Naked: How to Dress the Truth Ch. 02

"I need to work on my vocabulary," Tom grimaced. "And you?"

"I think I understand now, what I sensed," softening the words with a smile in her eyes. "It really wouldn't have worked in the threesome, would it?"

"No, I guess not."

"I'm glad you .. I'm glad I could give it to you," she continued. That's as far as I'm going to go, she thought. "OK?" she asked.

"OK," he agreed. Reluctantly, she thought.

"I mean, I'm really glad with the way this turned out. It could have been a disaster." She hesitated again. "I just want .. now.. that it stays positive."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but I think I get the idea."

There's more to it, she thought, and it's slipping away. She had to get out. She stood, went to the couch, put on her sandals, picked up her shoulder bag and walk towards the door. Tom met her there, opened it for her.

"Can I ask another favor of you?"

"Ask away."

"Please don't phone me."

Tom winced. "Tough lady."

Alison was suddenly in a panic and struggled to find the right emotional tone. "I mean, a lot has happened and I just want to .. I need to think it all through. At my own pace, for myself," she said with a shake of her head and paused, looked aimlessly around the apartment. "I'm afraid of being overwhelmed again. I don't want to need to say anything, because I just don't know."

"We could shake hands, say good bye, and leave it at that," he suggested cautiously.

Alison felt a hot rush of embarrassment, fidgeted with her shoulder bag. "I .. don't want to do that. I haven't gotten it all in order yet." Alison felt defensive, studied the floor, then looked up. "I'm only asking that you leave me alone for now. I'll get in touch with you, I can promise that much. But .. later." She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on a cheek.

"Later," he replied.

Alison fled, down the three flights of stairs, outside onto the open street. She stopped, took a deep breath, then continued walking rapidly. It took several minutes before she slowed her pace. Her eyes welled up with tears of relief. Damn me and my crying, she thought, impatiently wiped them away.

She continued to walk towards a bus stop. Her brow furrowed, unsure of where she had been for much of the past 14 hours or more. She had been somewhere else, and now she had to get back to her own world.

It took another few minutes along the busy early morning streets for her to calm down enough to recognize a sense of euphoria. No, not an escape, but simply able to get out of that other place she had been to. To get there, and get back out.

I did it, she told herself. She held her cheeks.

She could hear an inner voice, giggling.