With trembling hands she opened the note, simply labeled 'Cath,' she had found in her coat pocket upon arriving home. Slowly, she read it aloud, choking back the tears that were now burning in her throat…
"You shouldn't kiss me like this
Unless you mean it like that
Cause I'll just close my eyes
And I won't know where I'm atWhen you kiss me like this
I think you mean it like that
If you do baby kiss me again
…kiss me again…"
No signature was added, none was needed. She knew who it was from. She couldn't hold back the tears anymore. Single tears slowly streamed down her face. She closed her eyes and reached for her phone, dialing seven numbers and bracing herself against the wall, trying to calm her accelerated heart rate. It had been a month since she'd moved to Austin and this was the first time she'd heard from him. He was recalling the day she'd left. What had been intended as a goodbye kiss between friends had turned into so much more, but she had had to go. Now she knew that it had meant the same to him. She needed to talk to him, to hear his voice again. Would he be mad? Could he possibly forgive her for leaving? Her breath caught in her throat as she heard his voice on the other end of the line. She listened to his answering machine, almost glad he hadn't answered, until she heard his words…
"If you're callin' 'bout the car I sold it
If this is Tuesday night I'm bowling
If you've got somethin' to sell, you're wastin' your time, I'm not
buyin'
If it's anybody else, wait for the tone,
You know what to do
And P.S. if this is Austin, I still love you"
The telephone fell to the floor and she buried her head in her hands, her tears turning to sobs. She couldn't; believe what she'd just heard. It took her some time to settle down enough to where she could call him back. He didn't answer but this time she left her number, nothing else, just a number before hanging up again. She found her balance and walked out into the rainy night.
24 hours later…
He swung the door to his townhouse open and sat his luggage down, wiping off some of the water from his clothes. It seemed to fit so perfectly, the one time a year it rains in Vegas and he's alone, missing her…
He began walking toward the bathroom when a blinking red light caught his eye…the answering machine…He pressed play and inhaled as he heard her voice on the other side. She hadn't left a name but he knew. He'd know that voice anywhere. He scribbled the number on a piece of paper and picked up the phone. He held his breath and after three rings he heard her voice again…
"If you're callin' 'bout my heart
It's still yours
I should've listened to it a little more
Then it wouldn't have taken me so long to know where I belong
And by the way, boy, this is no machine you're talkin' to
Can't you tell, this is Austin, and I still love you"
He tried to speak but nothing would come out.
"Open your door…"
He hesitated for a moment and then walked toward the front door, opening it slowly. Blue met blue and they smiled, each at a loss for words. She broke the silence by pulling out the note he had stuck in her pocket before she had boarded her flight to Austin over a month ago. When he hadn't heard back from her right away, he had assumed she hadn't felt the same way, but now he knew…they both knew. He gestured for her to come in and she help up the note…
"Kiss me again…"