Chapter 2

"Keep still," Natasha whispered as she slid the tie under Kid's white collar. They were inside his car, and Kid had asked her to help him with his tie. Her fingers worked diligently and skillfully, brushing against his skin more often than she should on purpose. "It's very easy and has no mystery. It's just a question of getting the tip of your… tie in the right place, and then slide its whole length," she explained, grinning wickedly when she noticed him blush. He had not missed the double entendre of her words, and she was so obvious. Natasha enjoyed these games, and Kid was so cute when he turned all shy. "And above all, it's very important you do it with all your love. Every little thing must be done with love and passion, don't you think?" Natasha asked, pursing her lips exaggeratedly and leaning closer toward him.

"Uh yeah…" Kid replied awkwardly. Natasha's hands were still on his neck even though she had finished the task. "I think it's good now, thanks," he said, as he gently removed her hands from him. He turned in his seat, and straightening up, he started the car while he added, "We better go, or we'll be late."

"Oh I wouldn't mind," Natasha replied as she scooted closer, flexing her legs a bit more so that the satin-like material of her red mini-skirt rode up her skin, revealing more of her thighs.

Kid did not reply to her comment and kept his eyes on the traffic outside. Natasha was really making him too uncomfortable, and in order to avoid hearing further remarks, he turned the radio on, curious to know the final score in the game he had been watching on TV. However, Natasha switched if off almost right after him, and said, "You know, my uncle will be glad to see us arrive together."

"Really?"

"You know, he admires your work and values you as a person. He doesn't stop talking marvels about you. And he has a soft spot for me. I'm his favorite niece."

"I can tell as much," Kid replied in a neutral tone.

"So he wants us to get on well," Natasha continued.

"We already get on well."

Natasha smiled and in a bold motion, she slid his hand over his thigh and squeezed it. "He really wants us to get on better… better and better," she whispered.

"Please Natasha, you're distracting me, and I'm driving," Kid said clumsily in an attempt to stop all this nonsense from the young woman.

"Am I?" Natasha laughed but did not try to remove her hand from his thigh.

Kid did not know what else to say, and kept quiet. He was very aware of Natasha's hand, which she did not move from his thigh for the rest of the drive. What else could he say without being too rude and offending her?

Apparently, Natasha was playing hard in a game Kid did not want to take part in. Kid really liked her as a friend, but he just wanted things to remain the same between the two of them. So he would hate it if he spoiled their good relationship by saying something that could upset her. Kid had hoped that his indifference would tell her what she needed to know, and she would back off. Yet, it seemed that had not worked. Her hand on his thigh showed him as much, and he feared he had a very long night ahead.

With obvious relief, Kid reached their destination. After parking the car, he was glad to leave the confined space inside the vehicle and Natasha's presence. Yet, as they started walking to the entrance of the building, Natasha hooked her arm around his, leaning against him too closely for Kid's liking. He made a face, which the woman did not notice and chose not to see, and kept going.

The Barnes lived in a luxurious apartment on the top floor of a high building in one of the most selected areas in Manhattan. The apartment was enormous, with too many rooms and corridors, which made it look like a maze. An outsider could easily get lost in the place. There was a huge terrace with an impressive view of the city, and it was there that the Barnes held their gatherings. Even in winter they conditioned the place with patio heaters and a huge canopy, which made the place warm and cozy. It was an ideal venue. The decoration was perfect, with delicate lanterns hovering over the length of the place, colorful flowers, and different ornaments which defined the theme of the party. Tonight the theme was Japan, and the terrace was beautifully embellished by dozens of objects and details brought from the country by the hosting couple.

A few of his colleagues were already there when Kid and Natasha arrived. They greeted the Barnes and the rest of their coworkers, and Kid noticed the looks passing between them. Natasha was still holding onto his arm, and of course people were clearly wondering what was going on between them, which was exactly what Kid had wanted to avoid. And the worst was that there was nothing between them. Mr. Barnes was grinning in a very suspicious way, and Kid just did not know what to say or how to justify himself.

As soon as he could, Kid snuck away from Natasha, and joined some of his other colleagues who were engaged in conversation. Yet, the woman did not leave him a minute alone, and came after him when she realized he was not by her side. On the terrace they had some aperitifs and canapés. The waitresses from the catering service the Barnes had hired came and went, continuously bringing tray after tray of drinks and goodies. Then, after those nibbles, the dozen people gathered there that night passed to a gazebo under which a table had been set for dinner. To Kid's chagrin, he found that the table arrangements placed Natasha next to him, who after the way she was acting today, he would have preferred to have a respite from. Fortunately, the young woman ignored him most of the time during the meal and engaged in conversation with the man sitting on her other side.

Dinner was truly delicious. Food was one of the most enjoyable things at these gatherings. The Barnes always had the best for their guests, and hired the most renowned catering services in the city. Despite the late fashions, they were not very fond of the nouvelle cuisine, in which predominated originality and the concept of food over quantity. That was just opposite to what happened in the Barnes' household. The plates were plentiful, and with excellent quality. Tonight they had salmon as a starter, date and beef pie with vegetables as the main course, and the chocolaty dessert was simply scrumptious.

After dinner, the guests returned to the terrace, to enjoy the rest of the night. There was a band playing, and little by little people shyly started to dance. Natasha and her uncle joined those couples on the dance floor in that first tune, and when the music ended, Kid saw her march towards him. He was in that moment having a glass of champagne while talking to Mrs. Barnes. Kid straightaway knew what Natasha's intentions were, and before she could reach him, and force him to dance, Kid said to his boss's wife, "Will you excuse me? I need to go to the bathroom."

Kid stopped when he noticed that one of his colleagues, Tony, was going into the restroom at the end of the terrace at that very moment. Mrs. Barnes realized where his hesitation came from and said, "Samuel, why don't you use one of the bathrooms inside? There's one in the first corridor, fourth door on the left."

"Thanks, Ma'am."

Kid excused himself, and walked inside the apartment. Crossing the lavishly decorated lounge, he took his sweet time to admire the environment. Mrs. Barnes had very good taste. Yet, Kid thought that even if he had as much money as the Barnes, he would never have his lounge embellished in this way. The room looked beautiful, the couches and chairs plush and impeccable, every object just in the right place. Everything was harmonious, nothing was discordant. However, Kid thought that the place was too perfect, and obviously the Barnes did not make much use of it. Kid liked to feel that a room had life, was vibrant, and held memories and laughter. He just wanted an imperfect lounge, a very used couch, a table packed with personal things, and shelves full of photographs. Now his own apartment was kind of cold since he lived alone, but he liked to think that things might change one day when he might have a family to share his imperfect lounge with.

A waitress went down the corridor towards the lounge, and Kid smiled as he passed her. When the woman was gone, he found himself alone in the corridor, and started counting the doors. It was the fourth on the left… or did Mrs. Barnes say the right? He opened a door, and realized it was a closet. Mrs. Barnes must have meant a room door, not just any door, so it had to be the following one. He opened it. It was not the bathroom either, but the kitchen, and on realizing there was somebody inside he started to apologize. "Excuse me. I'm really sorry. I was looking for the bathroom," he said to the lady at the sink, whose back was turned to the door and obviously him.

"It's on the left, sir," she said as she slowly turned around to face him.

When Kid saw her face, his heart skipped a beat, heat rushed to his face, and his mind went numb. For a moment he could not react, could not talk, could not even breathe, and after what felt like hours, but was actually just a few seconds, he breathed, "Lou…"

Louise was as surprised to see him as Kid was to see her. All of a sudden, she was nervous and jittery, and her hands frantically started playing with the material of her apron. "Kid…" she replied to his awkward greeting. It was Kid, but too much time had passed, and he was surely not the same guy she used to know, so suddenly she foolishly realized that there was something different, he was one of her employers' guests, and she clumsily stammered, "I… I mean, sir… no, I mean, Mr. Cain."

Kid took a few steps closer to her inside the kitchen as he chuckled at her words. "Sir? Mr. Cain? What's that, Lou? It's me, Kid. Don't you remember me or what?"

Louise smiled shyly. "Of course I remember you. It's just that… well, that's the way Mr. and Mrs. Barnes want us to address their guests. They don't want too much familiarity from… you know, the service."

Kid grinned again. "Well, neither of them is here, and I think they're a bit late. Our… what did you call it? Oh yes, our familiarity comes back a long way, doesn't it?"

Lou nodded, unable to stop smiling. His eyes stared at her eagerly, and she started to feel self-conscious when she realized he was there, as handsome as ever, and she looked like a poor imitation of Cinderella. Her hand crawled to her hair and tried to smooth the tendrils that had escaped the net she wore. Her uniform was wet, and her whole face was sweaty and flushed. Right now she felt hideous. Why did she have to bump into Kid just now? He must surely think she was a ghastly sight, something he could talk and laugh about with their friends in their next reunion.

Ignorant of her thoughts, Kid kept staring at her in silence. This was amazing. He had thought the night would be a total waste, and instead he had found Lou. After so many years wondering where she might be, he had found her… finally. She really looked as lovely as when they last saw each other. Her hair, which was longer now, was pulled back in a net, her clothes shaped some very nice new womanly curves, but other than that she looked pretty much the same. Her eyes were as big and profound as ever, her nose was the cutest Kid had ever seen, and her lips… oh those to-die-for lips of hers. Kid remained in silence, just looking at her. He wanted to tell her so many things, ask her so much, take her into his arms for a hug, but he could not move, and simply stayed there in silence.

Lou cleared her throat, uncomfortable at his open scrutiny, and the sound made Kid realize that he could not stand there like a peeping Tom all night long. He needed to say something, and he finally did, "Oh Lou, it's been so long, so long… ten long years."

"Almost eleven," she corrected him shyly.

Kid wanted to know about her, wanted to ask her about everything. He wondered what she had been doing all these years, if things had been good for her, if she had ever thought of him, and especially he wanted to know if her heart was free. Yet, he knew this was not the time or the place, because his eager curiosity would just scare her away. Noticing the pile of dirty pots, trays, glasses, plates and cutlery, Kid tilted his head to them while making a casual comment, "Seems you're really busy tonight."

Lou followed the direction his head was pointing, and grinned, "It's not too bad. Almost all this stuff goes into the dishwasher, so it's just the bigger things I have to deal with directly. I'll be done in a couple of hours or so."

"A couple of hours?" he repeated, raising his eyebrows. "Hmm, that's good to know."

Kid wanted to tell her he wished to see her when she finished here, but one of the waitresses came through the door from the terrace, interrupting the moment. When she noticed Kid, she gave him and Lou a strange look. "Uh…," Louise started awkwardly, "the bathroom is on the left. The fourth door, counting from the beginning of the corridor."

"Uh… thanks. And please excuse my clumsiness."

Kid reluctantly left the kitchen and Lou. After the brief encounter, he was feeling so excited that he did not even visit the bathroom. So he returned to the terrace straightaway. He had every intention of waiting around for Lou to get off work in just a couple of hours. That was what she had said. So he would see her again then.

As he returned to the terrace, Natasha joined him at once. He did not care about anything else anymore. He did even willingly accept when she asked him to dance to the slow music the band had started playing. He was a clumsy dancer, but nothing mattered now. The only thing that mattered was that he had found Lou… his Lou.

He smiled from ear to ear as he started dancing with Natasha. The woman kept chattering and laughing, leaning on him with obvious intentions, but Kid did not notice anything anymore. He hardly heard a word she said or her presence. His mind was somewhere else, or rather with somebody else. Naturally that was not what it looked like from outside, and that was not what it looked like to a couple of brown eyes that were watching the dancing couple from a little gap in an almost unnoticeable door in the terrace.