"What about this one?" Katherine asked, stepping out from her tiny bathroom and into her bedroom. She twirled around once, showing her friend Samantha the outfit she had picked out specifically for tonight. Well, she had actually picked out several, but had a good feeling about this combination. She moved in front of the mirror hung up on her wall, turning back and forth. The outfit was simple: a magenta leather skater skirt with a white button up shirt tucked in, a cobalt blue sweater, black tights, and tauny-colored heeled boots. Katherine had twisted her auburn hair into a high bun, but a few curls hung around her face.
"You sure you want to wear heels?"
Katherine sighed. "It's not like I'm going to do much running."
"You never know."
"Geez, Smalls. When did you get so sensible?" Katherine laughed, dodging the pillow thrown in her direction.
Samantha was anything but sensible. At four foot eleven, she was a fireball with her ginger hair and spicy personality. The pair had first met during their freshman year at Hearst College after Samantha had gotten stuck in one of the shelves at the library, trying to show that she was tiny enough to fit comfortably. This earned her the name Smalls, which she positively hates and loves at the same time. Katherine and Samantha weren't close to begin with, mostly because Katherine couldn't stand her, but Samantha grew on her. Now, the two lived within blocks of each other and still walked to campus together as often as they could.
There was a knock at the door. Katherine dropped down and picked up the pillow, throwing it back towards Samantha. Standing back up, she looked at herself one last time before grabbing her purse and heading towards the door. "Make sure you lock up when you leave!" she called over her shoulder.
Smalls spent more time in Katherine's apartment than her own. She had an insufferable roommate that everyone called Sniper. She could pick a man from a distance and would move in for the kill. Spot Conlon was her man of the week, Small's ex. Samantha was all too glad to get away from her roommate and her ex when Katherine had asked her to come over.
Katherine reached the door and pulled it open. Jack Kelly stood on the other side. He had been leaning against the woodwork and quickly straightened up, his mouth agape with awe.
"You look amazing!" he told her, and Katherine blushed.
"I could say the same about you."
Jack wore a simple blue dress shirt and gray pants, but it was the cleanest and most clothed she had ever seen him look. His brown hair was still messy, but somehow he made it work.
"Do you have your can of mace?" Smalls yelled from inside the apartment.
Jack laughed at Katherine's horrified expression. Katherine turned back around and spotted her friend grinning from the counter a few feet away.
"Yes, I do have it," Katherine said, "and don't make me test it on you!"
Smalls waved her hand. "Sure, you gonna introduce me to the hottie?"
Jack spoke up before Katherine could say anything. "Jack Kelly, pleased to meet you. Now, we have a date with a table in Starbucks and must be off. Katherine?" He offered his arm, and Katherine took it. As she shut the door, she was pretty sure she saw Smalls making kissy faces. She'll have to yell at her later.
The two went downstairs and outside into the cold autumn air. It seems like it was forever ago that Henry had set his plant on fire, but truly it had only been a week. Jack had appeared at Katherine's door two days later with an invitation to get coffee, and she had gladly accepted. The sun was setting, painting the sky in tones of pink and orange. It was actually quiet in town, probably because it was growing so cold. Luckily the Starbucks was just around the corner, and Katherine was happy to enter its warmth.
Jack led Katherine to a table in the corner and pulled her chair out for her. She smiled and sat. Jack pushed the chair back in.
"What would you like?" he asked.
"A medium black coffee and a pumpkin scone if they have one."
Jack nodded, but as he went up to the counter, he looked back once with a confused expression like he had already forgotten then shook his head while turning back to order. In a few minutes, he was back holding two coffees and a pumpkin scone. Katherine took a careful sip of her drink with the name Ace written on the side.
He had gotten it just right.
Katherine watched as Jack dumped four packages of sugar into his cup. "I'm guessing you're not a black coffee kind of guy," she joked.
Jack shook his head. "My brother Charlie says I have a sweet tooth." He dove into a story from New York involving a few dollars and bellyaches.
Katherine was laughing along with him and even told her own tale of stealing cookies from one of her mother's dinner parties. Before the two knew it, two and a half hours had flown by.
"Excuse me, but we're closing in ten minutes." Jack and Katherine both looked up at the employee in surprise. The restaurant was empty and cleaned, all the chairs placed atop the tables. Katherine pulled her phone out of her purse and clicked it on. The clock read 10:50. She looked back up at the employee still standing beside their table, a broom in his hand.
"We're so sorry! Simply lost track of the time. We'll leave." Katherine apologized, and Jack nodded. The two quickly collected their things and left the cafe. Once they were outside, Katherine couldn't help but laugh. She was so embarrassed. Jack grinned and took Katherine's hand, which surprised her. What surprised her even more was the fact she left it there. They walked back towards the apartment, picking up the conversation interrupted by the Starbucks worker.
Suddenly, two men stepped out in front of the pair. They seemed clothed in shadows and even taller than Jack. Katherine's heart skipped a beat, and Jack stepped in front of her.
"There you are, Kelly." One of the men drawled, crossing his arms. He had a scar across his cheekbone
"Jack?" Katherine asked, keeping her grip on his hand tight.
"We've been looking for you since you skipped out on paying us back."
"I have the money now. I can send it tomorrow to your uncle." Jack explained quickly. The men laughed, sounding dark and cruel.
"That's just not going to work." One grabbed Jack and pulled him away from Katherine. Scarface turned towards his friend with Jack. Without thinking, Katherine stomped up to him, turned him around, and punched him square in the eye. The guy collapsed onto the sidewalk, whining like a baby. Katherine looked down at her hands and realized she had pulled the mace can out of her purse.
"Jack, you should duck." she told him as she aimed the nozzle at the other attacker's face. Jack got the picture and dropped downwards, catching the man by surprised. He screamed in pain and fell down just as the other had. Katherine froze for a second, not believing what had just happened. Jack grabbed her hand and told her to run.
Boy, did they run.
A hour later, Jack dragged Katherine up the stairs of their building in Pulitzer Plaza. The two collapsed in the hallway between their apartments, breathless and exhausted. Katherine's feet were burning, and she knew Smalls had been right about not wearing heels.
"Who the hell were those people?" Katherine asked, yanking off her boots and flexing her feet. The two men that had confronted them had chased Jack and Katherine through countless streets until they had finally given up after a hour had passed.
"The Delanceys. Their uncle Wiesel gave me the money to come down here, and I've been saving up to pay him back. Apparently, he got a bit nervous and sent his nephews to do a little dirty work. I'm so sorry you had to be a part of that."
"It's all right. I'm just glad we got away." Katherine winced as her hand throbbed painfully. She looked down at it and saw her knuckles bruised and bloody. Jack noticed and laughed.
"I'm pretty sure that Oscar's gonna be seeing through one swollen eye tomorrow. That was a killer punch."
"I've never done that before." Katherine started to giggle. The pair cracked up, either from exhaustion or hilarity of the situation. The laughter finally died out a few minutes later, and Jack helped Katherine to her feet. He held her hands in his, careful of the cuts.
"I had fun tonight, Ace."
Katherine grinned. "Me too. I mean other than the mad chase by deranged men." Katherine did one other thing that surprised her that night. She leaned up and kissed Jack.
Katherine leaned against the inside of the door of her dark apartment minutes, lips still tingling from the brief but intense kiss. Suddenly, the light clicked on. It blinded her for a moment, and she heard Smalls laugh.
"Guess you're rethinking the heels now, aren't you?"