind her.

"How have you been?" the girl asked. She took a tentative step forward. Familiar.

"Okay. You?"

"Good."

McKayla shifted nervously and flashed the blinking pager in her hand. "Our table just got called. I'll see you around."

"Um ... okay." It might have been my imagination, but I thought she sounded disappointed. What I knew wasn't my imagination was the twinge of jealousy I felt from the pit of my stomach.

We were seated and were looking over the menu. McKayla looked like she wanted to disappear behind hers.

"Who was that?" Allyson asked casually. When she's drinking, sometimes she says things she might not say otherwise.

McKayla blushed. "Vicki Damron."

"Didn't you—" Allyson started.

"Yes," McKayla said curtly. She lowered her menu enough to shoot Allyson a stop-talking-now-or-I'm-going-to-smack-you look.

Bretlynn giggled at the other girl's obvious discomfort. I watched McKayla's reaction carefully. She wouldn't make eye contact with me.

The rest of the meal passed uneventfully. Allyson and Bretlynn let the subject drop and moved on to gossip about their friends and other topics. McKayla still wouldn't look at me. Her face was flushed with what I thought was embarrassment and maybe a little bit of shame.