Goodbye, Hello, page 16
Teresa nodded. “That’s a fair point.”
“Thank you.” Kelly grinned. “I get being nervous about it, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.”
With a quirk of her eyebrow, Teresa asked, “And you think we can gain from this?”
“We toasted to new possibilities. This is a new possibility, a second chance for us to see if things work out. Regardless of how it works out, I have enjoyed reconnecting with you. I was worried about coming back to the community after I transitioned. But nothing happened. My mom might have heard something from the church, but I haven’t, which is nice. Besides my mom changing her mind about me thanks to my dad, this has been the best part of my father dying, if there could be a best part.” Kelly seemed to be turning pensive again.
“I know that I’m glad we reconnected. And I want to give this a try. I’ve had a lot of relationships where things have just petered out for one reason or another. And they were relationships where we were neighbors or something, able to see each other every day. This seems like it might be a challenge.”
Kelly smirked at her. “I like challenges. That’s why I have my Expert Medic Badge and my Air Assault wings. I wanted to challenge myself to do the most I could once I transitioned. And making this work, with my schoolwork and your work at the paper, is going to take effort and desire on both our parts to make a go of it. Success is ours if we want it.”
“You sound like a recruitment poster.”
“I was aiming for a motivational poster personally.” Kelly beamed at her.
“I guess that would work out as well.”
They both grinned at each other. She thought about it, and despite having a few relationships fail on her when even temporary distance was involved, she was willing to give this a chance. It was true that perhaps this time would be different and maybe something was missing from those other relationships that would hopefully be found in this one.
Teresa looked at what was left of their meal and realized something was missing. “Do you want to split a tiramisu?”
“Sure. Sounds good.”
They ordered dessert and Kelly ordered an espresso as well. “Gotta have the caffeine to help me make the drive home.”
“I don’t recall you needing this much caffeine back in high school.”
“I became a coffee drinker in the army since it was everywhere. But in high school it was a lot of Cokes instead. Surely you remember how often I had sodas. Coffee seems healthier overall.”
“So, the army got you hooked on coffee?”
“Oh yeah. And then college just cemented that shut. Now I’m a woman who needs her bean juice every morning and sometimes during the day just so I can operate at anything close to full capacity.”
Teresa chuckled and shook her head. “You do know there is espresso powder on top of a tiramisu.”
“I do, but I’d get stared at if I snorted it.”
“Ewww…”
Kelly laughed. “Oh, the look on your face.”
“You just had to put that image out there, didn’t you? Ick.”
“I like espresso but have no interest in doing lines of it. And yes, I had to put the image out there, it was funny.”
“Your sense of humor leaves a lot to be desired.”
“As long as it’s not a hard limit I’m sure we can work something out.” Kelly batted her eyes.
Teresa glared a little at Kelly. “I guess it was too much to hope that time in the army fixed your sense of humor.”
“Are you kidding? The army only made my sense of humor worse because it was filled with people who make jokes like this all the time. My sense of humor was basically standard issue.”
Teresa didn’t appreciate that and frowned as she stumbled over the same issue again. “You’re seriously considering going back with them?”
Kelly sighed and shook her head. “Technically, the term is re-upping. But we don’t need to focus on that right now. There is little chance of me heading off to the military any time soon. While there are a number of benefits that I could get from re-upping, such as if I decided to work at a VA hospital, then my time in the army would count toward retirement, it’s not something we need to focus on right now. You just need to accept that it’s not a bad situation but also one that’s not close.”
“Your time in the army would count toward retirement if you worked for the VA? That’s a decent benefit. Here I thought you were just going back for no particular reason.” There were things Teresa didn’t know about the military or working for the government. She would have to learn a lot if they were in a relationship, especially because Kelly was serious about re-upping. She didn’t understand it, but it wasn’t her life. Besides, Kelly was trying to change the subject away from that.
“Well, I really like the work. Being able to help other soldiers with their healthcare is important. It also puts me in an environment where I can aim to improve constantly. I can learn a lot in a military setting that I might not learn in a civilian one. I just don’t know if I can become a nurse practitioner in the military as I had never met one while in. That’s something I can talk with a recruiter about.”
“If you re-up, there’s no telling where you might be stationed. It might be far away from here, like more than a comfortable drive.”
“Seeing as that would be at least a year from now we might be well practiced at long-distance by then, or who knows what else might happen with us. A year isn’t a tremendously long time, and a great deal can happen in that period. I’m more concerned with the short-term than I am with those longer-term plans.”
Teresa conceded the point with a shrug and a nod. “I guess things feel more real now that were deciding to give this a shot, and I just want to make sure I haven’t forgotten anything. I would hate for us to start this and drift apart because of the distance.”
“Right now I think we need to focus on the next few weeks rather than a year out. No need to put the cart before the horse. So that’s video calls, talking on the phone, and then I’m coming back here for break. That can be the real test as we’ll be in the same place for about ten days. We can go on several dates and just see how we work.”
“How do you know so much about long-distance relationships anyway?”
“One of my friends is in a long-distance relationship with someone in Canada. They go on video dates where they both watch the same movie or TV show and talk about it. They chat a lot over the phone as well. So, I’ve mostly seen it from the outside, but it’s been very informative. I have no idea how easy it is practically, but I’m willing to give it a shot. We were good in high school so there’s no reason to believe we won’t be good now.” Kelly cocked her head quizzically at Teresa. “Why do you ask?”
Teresa felt her face warm. “For some reason, I thought you were in a long-distance relationship before. I mean you sounded so confident and sure as you were talking about this, like you had actual experience with it.”
“That’s the army for you. You learn to say all sorts of things as if you know what you’re talking about.” Teresa laughed and Kelly just beamed at her.
They finished the tiramisu, and Kelly was lingering over her espresso. “When to you need to get going?”
“I should’ve been on the road already because I still have some schoolwork to catch up on when I get back to campus. However, I haven’t wanted to leave yet because this has been nice. I enjoy talking with you and reconnecting. It’s helped me deal with my dad and everything a lot easier than I had expected.”
“We should say our good-byes then so you can get on the road and head back to school.”
“I should but I’ve missed just sitting and chatting with someone. I mean I sit and chat with people, but there’s something different when it’s someone you’re starting to feel something for. That’s what I miss. That lovely feeling of growing intimacy.”
Teresa smiled and felt her cheeks warm a little. “I like that too. And maybe I can come up next weekend to see you.”
Kelly sat up straighter as she smiled. “That would be excellent. It would be great to see you.”
“Same here.” Teresa grabbed the check and stood. “Let’s get you out on the road while you’re filled with espresso.”
Kelly laughed and stood as well. Once Teresa paid for both of them, they headed outside to Kelly’s car. Teresa smiled at her and said, “Call me when you get home.”
“Will do. Right after I talk to my mother. She currently has dibs on the first call. I figure we might talk a while and she doesn’t need the grief of waiting until we’re done talking. You will definitely be the next call after that one though. I promise.”
“Fair enough.” Teresa was at a loss for what to do now but felt like it was time to do something active that would certainly make her views on their getting back together more solid. She closed the distance between them and slid one hand alongside Kelly’s face before she leaned in to kiss her. Kelly seemed surprised for a moment and then closed her eyes. Their lips touched softly and it felt good, comfortable, right. Kelly opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and Teresa leaned in more to oblige. Kelly gave a short moan into her mouth. Teresa moaned back in response and the kiss deepened even more as her body was responding to how good everything felt. Kelly’s arms wound around Teresa’s waist, pulling her in tighter. The kiss broke and they stood there, looking into each other’s eyes. “I’ll see you Friday night.”
Kelly nodded, her lips still open after the kiss. “Friday.”
“Have a safe drive.” Teresa stepped away with some extra sway to her hips. She could practically feel Kelly’s eyes on her as she walked away. When she reached her car, she turned and noticed Kelly was still standing there, watching her leave. She gave a slight wave.
“Talk to you soon.”
Chapter Twenty-five
The week was slow going for Kelly. She’d managed to keep pace with the classwork and only needed to make up a few assignments she’d missed. She had to cut short a few calls from Teresa since schoolwork came before the wonderfulness of having what passed for a social life. She was looking forward to being able to relax over the weekend, as she should be caught up by then. Just letting her brain shut off thanks to being ahead on papers and studying for midterms was more of a next-week task than a this-week chore. She’d worked hard this last week to be in a place where she could take the weekend off and enjoy Teresa’s visit.
There was still some time before Teresa was supposed to arrive and she was impatient. She wanted to see her again, despite the fact she’d gone seven years without thinking about her except in passing. Things were different now. They were trying to make a go of long-distance dating and it was going…well, she wasn’t sure it was great, but it was improving. She was cutting calls short, and Teresa had forgotten a call because she got caught up at work. They were struggling to find the time to keep the connection going due to their busy schedules. Maybe being together in the same place would help.
That was her hope for this weekend. There was a second bed in her room that she had made up so that Teresa would have someplace to sleep. Trying to get two bodies onto one of those mattresses comfortably would be a trick, but she was hoping they would give it a try. It had been a long, dry spell for her, and based off Teresa’s comments it had been one for her as well. But honestly, she just wanted to spend more time with Teresa.
Knowing Teresa from before helped them get past some of the early stages of dating since they had been friends before they had started dating in high school. True, it felt like a different life somewhere far in the past, but it wasn’t like she’d forgotten Teresa’s history. For all the similarities, this Teresa was different and Kelly was okay with that. They had both changed since high school and Kelly thought that was far healthier than being stuck in that time.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming text. She grinned as she picked up her phone. At the parking lot.
She quickly typed: I’ll be right down.
Kelly grabbed her keys and ID and was soon downstairs and headed out the door toward the parking lot. She spotted Teresa and waited for her to reach her on the sidewalk. They hugged, which was a bit awkward given that Teresa was toting luggage. Kelly grabbed one of the bags to lighten her load. “Come on. I need to sign you in and then we can head off for dinner whenever you’re ready.”
The signing in process was quick and they were soon on the way upstairs, standing together in the elevator. Teresa chuckled, “This is giving me flashbacks.”
“Oh?” Kelly turned to face her.
“Yeah, I went to school here and I dated at least one girl from this dorm back then. This elevator hasn’t changed in all that time.”
“Talking about another woman when coming to see me…rude,” Kelly teased Teresa.
“You’re the one living somewhere that takes me down memory lane. And that was at least three years ago. There’s no way she’s still here.”
“What if she was a freshman?”
“She wasn’t, but I get what you mean. Anyway, if she was still here, she might have moved off campus by now. Speaking of which, why are you still in the dorms?”
“I thought about it but decided that the dorms were convenient enough for me. I’m close to my classes, the dining hall isn’t that bad, and I have a single, so that helps. Besides, it’s cheaper than renting a place, since I don’t need to get furniture, pay utilities, and such.”
“That makes more sense then. I wanted to get off campus as soon as possible so I could have my own space. You said you had a bed for me?”
“Yes. The room came with two beds and so I just left them separate, in case I had a guest. And surprisingly, I have a guest.”
“Why surprisingly?” Teresa asked.
“Well, I wasn’t looking for anyone to date, given that I was more focused on school than dating. Sure, I’ve had some lonely nights because of that choice and on the whole no regrets. Running into you again was definitely a surprise and that changed things.”
“I hope it’s a goodchange.”
“It has been so far.” The elevator came to a stop and they got off on her floor. Kelly unlocked the door to her room and opened it wide, allowing Teresa to go first. “Your bed is on the left.”
Teresa put her bags on the bed. She took a seat in one of the desk chairs. “This is bringing back so many memories. It’s only been a little over two years, but it feels like it was yesterday.”
“Dorm rooms have a similar feel everywhere. The furniture is nicer than it was on base, but it’s familiar with the whole bed, dresser, and desk. I get to save money by not trying to live off campus and having to deal with those extra expenses. That nest egg will be nice once I have to make a decision.”
“You mean about the military?”
“Yeah, or if I am going to stay in the area or go somewhere else to look for a job. I still have time before I graduate so I’m not in a rush to discuss it. When do you want to go have dinner?”
Teresa gave Kelly a look that made her blush. Teresa said, “We can go whenever you want. But first things first, I have something I’ve wanted to do all week.”
Kelly was confused. Teresa held her arms out. “I’ve been thinking about hugging you and kissing you. It’s been distracting me.”
“I think I can be persuaded to take care of that need.”
They hugged and kissed. Teresa deepened the kiss and Kelly pulled her closer. It made her lightheaded and breathless. She’d been replaying their first kiss for days now, and now she got to have a second, even longer kiss. They broke apart and stayed close, gazing into each other’s eyes. Kelly gave Teresa a gentle peck on the lips. “As enticing as further prospects are, I didn’t have lunch, so I’m ready for dinner if you’re okay with that?”
Teresa laughed. “Certainly. And it’s been a while since lunch for me as well. I left right after work. Thankfully, I got someone to look after Baxter, so he’s sorted. Now, let’s get going. Where do you want to go?”
Kelly grabbed her purse and smiled; things were going well. She had hoped things wouldn’t be awkward when they got together, and it felt natural and familiar. The easy companionship they developed after her father’s funeral was still there. “I’m craving pizza, and there’s a place that has good New York style pizza. Will that work?”
“Great. Let’s go.”
They headed out. Kelly was humming some Taylor Swift song softly along the way, occasionally singing the lyrics. She stopped and blushed when she noticed Teresa was watching her. “Sorry”
“What for? It was cute. I hadn’t expected you to be a Swifty.”
“Yeah, well, some of my musical interests changed when I transitioned and I was trying to be all girl. Some of the music I tried was suboptimal, but a lot of the stuff I finally allowed myself to listen to was good, better than expected. Transition is kind of weird as a lot of it is just getting out of your way and allowing yourself the things you said no to years ago. It’s mostly about opening up rather than anything else. That’s what makes it so freeing.”
Teresa nodded. “I guess that makes sense. I never really thought about anything trans-related until seeing you last week.”
“If it’s not something you’re going through why would you ever consider it?”
“That’s a fair point, but I’m learning about it now because I want to try to better understand you. You’re one of the first trans people I’ve ever known.”
Kelly felt her face warm. “Thank you. Right now, it’s mostly just taking me as I am rather than who I was before. Other than that, I’m pretty much the same.”
They reached the car and Kelly drove toward the pizza place. The restaurant wasn’t far off campus and so they made the trip in a few minutes. As they walked inside, Kelly paused at the door and took a big sniff. She turned back to Teresa and said, “Doesn’t that smell great?”
