Kate steeled herself as she stepped outside the hospital kiosk and straight into Rose's path. The white of the walls seemed almost blinding to her after the colorful interior of the kiosk.
She drew a sharp breath and hastened her step.
There was no way this was going to accomplish anything. Even so, she had to do it. That being the case she wanted to get it over with as fast as possible.
She already had a rough sense of the stages that were likely to follow. Embarrassment, gossip, more embarrassment, and lastly, she hoped, acceptance. Forgetting seemed like a bit too much to ask for.
By now, Rose had noticed her. Bundled with the attention came her stern glare. Clearly Kate hadn't been forgiven. Not that she'd expected it either - it had barely been a couple of days. The sharp clacking of her high heels made Kate think of bullets.
Mercy was too much to expect at this point, not that Kate would have taken it if given the option. Her secret mattered more than Rose. Had to.
Illogical thoughts forced their way in between her resolve. A memory of the way her hand felt that day at the grocery store. She didn't rise to the bait and pushed that thought away. Do it. Just do it. Get it over with.
"Hello Kate. I was actually looking to talk to you."
Wouldn't have guessed so from the icy tone in your voice. Kate bit back a remark.
Rose motioned for her to follow. "Would you mind coming along? I think it best we discuss this somewhere more private."
"I suppose." Kate shrugged. She was doing her best to appear nonchalant even though her insides felt like they were on fire. Nerves, absolutely not attraction, she told herself.
Rose led her down the hallway, turning right at the first intersection they encountered. Walking away from the stream of people. Then she stopped and turned to look at Kate.
"Do you know where to find a conference room? Or at least a room that's not currently in use."
They switched roles, with Kate being the one to beckon for Rose to follow this time. "I think there's actually one down the hall here."
Turned out she was right. Soon after Rose and Kate were sitting in a small conference room, facing each other. Well, at least the chairs did. Kate was avoiding Rose's gaze and drumming slowly on the wooden table that separated them. Or was it wood-coated plastic? She wasn't sure. The walls were painted a ghastly orange, so she soon settled for looking down at her hands. Her resolve had devolved into a mass of worms trying to wiggle into a hundred different directions, only they got tangled in the motions of the others and weren't able to make any progress at all. That was the way she felt, at any rate.
Rose was the one who broke the silence.
"We may have been going about this the wrong way. Things don't actually have to be so strained between the two of us."
Kate glanced up. Rose's stern expression said one thing, while her folded hands on the table communicated another. What did she actually mean? By the look of it she might not even know it herself. Kate sure didn't.
"Could you explain?" Kate requested.
"Look, I can understand why you would be angry about me going straight to the director without even giving you a chance to discuss the case to be observed." Rose leaned forward. "If asked you about the next one, would you be willing to cooperate? I think we both can agree that spreading misinformation to trip me up isn't a constructive use of anyone's time."
Kate felt her stomach lurch. The way this was going she was likely to confess either directly or indirectly if she remained in the room for much longer. Sure, Rose was on to her, but admitting what she'd been doing would be irreversible. As things stood, she could still get out of it on the lack of evidence. Her heart pounded uncomfortably in her chest and she could feel her pulse where she'd normally be unable to.
Cornered. Or was she? Mari's face came to mind. Her original purpose came to mind. The worms inside her merged and turned back into resolve. Kate stood and walked around the table.
She was standing face-to-face with Rose now. The feeling of her heart beating grew near unbearable. Her emotions mounted at the thought of what she was about to do. So much conflicting emotion within her. Too much to comprehend, her brain decided. And so it concluded that it was better not to feel anything. The emptiness was a relief, and if it hadn't been for it she might not have been able to do what came next.
Kate placed her hands on the sides of Rose's face and, before Rose could react, pressed her lips against hers in a kiss.
Rose's clipboard clattered as it hit the ground, having fallen out of her hands. The room seemed impossibly silent, even though it never had been noisy in the first place. Rose's eyes grew increasingly wide until Kate felt a sudden push against her torso, forcing them apart.
Rose opened her mouth but no sound came from it. She closed it and opened it again, before closing it without a word. The same thing happened three more times.
"What in the world was that?" Rose finally managed.
By then, Kate had already fled the scene.