Two
Ric took a seat inside Kelly's as Liz came up to him. She poured him a cup of coffee. "What's wrong?" she asked.
"What makes you think something's wrong?" he said.
"You didn't kiss me," she said with a slow smile.
He reached for her and kissed her gently. "I'm sorry."
Liz sat down and asked, "But, seriously, what's wrong?"
"You know how you had that strange dream," he said, "I've been having some too."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
Ric shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He put a smile on his face. "So, are we still on for dinner tonight?"
"Pick me up at six?" Liz said.
"Six it is." Ric watched her go back to work. His dream flashed before his eyes. Long dark hair entangled in his hands. And the softness of Kendra's lips pressed against his as he kissed her.
*
Kendra opened the door to her hotel room as Jake walked in. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him.
"No. You?"
"I couldn't even make myself close my eyes," she said. "All I could see was Ric, but it was the Ric from seven years ago. He could look completely different now."
"I only wish my parents were alive to have this chance," Jake said.
Kendra gave him a comforting hug. "You're taking the chance for them, Jake."
He looked outside the window to the city. "He's down there somewhere, Kendra. Can you believe it? We found him."
*
Ric put on his coat as he left his apartment. His mind was clouded with thoughts. Liz. His paperwork for Sonny. His dreams. And Kendra. Kendra Meyers. Next door neighbor turned best friend turned lover. Aside from leaving Jake and his parents, leaving Kendra had been extremely hard. He had left no note, no explanation. Nothing to give them any sign of hope that he would ever return.
He turned the corner, still thinking of Kendra when he saw something—someone—that made him stop in his tracks. Was he dreaming? There she was. Standing in the flesh. Underneath the streetlight, across the street, Kendra stood. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest. Her hair was down and loose. She finally looked up and that was when she saw him.