Josie waited a moment for her eyes to adjust when she stepped into the restaurant. Before the sunspots disappeared from her view, she felt warm arms encircle her, and breathed in Kendall's familiar scent.
"Hi, you," Kendall said lightly, pressing her lips gently against Josie's sensitive neck.
"Hi yourself," Josie breathed, wondering why in the hell she'd agreed to have dinner with this woman, considering their first brief passionate hours, and Josie's reluctant agreement to take no more than friendship beyond that time.
Stepping back, Josie grasped Kendall's hands in her own and drank in her tall form, taking note of the thick black sweater clinging to her subtle curves, her hip-hugging jeans, and the sly spark in her deep brown eyes. With a sigh, Josie squeezed and released Kendall's long fingers, and followed her to their reserved booth.
"So what'll it be, gorgeous?" Kendall asked, presenting the wine list with a wink.
Josie's stomach fell when Kendall grinned at her – she'd had no idea how difficult this evening would be, but was beginning to understand that it would be more than painful. She hadn't expected to fall so easily for the beautiful woman at her side, and had in fact promised herself that she wouldn't. Taking a deep breath, she peered up into Kendall's big beautiful eyes. "Beer. Definitely a beer night – I think I'll super-size it," she joked, hinting at the tension she noticed between them.
Chuckling, Kendall replied, "A girl after my own heart – I need to put out some flames on my end, too."
The two exchanged small talk, staring at their menus and sipping water as if they were dying of thirst. Once they had exhausted topics of the weather, Josie's job search and Kendall's dog Pete, silence hung heavy in the air between them. Both were startled when the server appeared over Kendall's shoulder to take drink orders.
"Hiya, ladies – I'm Adrian and I'll be taking care of –" the spiky-haired femme froze with her mouth agape when Kendall turned to look at her – "Kendall?"
Stealing a quick glance at Josie and shifting with visible discomfort in her seat, Kendall met the newcomer's eyes. "Hi Adrian," she spoke tentatively, "this is, um – surprising."
Josie watched Kendall carefully, and noticed a frown spread from her brow to her chin, tensing each muscle in her strong face.
"I'll bet," Adrian scoffed as she shot a darting glare at Josie and bore her eyes into Kendall's. "Is this her?"
"Wha-?" Kendall began, confused. Then, "Oh – no. Um – Adrian, this is my – uh – this is Josie. Josie, this is Adrian."
"Don't try and spare my feelings, Kendall."
"Look, Ade, I don't want-"
Adrian's low growl kept Kendall from finishing her sentence: "Don't you dare call me that, you fucking-"
"Excuse me, is there a problem?" Adrian stopped short when her manager came up and put a hand on her shoulder.
Josie couldn't help but compare the interchange between Adrian and Kendall to what she imagined it would be like if she and Camryn were to meet unexpectedly, and acted on instinct.
"No," Josie said, standing. "There's no problem. We were just leaving – I forgot about an appointment we had. Ready, Kendall?"
Wordlessly, Kendall stood, grasped Josie's outstretched hand and allowed herself to be led from the restaurant. When they reached her motorcycle just outside the front door, Kendall broke the silence between them. Whispering, with her head bowed, she squeezed Josie's hand and said, "Thank you."