Chapter Ten
Twist Untied

**Author's Note: This chapter is rated R for language. There has been language through the rest of the story, but this is a little bit more of it... Read at your own discretion!**

* * *

Sometime during the night Kelly recalled a book she had read as a child that told the story of a boy who, after the death of his father, cried so much he lost five pounds. Kelly had never believed the story, but when she woke up the next morning, she hopped on the scale anyway�just to make sure. After all, if anyone had cried enough to lose weight, it was her.

But, despite the lack of weight loss, Kelly was determined to move on quickly from the whole situation. She had loved and lost, and that was better than to never have loved at all, right?

She decided it was time to get the opinions of two very important people. She needed to make absolutely certain she had made the right decision, and she needed to laugh. First person up: Patrick.

�My goodness, Kelly,� he said after hearing the tale. �From what I can gather, you�ve cried more than you, Mom, and Dad combined after watching Titanic!�

Kelly laughed. �Oh come on, Patrick, don�t leave yourself out of that list. You know you teared up when Leo died.�

�Yeah,� he said defensively. �I was mad at Kate for not shoving over and giving him some room on the floating door! What a heartless wench! Hmm� sounds like another Kate we know, eh?�

�No�� Kelly said slowly. �No, she�s not a heartless wench. She�s just doing what she feels. It sucks ass that she�s doing what she feels, but whatever. She�s my friend and I have to respect her decision, right? Wouldn�t she expect me to do the same?�

�Well, I guess,� he responded hesitantly. �I just know how crazy you are for Orlando, and I hate to see you give up him! God, we�ve all had bets going on here for how long it would take you two to get together, and now I think I�m gonna lose. Thanks a bunch, sis,� he finished sarcastically.

Kelly laughed. �Well, sorry about that. I guess it�s just a lose-lose situation.� She paused for a minute, then steered the conversation back to a more serious track. �But seriously, Pat, and you can tell me the truth. Do you think I�m making a mistake? Am I doing the right thing?�

�Kelly, unfortunately it�s always been this way with you. You always have a tendency to do the right thing. And�I won�t lie�sometimes I wish you would just do what would make you happiest, but ultimately it�s your choice,� he said matter-of-factly.

�Wow. Thanks for completely dodging the question,� she said with a sigh as Patrick just chuckled on the other end of the line.

�Kel-Bell, I�m sorry, but I can�t really help you out on this one. I�m always here if you need to talk, though, OK?�

�Yeah, thanks big brother. Tell Mom and Dad I said �hi.��

* * *

Kelly�s other confidant, Jo, was decidedly more blunt.

�Did you do the right thing? Are you freaking kidding me? Hell NO, you didn�t do the right thing. The right thing would be to jump in that Adonis� bed. Right now!�

This sent Kelly into peals of laughter. �Why thank you, Jo, for being so tasteful, as usual,� she said through her snorts. �But seriously, what do you think?�

�I think Kate is a pretty selfish little bee-yatch for asking you not to be with him,� began Jo over Kelly�s protests. �But,� she continued in an explanatory tone, �I know that if I was ever in the same situation�and I pray to God I�m not ever�I would have said the exact same thing. You�re in quite a pickle, my dear. And while we all may envy the familiarity of your friendship with Mr. Bloom, we definitely don�t envy how you have to resolve the whole thing. And I don�t envy Patrick, because he�s going to lose a lot of money in that bet,� she added as an afterthought.

�Well, you were about as much help as he was, Jo,� said Kelly as she sighed again.

�Do you want my honest opinion, Kel?� Jo asked, and then launched into it without waiting for an answer. �I appreciate what you�re doing for Kate right now. It�s a testament to your character that you can walk away from the man of your dreams in order to be faithful to your best friend. But honey, �chicks before dicks� only goes so far. And though I know Kate must be having the world�s biggest headache over this whole mess, it�s nothing compared to the life you�re going to lead if you seriously just give this up. Nobody wants the rest of their life to be one big �what if.� So I would say screw her figuratively, and screw him literally, and I think everything would work out well in the end.�

Despite Jo�s hilarious and slightly uncouth way of delivering her opinion, it was exactly what Kelly needed to hear. After all, everything Jo said was true. Orlando was the man of Kelly�s dreams, and Kelly definitely did not want to be stuck wondering what could have been for the rest of her life. And Kate? Well, Kelly could only recall Cabbie Freud�s words once again, and Jo�s reassurance strengthened Kelly�s resolve. Kate would just have to understand on this one. Kelly was going to march into Orlando�s house and give him her answer, once and for all. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This was, quite possibly, one of the most important things Kelly would ever do. And this was, unfortunately, a quest that would have to postponed, because Kelly had to go to class�

* * *

It�s amazing how boring Greek mythology can be when one is 53 minutes away from a life-altering event. Kelly sat in the cold, fluorescent classroom and listened to the professor drone on and on about ancient heroes, all the time wishing Zeus could just pop in and whisk her away to London. But she would have to wait. She watched the minutes tick by, one by one, until finally she was free.

As soon as she left the classroom she hastily pulled out Cabbie Freud�s card and dialed his number. He responded immediately, and told her he could be to her dorm in ten minutes, as if he had been roaming the streets of Oxford waiting for her call.

His tires barely screeched to a halt before Kelly was in the car, fastening her seatbelt with lightning speed. �You know where to go, Freud!� she yelled, not really caring that she had actually called him by the playful nickname.

The energy in that cab was palpable. Cabbie Freud could barely keep to ten over the speed limit as he rushed toward London. �Well, don�t leave me hanging!� he shouted after ten minutes of Kelly�s silence. �What happened? Do you get to keep them both?�

�I don�t know!� she exclaimed with exasperation. �I don�t know, I don�t know! I talked to Katalina last night, and she said it would be better for her if I didn�t go after Orjean, and I thought maybe that I could respect her wishes, but then I talked to my friends back home, and, well, they kinda convinced me that maybe I was making a mistake! So now I�m in this cab and I�m rushing towards his house, and I think that I want to just confess everything I feel for him and crawl into his arms and never leave! But at the same time, gosh, Katalina�s voice is just ringing in my ears, and there were so many tears and we�ve been through so much, and AH! I just don�t know!� she cried. Without realizing it, she had been grasping the headrest in front of her, and now she had abnormally white knuckles to show for it.

The cabbie just let out a low whistle and looked at Kelly through the rear view mirror. �Well, well� Missy, that�s still quite a ruffle you�re in. Sorry I can�t get you to his house faster, but the wings on the car are broken,� he said with a wink.

She smiled. �Yeah, thanks. Actually, take your time, because I still have no idea what I�m going to say, or how I�m going to say it, or who I�m going to alienate, or why I got myself into this whole mess in the first place!�

�Well fate usually has a way of working itself out, so let that thought comfort you,� he said with a warm smile.

She smiled back, though her queasy stomach was a more accurate portrayal of her feelings�

* * *

Just two hours ago, Kelly had been praying for the ancient Greek gods to whisk her away to the very doorstep on which she now stood. But now, more than anything, she wanted to be anywhere but on Orlando�s front porch. Even Greek Mythology would be better than this. She had passed through security without a hassle, but now she wished they would have turned her away. She must have looked deranged as she stood on the step, frenetically raising and lowering her arm as she hesitated to ring the doorbell.

But just as she decided that there was no way she could go through with her plan; just as she decided to turn around and walk embarrassedly back through security, the door opened. Orlando�s lovely face beamed through the threshold, and Kelly felt her resolve strengthen again.

�Hi,� he said simply. �The security guards called me. I think they took some pity on you, standing out here in the cold for so long,� he explained with a wink.

Kelly just smiled in return and accepted his proffered hug. Though the embrace was now becoming familiar to her, she still savored every moment. This is definitely the right decision�

He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the warmth of his home. Like a true gentleman, he took her coat and offered her tea, which she rejected. It would be easier to say what she needed to say without the fear of a hot beverage to spill.

They stood silently in the front hall for a few awkward moments. Kelly twisted her hands nervously and Orlando fiddled with his curls. They both knew what had to be said, but neither knew how to say it.

Orlando was the first to break the silence. His hand moved up absentmindedly to scratch the back of his head as he asked, �So, do you like England so far?�

Kelly was relieved at the easy question. �Yeah. Yeah, I like it a lot. It�s completely different from Wyoming, you know? I mean, I�ve been here for almost a month, but I�m still afraid that I�ll look the wrong way when I cross the street and be hit by a bus, but you know. Shit happens!�

�Yes, that�s definitely true,� he responded with a laugh.

Another awkward silence followed.

�Do you, um, like England?� Kelly asked after a minute. How lame. Way to go, Kelly.

He laughed again. �Absolutely.�

�Well of course,� she replied with a nervous chuckle. �I mean, why else would you live here? Duh! Hello, Kelly!� She paused. �I�m sorry I�m being such a ditz, Orlando. I�m just, I don�t know��

�Nervous?� he suggested. He moved closer to her and grasped her hands. As he looked into her eyes, he continued. �I am too. I don�t really know what we�re doing right now, but I know it�s right. And if there�s anything you need to tell me, just say it, and I swear we�ll be OK.�

�OK,� she managed to whisper as she stared at the ground. This was it. This was her chance to proclaim her love and forget the trials she had struggled through in the past year. All she had to do was say those three little words she had been tossing around in her head for the past year, it seemed.

But she couldn�t say anything. Kate�s words kept repeating themselves over and over in Kelly�s mind. �I don�t know how I would handle you and Orlando together. I don�t think I would be able to handle it,� Kate had said just hours ago. And now Kelly was going against everything she had told Kate�everything she had promised. Kelly was here, inside Orlando�s house, ready to spill her guts, ready to admit that Orlando�s love meant more than Kate�s friendship� But she couldn�t.

�Kelly,� Orlando�s voice broke through her conscience. �Kelly, look at me.� He moved his hands to the side of her face, and tilted her head up to meet his stare. Her eyes flickered across his face for the briefest of seconds, but she couldn�t bear to look him directly in the eyes, especially as she was about to turn him away. For good. �Kelly� Kelly please,� he whispered urgently. �Please look at me.�

�Orlando,� she said, still averting her eyes, �I talked to Kate.� Kelly saw his shoulders sag and heard his frustrated sigh.

�Kelly, can we please leave her out of this? I mean, this is between you and me, and I know how much she means to you, but��

�No, Orlando,� Kelly interrupted, and she gently removed his hands from her face. �I understand, but I have to take her opinion into consideration! You were together for two years, OK? This whole thing has had a really big impact on her!�

�Yes, I know, and I respect your concern for Kate, but I�m more interested in the impact on you!� he said.

�I understand. But she said she wouldn�t be comfortable with the two of us together. And I understand that, too! I keep putting myself in her shoes�� Kelly paused for a moment, and then looked Orlando straight in the eyes. �To tell you the truth, Orlando, I didn�t come over here to tell you �no.� I came over here to scream �yes!� I want to be with you so much, but��

But she said no more. Orlando, upon hearing the word �yes�, pulled Kelly close to himself and kissed her. He kissed her like she�d never been kissed before.

Kelly, stunned, did what she felt was right. She deepened the kiss. All the anticipation, all the waiting, all the agony�it was like counting down the days until Return of the King was released. It was like waiting three years for the fifth Harry Potter to come out. It was 365 days of expectation all culminated in this one earth-shattering kiss. And as these thoughts passed through Kelly�s head, she realized that nothing she had ever felt compared to this. This was ecstasy. This was perfection. She sunk one hand deep into his gorgeous curls and the other clasped his back, hoping to never let go.

But it had to end sometime. They broke apart, and Orlando rested his forehead on Kelly�s. She just stood, still hugging his back, barely able to hear her own thoughts over the pulsation of her heart in her ears. Every single inch of her had been electrified by the kiss. Every inch, that is, except her mind, which could think of no words to say.

So she stood, breathing heavily, not even noticing that her phone was ringing, and probably had been for a good minute. Orlando was the one to notify her. �Can you ignore that call?� he said in a sultry whisper as he fiddled with a strand of her hair. Kelly had no choice but to nod her response, as she had permanently lost all capabilities for intelligent response, and was pretty sure her knees were going out, too.

She fumbled with one hand for the phone on the table, as the other hand was not relinquishing its grip on Orlando. Finally, after much noise and hassle, she found the phone, and reached to turn it off. But then she saw the caller ID. It was Kate. �Fuck,� she whispered and showed Orlando the phone. �Should I answer it?�

�No!� he replied adamantly.

�But what if she�s changed her mind?� she asked, then took one look at Orlando�s face and said, �Fuck it. There�ll be plenty of time to talk later.� And she turned off the phone.

Orlando was overjoyed by this decision, as evidenced by his next kiss. Though she had not thought it possible, Kelly felt like the second kiss was better than the first. And the third was better than the second. The magnitude of the kisses increased as the two of them stumbled toward the bedroom. And as they both fell onto his soft white bed, Kelly felt that nothing in the world would ever equal this moment, or even come close�

* * *

The next morning, Kelly awoke to find herself curled up next to Orlando, with nothing but a thin sheet separating them. She smiled and turned around so she could see his face. He, too, was beaming as he reached for her hand. She gladly gave it and crawled up to rest her head on his bare chest. He reached down to stroke her hair, and they stayed like that for a while, just being with each other.

After a few moments, Orlando reached over to the nightstand to pick up a box, never letting go of Kelly�s hand. He gave her the box which was green and tied with a gold bow. �This is something I bought for you during the summer, when I was in Spain. I saw it, and I immediately thought of you. Well, I had been thinking of you a lot, but this just� I don�t know, just open it,� he said with a smile.

She rearranged herself and reluctantly let go of his hand to open the box. Inside was a beautiful Spanish ornamental hair comb inlaid with mother-of-pearl and sapphires set in a deep, lacquered mahogany wood. �Oh, Orlando,� she breathed, unable to think of anything else to say.

He traced his fingers along the edge of the comb, and then along the edge of her face. �I thought that maybe our next dance lesson could be Flamenco,� he explained with a smile.

�Only if you promise to wear steel-toed shoes, because I guarantee I will step on your feet.�

�Even more than you did during our tango lesson?� he said with a mischievous grin.

�Oh, you little jerk! I would hit you, but I know what you said is true. Damn these clodhoppers,� she responded playfully as she kicked her feet up at the end of the bed.

�You know, it was a year ago that those clodhoppers first stepped on my feet at Madame Toneva�s,� he said softly.

�I know. And I bet you wish you were with her instead of me!� Kelly teased.

�Too right you are,� he responded cheekily.

They lay in silence for a while, each grinning ear to ear, before Orlando spoke. �So, Kelly, what�s next?�

�Breakfast, I hope,� she replied with a smile. And then she remembered Kate�s phone call the night before and her smile vanished. �And I should probably check Kate�s message,� she groaned.

�Yeah, you probably should,� Orlando said as he handed her the phone from the nightstand where it had been thrown last night.

She dialed into her voicemail while she absentmindedly traced circles on his chest. Orlando watched with concern, never taking his eyes off Kelly�s face. He couldn�t hear what Kate was saying on the message, but he knew it must have been good, as Kelly broke into a wide grin. She tossed the phone to the floor and planted a large kiss on his cheek, then moved to his mouth.

�I have no guilty conscience anymore!� she exclaimed at the end of their embrace. �Kate is OK with everything!� At Orlando�s disbelieving stare, she continued. �Well, she did ask if we could give her a few days alone, and maybe not� um� flaunt the fact that we�re together around her for a little while, but she did say that she still loved us both and she didn�t want to lose either of us. She�s going to be OK, eventually!� Kelly clapped her hands together in glee. �Oh, I knew she�d understand!�

Orlando sat straight up and engulfed Kelly in his biggest bear hug yet, and Kelly couldn�t help but squeal out of sheer excitement a few times. She was finally free to be with Orlando; completely and totally free. Everything she had done in the past year had finally paid off. There were no more twists; no more entanglements separating Kelly and Orlando.

�Kelly?� Orlando said after a while. �I love you.�

Kelly felt the tears well up in her eyes as she finally said the words she had been waiting so long for: �I love you, too, Orlando. I love you, too.�

* * *

THE END

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