CHAPTER 2

The following week Kate tried to get a moment alone with Caroline but every time she thought they'd succeeded someone interrupted them. Eventually they agreed to meet in Caroline's office after the staff meeting on Thursday evening.

When the staff meeting finished Caroline managed to slip away without getting held up by anyone and hurried back to her office. She'd been thinking about Kate every day that week and knew she needed to talk to her. In fact every time her mind wasn't occupied she would find herself thinking about Kate.

She had already informed the caretaker that she would be in her office till late and would let him know when she was leaving. Since he lived on the site it wasn't an imposition to him, he'd told her so many times before. On arriving in her office she pulled out the bottle of wine she'd brought from home and found a couple of wine glasses that had never got back to the kitchens after a school party. She poured two glasses while she waited for Kate and checked her reflection in the mirror. She felt nervous. She heard footsteps coming down the hall, followed by her secretary's door being shut and then a gentle tap on her own open door. Kate's beautiful face appeared round the door.

"Hi."

"Hi" replied Caroline smiling shyly. "Come in and close the door. Wine?"

"Ooh, yes please" Kate responded, closing the door. She took a glass from Caroline and as she did so their fingers brushed which shot a tingle right through her. Kate took a sip of the wine to try to calm her nerves. Caroline indicated to the chairs and they both sat down. For a moment neither woman wanted to break the silence, both just happy in each other's company. Eventually Kate summoned the courage to speak.

"Caroline, I need to tell you something. Please don't interrupt me; I just need to say this. If you don't feel the same or are unsure or whatever, just tell me and we can put it behind us as if it never happened."

Caroline's heart skipped a beat, as she anticipated what Kate was going to say, but her face remained blank giving nothing away. She nodded and did as she was told and just sat quietly.

"For a while now I feel we've grown closer, but for me it has gone further than just friendship. I have feelings for you, strong feelings. I really care about you, and I thought it only fair that I be honest with you. What happened the other night, well nearly happened, I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable? I was really trying to just be a good friend to you."

Caroline continued to give nothing away as she took in what Kate had said. Kate sat staring at her wine not daring to look, fearful of what she might see. Eventually Caroline spoke.

"I appreciate your honesty and think it only fair that I am just as honest with you. I'm not entirely sure how I feel. I know that I like you a lot and I know that I was going to kiss you the other night, whether that would have been the right thing at that time, I'm not so sure. But I feel more clearheaded now and what I do know is that I can't stop thinking about you and every time I see you my pulse quickens. Looking at you now all I can think about is kissing you…"

As she came to a halt their eyes locked on one another. Kate put her glass on the table and reached over to Caroline, cupping her face and pulling her into a slow kiss. Caroline immediately responded, their tongues dancing together. Kate's fingers slipped into Caroline's hair, while Caroline's free hand ran up Kate's back. They paused for a moment to take a breath and Caroline set her glass on the table, then with both hands now free she pulled Kate back into a more urgent kiss.

Finally they parted, both breathing heavily. Reluctant to lose contact Kate placed her hand over Caroline's as it lay on the arm of the chair.

"Wow!" said Kate. "Where do we go from here?"

"I'm not sure" replied Caroline honestly. For the first time in years, Caroline felt an overwhelming completeness, like coming home. With one kiss Kate had made her feel more alive and happy than years with John. But with that came a whole lot of life changing implications which she had no idea how to begin dealing with.

"Look Caroline, I know this isn't easy for you, you have a lot going on at the moment with John and I understand that you have a family to think of. I'm not going to put any expectations or pressure on you. I'm happy just to be here for you."

"I appreciate that. I'm not sure where I want this to go. I don't even know where my life is going anymore. But just being with you at the moment is a light in the darkness." Caroline stated simply, giving Kate's hand a squeeze.

"Do you fancy getting some dinner?" asked Caroline suddenly. "I'm starving!"

"Er, yes, OK. What about the boys though?" Kate responded.

"I told them to get takeaway tonight as I knew I'd be home late. I'll give them a quick call to check they're OK."

While Caroline called the boys, Kate tidied the wine glasses away and put her coat on.

"They're fine, so we're good to go!" smiled Caroline as she pulled her coat on.