Free And Playing the Role of Herself... by K E Lane Page A

suddenly gone from completely, unattainably safe, to something else. I didn't know what that 'else' was yet, but it scared the crap out of me. "I don't…"

"Besides," she waved her hand dismissively, "I've never even met George Clooney."

The look on my face must have been priceless, because when she looked at me, she burst out laughing. "Oh, god, Caid. You are so damn adorable."

She thinks I'm adorable.

I shook my head. I'd think about that later. Right now, I wanted her to stay on the subject.

"I just spent the evening with the two of you, and you seemed pretty damned together to me. This isn't just me believing what I read in the tabloids, Robyn, this is what the entire world has been led to believe for the past two years."

She shrugged, and took a sip of wine. "We're good friends, and enjoy being with each other, but we're not together romantically. If the tabloids misconstrue that, that's their problem."

She seemed so nonchalant about it, and I tried to match her attitude. Honestly, I should be leaping for joy. Praising the heavens. She was - technically - single. But instead I was angry. I was like any other human being, and didn't like to be duped. I also didn't like contemplating other parts of who I thought Robyn was that might not be genuine.

Conversation after that was forced - she tried to draw me out, but I was distracted by her announcement, and I'm sure my answers seemed curt, verging on outright rude. When I told her I needed to head home, she didn't argue, only nodded resignedly, and showed me to the door.

The mixture of sadness and confusion on her face as we said painfully polite goodbyes made me feel like an ass, and I berated myself the entire way home, trying to figure out why I'd reacted the way I had. So Robyn wasn't with Josh. So what? So they let the public think they were. So what?

What really had set me off, I realized, was my fear at her sudden change in status from forbidden to not-so-forbidden, and that was ridiculous. She was still just as straight, just as unattainable as ever.

Wasn't she?

That was the question. All my dealings with Robyn up to now; the smiles, the slightly flirtatious banter, the touches…all that time I'd been under the impression that she was with Josh. I'd assumed she was flirtatious by nature, and touchy.

But what if…

What if.
I sighed, frustrated. With guys, it was easy. But I'd never done this before with a woman. Were the signs the same? How did you know? How could you tell what was friendship and what was more?

I let myself into my small, cottage-style house in the hills outside of La Canada, still puzzling over these questions, and no closer to an answer, although I had come to the conclusion that I needed to call Robyn first thing in the morning and apologize.

Robyn beat me to it.

The voice on my machine was hesitant and subdued. "Caid…it's Robyn. I don't know what happened…but I feel like somehow I upset you…whatever I did, I'm sorry." There was a sigh, and I could picture her running a hand through her hair. "I'd like to talk to you, please call me."

She left a number, which I automatically wrote down, and then stared at.

I picked up the phone and tapped it against my forehead a few times.

Ok. You can do this. Just tell her you're sorry, that you had a nice evening…something like that.
I took a breath and punched in the numbers.

Her breathless voice answered on the fourth ring, and I basked for just a moment in the warmth that flowed through my body at the sound.

"Robyn? It's…"

"Caid." The relief in her voice was obvious, and I kicked myself again for being such an ass. "Caid, I'm sorry. Whatever I did…"

"No," I stopped her, "It's me that should apologize. I'm sorry, Robyn, you just…you just surprised me, and I felt like I'd been lied to, and I overreacted."

Ohhhh. Good thinking on your feet, Harris. Maybe you should go into acting.
"Oh." That stopped her, and it was several seconds before she spoke again. "I'm sorry,