When she finally peeled her eyelids open, a thin ray of sunlight was struggling to penetrate the thick slit in the drapes. Kate hummed indefinitely, listening to what she felt. She stretched, sweetly and happily panting.
Silence surrounded her, pressing and lonely and eerily familiar, the way it had settled in her apartment when she'd fallen asleep on the bed when she got home from work, exhausted. Now, however, it was different. Beckett felt different. Not compressed into a spring, with nerves stretched to the point of pain, but soft and gentle as a featherbed. And she felt good, incomparably good. It was the way a woman felt when she finally met a man who understood and sensed her nature. Kate smiled contentedly, putting her palm to her cheek warm from sleep, but suddenly she was abruptly aware of it. Damn, the mask! Her fingers darted anxiously toward her temple, but stopped when she hit the fabric. Everything seemed to be in place, but she was haunted by doubt. For some reason it seemed that Alex had been around and quite recently... But the bed to her right was empty and had time to get cold. Where the hell was he?
Kate lay awake for a while longer, listening to the silence, then, treading cautiously in her bare feet, explored the bathroom, the hallway, the kitchen. And she wrinkled her nose in disappointment: The apartment was empty, and there was nothing left of her yesterday's adventure. Except for the enchanting aroma of coffee. Very thoughtful of him. I wonder how he figured it out. Was it Lainie again?
Kate took a meticulous look around the kitchen, and a restrained smile touched her lips. A lonely jazz pot on the stove, and there still seemed to be smoke coming from it. A tall mug on the table and... a scrap of paper. A note? Beckett mechanically pulled off her mask, and her thin finger twisted a thick auburn strand around itself for a few seconds longer - Kate was intensely comprehending what was happening. What was it - she was not the first to run away from the beau, but on the contrary - he from her? How could that be? How dare he? After all, it is usually her prerogative!
The mask flopped on the table, with undisguised annoyance Kate tapped the other with the edge of her palm, but the anger somehow remained somewhere deep inside her. Perhaps it was the pleasant aftertaste of love. Taking the neatly folded sheet in one hand and the full mug in the other, Kate returned to the bedroom. A couple of sips of coffee, though not scalding hot, tasted terribly good. But still, why had Alex run away? Beckett picked up the note so that, spreading her fingers, she opened it. On the front were two rounded, sprawling but clear words: "To Evelyn extraordinaire!"
"I'm begging you, Alex! - Kate's lips touched a warm smile: no one had ever called her that before. - So what other surprises do we have?"
And Kate delved deeper into the text that ended up shaking her to her core.
"Sorry to leave without saying good-bye, but having gotten used to relying only on yourself, you clearly shun close relationships. Just a little observation has made me realize that you are a treasure trove of wisecracks. And don't be surprised at my insight, because I was taught it. And I was taught it well. That's why I've noticed how you're always pushing yourself, even though you don't mind being yourself sometimes. Maybe you're just afraid of losing your self-control. Hence, perhaps, the roots of trusting only yourself. That's also your inner strength, your rationality, and your strong morals. But you're... you're very lonely. And you're real and right and cool, and that's why I can't offer you anything else. Other than what happened last night between us. Because you were definitely playing yourself, and I was just dying of admiration: your strong legs, magnificently developed arms, stunning body, honed sense of humor, and... a distinctive callus from the trigger. A sure sign of a difficult and dangerous job. Which you consciously chose (I'm not wrong, am I?) In which there was and is no room for sentimentality and soft-heartedness, but please, "Evie," don't punish yourself for a momentary weakness. Because, subtly understanding women, I never betray them. And you, too, I was glad to please, and I would very much like to continue, but I cannot go against your wishes. And you'd certainly be against it, because you're a lone she-wolf, "Evie," and you'll stay that way for a long time. Until suddenly you want to change, but not so much for yourself as for someone else. And yes: I could look at you asleep forever. Your face is so peaceful and defenseless; the bright and innocent smile of an angel in the flesh, but I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I shouldn't have, had no right to do that, because it's just cowardly and dishonorable. And it's not nice. Forgive me if you can, but I swear to the people closest to me that I will never tell anyone what happened between us, because I feel betrayed by you. You were asleep and you couldn't feel the way I held your hand tightly. And you didn't want to let me go - there's no getting away from this place! However, it's over, and now it's goodbye. Alex."
"Oh, the devil! What a set-up!" - Kate almost threw the mug into the corner in annoyance. Her tightly clenched lips turned white in an instant, and the pleasure of an unparalleled night was instantly replaced by irritation and anger. Tonight, now, immediately to the barbershop and cut off the luxurious curls. So that no one and nothing understood. So that no one would guess anything. So that not even Lainie knows what's going on. She's first in line for a passionate monologue, and the rest of us will get used to it. No more trick love adventures! No more sweet seducers like "Alex," for once she would meet him again, she would never rest in peace from his - what with his presence! - gaze, day or night. After all, for the sake of such kind, sympathetic, caring men, loving not only with their tongue, fingers, but also with their hearts, women are ready for any, even the craziest deeds. But... but not her. The momentary weakness is gone, and she can handle herself. No, exactly cope, and will live as before. Well, or almost. Which wasn't easy and she was ashamed to admit to herself. Because she, Kate, was truly, without pretence, rested. Felt a powerful rush of strength within herself. Shoved the sullen emotions away into a corner, and if it hadn't been for that pesky, frank note, her smile would have been wider and freer, or else... It would have been just like before. Well, or almost.
He went outside without that stupid mask. And he sighed deeply, reverently: his back was sore from many scratches, but women like this "Evie" were not so easy to get away from. And it wasn't even about the intense tactile sensations. "Evie" had hooked him with everything - looks, manner of speech, judgments, and witty humor - seriously and permanently, and as long as her image loomed before his eyes, there would be no end to the inspiration. As a matter of fact, in his considerable practice as a chancer, "Evelyn" stands firmly apart, and if it were not for the piquancy of the situation, he would have shared much with her. In fact, in her, he had found a kindred spirit (which is not often the case!), and the more so, the sadder it would be to lose her. He should have made the acquaintance stronger, but he could not. She must not know all the circumstances of their meeting. She could not know about his occupation, past and present, she could not see his true face, and there were many other things they could not know. The promise, and the seal, hangs over him, but he is not a codger and has never been one. And her secret, as promised in the letter, will also die with him. Forever. Forever.
- Goodbye, Evie," Alex sighed, "maybe you and I will meet someday. Maybe not in this lifetime, but what if we do?
He walked the entire block at a steady pace: his car was parked in an inconspicuous spot. On the way, "Alex" habitually checked for tailgating, but his anxiety was clearly for nothing and reeked strongly of paranoia.
"Spy mania at the head of the line!" - "Alex" only grinned at his unimaginative thoughts and dove into the car. Immediately home to his actress mother and his beautiful daughter, the odd red-haired "pumpkin" named Alexis, and then to his laptop. And don't let anyone or anything disturb him today.