Impulsive (Reach out to Me)

by Christine McGreggor

  “I’ve got class tomorrow night,” he said. When Kara’s face fell, he went on quickly, “I guess I could miss it just this once. We don’t have a test or anything.”

  “It’ll be so fun!” she promised excitedly. “I’ve heard great things about it and I know we’ll have a blast!”

  He smiled and tried to look enthusiastic. In truth, he hated dance clubs and missing class made him nervous, but if that was what it took to spend time with her, he was willing to sacrifice just a little.

  “I guess I should get dressed,” Kara said a bit later on. She didn’t want to leave the warm sheets or the warm guy beside her, but she was nearly falling asleep and she knew she needed to go home.

  “Why?” he asked lazily as his fingers combed through her long dark hair.

  “Michelle will worry,” Kara explained. “Besides, I have work tomorrow and nothing over here to help me get ready. Also, before you ask, no, I am not enough of a morning person to get up early enough to get home and still be presentable at work.”

  “Okay,” Thomas said reluctantly, having covered all the possible objections he could think of. “I guess I’ll let you go then.”

  She stood up to get dressed and his eyes feasted on every inch of her bare skin. She stretched luxuriously because she loved the way it felt to be watched with appreciation instead of rough possession. His eyes widened and he bounded out of the bed to catch her around the waist and kiss her again.

  “Are you sure you have to go?” he asked between kisses.

  “I’m sure,” she said regretfully as she pushed him gently away and began to dress. “Also, you should be aware that if you’re driving me to my car, you will need pants.”

  “I suppose I really shouldn’t get arrested so soon into my new job,” he agreed as he began to dress. “You’re practical as well as beautiful.”

  “Exactly right,” she agreed with a laugh.

  Chapter Eight

  Kara tried to be quiet as she slid her key into the lock and stepped into the dark, quiet, house. In the end, it didn’t really matter how quiet she was, because Michelle was sitting on the living room couch. She was pretending to read a book, but Kara knew that she was actually just waiting up for her. She suddenly felt very guilty. She really should have called Michelle and let her know that she was going to be late coming home. Of course, she hadn’t known it herself until that scorching kiss on the street. She rubbed her lips as if it had found a way to linger on her skin. She hadn’t exactly had time for phone calls after the kiss either.

  “Well, well,” Michelle said, closing the book and placing it carefully on the coffee table before she stood up and looked at her friend in the low light of the reading lamp. “How was the non-date?”

  Kara blushed. She wished now that she hadn’t been so emphatic about her outing with Thomas not being a date. She couldn’t really regret what they’d done tonight though.

  “It became more of a date as the evening wore on,” she hedged primly.

  “So you’re ready to admit that you like him?” Michelle asked.

  “I think it would be silly to pretend that I didn’t after what happened,” Kara admitted, unable to keep the excited tone out of her voice.

  “What exactly happened?”

  Kara cleared her throat significantly and looked away.

  “Oh my goodness!” Michelle gasped. “After such a long streak of being determined that you’d never be with anyone again? One non-date is all it took?”

  Kara laughed at the teasing tone in her friend’s voice.

  “Apparently,” she acknowledged. “He’s just such a great kisser, Michelle! I’ve never felt that good with anyone else.”

  “Really? Sit down and tell me all about it!” Michelle dragged Kara to the couch and looked at her expectantly.

  “Well, you know we went to dinner. Then we went for a walk and I told him about how Hayes does almost all the landscaping work for all the local businesses and then we talked about—“

  “Get to the good part,” Michelle said, as she punched Kara lightly in the shoulder.

  “He said he couldn’t believe my college roommate didn’t like me because I’m a wonderful person, which is totally true by the way,” Kara interjected with a wide grin. “Then he kissed me. It was the best kiss I have ever had, and I mean absolutely bar none. He had me shaking in just a few seconds and it was all I could do to wait until we got back to his place.” Kara broke off with a half-embarrassed laugh.

  “So he might be a little more your type than you thought?” Michelle asked in relief since her friend really needed a good guy.

  “Maybe just a little,” Kara said. “We’re going dancing tomorrow night. Why don’t you and Hayes tag along?”

  “Dancing where?” Michelle asked. “Is it that new club you’re always trying to drag me to?”

  “Yes,” Kara said defensively. “I really think you’d like it if you gave it a try. Come on,” she went on when Michelle started to shake her head. “It will be a fun double date and I really want to see how you all get along. You know I can’t date someone who doesn’t love you and Hayes like I do!”

  “Fine,” Michelle agreed with a sigh, mostly because she knew Kara wouldn’t stop needling until she had gotten her way. “We’ll all go. Maybe we can have a nice quiet dinner afterward?”

  “If that’s what it takes to get you to loosen up and have some fun then sure,” Kara agreed amiably. “We can have all the dinner you like after we’ve danced a while. Gosh Michelle! It’s a club, not a funeral. Try to look a little more excited! Am I or am I not the most fun person you know?”

  She put her hands on her hips and stared Michelle down until her friend began to laugh.

  “Okay Kara, I’ll trust our evening to you and hope it’s as fun as you think it will be. On the plus side, it probably won’t even be that crowded. It’s a weeknight.”

  “That’s the spirit,” Kara replied dryly. “We’ll check it out on a weeknight and if it’s really amazing, and it will be, we can go back this weekend!”

  “Hayes is going out of town this weekend,” Michelle reminded Kara.

  “That doesn’t mean you can’t come with me and Thomas! We’ve got a bike ride planned for Saturday too, and I’m thinking about asking him if he wants to go to that 80’s film festival next Friday night at the drive in and—“

  “Kara, Kara,” Michelle cut in. “Calm down okay? You know your tendency to rush in. This is a really new relationship.”

  Kara wasn’t paying any attention. She was already thinking of all the things she and Thomas could do to liven up his boring lifestyle. There was so much that she could introduce him to. There was the Indian restaurant just off Main Street and she really did think he would enjoy that film festival. There was the indoor ice rink and maybe he’d take her glow-bowling. She’d always loved bowling under the black lights at the local alley. She’d make sure to dress him up in all the white clothing he had in his closet and it would be so fun!

  “Night Michelle,” she said absently.

  “Night Kara,” Michelle answered with a sigh.

  Thomas seemed like a really nice guy. He could be exactly what Kara needed to finally be happy in a relationship but it wouldn’t be the first time Kara’s enthusiasm and wild tendencies had pushed a level headed guy away.

  Chapter Nine

  “Hi Thomas!” Kara said when he walked up the sidewalk to the club around 7:30 in the evening. “I hope you didn’t have any trouble finding somewhere to park! We had to circle the block a few times.”

  He nodded and pointed down the street. “I happened to come in just as someone was leaving,” he said. “It’s really crowded, isn’t it?”

  “Yes,” Michelle said wryly. “Apparently this is the place to be.”

  Kara held up her hands and said, “What can I say? I had no idea this was half price drink night! I can’t believe you’re complaining about a fun evening dancing with your fiancé and best friend.”

  “I’m not
complaining,” Michelle corrected. “I’m saying that there is a discrepancy between the quiet, practically empty club you promised and a line a mile long at the door!”

  “It’s not a mile long,” Kara scoffed. “I can see the end of if just fine from right here.”

  Michelle rolled her eyes affectionately and said, “I still think that, somehow, you must have known.”

  “Well, I think we should go ahead and get in line,” Kara countered. “I know Hayes is going to be a little late, but we can save him a spot.”

  “I guess so,” Michelle said with another glance down the street. “I hope he shows up soon though. I really don’t want to go in without him.”

  “He’s a big boy, Michelle,” Kara said. “I think he can manage to get into a club by himself.”

  She linked her arm through Thomas’s when Michelle walked over to get in line ahead of them.

  “Hi, by the way,” Kara said grinning up at him. “I’m glad you came.”

  “Sure,” he said, dipping his head to brush her lips with his. “How could I say no to such a beautiful woman? You look very nice by the way.”

  “Very nice?” she said with a pout as she gave him a twirl. “That’s all you have to say for this?”

  She’d worn dark grey leggings under a short black skirt and finished the look with a bright blue shirt and knee high black boots. She’d also put her hair in an elaborate twist and done her makeup to suit the fun mood of the club. It just wasn’t often that she could get everyone she cared about in one place, let alone a really fun place like a dance club and she wanted to look her best for the occasion.

  “More than nice,” Thomas agreed with a smile. “How’s that?”

  “We’ll have to work on your compliment giving skills,” Kara said, but she returned the smile. “Goddess-like is always a good start, for example.”

  “I’ll be sure to remember,” he replied smiling as they took their places in line.

  Hayes showed up when there was only one group in front of them and soon they were inside the club.

  “It’s so loud!” Michelle shouted.

  “I know!” Kara squealed back. “This is a great song! Are we going to dance or have some drinks first?”

  “Drinks,” Michelle said firmly.

  They navigated their way slowly to the bar and Hayes and Thomas shouted their orders at the bartender. Kara squeezed Thomas’s hand in thanks when her Cosmo arrived. There wasn’t much hope of talking amongst themselves with the noise level in the club. Hayes had his head bent in an attempt to catch Michelle’s words and she saw Thomas’s lips move, but she had no idea what he’d said.

  “We don’t really have to dance do we?” Thomas asked; he didn’t want to sound like a wet blanket, but he wasn’t the world’s best dancer by a long shot.

  Kara finished her Cosmo and gave him a smile. Just as he had time to relax and think that, just possibly, he might not have to make a fool of himself on the dance floor, she pulled him up. Apparently she hadn’t heard him.

  “Let’s dance!” she yelled enthusiastically. “Come on, Michelle!”

  Hayes pulled Michelle to her feet and they followed Kara and Thomas onto the crowded dance floor. Thomas felt really nervous as he watched the other people on the dance floor. They all seemed pretty confident. Kara seemed confident, too. She put her hands into the air and wriggled her hips as she gave him a smile. He glanced quickly at Hayes.

  Michelle was dancing too and, while Hayes was moving along with her, he was doing it on a much simpler scale. Thomas copied his movements and Kara’s smile went from flirtatious to approving.

  “Now you’re getting the hang of it!” she exclaimed loudly as she moved closer.

  The feel of her skin brushing his gave him a better sense of rhythm and soon he didn’t need to glance at Hayes to know he was doing the right thing. He was much more aware of her body than he was strictly comfortable with in such a crowded room. He kept picturing her as she had been last night. He wanted to have her that way again in spite of the fact that he’d told himself that this had to be a date that didn’t end in asking her to come back with him. He had to focus on his degree and his job. He found that he had to repeat that to himself over and over as the evening wore on.

  He couldn’t deny that he was happy when they finally left the smoky, close atmosphere of the club for the quiet, fresh, spring air of the town streets. Maybe it would clear his head and help quell his ringing ears.

  “Whew,” Michelle said as they walked up the quiet sidewalk. “My eardrums are so mad at me right now. Am I yelling? I feel like I’m yelling.”

  “You’re fine,” Hayes said as he gave her a squeeze.

  “You just sound a little old before your time,” Kara teased and then ducked behind Thomas as Michelle made a mocking swing for her. “Also,” she continued when her friends had walked a little ahead of them once more. “I might have happened to bring a small overnight bag with me if you were considering inviting me back with you.”

  What Thomas had actually been forcing himself to think about was catching up on his homework from the class he’d missed. He knew that he should tell her that he really didn’t have time, but when he glanced down at her to say the words, all he could think about was how pretty she was. She was sexy actually, and she was fun and smart and she wanted to spend time with him. It had been a long time since he’d been in a relationship and he hadn’t realized until now how isolated he’d become.

  “I’d love it if you’d come back with me,” he said sincerely. Maybe he could get up early in the morning and do the homework or bring it to work with him and catch up on his lunch break.

  But the next morning he and Kara were nearly late because she hopped into the shower with him and it took a lot longer for both of them to actually get clean. Then she surprised him with a few slices of pizza on his lunch break and before he knew it, he was getting his first zero on a homework assignment. He sighed and promised himself that he’d manage his time better. He knew he’d have to talk to Kara about it, but he dreaded doing it. He really didn’t want to take the chance of losing her.

  Chapter Ten

  “Hi!” Kara said, poking her head around the door to his office about a week later. “Want to have lunch today?”

  Thomas gave her a smile and set aside his paperwork.

  “I really can’t,” he said to her surprise.

  “What? You’re not seriously going to work through lunch are you?”

  “This isn’t work,” he said. “This is homework. I’m a little bit behind in some of my classes.”

  Even though it had been a little more than a week, he still hadn’t found a way to talk to her about managing his time better. He enjoyed being with her and the things they did together were always fun. She always had a new restaurant in mind, or a pretty place to show him, or something new to try in bed.

  He swallowed hard when he remembered last night. He’d been trying to study when she’d knocked on his door. He’d opened it determined to finally talk with her and found her wearing a trench coat. In fact, she had been wearing only a trench coat. Thomas still couldn’t get the mental picture out of his head of the wicked grin she’d sent his way as she flashed him right in the hallway of the building.

  “Classes?” Kara waved that away with a flick of her hand. “Can’t you catch up on that tonight?”

  “I’m really far behind,” Thomas repeated. “I’m going to have to work on it tonight as well actually.”

  “Come on,” she wheedled. “My craving for Indian food will not be abated.”

  “You can have all the Indian food you want,” he said absently as he shuffled through his papers.

  “It’s not fun to eat alone,” she argued as she twirled her hair around her finger.

  He made a noncommittal noise and she sighed. He glanced up when she leaned over the desk and gave him her most convincing smile.

  “Please, Thomas? How much can you get done in one little hour anyway?”

 
; “Not much,” he said wryly. “Fine, let’s go get Indian food.”

  She linked her arm with his and they walked out to lunch. When their food came Thomas took a deep breath.

  “Kara,” he said seriously. “We need to talk.”

  “What’s wrong?” she asked with her naan bread halfway to her lips.

  “Nothing is wrong,” he hurried to reassure her. “It’s just that I’ve got a really big project coming up at work.”

  “You don’t need my help or anything, right?” she asked, wondering where on earth he was going with this.

  “No,” he replied with a small laugh. “It’s just that it’s very important and, on top of that, I’ve got my final exams coming up.”