Gerald: Your body can’t lie.

Standing in the middle of Kim’s kitchen, Gerald hugged Kim close. Kim could not find a quick reply to Gerald’s accusation.  Kim’s body could not lie to Gerald. It defied its master and slowly molded itself to him.

Kim was silent. How do you fight what you really want to be real?

Gerald kept silent for he knew Kim was in a battle with herself. He just held her close and breathed in her scent, feeling her body pressed against his.  How do you make sure that this goes on forever?

Gerald: (stepping out of the embrace and kissing Kim on the forehead) Okay, gorgeous. Do you mind if I get comfortable with your kitchen? I’m about to cook you up a mean omelet with all the fixings your heart desires.

Kim: (glad for the break) You definitely know your way to a girl’s heart.  Please. Help yourself to my kitchen.  I should have every known gadget known to man considering my father is a chef. And let me look into the refrigerator to see what stuff I have for this project.

Gerald: Go ahead. Call out what you have.

Gerald began going through the cupboards to become familiar with Kim’s kitchen.

Gerald: You know what? Let me cook rice first so that we have rice once the omelets are finished. 

Kim: No worries. Let me take care of that. Why don’t you rummage through my fridge to see what you want?  If I can make a special order, I would like my omelet with green onions, a little bit of bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms.

Gerald: That sounds good. I think I will make the same thing.

Kim: Great. I should have all those fixings.  Oh… don’t forget the cheese.

Initially, Kim and Gerald worked in amicable silence as she cooked the rice and he began chopping up some of the vegetables and bacon. Kim walked out of the kitchen and went to her stereo where she her stereo and played some music softly in the background.

Gerald: So what kind of music are you into?

Kim: I’m into all kind of music.  It depends on my mood.

Gerald: Your mood?

Kim: Yeah.  When I am happy and want beat, I go for hip hop, danceable type of beats.  For example, I hear Pit Bull, Flo Rida, Chris Brown, Rihanna, Lady Ga Ga, I just want to dance. When I am feeling melancholy or just chill, I love to listen to Robin Thicke or Alicia Keys.

Gerald: This is Robin Thicke you have on right now, right?

Kim: Yeah. He has soul and what makes him more real and romantic to me is how much he loves his wife.  It makes the lyrics to his songs hit your heart and soul more than any other love song I’ve heard. Weird, huh?

Gerald: Interesting.  Music does speak the same language as the heart.

Kim: What about you?

Gerald: Music?

Kim: Yes. 

Gerald: I like hip hop, R&B. Love old school… I guess I like all kinds of music too.

Kim: Favorite?

Gerald: Jay Z. I love danceable beats too. I love to dance. Didn’t realize it until recently.

Kim: Really? What made you realize?

Gerald: Going to the clubs when I do go.  I’m not too into going out and partying, drinking, that sort of thing but when I do go out, I like to dance. It was weird.

Kim: Why weird?

Gerald: Never danced really.

Kim: So you just went to a club and found out you liked to dance.

Gerald: Yeah. This girl I dated once actually used to bring me to all these different kinds of clubs. We would go salsa dancing, swing, etc…  She even convinced me to take a lesson in ballroom.

Kim: Cool. So how come you are not with her?

Gerald: We were too much friends. No chemistry. To be honest, we kissed once and looked at each other and that was that. (laughing)

Kim: So… when you kissed me was it ‘that was that’.

Gerald stopped chopping vegetables and faced Kim.

Gerald: I would have left it if was ‘that was that’. Why? Do you not feel anything when we kissed?

Kim: Why? Do you?

Gerald: I’ll answer in a minute.

Kim: Why not now?

Gerald: Because I want to face you when I tell you.

Kim: I’m facing you right now.

Gerald: No patience?

Kim: None at all. (smiling at him)

Gerald: Fine.

Gerald stepped away from the counter where he was chopping vegetables.  He moved to the sink where he began to wash his hands. Once he was done, he wiped his hands on the kitchen towel that Kim placed next to him. During his whole silent process, Kim just watched him curiously. When Gerald faced Kim, Kim could not tear her eyes away from him. Gerald kept her attention on him.

Gerald neared Kim… standing close to feel the heat of their bodies mingling in the slight space between them.

Gerald: (whispering)  I’m standing near you, with space between us. No part of our bodies are touching and yet, do you feel that?

Kim: (whispering back) Feel what?

Gerald: Feel this pull towards me. I feel this magnetic energy between us. I don’t think I am dreaming it because when I am near you, my body just wants to be closer. Do you feel it?

Kim: I’m afraid to answer.

Gerald: Why?

Kim: I’ll be vulnerable to you. You’ve stripped me layer by layer today. 

Gerald: And what is wrong with feeling vulnerable?

Kim: You’ll have the power to make me weak and at the mercy of you.

 Gerald: Do you think this is about power?

Kim: I don’t know. Isn’t it? Whomever loves the most, is the most vulnerable.

Gerald: Are you telling me you love me?

Kim: No. I can’t. I’m not ready. I’m sorry.

Gerald: Don’t apologize because today is not about that. Today is about getting to know each other and enjoying each other’s company.  Today is about time together. Today is about determining whether we want to continue with this.

Kim: I’m jumping too far ahead?

Gerald: I love that you are thinking about the us in your future.

Kim: I’m not…

Gerald: (interrupting)  Today is about us. So back to my original question…

Kim: Which was?

Gerald: Do you feel that?

Kim: (sighing in defeat)  I do. I felt it the moment I met you.

Gerald: (smiling)  You did?

Kim: I did.

Gerald: You knocked me off my feet.

Kim: I did?

Gerald. You did.

Kim: Oh.

Gerald: (smiling)  Does that make you feel better?

Kim: Better about what?

Gerald: That I am vulnerable and at your mercy.

Kim: You are?

Gerald: I am.

Kim: Yes.

Gerald: Yes, what?

Kim: Yes. It makes me feel better.

Gerald laughed out loud and pulled Kim into a hug. He then resumed his vegetable chopping.  Kim continued to stand where she was, still affected by Gerald’s nearness. She finally looked back at him chopping away at the vegetables and whisking the eggs. She turned to her cupboards where she pulled out place settings for him and her for their meal. She rummaged through her refrigerator to add fruit, juice and yogurt to their meal. She moved to the dining area where she began to lay out place settings. She snuck glances of Gerald, wondering how this happened. Why was this man in her home? Why was he here cooking food for the both of them in the wee hours of the morning? Why was she so scared for the first time in her life?

Kim: (thinking to herself) It is because I have fallen in love.  Damn! How do you fall in love in less than 24 hours. This is crazy.

But he’s a match, a match for me. A match for my attitude, my toughness, my intellect… damn! He’s even a match for my designs. He fits my clothes like they were meant for him. He fits me like he was meant for me.

This is going too fast. I can’t seem to slow down because he is right there. Right there in my kitchen, making me breakfast.

Kim… it’s just breakfast. Go ahead… continue to lie to yourself. This is going to be one of many breakfasts.

Go with the flow? Fight it? Succumb? Resist? ! What to do? What do you want to do Kim?

Hell if I know. What am I suppose to do? I could tell him to go home but then I don’t want him too.  He might leave and never come back and then I’ll never find out if he is the ‘ONE’. He’s pretty close to being THE ONE, don’t you think?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.

Gerald: (yelling from the kitchen) Kim?!

Kim: (snapping out of her reverie)  Gerald? Is everything okay? Do you need anything?

Gerald: I need you. You’ve been missing for awhile. Are you ok?  You didn’t fall asleep on me, did you?

Kim finally walked back to the kitchen.

Kim: I was just laying out the place settings. Sorry.

Gerald: Is everything okay?

Kim: Everything is fine. Just thinking.

Gerald: What are you thinking about?

Kim: Things.

Gerald: What things?

Kim: Honestly?

Gerald: Yes.

Kim: You.

Gerald: What about me?

Kim: This. What to do with you? How to react.

Gerald: We are just going with the flow, right?

Kim: In one day?

Gerald: Day by day. Hour by hour. Minute by minute. Second by second. That’s it. No more. No less.

Kim: Where do we go from here?

Gerald: We go to the dining room because the rice is finished and the omelets are done. I’m starving.

Kim: (looks up at Gerald) It smells delicious.

Gerald: You look delicious.

Gerald gave her a quick peck on the lips as he passed her with their plates in his hand. Kim just smiled and looked back at him. She then went to the rice cooker and spooned out rice into a serving bowl for the two of them.

Kim: Right now, I’ll focus on breakfast.