One after another, the songs continued to play as the pair paid no attention to the music. After some time, Kate got up to change it back to track 2.

"That was nice," said Caroline with a wide smile on her face.

"Only nice? How flattering!" Kate joked.

"No…I…I didn't mean it that way," said Caroline, "I just meant…"

Kate got back into bed, "I'm (kiss) teasing (kiss) you (kiss). I know you well enough to know there are moments when that otherwise extensive vocabulary of yours fails you. It's quite endearing."

As Caroline recognized what song was playing, she kissed her wife and said, "for the record, I do like your body, I do think you are sexy and I did just let you know."

"Mmm, that you did, it was…nice," said Kate with a big smile to tease her wife.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," said Caroline. "Get on with it, what's the story with this song?"

"Well, it was the day we walked around the gardens and then we decided to try that new Mediterranean place for lunch."

"I remember," said Caroline, "I've told you, that was the day I had a bit of a breakdown on my way home. All better now though," she smiled, "I got the girl."

Kate leaned in to kiss her.

"Did you hear that song on the radio, that day, is that why?" Caroline asked.

"Well, yes, but no. You were humming that song part of the day."

"Was I?"

"Not nonstop, but yes, on and off and I didn't realize what song it was but I heard it on the radio while driving home and it clicked. I figured you must have heard it at some point, and it was stuck in your head."

(July 2012)

It had been unusually warm, so they decided to meet in the morning to walk through the gardens. Kate pulled into the car park and looked but did not yet spot Caroline. Before she got out of her car, a familiar black Jeep pulled in and parked next to her.

As Caroline watched Kate walk towards her, her eyes grew large as she saw Kate was wearing a dress, a beautiful summer dress. She had never doubted that Kate owned or wore dresses, she had likely seen her wear one before, she just couldn't recall when, she hadn't paid attention in the past but she certainly was now. The dress was sleeveless and showed her toned arms, it was yellow and contrasted beautifully against her skin tone, it was fitted in a way that made her look both casual and elegant. Caroline knew she was staring but couldn't look away.

"Good morning, don't you look lovely, like a ray of sunshine," said Caroline as she leaned in for a hug. Hugs that grew longer every time but were never long enough.

The pair chatted as they made their way towards the entrance. While they walked around, Caroline became more and more aware of Kate as they would occasionally brush up against one another.

As they looked at one of the plants, Caroline reached for it and pulled off a caterpillar. "Destructive little thing."

Kate gave her a look.

"What?"

"Just…you surprise me. Never took you as someone who'd pick a caterpillar up with your bare hands."

"Ohhhh, Ms. McKenzie, you and your preconceived notions, I wasn't born wearing heels and carrying handbags," joked Caroline. "I used to garden a lot with my dad when I was little. My mum could never bother, she never understood the attraction of being outside and getting your hands dirty, it was beneath her. He and I loved it though. He would teach me about the plants, the scientific names, what conditions they needed to grow, to thrive, the harmful insects, the beneficial ones. The more interested I became in it, he would give me books to read, to really encourage my love of science."

"He sounds like he was a great dad," said Kate.

"Well…that's…," Caroline ended her thought there.

Kate picked up on the abrupt ending to their conversation and decided to let it be.

As they walked around, Caroline would share what she knew about each plant, instinctively touching Kate's arm or shoulder as she did. It wasn't too long before Kate would echo her actions with a gentle touch when she found the information interesting or to get Caroline's attention to ask a question. Without realizing it, they spent the entire morning reaching out to touch one another, on the arm, then the shoulder, the hand, the small of the back. Neither consciously realized what they were doing but with each passing minute, their desires grew as did their feelings for one another.

Whenever Kate turned away slightly, Caroline would stare, steal a glance. Even in the beauty of these gardens, Kate was by far more beautiful than the surroundings. She tried to think of something poetic but instead, a song popped into her head.

They slowed their pace and spent as much time as they could talking about anything they could think of just so they didn't have to leave. As they neared the exit, Caroline put her hand on Kate's shoulder and pointed towards a shaded area, "over there, shall we sit for a while?"

"Yes!" Kate responded eagerly, happy that Caroline had noticed the bench.

They sat in the cool of the shade, discussing the plants and bees and songbirds around them. When their conversation began to fade, they turned to people watching, families with young children, friends out for the day, young lovers mesmerized by one another. In the silence, Kate noticed Caroline was humming but couldn't quite make out the tune.

A wile later, Kate placed her hand on Caroline's knee and turned to ask a question.

Caroline's heart skipped a beat as she thought, 'she's touching me.'

"There is a new Mediterranean restaurant a few streets over. I've not been but I've heard it is good. Would you like to get lunch?" Kate asked.

"Yes!" Caroline replied eagerly, happy to spend more time together.

They ordered a platter of finger foods and whether it was watching Kate bite an olive or dip pita into hummus, there was something so sexy about the way she ate. They continued to eat and chat with the occasional hand brushing against hand as they reached for the same item. Or reaching out to touch the arm of the other when they needed to share an additional piece of info pertinent to their conversation.

As the pair walked toward the exit, Caroline's heart raced. Around Kate, she felt the constant flood of chemicals as they coursed throughout her body. A surge of adrenaline, testosterone, estrogen, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, oxytocin and vasopressin, all triggered by feelings of attraction, lust and love. She had read about the chemistry of love, read about it a lot lately, more than a lot but why Kate? She had known plenty of women who were nice, kind, thoughtful, intelligent, beautiful but never felt a thing for them. Why Kate? Working together complicates an already complicated situation, so why Kate? Was it her laugh, her gentle touch, her gaze, her smile, why Kate? Science could explain a lot but not everything, it couldn't explain, why Kate?

Before Caroline realized it, they were by their cars and Kate leaned in to hug goodbye. Everything she had felt just thirty seconds before suddenly became magnified. As she felt Kate's touch. As arms began to wrap around her. As she was pulled close. As body pressed against body. Every nerve felt over stimulated, every sense was overwhelmed. It was all too much and not nearly enough.

If she said anything, if Kate had, she wasn't sure. Before she realized it, she had pulled onto a quiet side street and had an emotional breakdown.

Unbeknownst to Caroline, she had been humming a song from the moment they left the restaurant until she mumbled 'goodbye' after their hug. Kate still hadn't worked out what the song was but figured it would come to her at some point. As she left the car park, she turned on the radio. Whether it was fate, luck or coincidence, when she was about halfway home, a song began to play and it clicked, 'that's what Caroline was humming.' She smiled but didn't read too much into it since Caroline would randomly hum and sing other songs whenever they were together.

"So, I was basically asking if you thought I was sexy and you never figured out I liked you," teased Caroline.

"Yes, but you also tend to sing and hum other songs, so I didn't give it much thought beyond a curiosity. When I hear you sing, 'You're So Vain,' should I be offended." smiled Kate.

"Point taken. Just to be absolutely clear, anytime I sing 'At Last' or… 'Wonderful Tonight' or… 'The Way You Look Tonight' or… 'Feel Like Making Love' or…"

"You want to get into my knickers," winked Kate. "Sounds nice."

Notes:

Da Ya Think I'm Sexy – Written by Rod Stewart, Carmine Appice & Duane Hitchings with 'unconscious plagiarism' from the song Taj Mahal by Jorge Ben Jor.

also mentioned

You're So Vain – Written and performed by Carly Simon

At Last – Written by Mack Gordon and Harry Warren. I think the Etta James version is by far the best and while not the original, likely the most well known.

Wonderful Tonight – Written and performed by Eric Clapton

The Way You Look Tonight – Written by Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields. Lots of versions to listen to and while not the original, Frank Sinatra's is the most famous.

Feel Like Makin' Love – Performed by Bad Company and written by two of it's members (Paul Rodgers and Mick Ralphs)