Melissa Good - Tropical Storm

“Uh.” Dar peeked at her from the corner of one eye. “Not exactly.”

Kerry crawled closer and put her chin on Dar’s shoulder. “Not exactly?”

“No, well, since you had that close encounter with the milk truck, I, um…” Dar was embarrassed, and she felt her skin heat with a blush. “I set it up just in case anything… Well, I mean, it’s not like you have a contact card on you. I mean, whatever… If something happened to you, I’d, um…”

“Dar, that’s very sweet.” Kerry gazed at her.

“Practical,” the executive argued. “A simple need for information.”

They looked at each other, and Kerry gently kissed the shoulder she was leaning on. “Thank you for caring, Dar,” she said very softly. “You don’t know how much that means to me right now.”

The taller woman gently pulled her closer and slid both arms around her.

“I’m sorry things didn’t work out with your folks, Kerry.” She tucked the blonde head down against her and kissed it.

Kerry allowed herself to sink into the comforting warmth at last, breathing in Dar’s distinctive scent, and settling her head down on her lover’s broad shoulder. “Me too.” She sighed. “I guess I have no family now,” she added sadly.

“Sure you do,” Dar murmured, her eyes closed.

Kerry tilted her head and regarded her in silence, then she smiled to herself and put her head back down, at last allowing sleep to wash over her.

HER PAGER WENT off at nine, and Dar had to force her eyes open, as her body complained heartily about leaving the warm, somnolent nest she was snuggled into. The thin curtain in the room was blocking most of the daylight, and it was nice and dark inside.

“Ugh,” she groaned softly, blinking the sleep out of her eyes and peering down at the still sleeping Kerry. The blonde woman was sprawled half across her, and Dar could see the strain and exhaustion that still marked her friend’s face.

Poor kid. Dar absently stroked the soft golden hair lying across her chest. I can’t believe they did that to her. She didn’t deserve that. Kerry had been very withdrawn since they’d left her parents’ house, and Dar knew she was probably still in shock. Dar took a moment to reflect on the last twenty-four hours, scarcely able to believe what they’d both been through. “Damn.” She muttered softly to herself. “I’ll be glad to get home.”

“Am home,” Kerry mumbled, letting out a sigh and tightening her grip, still mostly asleep.

The taller woman smiled, then rubbed her lover’s back. “Ker?” she called softly.

Pale green eyes very slowly fluttered open and focused on her. “Uh?”

“We’ve got a plane to catch,” Dar told her, half apologetically, smoothing the fair hair back from her forehead.

“Oh, right.” With an obvious effort, Kerry pushed herself up on her elbows, then let her head drop and rest on Dar’s arm. “Oh god, I feel like I’ve been run over by a truck.” She moaned.

Dar yawned. “Me too, must have been all the excitement.” She rolled over and paused, catching her breath as the bruises she’d collected a few hours previous made themselves known. “Ah…whoa.”

Kerry slid over and took her arm. “What’s wrong?” she asked anxiously,

“Are you okay?”

Her taller companion slowly straightened. “Just a few aches, I’m all right.” She stood up and cautiously stretched out her body, then trudged over to the bathroom and flipped on the light, running water into the sink. “Jack offered to buy us breakfast. We can do that, then head for the gate and get out of here.” She splashed water on her face and exhaled. “We unfortunately have to change planes in Detroit.”

“Sounds wonderful,” Kerry murmured. “The sooner the better.” She sighed. “Detroit, huh? Well, I can get a Lions sweatshirt. I always liked them.”

Tropical Storm 443

Jack poked his head in the door between their two rooms. “Did I hear my name?” The Navy pilot inquired brightly. “And something about a Lion?”

They washed and headed off to breakfast.

THE FLIGHT WAS uneventful. Kerry was happy to sleep through most of it, curled up in her first class seat near the window, with Dar’s comforting presence on the other side of her. The slanting sun woke her, and she peered out the window to see an endless sea of grass spreading out beneath the plane’s wings, the patchwork of green interspersed with the odd ripple of dark blue and forest green. She turned her head and gazed at Dar, who was staring off into the distance, her eyes half closed. “Dar?” She reached over and touched the taller woman’s arm.

The blue eyes turned to meet hers. “Hmm? Almost home.”

Kerry nodded. “We’re over the ’glades. What’s the weather like?”

A smile. “Lower eighties, sunny, chance of showers tonight.”

“Oh, an odd day.” Kerry smiled back, letting her fingers move lightly over Dar’s tanned skin. “You look really wiped.”

“I am,” Dar admitted. “I couldn’t sleep night before last, then I had that early flight. We ran around playing football and all that yesterday, then last night…” She exhaled. “I’m running on nothing but cussedness right now.”

Kerry leaned over and rested her cheek against Dar’s arm. “Lend me some cussedness for a while, then, okay?”

The plane continued its descent, and the greens of the Everglades slowly morphed into cinderblock buildings, then the paved lots of the outer-rim warehouses. Then the heavy industrial section flowed under the wings, storage buildings directly in the flight path of the airport. Lower and lower, and finally Kerry saw the distinctive arch of the 826 freeway pass under them.

She settled back against the leather seat as the plane dropped to the ground and landed with a soft hop on the long, sun-bleached runway. Green trees surrounded them, and Kerry felt a sense of relief as the plane taxied up to the terminal, nudging into place at a gate.

They got their luggage, and Dar handed her claim ticket to the valet service. “Easier than parking myself,” she commented to Kerry, who had been very quiet. “You want me to drop you at your place, or…?” She was a little uncertain, knowing what she wanted Kerry to do, but not wanting to push her lover if Kerry felt like some time alone to think about things.

The blonde woman was silent for a bit, then she looked up as the Lexus was brought around. “Um, to be honest, Dar, I don’t know if I want to be by myself right now,” she admitted. “No one’s going to be around my complex, and…” She let her eyes rest on Dar’s face. “And I think I need a shoulder to lean on.”

A smile crossed the taller woman’s face. “I know a little island you might be interested in,” she commented quietly. “I think I even have some turkey roll.” Kerry nodded. “I’d love that.” She knew the reaction to everything would hit soon, and the peace of Dar’s condo was very enticing. She certainly didn’t want to face Colleen or her other friends with explanations yet. They got in the 444 Melissa Good car and Dar pulled out cautiously.

DAR WENT IN first, holding the door open for Kerry to follow, then shutting it behind them as the cool peace of the apartment surrounded them both. “Well.” Dar tossed her bag down on the couch, then took Kerry’s from her and held it for a moment.

Kerry walked over to the sliding glass doors and peered out, pressing her fingertips against the glass and absorbing the huge expanse of green stretching to the horizon. “It’s so pretty out there,” she commented softly.

Dar studied her, then chewed her lip a bit. “Um.” It was horrible timing, but… “Kerry?” she called, tentatively.

The blonde woman half turned, peering at her. “Yeah?” She peered at her lover, surprised by a sudden, perceptible awkwardness that was painfully evident to her. “What’s up?”

“Um, you know, you spend a lot of time here and I…” Dar focused her eyesight on the tile. “I mean, I hope you spend a lot more time here, but it’s…

I mean it’s kind of senseless to be carrying things back and forth all the time, so I thought…” She found herself uncharacteristically fumbling for words. “I thought maybe you’d… Well, I have all those spare rooms upstairs, and I thought maybe you’d like to sort of keep some…stuff…um, here.”

Hands covered hers where they rested on the bag, and she looked up in startlement to see Kerry gazing at her from a very short distance. She took the duffel bag and slung it over her shoulder, then took Dar’s hands in her own.

“That’s incredibly sweet and generous of you, Dar. I know how much you value your private space.”

Dar searched her face for a minute. “Does that mean yes or no?” She managed a half smile.

“I…um, I… Yes,” Kerry finally got out. “I’d really like that. Thank you.”

“Good.” The taller woman exhaled in relief. “You can, um, pick out whichever one you like, though I kinda thought you might like the one on the end.” She rubbed her neck. “I’m going to get some coffee going; I think we both could use it.” She rubbed her neck and pretended an offhandedness she simply didn’t feel.

Kerry nodded. “Good idea, I’ll just go…um…” She patted the bag. “Put stuff away.” She smiled at Dar. “Be right back. “

Dar watched her disappear up the stairs and allowed her face to crease into a relaxed, delighted grin as she turned and made her way back into the kitchen. It wasn’t like… Okay, so it was a tiny step towards Kerry moving in with her, but she knew they both weren’t ready for that. This seemed a good first move, though, and it was practical. It would let her test out the idea of actually living with someone, which she certainly wasn’t used to.

She knew she loved Kerry, there wasn’t any doubt about that, but Dar was also a realist, and she knew herself pretty well. She’d been living alone for many years, and adjusting to a roommate, no matter how beloved, would be a trial. Wouldn’t it?

Dar nibbled on a bit of dried apricot she’d taken from the refrigerator and put on a pot of coffee, using the newly delivered flavored blend she’d gotten Tropical Storm 445

before she left. Hazelnut; she sniffed approvingly before peeking in the refrigerator again, and was relieved at seeing a somewhat meager but adequate variety of groceries. “Ooo.” She leaned forward and examined a neatly packaged bunch of ripe green grapes, then checked the crisper for the small baby finger carrots she’d asked for, knowing Kerry loved to nibble on them.

“Wonder if she’d like those dipped in chocolate?” Dar mused absently, selecting one and examining it. “No, that probably defeats the purpose, right?” She bit the end off the carrot and chewed it. “Hmm.” She rolled the sweet pulp around in her mouth and swallowed it. “That’s not too bad,” she admitted, “for a vegetable.”

She checked the rest of the groceries, then wandered into the living room, considering. “Have to have that second ISDN line dropped in up there, that second room could be another office.” Dar chewed another piece of apricot thoughtfully. “This could work.”

KERRY GOT TO the top of the stairs and stopped; she leaned against the wall and just closed her eyes. It was just all happening too fast, she realized, her mind was still whirling with the situation regarding her family, and now this.

“Okay.” She shook the hair out of her eyes and tried to settle herself. “It was just a really, really nice thing for Dar to do, probably because she knows how weirded out I am right now.” She found a smile twitching her lips up anyway, and she moved slowly from room to room, peering into each one until she reached the last one.

She nudged the door open and peeked inside, remembering the wide, open space and beautiful view. Yep. Kerry walked all the way inside, feeling the carpet thick and comfortable under her feet, and looked around. The room was a pale shade of greenish-blue, with pale wood furniture in it. There was a tall dresser with six drawers tucked into one corner, and a long set of drawers across the length of the room, with a neatly framed mirror in the center. A door in the corner led to a walk-in closet larger than her kitchen, and on the other wall was a door which led into an eggshell-and-cobalt bathroom, complete with a corner stall shower and a large whirlpool-equipped bathtub raised up for easy entrance. “So.” Kerry leaned against the wall and gazed at the room. “You think I’d like this one, huh, Dar?” She walked over to the tall dresser, and pulled a drawer out. “You’re right, I do.”

She unpacked her bag and put everything away, then went to the window and let the ocean’s mellow movement calm her. A nutty scent distracted her, however, and she turned and made her way to the door, running her fingers through her hair to order it a little, and almost collided with Dar. “Whoa.”