The door to the dingy little apartment opened and shut, admitting Kealey to the sparsely furnished space. It was a studio, and a tiny one at that. There wasn’t much more that a person could afford in New York on the salary that the library was able to pay, even if it was more than some people made in their career jobs. Cost of living was so high here.

Onto the little table by the door went Kealey’s keys and purse and into the kitchen she went to get a bottle of the flavored water she was so fond of. Her hands were shaking as she tried to twist the cap off and a little bit of the water spilled on the floor when it finally came loose in her hand. She’d been warned about New York, warned about the kinds of people who lived in New York, but it still surprised her when she sat in a church and could feel the emotions of all the people around her. Needless to say, faith was not on the top of most emotional laundry lists, and some of the things she could feel from people were simply shocking. And in a church.

Kealey usually tried to avoid mass on Sundays, the sanctuary was simply too crowded, but the library had needed her more this week than usual and she’d hadn’t been able to spend as much time in the church as she was comfortable with. So there she’d sat, and nearly ran from her place of worship as soon as the benediction was over. Confession would have to wait, there was simply too much going on in her head for her to handle anymore. And as she stood in the kitchen of her own apartment she could feel what the people next door were feeling, and the people downstairs, and the people upstairs. It was all so much, and her head was starting to pound.

Over to her little couch Kealey went, wishing she could simply put on a pair of headphones or turn the radio on loud to drown everything out. Only it wouldn’t work. Headphones didn’t block what a person could feel and the music would just make her headache worse. Sitting down, Kealey put her hands to the sides of her head and did her best to put into effect the meditation techniques that she’d been taught. After a few minutes her breathing evened, some of the emotions fading into the background. Not all of them though, and her head hurt so badly.

Back to the kitchen Kealey went, and there she stood, in front of the old refrigerator, staring at the slightly crumpled business card held there by a magnet that held the number of her church. Jacen. She could still remember him telling her to call if she felt overwhelmed. And there the inward battle waged. Kealey’s own tumultuous emotions pulled the others to the front of her mind and as she found herself wanting to laugh and sob at the same time, she turned and stomped away. It had only been a week and a half. What would he think if she called him after only a week? She’d dealt with this for fourteen years and a week after a brief repast she was coming apart at the seams. It made no sense. None. But the prospect of just a little peace and quiet was so tempting...and he'd offered.

Kealey walked away from the card, only to return a few moments later with the portable phone she’d snatched from its cradle. Following suit, she snatched the card from its place, ignoring the magnet as it clattered to the floor. Back and forth she paced across the small expanse of her apartment, debating...debating...debating.

Through the thin walls a baby cried and Kealey groaned at the wave of anguish and hunger that surged through her, then dialed the phone, the cell number. Hopefully Jacen had time, Kealey didn’t even feel her own nerves at calling someone, they were too hidden by everything else. Today had just been too much.

One….two…..three…four…. Please answer….

Sundays were meant to be a day of rest and relaxation so for Jacen that meant either hunting or recreational sports. On this particular Sunday the sport had been basketball; street basketball played against some of the best players that would never make it to the NBA. The streets of New York was a tough place to grow up and for some, no matter how talented, they would never be able to completely break away from what was holding them back. But even with everything going on around them, they could take at least a few minutes of joy in knowing that they had completely schooled the S.W.A.T. team members that had decided to step onto their turf and issue a friendly challenge. For the street players, today was a day for celebration. For Jacen, it was just like any other Sunday.

Laying on the nighstand in his bedroom, Jacen's cell phone began to ring. Stepping out of the bathroom clad in a pair of sweatpants he walked around the bed while still running a towel through his hair to dry the last of the water from his shower.

"This is Jacen." He answered just a touch officially on the off chance that the office was calling him for some strange reason, "Can I help you?"

He picked up. Jacen answered the phone and all that panic that had hidden under all the other emotions crammed itself into Kealey's throat and her voice stuck there. She stood there, phone in hand, Jacen on the other end, speaking formally as if she'd called him at work. Oh lord...what if he was working. Kealey panicked more, then realized she was probably making things worse.

"Um..yeah...uh...hello..." Kealey managed to squeak out, "This is Kealey...Kealey Quinn...I...uh..." Kealey froze again, trying to figure out exactly what it was she was trying to say. She couldn't remember the last time she'd picked up a phone and called anyone, let alone someone she was going to try to get to meet her. She took a deep breath and tried again.

"I'm...sorry...I"m not bothering you am I?" she barely waited for a reply and definitely didn't listen to it when it came because that darn baby was still crying and suddenly Kealey had the strongest yearning for her mother that she'd had in years. "I was just looking at your card and remembering the offer you gave me...I know it hasn't been long since we met...but do you think we could do that coffee thing...you have no idea how much I'd appreciate it." Her voice was wavering, Kealey was sure of it and she put her free hand to her forehead. "I'll meet you anywhere." He had no idea how much she'd appreciate it.

"Hi Kealey, nice to hear from you." The smile that was apparent on his face was just as apparent in his voice as he sat down on the edge of his bed and continued towling his hair dry.

"You're not bothering me at all. What's up?" Jacen asked as he finally lowered the towel and focused completely on the conversation. Something was wrong in the young woman's voice. She was upset or stressed out about something.

"Actually I was hoping you might call some time." It was the truth, especially considering what had happened the last couple of times that Jacen had hung out with his other blond friend. Things were... complicated with Lily but with Kealey they were much more simple. Her innocence helped keep things in perspective and Jacen knew that he didn't have to worry about that particular woman being a thief.

"It's a little late for the coffee thing for me but how about a late lunch? There's this little restaurant called Corner Bistro down on West 4th Street. Care to meet for lunch?" Jacen asked as he glanced over at the digital clock on his nightstand. It was currently about 1:15. By the tim he got dressed and over to the restaurant it would be right around 1:40 to 1:45. Still plenty early for a late lunch. "I can be over there in about twenty five or thirty minutes. Work for you?"

***

The weather was much nice today so Jacen decided he'd take the subway and then walk the rest of the way to the bistro. With the sun shining brightly you could actually begin to feel spring in the air even though there were still small snow banks piled up here and there. Walking easily through the crowd the S.W.A.T. officer almost had a cowboy or construction worker appearance to him. Dressed in scuffed brown work boots, dark blue denim jeans, a forest green button up dress shirt, and a black leather jacket. It was a good combination of casual and dressy that allowed him to impress women while still remaining comfortable.

At the brisk pace Jacen had set for himself, he actually arrived just a few minutes earlier than expected. Walking in he was all set to grab a table when he saw Kealey, already seated at a booth toward the back of the restaurant seemingly away from all of the other customers. It was obvious that a couple of the guys at the bar were tossing glances her way that were meant to be intimate or suggestive but other than that most everyone seemed to be ignoring her.

"You haven't been waiting long I hope." Jacen said with a smile as he walked over and slid into the other side of the booth and looked across the table at the blond young woman, "Are you OK? You sounded a little frazzled on the phone."

Thirty minutes. Kealey could wait thirty minutes. She nodded, then realized she’d just nodded into a phone. At least Jacen hadn’t sounded upset to hear from her, he hadn’t been working and if she wasn’t mistaken he’d said that he’d hoped she’d call. That helped a lot, but Kealey was too much of a mess to sort out exactly how she felt about that, other than glad that he was willing to help her out. Lunch would be awesome too, she thought as the baby wailed again and a wave of hunger washed over her. Why couldn’t someone just feed their kid? Kealey realized she’d been silent and nearly dropped the phone, “Thirty minutes, that sounds great. Yeah…that place is fine…I’m so glad I didn’t bother you…I’ll see you there.” Then it was over.

Kealey just stood there for a few moments, wondering exactly what it was she’d just done and how she’d feel about it later. The fact of the matter was, though, that she really didn’t care how she was going to feel about it. She needed to get her head clear, needed to stop thinking about the way people acted in church, she was questioning things she’d never questioned in her life, and she just needed to know how she felt. Jacen offered that, and good company…and lunch.

Kealey looked down at herself and realized she was still in a church ensemble, definitely not appropriate for a late lunch in what was probably a pretty laid back setting. Her brain was too fried to put together anything special though so she settled on something simple and less than 10 minutes later she was walking down the street and hopping on a bus. Black, slip-on ballet flats peeked out from under Kealey’s signature skinny jeans, and she’d picked out a simple white t-shirt under her black leather jacket. Her hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck and she’d plopped her favorite black messenger cap on her head as she walked out the door.

There had to be something crazy going on in New York, because the bus full of people was a rolling, writhing ball of emotion and it was all Kealey could do not to change something about it so that she could actually think. She missed her stop and ended up having to walk back a few blocks to the diner that Jacen had picked out. Kealey checked her watch but couldn’t remember what time she’d gotten off the phone with him, so she simply went inside to see if she could find him. He hadn’t gotten there yet.

The diner was busy, but not nearly as busy or cramped as the bus she’d just been on, so back to the back of the diner she went, ignoring everything she could as she moved and slipping into a booth. Then she waited, hands moving to toy with her ponytail as she bathed in the emotions seeping off everyone around her. Kealey tried to occupy herself, figuring out what each individual person was feeling. Sometimes it helped to concentrate on one at a time. Then she got to the guys at the bar and a deep flush covered her cheeks. This was why Kealey avoided men. She tried to ignore them, but now that she’d realized exactly what they were feeling when they looked right at her, it was difficult. She could feel it too and Kealey squeezed her eyes shut, trying to concentrate on her own frustration and confusion other than…that. Then, it all stopped.

It was a shock to her system, just like it had been the first time and Kealey’s eyes snapped open to see Jacen slipping into the booth opposite her. Her hands were shaking, but that didn’t stop a huge smile from spreading across her features at the sight of him. Kealey took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, reveling in the quieting of her emotions. Jacen had asked her a question, it took Kealey a moment to remember what it was and she hoped the blush from earlier had faded, “No..not long at all.” Actually, she had no idea how long she’d been waiting…but it didn’t matter now.

Jacen asked her if she was okay and Kealey visually winced as she looked away, watching Jacen from the corner of her eye, ”Not exactly…” she said, dropping her eyes to study her hands as she thought how best to answer, ”I made a big mistake this morning and it really shook me up...after that I couldn’t seem to pull myself together. I saw your card on my fridge when I got home and remembered what you said…” Kealey realized that might sound a little crass and cast Jacen an apologetic look, ”I hope you don’t mind too much…”.

She was happy now...after everything that had happened that morning, Kealey was happy now. That was strange, she couldn't help but think as she waited for Jacen to reply, a quiet smile on her face.

Even through the smile, Jacen could tell that Kealey was still shaken from whatever it was that she had experienced that morning. Not being a church goer himself, it never even occurred to him that she might have run into all kinds of emotion at Sunday morning worship. Instead his mind raced over anything that could have happened to her. Muggings, robberies, accidents, and other emotional situations that could throw a young woman like this in to a panic. In a city like this she might have even felt someone's emotion as they were being assaulted outside her building or something as equally tragic.

"I'm glad you called though I wish it could have been under better circumstances." Jacen replied just a touch apologetically as he shrugged off his jacket and laid it on the booth beside him. A part of his brain wanted to immediately ask Kealey what had happened and see if it was something he could help with but another part of him thought it might be good to change the subject.

"Maybe start with my morning." Jacen finally decided. "So far it's been a pretty good morning for me. A few blocks down from my apartment there's a inner city basketball court that I've played at a few times before so me and a few of my fellow officers headed over there today. The kids down there are pretty good and we can normally have some pretty good games. I guess we were a touch off this time though because they really schooled us and I know they must have pretty good about that. I made a few good shots but I had my share of bricks too."

Right then a waitress walked over to take their drink order. "I'll take a coke or Pepsi, thanks." Jacen ordered with a smile before turning his gaze back to Kealey once more. As soon as the waitress walked off his expression became concerned again. "Care to tell me what happened this morning or do you just want to forget about it?"

This felt good...this felt really good. Kealey felt her body relaxing even as Jacen settled in across from her in the booth. Kealey could think now and it occurred to her how much more she liked booths than tables. At a table, you were on display for the whole restaurant to see, a booth was better, private. It allowed for better conversation.

Conversation, Jacen wasn't wasting any time and it made Kealey smile again, he wished they could have met under better circumstances. Kealey hadn't even thought about that. He hadn't said that he wanted to meet up just for fun. Kealey had thought of this as a favor, to be taken seriously. Maybe Jacen felt different, Kealey didn't know, and that thought made her smile again. Not knowing how someone felt.

The waitress came and Jacen ordered soda, Kealey asked for water, preferring it to the syrupy beverages Americans seemed to love so much. Then Jacen started talking again, pointing out the highlights of his morning. Basketball? Another American thing that Kealey hadn't ever really gotten into, she'd loved soccer and rugby as a girl, though and the thought of sport made her nod her head enthusiastically, until he started using slang that had to do with the sport he'd played, then a look of slight confusion crossed her features.

"That does sound like a good morning..and you'll have to forgie my ignorance...but is getting 'schooled' a bad thing..and what on Earth is a brick? I'm going to go out on a limb and guess you weren't actually throwing rocks at the....hoop" she finished, pleased with herself and her basketball knowledge.

It was amazing how easy things got when she didn't have to deal with a hundred different emotions from a hundred different people all at once. Jacen hadn't been sitting there for five minutes and Kealey had already lost a good deal of the tension that had been building up for the last week and a half. Amazing, absolutely amazing. Then Jacen asked what it was that had happened that morning and suddenly it all seemed so silly that Kealey actually blushed.

"Well..." she started slowly, "This week at work was kind of crazy...if you can imagine work in a library being crazy...so I didn't manage to make it to mass during the week. I tend to do that because the crowds are there on weekends and I still have trouble sometimes when there's lots of people around." Kealey paused as the waitress came back and sat down the drinks, thanking her with a bright smile, expecting to see the way the woman reacted as a barometer to how the service would be, and still surprised when it didn't work.

"Anyway..." she said as the woman walked away, "I hadn't gone at all this week...so I got up this morning and went... Kealey paused for a moment, putting a hand to her head, "I don't know what I was thinking. It really was a nuts thing to do...there were about a thousand people...and you wouldn't believe it Jacen...but even sitting in the sanctuary...God was the last thing people were feeling...and some of those things..." Kealey shuddered.

"Then, I got home and I just couldn't concentrate on anything, there was too much still going on inside me. Then this baby in my building started to cry and suddenly I wanted my mother so bad I couldn't see straight..." Kealey realized she was monologuing and snapped her mouth shut, and sighed, shaking her head at herself and reaching up a hand to play with her pony tail.

"You must think I'm an absolute raving loon...but I'm glad you got here when you did. she said, casting a glance over Jacen's shoulder at the two men who still seemed to have a staring problem, "Those two were about to end up on the wrong end of my bad day.

Jacen was just a big chagrinned when Kealey began to ask questions about some of the slang he had used without even thinking about. "Duh Jacen! She's from Ireland and she doesn't get out much. Stick to 'normal' words!"

"Uh, yeah. Basically when it comes to sports, being schooled means you're being taught a lesson by your opponents. Normally it means a large different in score showing just how much better one team is than the other. And a brick, well, uh, a brick is just a really bad shot. It normally hits the rim and just kind of clunks off." Jacen explained as he did his best to recover gracefully, "Sorry about that. I actually don't use slang to often but after playing ball for a few hours it starts to crop up occasionally."

Falling politely silent, Jacen listened to Kealey talk about her having missed Mass during the week and having felt the need to attend even though it was really a bad idea. He should have known that someone who had grown up in a convent would have a deep desire to go to church. That was deffinately an area where the two of them could not relate. With a nod and quick smile to the waitress, Jacen took his soda and then sipped at it as his fellow diner continued her story. He didn't drink sodas all that often but since this particular restaurant was known for its burgers and everyone knew that it was almost a sin to have a burger without a soda, Jacen had given in to temptation. Besides, he'd been good and had drunk between two to three bottles of water over the course of the morning. One not long after getting up, 0.25 to 0.5 a bottle during the games, and the other 1.5 to 1.75 after cooling off from the game.

It was hard to hide the smirk that tried to appear on his face as Kealey talked about the mentality of most of her fellow church goers. That right there was one of the primary reasons that he had always steared clear of religion, even during his military days. At least 80 to 90 percent of the "Christians" he had met were hypocrites and he had no reason to join them. Sure there were some real people out there and they might even know what they were talking about when they mentioned a loving God and so forth but... well... that was a conversation for another day.

"As cute as you look playing with that pony tail I'm not surprised that the men was watching you." Jacen said with a slight smile, both flirting and teasing the blond woman at the same time as trying to get her to ignore the two men that obviously needed a lesson in manners, "Anyhow, don't begin think you're using me or anything. So far I've enjoyed your company so I figure it's a win win situation. You get to enjoy silence for a little while and I get to enjoy the company of an attractive young lady."

"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress asked as she wandered back over to their booth. In her right hand she held a pencil that hovered over the order pad in her left hand. Even though her lips were smiling there was a glint in her eye that almost dared to two of them to waste her time by saying they were 'still looking'.

"Yeah, I think so." Jacen replied as he turned his attention over to the waitress while not bothering to look at his menu, "I'll take a Bistro Burger cooked medium with an extra large side of fries."

***

"So do you have any particular plans for today?" Jacen asked after the waitress had moved off to give their orders to the cook, "I've got the rest of my afternoon free if you want to hang out and enjoy the silence for a while."

The question had been asked but a much more important question was now running through Jacen's mind. Did that count as asking Kealey out on a date? Obviously she was the one that had requested their getting together for lunch so did it change things if he asked her to extend their time together? He didn't think that it really counted as a date, at least not in the circles that he frequented, but for a girl brought up in a convent there was really no telling.

For the first time since meeting Jacen, Kealey wished she could tell what he was feeling. The look on his face when she’d asked the questions about basketball had been completely unreadable at first, and then it was like a light had gone on. What exactly had he been so surprised about? For the first time in her life, Kealey found herself caring what a man thought. Then he was explaining and Kealey was taking it in, making sure she didn’t have to make a fool of herself again if the topic came up in conversation. Then Jacen was apologizing for his use of the slang in the first place and Kealey found herself laughing, not in a patronizing way, but simply with genuine mirth.

“You don’t have to censor yourself.” She said, revelling in the pure unadulterated joy that laughing brought. It was amazing how much stronger her own emotions were when they weren’t fighting other people’s for prevalence.

“I like the way it all sounded actually. We’re past formality. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”

Jacen had listened politely to her as she’d spoken about what had driven her to call him, but she could see on his face that he didn’t really understand. It would be impossible for anyone to really understand what she went through though, and the fact of the matter was that Jacen was there. He couldn’t empathize with her, not at all, but at least he was willing to help. There it was again, that desire to know what Jacen was feeling, that funny little smile when Kealey explained what had happened at mass was absolutely nerve wracking, but she didn’t want to ask. That was the beauty of this thing, she didn’t know. She was just like anyone else. Sitting and having lunch with a friend, just like anyone else.

Kealey had pointed out the young men at the bar, the young men she thankfully wasn’t sharing feelings with, then Jacen spoke and Kealey’s eyes shot up to his before darting down to her hands on the table as she blushed scarlet right to the roots of her blond hair, completely oblivious of how to react. Without the rush of feeling she usually got when men ‘complimented’ her, it felt so much more innocent…so much…nicer. That little heart flutter…was that what the girls at work were talking about? So Kealey looked up again and smiled, ”Well if that’s the case…I guess I’ll have to withhold judgement on them.” she said softly, then listened as Jacen responded to her worries about wasting his time. He was really enjoying himself? With her? There it was again, that feeling, and he’d managed to assuage her fears about what he thought.

”You have no idea how glad I am you feel that way…” she said, then felt awkward and laughed, ”Besides how nice the compliments are…I’ve never called someone to ask them to meet me somewhere in my life. You feel safe though.”

The waitress returned and Jacen ordered what sounded like an awful lot of food. Kealey hadn’t even looked at the menu so she ordered off the cuff, “Can I just get a little burger, cooked all the way with a regular order of fries?” she was still hungry…even with Jacen around…so it must not have just been the hungry baby.

The waitress had moved away and Kealey took a drink of her water, surprised yet again when Jacen pointed out that he had the rest of the afternoon free if she wanted to hang out more. She put her drink down and looked at him for a moment, just feeling the pleasure at the option of spending more time like this, then shaking her head at herself and chuckling, cheeks pinking up yet again. “I’m not waging some great internal debate…” she said apologetically.

”It’s just been so long since I’ve been able to figure out what I really felt about something…I’m kind of revelling in it. Kealey thought for another moment, she really did have fun when she was around Jacen, ”I’d love to hang out, if you’re sure you don’t have anything more diverting to occupy your time than a girl who hardly knows what she feels about a hamburger.”

"Anything more diverting that an attractive blond that seemed to be interested in most anything I want to talk about?" Jacen mused to himself, a teasing glint in his eye as he pretending to weigh his options. If he was quite honest then the options entailed spending time with Kealey, staring at the phone while thinking about calling Lori, or watching TV while sipping at an expensive glass of brandy or scotch. "I'd say that you're the best option around."

"Can I buy you a drink little lady?" A male voice asked from just over Jacen's shoulder. Distracted as he had been by his own internal dialogue he'd missed the sounds of someone approaching but that wasn't a big deal. This was a public restaurant, not a bar, so it wasn't likely that any trouble would get started here.

"I think she's satisfied with her water, but I'd love to have someone pay for my soda if you'd like." Jacen said as he glanced over his shoulder, raising an eyebrow curiously, "You boys finish eating already?"

"We were about to go someplace where they offer more in the way of liquid refreshment." The man had his eyes locked on Kealey and was apparently ignoring Jacen, "We'd be absolutely thrilled if you said you'd come with us."

Jacen was not going to start a fight right here. In fact he refused to start a fight in a place he liked to frequent. But he also wasn't going to let any bully or frighten Kealey. Surrepticiously moving his legs under the table, Jacen gently bumped his food against Kealey's as he turned his gaze back toward her. As long as she knew that he wasn't going anywhere he figured she'd have plenty of courage to handle the situation. After all, if she had enough courage to face the world's emotions every day, she was a very brave lady.

Kealey wondered if Jacen was amused by the fact that she seemed to be a permanent scarlet color, or if he was completely oblivious to the fact that she’d been almost constantly blushing since he sat down. It wasn’t embarrassment causing her to blush though, it was the flattering Jacen seemed intent on piling atop her. Not only was she attractive again…but she was his best option for his free afternoon? His statement made her think though, was she interested in anything he wanted talk about?

”You know…I do think that everything you say is interesting to me. It’s all an adventure.” Kealey looked at Jacen with a new light in her eyes, and she grinned again, beamed almost, ”Every time you say something to me, I get to decide how I feel about it…instead of how me and everyone in the room feel about it.”

She saw the man approaching before he spoke and Kealey said a silent prayer that he was simply walking past the booth to a back door or a bathroom. No such luck. He asked if he could buy her a drink and Kealey shook her head as Jacen answered for her. In fact, she nearly laughed as he offered to let the guy pay for his drink.

Internally, Kealey breathed a sigh of relief, hopefully the man would take a hint and walk away. He’d been polite, but Kealey knew what he’d been feeling toward her earlier, and what he must be still feeling towards her now. Suddenly, she was very glad that Jacen was there. The new guy didn’t seem to take a hint from Jacen though and was staring at her, and Kealey dropped her eyes, looking at the table as he invited her to go someplace with more liquid refreshment. Jacen had been right, she was just fine with her water…and him. She felt a nudge under the table and looked up at Jacen, who was staring steadily back at her, was that encouragement? Kealey didn’t know, which almost made her smile, so she looked up at the new guy and shook her head.

”I thank you for the kind offer, but I’ve obviously already got plans. I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Kealey didn’t know if he said anything else, because she looked away from him and suddenly became incredibly interested in Jacen sitting across from her. This felt particularly good, she wasn’t having to deal with the other guy’s boldness and unsavory feelings. Kealey nearly laughed, she was proud of herself. It was nice that Jacen had stepped up for her too. Kealey chanced a glance up and the guy was still standing there, she quirked an eyebrow. ”Was there something else, sir?”

The man shook his head and turned, muttering things Kealey didn’t hear as he walked away. ”Can you believe the nerve of some people?” she said, her smile fading into a slightly look of consternation, ”As if I’d go anywhere with him after the way he was feeling towards me earlier.”

As the offending man walked away, Jacen had to chuckle at Kealey's obvious consternation and distaste. Obviously she had an advantage of most women because she knew exactly what men were feeling while they looked at her. Sure some women were smart enough to subconsciously know what a guy was thinking without any special powers, but Kealey deffinately had the advantage. Except for the situation with Jacen, she would never walk into anything blindly.

"That pick up line has probably worked on other women in the past." Jacen observed with a slight chuckle, "But he just happened to bump into the one woman in the world that knew his ulterior motive."

Turning his head slightly as though simply taking in the restaurant, Jacen watched the man and his friends out of the corner of his eye. As they paid for their food they continued to throw a few lustful or angry glances toward Kealey and Jacen. Since Kealey was obviously the focus of one of the expressions that meant that he must be the focus of the other one.

"But, forgot about them." Jacen said with a smile as he turned his attention back over to the young woman, "What do you think you'd be interested in doing today? Are there any of the New York sites you haven't taken in yet or should we just see what's playing at the movie?"

Jacen seemed amused by her reaction to the man that was walking away and Kealey tilted her head as she studied him across the table, debating internally over whether or not she should try to explain. Deciding that if anyone would understand what she meant, it was Jacen, after everything she’d told him, Kealy took a deep breath and started what was probably going to be an arduous and awkward explanation.

”I might be being just a little unfair…to him. For all I know, all men feel that way when they approach a woman they’re attracted to whether their intentions or noble or not.” she said softly, a thoughtful look crossing her features. ”I also know that most people can’t control what they feel. It’s just really…difficult for me to interact with someone when they feel that way because… she stopped for a moment, struggling with wording, her hands fidgeting, ”Whether or not I want to…I can feel it too. You wouldn’t believe how uncomfortable that is…I’ve never known in my life if I was actually attracted to someone…not that I’ve ever really been concerned with that...but still.” she stopped and shrugged, that was the best explanation she was going to be able to give.

Jacen seemed ready to be done with the interlopers though and promptly asked Kealey what she wanted to do for the rest of the afternoon. She just stared at him, a movie? In a theater? Kealey usually avoided those places like the plague. It was incredible to her that people would go to a movie and pay absolutely no attention to it. The emotions in a theater, especially during a drama, were unbearable. Jacen was presenting the opportunity though, she was about to answer, when the waitress approached with the food they’d ordered earlier.

The woman sat down the plates and Kealey’s eyes widened, ”That’s a little burger?” she said, staring at the huge hamburger that was staring her in the face. The waitress nodded and laughed, then finished setting the food down and walked away, letting them know that if there was anything else they needed they just had to ask.

What had they been talking about? Kealey wondered as she cut her hamburger in half and proceeded to grab the catsup and mustard from the inside of the booth to dress it up. The onions went to the far side of her plate with a dirty look and half the lettuce too. Oh yeah! A movie, but there were so many other things to do in the city too..indecision flowed through Kealey and she shrugged.

”I haven’t been in a theater in years…for obvious reasons, and I don’t have a TV…I wouldn’t have a clue what’s out. As far as tourist stuff…I haven’t done any of it, there’s usually a lot of crowds around those types of places. SO…” she said, polishing off a French fry and taking a drink of water before continuing, ”What I’m saying is, I’m up for anything. What do you want to do?”

"Well, since most of the movies that have come out in the past few years have been trash we can probably throw out that idea." Jacen said before popping a couple of french fries in his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. There were so many options in New York City but the real question is where would Kealey be comfortable? Since he was nearby they didn't necessarily need to steer clear of large crowds but that didn't give them carte blanche to do anything they wanted either. There were plenty of clubs that opened up even during the afternoon but most of them would probably damage Kealey's convent sensibilities.

"Well, we could always go see some of the sights." Jacen finally decided before picking up his burger in a firm double handed grip, "Have you ever been to the Empire State Building?" As Jacen let Kealey finally get in an answer he leaned his head forward and took a large bite out of his burger. The flavors of greasy but flavorful meat, crispy bacon, sharp cheddar cheese, ketchup, mustard, tomato, and lettuce combined to create a symphony for the pallete. There were restaurant critics that turned up their nose at the very idea of a diner hamburger but any normal person in America would agree this was a staple of American culture. The hamburger was something that only America had ever truly perfected for the lay person and it was something that everyone should get a chance to enjoy.

Setting his burger back down Jacen claimed his soda and took a swig, washing down the savory flavors of burger with the sweet flavor of his soda. Other than the tomato and lettuce that was absolutely NOTHING healthy about this meal but he really didn't care. It wasn't often he splurged to eat like this so he was going to enjoy it while he could!

The movies that came out recently were rubbish? Well then it was probably a good thing that Jacen was going to veto that activity for the afternoon. Kealey grinned, she couldn’t help it, maybe she’d have to see if Jacen would go to a movie with her another time. Kealey had lots of good memories of Disney movies with her sister and mother when she was a little girl. It had just been so long since she’d been able to sit in the theater with the popcorn and the soda and the gummies. Another time though. There might be another time! Jacen hadn’t minded her calling at all, and in fact he’d asked if she wanted to spend the afternoon with him. That meant he probably wouldn’t mind if she called him again from time to time. This really was growing up into a real friendship.

Some of the sights. Jacen brought up the Empire State Building and Kealey’s attention automatically moved from the half-hamburger to his face. She’d always heard such wonderful things about the Empire State building, but every time she’d gone there the line had been huge. Even late at night. There was no way…and in an elevator. Kealey shuddered just at the thought. But she’d be with Jacen, right? She wouldn’t have to worry about her powers, she could simply enjoy the view like everyone else.

”I think that would be amazing if we could go there! I’ve heard that the view is more beautiful than anything else in the city! Kealey said, a genuine smile crossing her features. Why did she smile so much when she was around Jacen? Smiling and blushing, those were the things she did most when he was nearby. Was this what it was like to have a grown up friend? Kealey wanted to thank him again, but figured it would be too much. She’d said it over and over the first time they’d met and he’d taken it in stride. Besides, he’d been the one to ask her if she wanted to do something.
Done speaking, Kealey looked down at the hamburger. Jacen was attacking his like he’d never eaten before. He looked like he was enjoying it too. Food was something she’d never really gotten a huge kick out of, with everything else that was usually going on inside of her, food was just something that she needed to survive. That’s why she wasn’t prepared for what happened when she took a bite of the one in her hands.

”For the love of all that’s holy… she said around a mouthful of vegetables, beef, and bun. It was absolutely delicious. Chewing and swallowing almost felt wrong, the burger tasted so good, made her so happy and so fulfilled. It was weird…but too good to let go. She felt almost fuzzy. Kealey made another mental note at how strong her own emotions were when they were all that she could feel, then took another bite…then another. Half the sandwich was gone by the time she was done with the first attack. Then she remembered that she and the hamburger weren’t alone. Probably the brightest blush of the afternoon planted itself on Kealey’s cheeks and she slowly raised sheepish eyes to Jacen, ”I have no idea what just happened…but it was great…and I want more of it.” she admitted candidly, then grinned.