Dead End

His friends had stepped back, wanting nothing to do with it. So, Kate was actually the only one he could turn to. She had helped him for hours. Long hours. She still wasn’t certain they should have done it, but she chose to trust him. Was it over? Would Lindsey change his ways after that? Big question! But there she was, finally home! Angel had brought her and she had offered him some coffee.

Her kitchen wasn’t very big and they kept bumping into each other as she got everything she needed and he danced around her, trying vainly to stay out of her way. It was funny somehow, but also awkward. And they were laughing at it, yet...

Their eyes showed the effects of their forced proximity as they both stole glances of each other while they went on with the coffee-making, avoiding too much eye contact in the process and restraining themselves mostly to small talk on the recent events.

The top shelf of the cabinet was a bit too high and Kate always had to stretch to reach it. Now, as she did it, she felt Angel getting behind her to help. Their bodies came into full contact and she lost her balance for a moment. He held her in place, bringing her even closer, if possible. She turned around and he handed her the mug she was trying to get.

"That one is for you." There was a slight shakiness in her voice.

"Uh, thanks." Yes, he was uneasy, too. Quite obviously uneasy.

Once they were done, they moved into the living room.

Kate looked at Angel and said:

"Do you think one can make a toast with coffee?"

"I don’t see why not.", he replied.

"Then, here’s to a job well-done.", she said, raising her mug. Angel imitated her gesture, but didn’t say a word. He was still feeling uncomfortable about the whole situation. He just wanted to finish his coffee and get the hell out of there. Somehow, he didn’t feel safe around her anymore. But he had to keep talking since silence only seemed to make it worse. So, he cleared his throat a bit and asked her:

"Speaking of jobs, you didn’t tell me... How is the job hunting going?" Now, if there was a question that could take her mind away from what was going on between them (or rather not going on between them), that was it. Her face turned grave and her gaze became distant. "Oh, that!... Not well, really." She paused for a moment before continuing. "It actually seems I’ve reached a dead end. It’s weird as the only thing I crave is the only thing I can’t do."

He gave her a long look while biting his lower lip a bit.

"I know the feeling..."

If only she realized the irony of it all...