Kim leaned in and reached out with her left hand to brush some hair off of Kerry’s face.

“So what do we do about all of this?”

“I want to be with you, Kim, but I can’t rush anything.”

“I know,” Kim said fingering the wedding band still on Kerry’s left hand. “But when I look at you, and I think about how great this evening has been, I want to wait for you.”

Kerry leaned in a little more and they shared a brief, gentle kiss. When she pulled back she was still close enough for Kim to feel her breath on her face.

“So you’ll go out with me again.” It was a statement, not a question and Kerry had an impish grin on her face when she said it.

“I don’t think that I have a choice.”

After that they had put an old movie in the DVD player and sat closely on the couch. By the time it ended Kerry was curled up in Kim’s arms, snoring quietly. They lay that way for some time after Kim had turned the television off.

She knew that she should get going, but the feel of Kerry in her arms, even in this relatively platonic manner still felt too good for her to let it end just yet.

When she had originally returned to Chicago she knew that she wanted to see Kerry. She had hated the way things had ended between them. When she found out that Kerry was out a part of her contemplated what it would be like to try to have another relationship with the redhead, but she had been caught off guard by just how strongly the feelings had hit her.

What if Kate was right and this was a mistake? She knew that Kerry had changed, that she was secure in her sexuality and that she wasn’t hiding it from anyone. The Kerry she had left five years ago would have never been so open at work, let alone tell her born-again Christian birth mother that she was a *****.

Kim glanced at Kerry’s left hand, staring at the symbol of the ghost that could prove to be too much of a barrier to them ever really being together. She had many relationships die, but never a partner. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Kerry must be feeling. The psychiatrist in her could see the conflict in Kerry’s eyes during their earlier conversation.

It was as if Kerry felt like she was being unfaithful to Sandy, a common feeling among surviving spouses when they first begin dating. Kim was trained to deal with these cases, but this time she was on the inside and her objectivity had long ago vanished.

Kerry stirred and looked at the TV and then up at Kim.

“How long have I been asleep?”

“About twenty minutes.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. I know that kid just sucks the energy out of you?”

“That’s kind of a harsh way to talk about my son.”

“I meant that guy Morris,” Kim said with a wink.

Kerry laughed and shifted so that she was facing Kim. Their lips brushed against each other a few times before they met more firmly. Kim pulled her closer as the kiss intensified. They were both lost in the moment as their hearts began to beat faster. Then their tongues met briefly and Kim pulled back.

“I should really get going,” she said as she felt the heat rising in her cheeks and a wetness forming between her legs.

Kerry nodded and they untangled themselves from each other.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, Ker,” Kim said planting one last quick kiss on her date’s lips before picking up her coat and letting herself out.