| “Tangled” by Sep *** Honor and love to Travis. *** Part 1 It must have been eighty degrees in the room and as a recurring drip fell in a far corner. The noise of it was at first bothersome, but then became a sort of metronome as she sat, waiting for his return and yet, expecting nothing. If he never came, that was all right too. Nothing made sense anymore, so why should things fall into any logical order tonight? If he did come back to this place, all the better. Let him be surprised by her for a change. There was no other sound than the steady drip, drip, drip among the plants and the overgrowth that had made this very room into a jungle. No central sound system piped in music, no televisions played in the background, nothing but the drip, surrounded by the thick, cushioning humidity in the air. When she had walked out onto the adjoining balcony, there had been the city below with all its confusion and sound, and for an instant she felt an understanding, a sympathy for anyone unaccustomed to the whole mess of modern life. It had been far better to retreat into the lush green warmth of the Atrium and sit with her thoughts that ran in a most unconnected stream, on their way to nowhere. Being here was crazy. Why here of all places? Kathleen had let her in without question. For all the things she might not have been, Kathleen was a woman who knew without saying all that had so suddenly erupted in her life and in her heart. Whether John came back that night or not, she knew she would be free to stay as long as she wished. But why had this place drawn her when nothing else seemed right? The answer echoed around her. Because this was the only place she really felt safe. More to describe, she felt safe, and mixed up and out of breath, and helpless to emotions she could not name. Everything was just out of order in her head, yes, that was it. She should hang a big "Out of Order" sign around her neck. The image of that suddenly made her laugh, low and quiet and the sound seemed to fill the room, startling her own ears. The air stirred around her as she sat, still once more on that same ledge near the back window, looking out over the lights that lit the sky above the city. She never even heard his footsteps or detected his presence until his hand, firm and warm, touched her shoulder. "You're here." Was all he said. Was it a statement or a question. It was part of his mystery that you often couldn't distinguish the meaning of his words, though he intended no deceit. His eyes though, they told a different story. Those eyes stared down at her as he stood quietly by her side and moved but one finger, slowly, to barely trace a line along her jaw. Without thinking, without anything but a certain relief, a break in the tension just for seeing him again, she smiled. |