Life After You

Their ribs are aching and it feels as if they have inhaled chemicals, their lungs burning. Every time they had wiped their tears away they were soon replaced with fresh droplets. Once they had composed themselves they found themselves in hysterics when they looked at each other. Jeremy and Kelly are both slouched comfortably on the sofa, facing each other and chatting like they are old friends. Kelly sits with her legs folded, Jeremy has one leg on the middle cushion, bent at the knee and his arm over the back of the sofa.

"When can I buy you dinner?" Jeremy asks out of the blue.

Kelly feels her breath hitch in her throat. Coffee was one thing and dinner was another. She thinks about rushing too the bathroom and calling Marilyn for advice. She likes Jeremy, but she doesn't want to ruin their friendship after a professional relationship. She knows him intimately because he had confessed his fears to her, told her his worries and had cried and broken down.

A silence grows between them.

"Sorry. It just slipped out" Jeremy says quietly and gets up to leave.

"I'd love to" Kelly blurts out.
He smiles at her.

"I'd love to have dinner with you"

"How about tomorrow night? I'll pick you up around six-thirty?" He says excitedly.

Kelly agrees.

Kelly peeks through the blinds as Jeremy drives off from her little cottage style home. As soon as he is gone she is already having doubts whether it's the right thing to do. Kelly goes upstairs and calls Marilyn. She needs her advice.