Agreement

His eyes stayed on hers, and her car could be heard approaching. Both his hands came to her face, and a whirl of thoughts and feelings swept her as his face neared hers. She almost stopped breathing as she watched his lips descend to hers. Without thought, her eyes closed, and the meshing of softness at her lips lingered. After a moment, she pulled away.

"Trevor."

He stood still in front of her.

Her voice was too shaky as she half-whispered to him. "What are you doing?"

His face gradually went from side to side. "I don't know. I can't help it. You... you move me. I've never felt so... wild like this."

The valet stood and waited nearby.

She brushed her hair to the side and sucked at her lips. She tried for a stronger tone, saying goodbye. "Trevor, uh, we can't be acting like that. It was great seeing you. It really was, but... I hope you understand."

She pivoted from him as he still seemed to be considering what to say. Rather than waiting any longer for him to say anything, she took her keys from the attendant.

I have to go.

...

6.

Julia drove home in a daze. Surely, she had misunderstood.That could not have happened. Impossible.

At home, the lights were already out, which meant Bill must have already turned in. Up the stairs, she clutched the rail not trusting her equilibrium.Did I mistake all of that somehow?

Sure enough, Bill was already in bed and turned away. She struggled to undress in the darkness, replaying some of the night in her mind. Nothing led her to believe it was exaggerated.

The eerie quiet of the house seemed to only make it worse for her. As she eased onto the bed and under the covers, even the slight squeaking of the mattress unnerved her. She needed to vent this, and she might as well break this to Bill. There wasn't a peep from his side of the bed.

On the way home, the fleeting possibility of keeping this to herself crossed her mind. She loved Trevor immensely and didn't wish him harm or conflict. After all, it couldn't have been easy for him to open up to her about something so weird and troubling. He had to have made the decision to trust her.

Just as well, Trevor knew her, and if nothing else, she was honest. Everyone knew that about her. She couldn't imagine keeping something like that from Bill. She would not want it kept from her.

For about the thousandth time, she tried to come up with an explanation for how she misunderstood. Maybe, he was confused. Perhaps he had meant nothing...sexual. But, the kiss? His saying he was "moved" by her? No, it was abundantly clear.

There was also the consideration for Bill's reaction. Even though he had been so damn aloof and seemingly uncaring lately, something like this would anger him. How would he react? She didn't worry about some physical violence, but there could be quite the emotional hell wrought between them. Bill was quite capable of that.

Back and forth her mind spun, and she was tiring of thinking about it. Maybe she should wait until the morning, and just see what her thinking was then. After all, this could be a huge rift in her family.

She turned onto her side, and as she did, a queasiness stirred in her. It was familiar, and it had also happened recently, too. Her eyes squeezed shut, as she tried to suppress her feelings from when he tried to kiss her. How she had anticipated him at first, how she had waited to speak, how she had stirred then, too.

"Bill... ." She must get this out in the open. "Bill!"

He shuffled in the covers beside her. "What?"

"We need to talk."

"It can wait until the morning."

"No. No, it can't."

"Damn it, Julia. I was asleep. I got a long day tomorrow."

"It's about Trevor."

He turned over to rest on his back and kept his eyes closed, but managed a response. "What is it?"

"We met for drinks tonight."

"I know that."

"He... ."

"Is he okay?"

"Uh, yeah. I mean, he's okay. But... ."

"Julia, c'mon. If he's okay, then all's good. Let's get some sleep. Shit."

"Bill... he made a pass at me."

A moment passed in the dark bedroom with absolutely no sound.

"He what?"

"We were having drinks. We were talking. Everything was normal. Then... I don't know. We went to leave and he tried to kiss me."

"Julia. I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it."

"No, he did. It wasn't like you're thinking. He tried to, like, really kiss me."

"Julia, you're losing your fucking mind."

"No, I'm not. And don't be an asshole about this. This is hard enough for me. Please know that."

He brought his hands to his face and rubbed his eyes hard. "Hey, maybe he was drunk. I bet he'll feel like shit about it tomorrow. Cut him a break. He's a good guy, right?"

Her head shook back and forth on her pillow. "No. No, he wasn't drunk. It wasn't that way. He meant it. He's a good kid, alright. But he's also a grown man. I don't know how to make this any clearer."

More silence passed, and Julia could not even imagine what was passing through Bill's head. At least she was the object of affection. Bill could easily take this in a horrible way. Or at least he would have ten or fifteen years ago.

"Listen... ." Bill shifted about in the bed. "You're sure this wasn't some misunderstanding?"

"Bill, I'm telling you. This happened just as I've said it. He even said... ."

"What?"

She regretted bringing up more. "He even said something about me 'moving' him. He was very intentional."

Bill sighed hard. "Moving him?"

"Uh huh."

Julia wondered if he might jerk his phone up now and confront Trevor. She braced. He drew a deep breath before his tone came evenly.

"You know, it's crazy as shit, but... . He's a passionate guy. I think he's confused. Maybe some older woman somewhere spun his head around, and now he's transferring that to you or something. Hell, I don't know."

She squinted. Was this her Bill?

He continued. "Think it over. Maybe you go with it. See what happens. This once. Try to figure it out."

Her breath caught in her throat, and she waited for him to say he was kidding, but he didn't. He started turning back onto his side and away from her.

"WHAT?" She squealed.

Still on his side, he snapped back at her. "Either you're mistaken, or he's just posing. Or... something. He's not serious. He's just not."

Her hand went over her mouth. "Bill! Bill, you're wanting me to... what? 'Go with it?' What does that mean?"

He didn't answer.

She mumbled words she could barely say out loud. "You're saying I should what? Go out with him, or something?"

He turned only slightly to speak over his shoulder. He made his words plain. "Yes. Go out with him."

She gasped. Her hands covered her face. She waited on him to say something else.

He didn't say a word.

After a few more minutes, he got out of bed and went to the bathroom. He stayed away from her a good while, but even after he returned, he said nothing more.

He went to sleep.

...

7.

Trevor drove himself hard during his early Friday morning workout. Even after tossing and turning overnight, the pent-up energy fueled him. Fifty minutes of cardio, pumping set after set of weights, sustained stretching, and all of it didn't calm him. Hopefully, the bustle of the office would divert him.

Sticking with task after task, he whipped through things he needed to get done. No small talk and no breaks for him. But inside, he let himself try to sort out how he felt from his drinks with her.

What the hell was I thinking?He had stuck to all those things he planned for his time with her. The occasional touches, the eye contact, and the sensitive listening, all were things he truly felt, but they all had been considered by him in advance. The truth was that he wanted---needed---the kind of connection these efforts could bring. He had given it a lot of thought.

Now, the morning after, he detested his lack of self-control. He should have been more careful. Blurting out how he felt about her 'moving' him or her making him feel 'wild' were mistakes he knew better than to make. Now what was he to do? There was no ambiguity for him to try to use. He had clearly made a pass.

That kiss.

That moment from when they kissed was almost enough to have made his lapse worth it. His taking his time. Her not stopping him. The incredible tenderness. He felt himself engorge just thinking about it.

But... .Now what?

She had left abruptly. Things couldn't be good. He just sensed it.

Mid-morning, he couldn't wait any longer. He texted her. Keeping it short and sweet, he said he'd enjoyed their drinks together. Hoped she did, too.

He knew she'd have her phone nearby. His text went at 10:18 am. He tried going on about his to-do list, but concentration was difficult. After ten minutes, he worried more. It wouldn't surprise him if his dad was the one who would wind up responding. She probably did the unthinkable.

Finally, at 10:41, his phone buzzed with the incoming text. She thanked him for meeting her out. It was good to see him.

He stared down a long time at the message.What the hell?

His thumbs pecked away. He asked if she was okay.

Against his better judgment, he checked the time again. His text went at 10:43.Great. That was too fast.

This time it was barely a moment before she had responded back. "Still stunned."

"Angry?"

This time, the wait was longer. A good three or four minutes until he got his reply. "No."

He didn't hesitate. And he didn't care how it looked that he wasn't hesitating. "Never meant to offend. Just the opposite."

"I understand."

He finally took a deeper breath. There was hope. He typed again. "We should talk." Before he could hit 'send,' he stopped. He erased the text. He pulled up her number and called her.

As soon as it rang, she picked up. Her voice was faint. "Hello?"

"Hi. Glad you're fine."

"Not sure what to think, really."

"Well... . That's understandable. Let's get together and talk. You and I can sort through this."

She cleared her throat on the other end. "You should know... I told your father."

"You what???" His voice raised more than he wanted.

"Yes, I mean, I had to."

He fought the urge to disagree with her. "What did you say?"

"Um, I just said that... what happened."

"You mean, that we kissed?"

There was a pause, and when she did speak, there was a weakness in her voice. "Trevor, I told himyou kissed me."

Trevor stood and started pacing around his office. "Geez."

"I really didn't feel like I had a choice, Trevor."

He bit his tongue and kept pacing.

Her tone turned to more of a plea. And muted, clearly not wanting to be overheard. "I've been married twenty-four years. I've never... done anything. And---"

"Okay. Okay. It's fine. I'll just have to talk to him. That's all. How pissed is he?"

He waited for her answer, and she took so long that he finally checked his phone to make sure the call hadn't dropped off. It still showed them connected. "You there?"

"He, uh, he's not pissed."

"He's not?" He stopped his pacing.

"Strangely enough, no. He's not."

"Wow." His voice was now the faint one. "What did he say?"

"We can talk about that more."

He ran a hand through his hair and finally felt like he could breathe. Something was up, and he didn't like that he didn't have the full story, but a more important question came to mind.Will she?

He spoke up. "I want to have dinner with you. Tonight. We can talk more then."

"We just had drinks last night, Trevor."

"I know, but... . You said, um, he's not pissed, right?"

"Right, but... ."

"Alright then. Let's have dinner. I want to see you. Assuming you want to see me."

"Uhhh, alright."

He froze in place. He couldn't believe this was happening. He stopped himself from asking to make sure she was saying yes, she'd meet him. "We can meet back up atPrizzi. Say, 7?"

There was yet another pause, but he resisted doubting the moment and left it in her court.

Her voice finally sounded. Her words came firm. "Seven works. But, let's not meet at the restaurant. Pick me up at home."

He nervously chuckled. "Yeah?"

"Yes. Sound good?"

He smiled. "Hell, yes. Sounds great."

"See you at seven then." It sounded like she was probably smiling on the other end.

He held the phone out into the air and stared about the office. A goofy grin spread.

I have a date with her tonight.

...

8.

Trevor pulled his SUV into the driveway he had used for years before going to college. Only this time, the situation was foreign. He couldn't be more excited about the chance to see her and take her out like this, but he also couldn't have been more worried about how this would go.

He came to a stop, but then he pondered whether to wait there or turn the car off and go up the walk. So many unknowns weighed on him. He couldn't believe his father was fine with this. No way. Not with her andthis.

Given that, how could he just waltz right on up to the front door? What if he answered? What if there was a confrontation? What in the hell was Trevor supposed to say? His stomach clenched.

A glance to his phone prompted the alternative of calling her. Letting her know he was there. Surely, she would get how this needed to go. But then again, it was she who had insisted that he pick her up at home, not meet at the restaurant.What the hell?

He decided he wasn't going to just sit there. He turned off the car. He pushed himself to go right to the door. He hit the bell and then braced.She's worth this. Whatever happens is fine by me.

It was only a moment and the door swung open. She was smiling at him and pulling the door behind her as she ventured on out. "Hi."

"Hi."

He accompanied her down the walkway and over to his SUV and his chest expanded, and his heart ran with him. He shot one, two, and then a prolonged third look at her. She looked stunning. He stopped gawking only when she glanced back at him with a knowing grin.

He slowed down, as he realized she was in high heels. Her blonde hair was pulled up, and her features looked nicely made-up but not too much. A nice red gloss was perfect at her lips. Her black dress hung to her exquisitely, with clean lines and a V-neck that stopped at a hint of cleavage. Diamond earrings topped her look.She spent some time; this is a good sign.

In the car on the way to the restaurant, they didn't talk too much. He broke the ice by telling her how gorgeous she was. She quietly thanked him and glimpsed him from the side with the hint of a smile. When she looked back ahead, she was still smiling.

"You look nice tonight, too."

His blood surged.

At the restaurant, they had their drinks and an appetizer before any real conversation had started. Only small talk and some pleasantries were bandied between them. He took his time, but finally brought up what they both had to be thinking about.

"He's not angry. And, here you are."

"Here I am." Her eyes squinted at the idea of what she said. Like she was still sorting it out.

Trevor had to ask her something. "You told him I kissed you. Did you say anything else?"

"Well, actually I did. I went ahead and told him that... . Told him you said I 'move' you."

Trevor winced hard. He had meant it last night and he meant it still, but hearing it out loud pained him. "He's going to kill me."

"No, that's not going to happen."

"This is where you lose me. I don't understand."

She took a drink of her wine she had ordered and appeared to be choosing her words carefully. "He was taken back, sure. But, uh, he seemed much less concerned than what I was. He suggested you were going through a phase. Or perhaps transferring some kind of misplaced affections, or some other reason that wasn't to go crazy over."

Trevor fell back a bit in his chair and his shoulders drooped. Totally out of the blue. Never would have guessed it. "He said that?"

"Yeah. He shocked me, too."

"Unreal."

They both drank.

She sat forward and spoke evenly, like she was trying to moderate Trevor's reaction. "Hey, that's what he said late last night. He'll think about it. You know?"

"You think?"

"Um, I gotta believe he'll start running it around in his head. Start having some remorse."

Trevor took a long draw on his beer and shrugged. She added to it.

"He also saw me getting ready. Brooded a bit. Knew I was having you come to the house."

"Yeah, that part was pretty bold."

"And, he knows how I love this particular dress." With this admission, she diverted her eyes and tilted her glass back.

"Yeah, I get it about the dress. I do." He waited for her eyes to return to his before he finished his thoughts. "That's what we called a sex dress in college."

Her cheeks blushed, and her red lips parted. It looked like her breath quickened. For a moment, the composed Julia persona looked unmasked. Her eyes darted about his face as she cooed an unchecked remark.

"I wore this for you."

They stared at one another for a sustained several seconds, and he felt himself throb in his trousers. He called out, "check," grinned at her and then looked about for their server.

Back in his SUV, she spoke haltingly. "This is something we gotta be careful about. This is... over the top."

He glanced over at her. "Did he say anything else? Because---"

Her words came low and pained. "He'll change his mind. Come to his senses. Things cannot have gone too far when he does."

His hand went over to her leg. Not at the knee, but further higher up. Deliberately.

He made his tone low as well, but his words came out certain. "Is there anything you haven't mentioned?"

"Trevor."

His lips slowly curled up, sensing there was something else. "Yeah, I knew it."

Her left hand clasped at his hand above her knee, probably wanting to stop it from edging higher. Her right hand shielded her brow before she answered with the last of what had been said.

"Um, he actually said for me to 'go with it.' To 'see what happens.' 'This one time.' I was floored."

Trevor's mouth fell open and a slight chuckle came. "Well, that settles it."

He drove the SUV into the night. "Wow."

"What?" Her voice cracked.

"He's fine with it. He said go ahead." He slowly shook his head.

"Trevor, it's like I said. He said that at the time, but... . I don't see how he sticks with that. I just don't." She looked at their direction, and her voice raised. "Where are you going?"

"Let's go have a drink at my place."

Her hand came up and covered her mouth. She gazed out her window for a moment. "Hey, it's not just whathe'sokay with, alright?"

Trevor slowed the truck. "Yeah, true. But don't you want to come over?"

He glanced to her and she looked right back at him. He liked how her eyes danced back and forth at his.

Her tone strained when she answered. "We should leave it with just dinner tonight. This is all pretty... out there for me."

"I understand." He redirected the SUV to head in the direction to take her home.

"Trevor, you gotta level with me about this. I mean, where are you coming from?"

He glimpsed over, and she had turned to him and her face had changed from her composed look to one of real concern.

"It's like I told you the other night. I care about you. Very much. And, I've thought about this." He waited until her eyes were back to his to add, "I've thought about this a lot, and there's nothing I want more."

The traffic required him to pay attention to the road, but he kept stealing glances at her, as she again covered her mouth and studied his face in the darkness.

"You... we are risking so very much, you know."

"Yeah, but, I mean, he said he was okay with it. And, anyway, I'm perfectly willing to risk it. Nothing matters more."