Chapter 9

Early morning. Sun glimmering through the trees as she passed beneath. Window cracked just enough to smell the late spring freshness without disturbing the hair. Kate peaked at the clock. An hour early, as usual—more than enough time to make those copies before class.

Caroline.

I am not going to think about her. She bit her lip as she pulled in front of the school, breathing a sigh of relief upon seeing that Caroline hadn't arrived, yet.

"Good morning, Kate," Beverly chimed as Kate passed by her office.

"Good morning." She smiled courteously, walking on to her class room.

"Oh Kate," Beverly called, stepping back into the hallway. "Caroline called and asked me to let you know that she'd like to see you in her office in a few minutes if that's alright. She said your phone's turned off."

"Oh—okay. Thank you." Kate pulled out her phone. Sure enough, it was off. Her heart started beating a little faster. Oh god, what now. After dropping off her things in her classroom, she took a deep breath and gathered herself for whatever was to come.

Beverly told Kate to wait in Caroline's office while she fetched some tea. In the meantime, Kate tried to sit down but ended up pacing the floor a few times before hearing the handle turn. There she was. The door was closed before it had the chance to be open. Kate stopped her pacing long enough to say, with an unexpectedly distraught tone, "What?"

As she couldn't bear the thought of being scolded again, no other words came. Besides that, she didn't really have the chance to say anything else since Caroline took her face in both hands and gave her a gentle, yet, passionate kiss. Before Kate knew it, she was up against the door, returning the kisses while Caroline's hand wandered up her shirt.

Time disappeared. There was no sound as everything seemed to go in slow motion- that is, until Kate felt the door behind her open. Out of reflex, she quickly pushed her full weight back against it and then heard a thump and something that resembled someone getting punched in the head. They stopped to look at each other with perplexed expressions. "What on earth?" Caroline said with alarm.

Upon opening the door, Kate saw poor Beverly sitting on the floor, hair slightly disheveled. Amazingly, the tea pot in her hand remained intact. "I brought the tea," she said, holding it up like a good soldier.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry!" Kate took the tea pot and handed it to Caroline. "I didn't realize—I mean, I didn't know…" She reached down to help Beverly up, at a loss for words, while Caroline blew in from behind.

"Gosh, Beverly, so sorry. Don't quite know how that happened," she said with her headmistress smile, taking the other arm.

"Are you hurt?" Kate asked.

"No broken bones," Beverly replied standing to her feet. "Next time just put a sign on the door, loves." She straightened her clothes out and walked towards the hallway, perhaps the most valiant of secretaries.

"I'm sure that won't be necessary," Caroline replied, holding her smile in place.

"Mhm. I'll be making those copies, Kate."

"Thanks!" Kate called as she left.

Caroline and Kate turned to each other, trying to hold back the laughter. "Dear Lord, that was a disaster. You might want to tuck that in," Caroline said with a mischievous grin, pointing to Kate's shirt.

Kate paused for a moment and peaked at the door to make sure Beverly wasn't lurking. That just happened. "Oh, gosh." She did her best to pull herself together while Caroline took off her jacket and hung it on the coat rack. "Caroline," she said, making sure all the ends of her shirt were squared away.

Caroline sat on the edge of her desk, still wearing a large smile. "Yep?"

I love it when her eyes are so lit up. There were a million things she wanted to say with no words to express them. "What… was that?" she asked, her eyes as bright as Caroline's.

"I don't think I really know except that I was up the whole damn night thinking about you."

"Really?" Kate sat on the arm of the chair by Caroline's desk.

"Mhm," Caroline replied, getting momentarily lost in Kate's happy eyes.

She's so cute. "Why?"

"I don't know. The whole way home from the hospital yesterday I tried to think about everything else. Even during supper, my mum asked what I was so starry-eyed about."

Kate's smile grew. "And what did you say?"

"I said it must be the wine."

"And she believed you?"

Caroline got up to pour her tea. "No. Probably not. You'd have to know my mum," she said, glancing at Kate with a bit of flirtation.

Kate paused in thought while Caroline sipped her tea. "What would she think—of us do you think?"

Her smile faded a little as she set her tea back on the desk. "Well, I don't know exactly."

Kate stood up and rested a hand on the desk, looking at Caroline with a slightly raised eye brow. "Caroline. Does she know—about you?"

Deep breath. "Yes—she does. But, a long time ago, she succeeded in convincing herself that I'm a perfectly normal heterosexual."

"And she convinced you, as well?" Kate asked ponderingly.

"Something like that." She started organizing the papers on her desk.

Kate took a deep breath and reached over to take Caroline's hands in her own, looking at her mischievously. "Caroline, you can talk to me. We like each other, remember? At least I'm assuming that's what that kiss was about," she said, pulling Caroline over to her.

A smile appeared again. "L-look, Kate. Beverly could come in any minute," Caroline sputtered while Kate gently kissed her cheek.

Kate wrapped both arms around her. "I don't care," she said in a rather sexy, confident manner.

Caroline pulled her face back to gaze contentedly at her. "You're very pretty."

"Really?"

"Mhm."

"You're magnificent."

Caroline wrapped her arms around Kate's waist. "You know, you'd better get to class."

"I'd much rather stay here," she replied, stroking Caroline's cheek.

"Yes, but then we'd both get fired and end up shuffling on the street wearing god knows what and that wouldn't be good, now would it?"

"I suppose not." Kate smiled and let her go.

"I'll call you later—if your phone is on," Caroline said, walking round to take her seat.

"It will be." Both looked happily at each other for a moment, and Kate left the office with a smile. She closed the door and leaned back on it, tightening her eye lids. I can't comprehend her, but I want to know her—for forever. Kate opened her eyes again only to see Beverly standing in the doorway by the hallway looking at her with a droll expression. "Here's your copies, love," she said handing them to Kate.

"Thanks," she replied apologetically and made her way out with a smile still stuck in place.

Beverly raised one eye brow with a look of amused disbelief as Kate walked down the hallway- without a care in the world.