Carrie and Keith 5

"Did you get through those pages yet?" Carrie stood beside him. He looked down into her smiling green eyes and realized he had never seen her face. Suddenly, he had an overwhelming urge to know what she looked like.

"Not yet," Keith said.

"I've got another couple of chapters done. Do you want them?"

Keith shrugged. "Sure, if you want to bring them."

Carrie touched his arm and he looked into her eyes again. She held his gaze steadily for several moments. Keith swallowed hard, but he could not look away. Her eyes crinkled into a smile and he could feel himself starting to smile back. He dragged his gaze back to his mail. Carrie squeezed his arm.

"I'll bring some more pages by tomorrow after work. Will you be home?" she asked.

He nodded, not wanting to look at her. He heard her sigh as she turned and walked away.
Keith stayed and watched her. She turned into a driveway at the other end of the block. Keith felt his heart slam against his chest wall. She had looked up and caught him watching her. She stopped for a moment, then raised her hand slowly and gave him a little wave. Keith took a deep breath and waved back. She turned and disappeared between the houses.

***

Carrie's heart thudded wildly. She tried to take a deep breath to calm down but instead she laughed out loud and flopped down into a chair in the kitchen. She took another breath and looked up at the ceiling, smiling.

Kim walked in and stared at her. Carrie giggled when she saw her.

Kim shook her head and started making a pot of tea. "Gonna tell me what happened?" she asked with her back to Carrie.

"I'm bringing Keith some more pages to read. Can I borrow your fax again? I'll buy you some ink and paper." Carrie said.

"Sure, no problem." Kim said and put the pot of water on to boil. "Is that why you're giggling?" She turned around and leaned on the counter, arms crossed.

Carrie sighed and began unwrapping herself. "I got the beginning of a smile out of Keith today. And when I got to the driveway, I looked back and he was still watching me." She smiled.

Kim rolled her eyes. "What happened to 'I'm through with men'?"

Carrie pressed her lips together and looked at her friend. "So I can't get excited when a man watches me walk all the way home? It's not like it happens every day."

Kim shook her head and turned to pour the boiling water into the teapot. "I just don't want to see you hurt again."

Carrie sighed and leaned back in her chair. "I know."