Stray Cats Ch. 01

"I need to change before I go to work," she said as she picked up her coat and walking towards her bedroom. She turned at her bedroom door and watched him dress.

Alex picked up his bandage and rolled it into a tiny bundle.

"What about your bandage?"

"I just don't have the will to put it back on right now. I breathe so much better without it. Besides it's cold out so my coat will cover me up until I get to work. I'll put it on when I get there."

"Okay," she said as she turned and opened her bedroom door and grinned. "I'll be out in a couple of minutes."

"No problem. I 'm going across the hall to use my bathroom so I'll wait for you by the stairs."

"I'll be there in just a sec," she said from behind her door.

Alex took a moment longer to finish buttoning his shirt then he opened Rachel's apartment door and crossed the hall to his place. As he opened his door, Amanda appeared on the stair landing below.

"Hey Alex, there you are. You want to go eat somewhere before you have to work?"

"I'd love too, but I already promised to go with Rachel," Alex replied quickly covering up his chest with his coat.

"Oh. Ah. Er, can I go too?"

At that moment Rachel opened her apartment door and stepped out into the hallway. She had changed into a sultry blue sequined gown and a pair of high heels, more conservative this time. Alex turned to her and smiled. "Amanda wants to know if she can join us. Is that okay with you?"

"Huh?" Rachel asked, as she glanced at Alex and then turned to Amanda. Rachel studied her face a moment then she smiled meekly and nodded. "Oh, okay, sure." She looked down a moment and blushed slightly.

"I just need to grab my wallet and I'll be ready," Amanda said grinning broadly. "I'll meet you both in the foyer." She dashed down the stairs towards her apartment.

Alex ducked into his place quickly, went to the bathroom, and then donned his coat, stuffing the elastic bandage in his pocket. He joined Rachel at the top of the stairs.

"She's not a monster, Rachel," Alex said holding her hand with a gentle squeeze.

"If you say so," she said with a wary frown. "But old wounds heal slowly."

They met Amanda in the foyer and headed out the front door of the house. Down the street, a couple of blocks away, were several small mom and pop restaurants that catered to the locals in this part of town. They settled on a little Chinese place near 20th Street.

"Oh, that hit the spot," said Amanda. "Good pick Rachel." She grinned broadly and downed the rest of her wine in one gulp. "So when do you have to go to work, Alex?"

"I'm on at nine tonight," said Alex.

"Me too," said Rachel.

"I confused," Amanda said, as she turned to Rachel. "Alex mentioned the other day that you worked at an accounting firm downtown."

"It's only part-time so I need to supplement it. I wait tables at Moulin Rouge a couple of nights a week," she replied, with a meek smile.

"Oh, that's cool," replied Amanda. "I've been in there a couple of times, that place is fun."

Alex glanced at Rachel then turned to Amanda. "You do know about their clientele don't you?"

"What? You mean it's a gay bar? Sure," Amanda said with a smirk, "I got that the first night I was there. It's sort of hard to miss. But that doesn't matter. It's just a fun place and I like the atmosphere."

"Are you?" Alex's question slowly faded. Rachel darted a quick glance at him.

"What? Into girls?" Amanda interrupted, grinning. "Nah, I'm just into people. I'm not hung up on labels. If they're cool, I'm cool."

Rachel smiled at her and glanced sideways at Alex.

Now, Alex was curious. "Where are you from Amanda?"

"Uh-oh, life story time, huh?" She quipped with a sarcastic grin. Then she raised her hands and replied. "Okay, okay. I'll go first then it'll be your turn." Alex filled her glass up half full from the bottle of wine and then replaced the cork.

"Thanks," said Amanda with a wry smile. "I'm originally from Seattle by way of Vancouver. Then I got sidetracked in Salt Lake City and eventually I landed here. My ex-boyfriend/lover/husband dumped me on a bus in Salt Lake with a one-way ticket for the east coast. He told me that I'd find more like-minded people out here than I would out west and he was probably right. I met you guys after the first month I was here. Life is already much better here than it ever was in Utah."

Alex was shocked. "Husband? Are you still married?"

"Nope. After a month of playing the role of the blushing bride, he decided that the liberal side of me in the bedroom was too much for him to handle. Then he had the whole thing annulled. He was a dyed in the wool Baptist and his ideas about bedroom behavior didn't coincide with mine."

"No dancing, playin', or fun of any kind, huh?" Alex grinned.

"Yup, you got it," she said with an ironic smile.

"So how do you pay the bills?" asked Rachel, now become interested in the direction of the conversation.

"Mostly with a trust fund that my grandmother left me," Amanda said. "But I do like to keep busy so I work downtown as a stock analyst in a brokerage house part-time. I'm pretty good at it and it keeps me out of trouble. What about you Alex?"

Amanda looked back over to Alex, and in doing so, she gestured with her wine glass a little too quickly and spilled several drops on his jacket.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," she said dipping a cloth napkin in her water glass. She quickly dabbed his chest where the wine was soaking in. "Here let me. If you don't do it quickly the stain will set." Her voice trailed off as she continued to dab the wine spots and felt something she hadn't expected.

Alex sat there stunned, unable to move as he glanced across to Rachel with a frightened look on his face. He quickly tried to brush Amanda's hands away but it was too late. From the blank expression on her face it was clear that his secret was out.

Amanda blushed brightly and turned away briefly. Then she turned back with a meek smile on her face.

"I'm sorry, that was way too forward of me," Amanda said, meekly. "I should have asked first."

"It's okay," Alex said, "It's an old jacket anyway. I got it months ago at the Salvation Army. Between the pasta sauce and several ketchup stains, a few wine spots will never be noticed." He grinned sheepishly and moved his hand to touch her arm, gently.

"We should probably be going," Rachel said, trying to recover a sense of balance between everyone. "I have to take the bus across town and it takes forever."

"Yeah, my shift starts in less than an hour so I need to head out, too."

"Rachel," Amanda said, sweetly, "thank you so much for taking me out for dinner. I know I sort of barged in on you guys."

"Don't worry about it," replied Rachel, waving her hand in dismissal. "Life's too short to be hung up on formalities."

"Hey, don't forget your fortune cookie." Alex grinned at both of them. He handed each of them a cookie and took one for himself. He cracked the cookie and pulled the slip of paper out.

It read: 'Sudden love takes the longest time to be cured.' Alex looked off with an awkward smile.

Rachel pulled her fortune slip out and read it out loud. "Your future is found in your past," she said with a chuckle. "Sounds appropriate."

"Mine is 'Of the three things that last: faith, hope, and love. Love is the strongest.' I like that," Amanda replied.

They got up from the table and Amanda followed Rachel and Alex out of the restaurant. Once outside Rachel parted from them with a wave. She walked down the block towards the bus stop and Alex walked with Amanda back towards their apartment house.

"I'm so sorry Alex," Amanda said, blushing. She avoided his eyes as they walked along the sidewalk.

"Don't be," he said, "you were probably going to find out sooner or later anyway. It's hard to hide things from your friends."

Amanda looked up and beamed at Alex. "Thanks, that means a lot."

"You're welcome."

"Care to explain?" She gestured towards his chest.

"I can't now, I've got to get to work," he said as he walked up to his car parked on the street. "Maybe tomorrow if you're not freaked out about it."

Amanda stood a moment and looked at Alex. A huge smile grew on her face. She ran over, wrapped her arms around him and gave him a big hug.

"Actually I'm a little jealous," she whispered in his ear. "I think they're bigger than mine." Then she kissed him on the cheek and let him go. She ran towards the apartment house and turned back to him once she reached the steps. She smiled impishly and gave him a little wave.

Alex smiled and waved back then walked around his car, got in and drove off.

Later that night, or actually early the following morning, Alex trudged slowly up the stairs towards his apartment. He was exhausted and although he faced a mountain of homework, due later that day, he was clearly uncertain if he was ever going to get through it the way he felt right now.

At the top of the stairs he met Rachel standing outside of her apartment, waiting.

Alex leaned against the wall for support. "Hey, did you just get back?"

"Yeah."

"This climb is bad enough in the daytime let alone at two in the morning."

"And in heels," Rachel replied with a big grin on her face.

"I haven't tried that yet," he shot back with a quirky smile.

"Don't," she said, "it's not for the faint of heart.

He paused a moment and stood by his door. He shook his head gently and smiled at her. She stood there in a tight midnight blue sequined dress under her long coat. Her spiked heels made her considerably taller than Alex at the moment. My God, she's beautiful, he thought.

"So, what happened after I left? Did she figure it out?"

"Pretty much," Alex said. "I mean come on, they're sort of hard to miss when I'm not wrapped up like a package." Rachel broke into a broad grin. Her eyes began to sparkle. But before she could open her mouth Alex gave her 'the look.'

"Don't even go there, girlfriend, I know what you're thinking."

Rachel covered her mouth in a feeble attempt to fight back a snicker. "Okay, sorry. Did she ask you how it happened?"

"Sort of, yes," he said turning his key in the lock on his door. "I had to go to work so I told her I would tell her tomorrow. I mean today if I see her."

"What are you going to say?"

"What else, I'll tell her the truth. If you can't be honest with your friends what can you be?"

"Cool," Rachel said, with a wry smile as she turned back to open her door.

"I think she'll be okay with it, Rachel," he said quietly. "I know you have big issues with women but really, they're not all monsters. Some of them are as beautiful on the inside as they are on the outside."

"I hope you right," she said softly. "Maybe I'll find that out someday. Good night."

"G'Night," said Alex as he shut his door softly.

Amanda heard Alex come in the front door from work. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked at her alarm clock. It was two-fifteen in the morning. She must have dozed off waiting for him to return. She grabbed her robe and threw it over her shoulders as she dashed for her door.

She was anxious to talk to him even if it was this late. She ran out of her apartment pulling on her robe and slippers. If she hurried, she might be able to catch him before he went into his apartment. She padded softly up the stairs but stopped suddenly when she heard voices.

It was Alex and Rachel. She didn't want to eavesdrop but she couldn't help but listen. When they left she waited until she heard Alex's door click shut. Tears began to run down her cheeks and across a gentle smile as she turned and tiptoed softly back down the stairs.

As she soon as she stood in front of her apartment door she paused a moment and wiped her eyes. Then she turned the key to open her door. She took in a big breath and let it out slowly. "Today is going to be a really great day," she whispered softly to herself. She smiled sweetly as she walked into her apartment and quietly closed her door.

=TWO=

It was the middle of the afternoon before Alex walked back into the apartment house. He had just finished his last class for the day and he was truly beat. Between working at the convenience store and trying to carry a full graduate load things were beginning to pile up.

At least the weekend was coming up so maybe he coud get caught up, he thought as he started to ascend the stairs. As he looked up he saw Amanda sitting alone on the top step.

"Hi," she said meekly. "You look tired."

"I am," he replied. "Between work and school it seems that there's little time for sleep."

Alex continued to climb the stairs until he reached Amanda. He turned and joined her on the top step.

"What have you been up to?"

"Work, mostly," she replied. "I just got back a half hour ago. The markets still have the jitters. It makes everybody downtown act like they just gulped down fifteen pots of coffee." She said, as she leaned over and nudged his shoulder. "I just got home a few minutes ago. I thought I'd look and see if you're around."

Alex stood up and offered her his hand. "Come on," he said, "I'll put the kettle on for tea. But you have to climb all these stairs to get some."

"It's like daily aerobics isn't it?"

"Definitely. Can you imagine what life was like during the summers for the house servants when this house was built? Up and down these stairs a hundred times a day and if you don't know by now, mid-Atlantic summers can be brutal. Thank god for air conditioners."

Amanda followed him up the stairs and into his apartment. She flopped down on an old battered couch across from his desk and looked around his room. It was Spartan by comparison to hers even though she only moved in a month ago.

"You live like a monk up here don't you?" she said with a grin.

"I suppose so." He plunked down two cups of tea on the table in front of her. "All my money goes to paying for classes at the university. I'm sort of living from hand to mouth and that doesn't offer a lot of wiggle room."

"I might have an old 'Grateful Dead' poster laying around. If you want you can use it to cover up some of these cracks."

"Ha! I'll think about it," he offered her a wide smile.

Amanda scooted towards the table. "Where's your bed?"

"Your sitting on it."

"Oh," she said meekly, blushing.

Amanda sipped her tea a moment and they both sat in silence. She glanced sideways at Alex a couple of times and looked up once when he cleared his throat but otherwise the atmosphere was rather awkward. Finally Alex decided to break the ice.

"So, here I am, sitting in my apartment with a beautiful girl, and all we can think about is what I've got under my shirt. Weird isn't it?"

"Not so much weird as it is awkward Alex," she said, softly. "I mean the last thing I want to do is ruin a friendship by saying something stupid. But I have to admit, it was a bit of a shock yesterday."

Alex pulled out an iPad from his backpack and opened it up. He opened his browser and typed in the word 'intersex' in the search window. Then he clicked on the first link and the browser opened up a Wikipedia page.

"Here," he said, handing her his iPad, "maybe this will help."

Alex sat back and sipped his tea while Amanda quickly scanned the page.

"So, this is what you have," she asked?

"It's not so much what I have as what I am," he said correcting her.

"Sorry."

"Don't be," he said gently, "there's a lot of misunderstanding in general about things like this. Everybody likes to lump us all into one category and then call us all deviants and perverts. It's ignorant and convenient for them, but horribly wrong for the rest of us."

Alex went on to tell Amanda most of what he told Rachel the day before. He added in the fact that up until three years ago he always thought of himself as an average guy. He wasn't too into sports but he didn't dislike it either. He's dated women before and he would again if he could find a woman whose head wasn't filled with a twisted sense of morality or she wasn't hung up on gender identity issues.

"But those girls can be hard to find," he said glancing out the window with a sigh.

"Are you and Rachel dating?"

"Not yet, but maybe," he said as he turned back from the window to look at her.

"Oh," she almost whispered.

Alex watched a wave of emotions pay across her face as she began to tear up. He walked over and sat down next to her then reached out and took her hand.

He leaned in and kissed her on her cheek.

"Amanda, you're my friend. Nothing will ever change that." Tears continued to well up in her eyes. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face on his shoulder.

"I know she hates girls and I'm afraid that once you two start dating that you'll stop talking to me and everything," she sniffled. "I don't know if I can take that right now."

Alex wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back then he leaned down and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Not going to happen," he said gently, "I like you too much. Besides, who else is going to spill wine on me on a regular basis?"

Amanda choked back a laugh and hugged him tighter. She tilted her head up and kissed him on the cheek. "By the way, most people think I'm a bit twisted and I certainly don't have any gender hang ups," she said with an impish smile.

"I already figured that out from yesterday. But hanging with me and Rachel could be a challenge for you."

"I'm up for it," she said leaning back and grinning at him. Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

"I figured you would be," he said with a grin, "but I had to say it."

"Can I use your bathroom?" She stood and turned to Alex.

"Sure," he said pointing, "it's over there." Amanda walked towards the bathroom as they heard a knock on the apartment door. Alex walked over and opened the door as Rachel walked in with a large pizza box.

"Breakfast," she sang as she struck a pose with a twinkle in her eye. But once she spotted Amanda she quickly changed her posture. "What?! Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I - I." Rachel started to back out of the apartment.

"Rachel, wait," they both said in unison. Rachel stopped then glanced back and forth between them. She looked confused.

"Rachel, don't leave. I'm not trying to come between you and Alex," Amanda said looking downcast. "I'm just his friend, that's all."

"I know, I'm sorry," said Rachel softly, "I was just surprised and I didn't think before..." Her voice trailed off. "I should have asked."

They all stood a moment in an awkward silence.

"Rachel, I get the impression that you don't like me and I'm sorry if that's true. I know you're close to Alex but I really want to be your friend too if you have room for one more in your life."

"I - I," Rachel stammered a moment as she stood motionless for several minutes studying Amanda's face. The room was silent, even the clock seemed to stop ticking.

Alex's words, 'She's not a monster,' continued to repeat inside her head as she stood watching Amanda closely. She assumed that there was only one way to find out.

Rachel set the pizza box on the table in front of the couch and walked towards Amanda with a determined look on her face. Amanda stood near the bathroom looking a bit like a deer caught in the headlights as Rachel bore down on her.

She took Amanda's face in her hands and then she planted a passionate, almost rough, kiss on her lips. Then she took Amanda's hand and lowered it down to her crotch to press it between her legs. Amanda's eyes began to expand as she felt something she hadn't expected. Rachel nodded to her slowly then released her hand.

"Still want to be my friend," Rachel asked staring at her intently?