Free Love Confessed by Amber Tracey Page B

for about two minutes before she starts making small talk, asking about work and Abby.
    “Why did you leave?” I blurt out before I can stop myself. Her eyes go wide with surprise and I notice for the first time today how clear blue they are. She looks beautiful. She’s wearing jeans and tight pink shirt that shows just the slightest hint of cleavage. Her olive skin looks a little more tan than usual and the pink on her shirt matches her naturally pink lips and cheeks. Man, she’s breathtakingly beautiful even in her casual clothes. I notice her sit up straighter and she appears to be choosing her words carefully.
    “Well,” she begins “we had a nice time last Friday and I didn’t want that awkward next morning conversation.”
    “What? Are you serious right now?”
    “Yes, I’m serious. Imagine if I had stayed, how would our conversation had gone in the morning? Steve, we barely know each other. We were both drunk and you’re my bosses friend and client. Why not just call it what it was? A one night stand.” She pauses and cocks her head to the side, taking another sip of her beer while evaluating before she says, “A really, really good one night stand.”
    Well at least that question is answered. She thought it was really good. I can’t help my satisfied smile as I take another drink of beer.
    “A one night stand? Isn’t that only when you never see the other person again? As you mentioned I’m Scott’s friend and client. Therefore, were bound to keep running into each other, Leah. Now, come to find out our kids are in the same class so were going to see each other even more. I don’t understand. I wasn’t that drunk and I had thought both of us enjoyed ourselves.”
    I can feel all of the frustration of the week start to boil in my veins with this statement of a question. I hate how stupid I feel blurting this all out. I feel like the clingy one being blown off but I can’t seem to help it.
    “First, Steve, you need to calm down.”
    While I’m not a fan of this maternal patronizing, it makes me realize that my hands are clenched on the table. She just stares, with her scary lawyer scowl, until I sit back and take a deep breath before she continues.
    “Second, as previously mentioned, I did have a very good time.”
    She’s going into lawyer mode. I can see the wheels spinning as she puts her forehead on her hands and tries to sort her thoughts. When she looks back up at me, I think for the first time that there’s a chance she may be just as confused as I am.
    “I don’t know why I left, Steve. Maybe it’s because things got really intense really quickly. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been with someone in a really long time. Maybe I panicked because random hookups aren’t something I’m well versed in. Or maybe it’s the fact that we do see each other quite a bit, that you’re my bosses client and friend and that I was slightly embarrassed about how I acted. Is that ok with you?”
    She’s speaking in a low stern tone and her eyes narrow at me. “I’m sorry.” I don’t really know what to say. I was so caught up with feeling like it was something I did that I didn’t stop to think about how what it would be like for her.
    “I haven’t said anything to Scott. I want you to know that I wouldn’t. I…I just didn’t expect to wake up and you not be there. It caught me off guard.”
    “Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m sorry that I left, really Steve.”
    Crap. I remember the conversation with Scott where he was nosing around trying to figure out what I needed with Leah. Double crap.
                  “But, um, Scott did call me yesterday. I think that Kelly told him I was looking for you. I didn’t say anything but he kept pushing trying to figure out why I wanted you. I think that he figured it out, because, well, let’s face it. There probably aren’t a lot of things Scott can figure out more quickly than a “one night stand” as you so affectionately