Your Eyes Tell Me What I Need to Know

Feeling someone shaking her shoulder, Katrina buried her face deeper into her pillow. She was warm and comfortable and didn’t plan on moving unless she really had to. The shaking stopped and she let out a content sigh. Then it started again. “What?” Katrina mumbled, not opening her eyes.

“Get up Kat,” Shannon whispered. “I thought you wanted to go with me to the airport.”

“What time is it and why is your hand on my ass?” Katrina asked.

“It’s six and that’s not my hand.”

Snapping her eyes open, Katrina saw that what she thought was a pillow was not so. It was Hank’s chest. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even letting her know he was still asleep. Breathing a sigh of relief, Katrina slid out of the bed and followed Shannon to the living area still half asleep. “Why is Hank still here?”

“When I got back from the club, you both were asleep so I thought I would let you guys sleep,” Shannon said. “Nothing happened, did it?”

“Only him wanting to talk,” Katrina said running a hand through her messy hair as she spotted Shannon’s luggage. “Do you really have to leave today?”

“Actually I was supposed to leave two days ago, but yeah I do,” Shannon said. “So I guess we’re gonna do this here?”

“I’ll drive you to the airport.”

Shannon laughed at her friend. “With what? Your imaginary car?”

“With Hank’s car.”

“Kat, you can’t just take his car.”

“So I’ll leave him a note,” her smile faded when she saw the look on Shannon’s face. “Fine I’ll wake him and ask him.”

“I can take a cab,” Shannon told her. “I don’t mind.”

“Shannon, shut up and let me drive you.”

Seeing her friend nod in agreement, Katrina walked back to her bedroom where Hank was still asleep. Walking to her closest, she grabbed a jacket and slipped it on before taking off her pajama pants and replacing them with a pair of jeans that were in the laundry basket by the closet. Sitting on the floor she grabbed a pair of ankle socks before putting on a pair of tennis shoes and standing back up. Looking over at Hank, Katrina couldn’t help but notice how content he looked. Sitting by his back, she saw his keys on the night stand on his side of the bed. “Hank,” she whispered as to not startle him too much. “Hank, I need to take Shannon to the airport.”

“Do you want me to drive?” he asked, looking at her through sleep filled eyes.

“You are in no shape to drive.”

He didn’t say anything, but he reached around her and grabbed the keys of his car and handed them to her. “You can drive if I can go back to sleep.”

With a smile on her face she got off the bed and grabbed her clutch from the night before and took out her phone and wallet before going into the living area where her messenger bag was sitting on the couch. Putting the items inside and keeping the keys in her hand she smiled at Shannon letting her know that it was time. Grabbing her house keys out of the bowl, she unlocked the door and allowed Shannon to go first. Locking the door on her way out, the two friends made their way to the elevator in silence.

Once in the car, Shannon looked at Katrina with a smile on her face. “So why didn’t you ever tell me how cute Hank is?”

“Would it have changed anything?” Katrina asked as she started the car.

“No, but now I can see why you are so into him.”

“It’s not about how he looks, Shannon, he’s a great guy and whoever has him is one lucky girl.”

“Can I give you some advice?” Shannon asked.

“Do I have a choice?” Katrina asked as she pulled out into traffic and heading towards the airport.

“No, not really,” Shannon smiled. “So he seems to like you.”

“He has someone else,” Katrina cut in. “And I won’t be the one to break up someone else’s relationship for my needs.”

“So are you feeling lust or something more?”

“I can’t explain what I feel towards Hank,” Katrina sighed. “He’s been there for me and he’s helped me and I don’t know how to explain it, but when it’s just us hanging out, I feel like I have no worries and there is no one else to worry about except for us.”

“How long has he been with this other person?” Shannon asked. “Didn’t you say that he kissed you back?”

“He did.”

“So there might be a chance that things aren’t what they seem and until he can figure out what he wants I say try and stay away from him. At least for your sanity.”

“He’s one of the few people in New York that I know and you want me to stop hanging out with him?” Katrina asked as she stopped behind another car. “I have a total of four people that I know out here and three are on the same soccer team. Hank takes me away from that and I need someone like that. Just like you do at times.”

“Okay, I see your point there,” Shannon said thoughtfully. “But can you hang around with him knowing that he doesn’t want to be with you in the same way you want to be with him?”

“If I want him as a friend, I’m gonna have to get over whatever it is I feel for him because he feels something for whoever it is and it must be great otherwise I might have had a chance.”

“You won’t know if you do or don’t unless you actually talk to the guy.”

“If I talk to him about this, I might break down because it will actually hit me that he’s out of my reach,” Katrina said. “No, I won’t talk with him about this. I’ll buy him a thank you coffee on my way home for letting me use his car, but that’s it.”

“You are way too stubborn for your own good.”

“You love me for it,” Katrina laughed as she tried to blink back the tears that she felt coming to her eyes. “You wouldn’t change me.”

“I can’t say I’d want you any other way.” Shannon admitted as they got into the lane that would take them to airport parking.

Going down aisle after aisle, Katrina finally found a parking spot and grabbed it before someone else did. Getting Shannon’s luggage out of the car, they both headed in the direction to check the luggage. After waiting twenty minutes in line, they headed towards the check point. Katrina looked down as she crossed her arms over her chest before meeting Shannon’s eyes. “I guess this is good-bye.”

“Kat, you know this isn’t good-bye,” Shannon smiled. “We did this once already in California.”

“It feels like good-bye,” Katrina admitted. “I don’t like good-byes.”

“You know you’re welcome to come out to California for Thanksgiving and Christmas,” Shannon reminded her. “Or just one of them. This year a lot of the girls are going to be there. And I would have for you to be alone during the holidays.”

“What’s the difference between the holidays and every other day of the year when I’m alone in this city?”

“You have to look at this situation in a positive light,” Shannon told her. “Give it some time.”

“I miss having you around,” Katrina admitted. “I miss everything about California.”

“You always will,” Shannon said with a small smile on her face. “That’s your home and you have a lot of memories, but the great thing about new places is you make new ones.”

Throwing her arms around her friend, Katrina held onto her tight. She closed her eyes as she felt the tears in her eyes escape. Shannon rubbed her hand up and down her friends’ back. “Things will get easier.”

Taking a deep breath, Katrina nodded her head as she let go of Shannon. “Will you call me when you get back in? So I’m not worried?”

“Always,” Shannon agreed. “Don’t get into too much trouble. And stay away from Sean Avery.”

“Hank’s teammate?”

“If you have any chance with Hank, stay away from Sean, he’ll ruin it for you.”

Katrina nodded her head and watched as Shannon walked away from her and went through the checkpoint. Shannon turned back and waved to her before heading to the gate where her plane would be taking her home. With a long sigh, Katrina turned and walked out and went to where she parked Hank’s car. As she paid left she headed back home, where it was quite possible that Hank was asleep in her bed. The drive home seemed to go faster than the drive to the airport. Finding a parking spot in the same area as to where he parked last night, Katrina shut off the engine before grabbing all her things and going inside the building and up the elevator and to her place.

As she unlocked the door, she heard a voice coming from within and she knew who it was. Hank was awake and talking on the phone. Opening the door she walked inside before closing the door. She dropped her keys and Hank’s into the bowl next to the door. She toed off her shoes before walking to the couch and laid down with her eyes closed. The back of her knees went over the side of the couch as she laid there. The cushion next to her head sunk down but Katrina didn’t open her eyes since she knew who it was.

“You both are close.”

It wasn’t a question, more of an observation. Katrina didn’t feel the need to respond or even open her eyes. She was trying not to think about what it was that he was going to want to talk to her about. On top of that, she wished that Shannon was still here. Without her here, it was one less friend in the new city she was having to call home. Feeling his hand rubbing circles on her back did nothing to help her forget.

“We should talk Kitty,” Hank said softly. “About what happened.”

“There’s no need to talk about it,” she said. “I kissed you, you responded, but then remembered you can’t go around kissing other girls since you have someone else.”

“Kitty…” Hank started, but stopped when Katrina got off the couch and walked away from him. She walked to her bedroom and jumped on the bed. Her face was planted into the pillow. She hoped that when she walked away that he would drop the subject so that she could sulk alone. No such luck for her. “I could really use a friend right now.”

Hearing his voice from the doorway, Katrina lifted her head off the pillow and looked at him. He wasn’t the same Hank that had teased her about getting lost in New York or the one that held the elevator for her while she ran towards it in heels. No, this Hank was sadder. Like he had lost something and Katrina felt herself melting at the sight of him.

“Okay,” she agreed and pushed herself up and into a sitting position on the bed before patting the area where he had slept the night before. “I know that you need to talk.”

Walking towards her, he sat down and watched her stretch out on the bed and he followed suit. Once they were both comfortable, neither knew what to say to the other.

“Tell me about her.” Katrina said.

Did she really want to hear about the other woman in Hank’s life that obviously meant something to him? Not really, but if they were going to be friends, she would have to get over it and be a friend so that she could have one. It was a work in progress and she knew it would need a lot of work.

“You want to hear about her?” Hank asked, not hiding the surprise in his voice.

“Tell me about her,” Katrina said. “As your friend I’m asking.”

“Her name is Caitlin,” Hank sighed. “She’s a free spirit.”

“With life or men?” Katrina asked. “Sorry, I was just curious.”

“And you have every right to be.” Hank said looking into her brown eyes.

“I do?” she asked.

“You’re my friend and as my friend you’re just looking out for me.”

“Yeah,” Katrina said, hoping the disappointment didn’t show through her voice. “Were you in love with her?”

Part of her wanted to know the answer, but the other part wanted her to plug her ears and scream so she couldn’t hear a word of what he was about to say. She avoided eye contact with him after asking. It felt like an eternity until her finally said anything. Did it really take that long to answer the question?