Jacen’s silence was deafening for a few moments. Geez, her lips were still tingling and they were still close enough, Kealey fancied she could feel the heat coming off his body. Then his hands were dropping from where they’d been on her waist and her back and he was smiling at her in an odd way. Then… he was the one apologizing? Kealey shook her head and actually chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair.

”Jacen..that’s the absolute last thing I think…I think you’re almost too good to be true. she said, resisting the urge to never mind what she’d just said and go back to the kissing. ”and I want…Well…I want more. I…I just…don’t know… that is the problem.” she finished awkwardly, but truthfully as she looked at Jacen and sort of willed him to understand.

Truth was a good thing here, Kealey thought as she stood her ground, watching Jacen as he looked abashed, then said that maybe he should go. Stricken. That was a good word for what Kealey was feeling right then and there. Hadn’t Jacen just said that he wanted to come in for a while? It hadn’t been very long at all. ”I didn’t mean to make you want to leave…I…I thought you said you wanted to come in for a while.” she said, one hand rising to toy with her hair as she frowned. Now what had she done wrong?

The expression of embaressment on Jacen's face changed to one of shock as Kealey expressed the desire for him to stay. What woman in the world would want a man to stick around after she had just rejected his advances?

"You still want me to stay?" The disbelief in his voice had to be obvious as he looked at her, "After I just tried to take advantage of you?"

Ok, so maybe the idea that he had been trying to take advantage of Kealey was a little bit extreme. That hadn't been his intention at any point but that had to be the way she was thinking about it. Didn't it? Without her saying it, Jacen just knew that no other man had been able to get this close to her and instead of just remaining her friend and confidante he had tried to push for something much more intimate and carnal.

"I thought... well I just figured... you really want me to stay?"He asked again. Wow, that offer really had come from left field.

"Honestly, I don't want to leave." He admitted as moved his other hand so that both now rested in his pockets, "I like you and I think you a great person along with being a beautiful woman. I enjoy spending time with you and talking about whatever seems interesting at the time."

Now he was starting to sound desparate. It was deffinately time to shut up and stop rambling. If she still wanted him around after that he'd stick around but he's sure as hell be keeping his hands to himself. No way was he going to put them in that kind of uncomfortable situation again!

Suddenly, Kealey had a feeling she’d done something wrong and her confusion was clearly written across her features. Jacen was acting like he’d done something wrong, but hadn’t she just said that everything was fine? This was turning out to be a disaster and when Jacen spoke, Kealey looked at him like he had two heads.

”You tried to do what?” she said, to the self accusation that he’d tried to take advantage of her, then burst into slightly embarrassed giggles at his misconception. ”If anything Jacen…I’d think you’d should be mad with me. See, I decided in the bar that if I was going to be flirting, I wanted it to be with you. So, you weren’t doing anything I wasn’t inviting…I just didn’t realize I let things go so far…so fast.”

Candor was something Kealey prided herself on, and she was just naïve enough to think that this type of conversation was appropriate in this kind of situation. She wasn’t even embarrassed. If Jacen was going to be trying to beat himself up about what Kealey considered being as much her fault as his…candor it would be.

”Another friend told me that I need experience in order to make it in a town like this…so I was experiencing…” she said with a shrug, ”But I’m just not that easy.” Kealey realized what had just come out of her mouth and her hands flew to cover it before anything else embarrassing decided to leave it of its own accord, then she laughed and let her hands drop to her sides. ”I think New York is starting to rub off on me.”

Jacen started talking again, pointing out that he wanted to stay, then launching into a description of all her positive attributes and Kealey found herself blushing at the compliments.

”Then stay for a while.” she said like it was the most natural thing in the world. ”But you’re going to have to stop sulking with your hands in your pockets like a kid who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar.” She added with a smile, ”Now, do you want to sit down? You need to tell me more about this western bar we’re going to.”


OOC – If you’re ready to put an end to the thread, you can go for it in your next post. Nothing else interesting is going to happen, so we can end with chit chat.

(OOC: Chit chat & time jump it is then. )

IC:
Finally Jacen pulled his hands out of his pockets and gave Kealey the smile that had been on his face earlier in the day. A part of him still wished that things had continued like they were going but then another part was glad that she wasn't "easy" as she had so eloquently described. She was so beautiful and desirable that at any other time in his life he would have immediately thrown himself into the game of romance and seduction but as his mind was clearing from the heat that had seared it earlier, thoughts of a different blond were beginning to come back into his mind. He had to know what was going on with Lori because he could make decisions about Kealey. They were both beautiful woman that deserved at least that much respect.

"The western bar... well let's see." Jacen began as he walked over to the little red couch. Sure he had to make a decision about Lori, but that didn't mean he couldn't just get together with a friend. He'd just have to make sure that he kept in mind that Kealey was just a friend and leave the more physical side of things off the plate. At least on a positive note she wouldn't be wearing that blue dress. Jacen was sure even a married man could resist Kealey in her blue dress. "It's this place called the Rodeo Bar down on 3rd Avenue. They pride themselves on being New York's oldest Honky Tonk, just like what you'd find in Texas or New Mexico. They serve a variety of Tex-Mex food so you can normally find something on the menu that you like. There's a small stage where local country bands play most nights but occasionally they throw in some karaoke just to mix things up."

Jacen was beginning to feel a little more comfortable as they talked and he described the location of their next date... not, not date. It was, it was, it was just a couple of friends getting together. But, if it wasn't called a date, what would it be called?

"Dress is pretty casual with denim jeans and a lot of t-shirts but a lot of people still throw on their cowboy boots and hats before heading down there. Occasionally the crowd can get pretty rowdy with plenty of hooting, hollering, and whistling, but for the most part it's just friendly. Nobody to pushy or crazy." Jacen continued before giving Kealey his most devilish smile, "Would Wednesday night work for you?"

***

The pair had chatted for quite a while but finally Jacen had been forced to begin to make his way to the door. It was getting later and since they weren't going to be sharing a bed any time soon, he really needed to get back to his own apartment.

"I had fun Kealey. Thanks for coming with me." Jacen said with a smile as they stood in the open doorway that led outside, "If I don't talk to you sooner, then I'll be here to pick you up for our Western night. Sound good?"

OOC - I figured I'd just wrap things up on Kealey's end. If you wanted to say or do more, just add on.

Jacen finally seemed to relax and Kealey listened closely as he described what clothes would be appropriate at that particular bar. She smiled even more broadly at the realization that the outfit she’d picked would be even more perfect than she had thought. It was no blue dress, but it was pretty special in its own way. Jacen would see. ”Sounds perfect.” She said, moving to join Jacen on the couch, folding her legs underneath herself as she settled into the side opposite of what he took.

Jacen asked if Wednesday night would work and Kealey screwed up her face in thought, trying to remember her work schedule for that day, and the next, then nodding her head slowly, ”That should work just fine. I don’t have to close the library that night and I’m off the next day.”

The conversation carried on from them, and soon enough the easy rapport that they had always maintained had returned. Kealey was puzzled by the strange turn the night had taken and she wondered what would happen the next time they went out. If there would be more kissing. She hoped so, she also idly wondered if the flirting bit would work again. Then there was the fact that she needed to get a cowboy hat…she had a pair of boots, but no hat.

They chatted, and chatted and it got later and later and finally Jacen decided it was time to excuse himself. Kealey checked the time and nodded, it really was getting late and she had to work the next day. She got up and stretched after her curled up stint on the couch and walked Jacen to the door. ”I already told you I had the most fun I can remember having in…pretty much ever.” she said, ”So thanks for making it possible.” He really had made it possible, and was going to make it possible again Wednesday night. His very presence made loads of things possible that hadn’t been before…that brought a thought to Kealey’s mind and she winced slightly in the doorway. As soon as he walked away, it would be back to normal. It was late though, most people would probably be sleeping. It wouldn’t be too bad.

”That sounds great Jacen, Wednesday. “

Then he was gone. Kealey watched as he walked away and went down the stairs, savoring the last moments of emotional quiet until…it was immediate like it always was and for a moment Kealey just stood in the doorway with her eyes shut. It didn’t take as long this time to get readjusted, Kealey was sure of it. Maybe it was like she’d thought earlier and it really was that late…then again, maybe being around Jacen was starting to get her used to dealing with lots of emotions at the same time. Kealey didn’t know, but as she shut the door and went about getting herself and the apartment ready for bed she decided she wanted to find out more…she only had to wait until Wednesday.