The ringing of the buzzer brought Abbie back to reality. She'd been staring into the pot of boiling pasta, hypnotized by the rising bubbles, thinking about this evening's date with Catherine as well as her tension-filled talk with Olivia the other day. Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she responded to the buzzer and invited her houseguest up to the new apartment. In moments Catherine was at the door, cheeks rosy from the brisk chill outside, and Abbie escorted her in while taking her coat and scarf to hang on the nearby coat rack.

"Abbie, it smells wonderful in here!" exclaimed Catherine, smiling at her host. Producing a bottle of wine she continued, "I hope this is the right kind. I'm hopeless at picking out wines. I had a friend recommend it."

"It's perfect, thanks. Let me grab the corkscrew and we'll try it out while we wait for dinner to finish cooking. Come on into the kitchen," Abbie commanded, a smile in her voice as she held the bottle in one hand and her guest's hand in the other.

"I hope you like pasta. I whipped up a sauce that's so good you'll want to take a bath in it, " Abbie promised, teasing the blonde as she poured a glass of wine for each of them. "My mama used to make it in huge vats. With an older sister and three younger brothers, leftovers were rare in our house."

"Five of you? Your mother is a saint," Catherine teased back, enjoy a sip of the wine and the light banter between herself and the tall brunette.

"She certainly was," Abbie replied, her tone changing subtly. There was a brief silence while Catherine watched Abbie mentally shake off the mood, and then Abbie grinned at her and said "Tell me about your family."

*******************************

Two hours later the women found themselves engrossed in a debate about college football, Catherine having admitted to a loyalty to OU, thus taking the opposing side in the Red River Rivalry.

"Are you kidding? Colt McCoy can out-quarterback what's-his-name any day of the week and twice on Sundays!" Abbie exclaimed, her Texas drawl becoming more noticeable as the evening continued. "Tell you what, the big game is in a couple of weeks. You, me, some beer and wings, and we'll see who's the team to beat."

"You're on!" Catherine joked. Glancing at her watch, she rose from the couch. "It's getting late. I'd better get home."

Abbie watched Catherine rise, her stomach clenching with nervousness. She'd really enjoyed the evening, with thoughts of Olivia at a minimum, but she was uncertain as to how the night should end. She stood in front of the other woman, feeling her pulse quicken, and spoke in a husky voice, "I'm really glad you came over. I…"

Catherine leaned in, her soft lips briefly meeting Abbie's. Stepping back she waited for Abbie's reaction, which was not long in coming. Abbie stepped towards her again, pulling Catherine to her gently, and kissed her again, lingering and enjoying the sensation of holding the other woman.

Without warning, Olivia's face flashed through Abbie's brain and she pulled back. "Thanks…" she stammered. "I mean… ummm…", flustered she stopped speaking and, after a quick glance at Catherine's confused amusement, she smiled nervously in response. "Sorry. It seems I'm out of practice with these things."

"It didn't feel like you were out of practice a minute ago," Catherine replied with a grin. "Thank you for a fantastic evening." And with that, Catherine slid into her coat, kissed Abbie on the cheek, and headed out the door.

Abbie leaned against the heavy door, trying to catch her breath. Olivia. She had to figure out what was between them before dragging some poor, unsuspecting person into the middle of this mess. With determination she picked up her cellphone and dialed the familiar number.

"This is Olivia. I'm not available to take your call, but if you leave a message I'll get back to you."

"Liv. It's me. We need to talk. Give me a call." Abbie left the short message, hung up and began to pace, thoughts racing through her brain and twisting her stomach into a ball of anxiety. Suddenly she stopped, realizing that she knew exactly who could advise her through this tangled web. She dialed quickly, breathing a prayer that there would be a live person on the other end.

"Jack? Can you meet me tonight? McSorley's? Perfect. I can be there in twenty minutes. You're the best!" Abbie grabbed her keys and coat, hurrying to the pub for some much-needed guidance.