Chapter Three
"Flashbacks and a Fluffy Towel"
�So, even if A-Rod went somewhere dreadful and not to Boston, the Sox are still going to win it all.�
�Alright. I concede the point.�
�Concede the point? Adam, you�ve conceded all the points tonight!�
�Well, it�s hard to argue with perfection.�
�Umm, OK, but you wouldn�t even go a round with me on Yoda vs. Elmo! I can�t believe you won�t debate! Come on, man!�
�I wouldn�t like to see my measly points get shot down by your finely crafted ones...�
Kelly lay on her bed, pondering the conversation�or lack thereof�she had shared with Adam on their coffee date. Yes, he was charming, he was polite, he shared her distaste for coffee, but he was entirely too nice. Was that possible? To be too nice? She sighed at the irony of the situation. He would be the perfect package if it weren�t for the fact he made her uncomfortable with his excessive compliments. Maybe it was tough love growing up with Patrick, but Kelly didn�t want to be fawned over. She needed someone who could realize the imperfections, pick a fight, spark up a debate, defend Ringo over Lennon�
Orlando. Orlando got her heart pounding and her gears turning. He wasn�t afraid to joust with her, and�Heaven forbid!�he would take sides in a debate. She happily recalled the tango at Madame Toneva�s. The way his hands felt�coarse, but not too rough. Like Will Turner�s, she had remarked with a smile, before embarking on a barrage of over-acting jokes...
�It was the way you said �my blood�the blood of a pirate,� Orlando, your face was so distraught! I expected Bootstrap Bill to rise from the depths of �Davy Jones� Locker� with a sympathetic embrace. I�m surprised Elizabeth didn�t jump you right then and there! Was the Academy knocking down your door? They should have just canceled the ceremony and given you the Oscar at the premiere!�
�Well, you may make fun of me now Kelly, but I have it on good authority that you cried during a repeat viewing of �Pirates,� so perhaps my overacting did the trick, eh?�
�Damn! Kate swore she wouldn�t tell!�
�I have ways of making girls talk, darling��
But the conversation didn�t always consist of playful dissections of the Bloom Talent (or scintillating thoughts of just how Orlando �made girls talk�). During one particularly fast-paced tango, Kelly and Orlando had digressed on concepts as far-flung as unilateralism in American politics (very prevalent), The Iliad vs. The Odyssey (Orlando chose The Iliad, Kelly had no choice but to argue), and how old Elijah Wood really looked (Orlando: 22, Kelly: 16). The witty banter had never faltered, the laughter had never ceased. And most importantly, there was never any awkwardness. Orlando�s easy presence had pushed Kate�s morning confrontation completely from Kelly�s mind.
Adam, on the other hand, was not as appealing. While she had somewhat enjoyed the obligatory �get to know you� session, conversation took a decidedly downward turn after that. Adam turned on Full Charm Mode, complimenting Kelly on everything from her hair to her eyes to her shoes. Of course, any girl enjoys a compliment or two, but Kelly really distrusted Adam�s sincerity. Compliments on things she was really proud of were received with a smile, but after hearing the merits of her earrings twelve times, her patience grew thin. But maybe he was just trying to get into her good graces on the first date. It wasn�t fair to completely write him off based on one coffee shop performance. She knew he was capable of intelligent thought�she had heard him scrutinize Aristophanes in front of 25 grad students�but he transformed into this strange, simpering enigma outside of class. Who knew what the next date would bring.
Kelly found herself incessantly longing for Orlando. As soon as they got back to the dorm from Madame Toneva�s, Kelly had to leave for class. Orlando was going to New York with Kate afterward and then back to the Return of the King promotion circuit. They had exchanged a pleasant goodbye, a nice hug and squeeze, but Kelly was left with a little hole that didn�t seem to want to be filled. Snap out of it. You don�t mean anything to him more than a good laugh. Or dance partner. It was childish to pine for this man, this actor, this heartthrob. What would Patrick say? What would Kate say?
With these thoughts running rampant in her mind, Kelly reluctantly crawled out of bed. She slipped out of her clothes and into a giant, fluffy bath towel and pulled her hair into a hasty ponytail. All she needed was a nice, long shower. Grabbing her shower caddy, she headed to the bathroom, but as she left her room, she ran into something unexpected. She shrieked and dropped the caddy, spilling her shampoo everywhere.
�Holy shit, Orlando, what the hell are you doing here?!?!� said Kelly as she rested against the wall, clutching her pounding chest.
�Kelly! I had no idea you had such a mouth!� said the trespasser with a sly grin on his face.
Between gasps for breath, Kelly managed to choke out, �Yeah, I cuss like a sailor when I want to. But I try to keep it in check when I�m around people I don�t know so well��
�Well, that wouldn�t be me, would it now?� he asked as he stooped to pick up her shampoo bottle.
�Oh, um, well I guess not,� she said, not knowing completely how to respond. Great, another session of Kelly the Ditz� �But seriously, what are you doing here? Aren�t you supposed to be in New York? Or on a plane to New Zealand or something?�
�Well, we�ve already done the New Zealand press conference. And I changed flights so I don�t have to leave for London until tomorrow. And Kate already left for Berlin...�
Kelly so wanted to put two and two together and conclude that he had changed his flight to be with her. But the voice of reason vehemently rejected this notion. Until Orlando made the conclusion for her.
�� and I couldn�t help but come back to see you one more time before I left.�
Fuck. Her heart had just subsided from the scare, but it was racing again at those words. �Orlando, you drove all the way down from New York? That�s almost two hours!�
�Well, I actually took a cab. No car, you know, and no possible way of knowing how to navigate your interstate highway system.�
�Oh crap, how much did a cab run you?� Kelly could only imagine being stuck with a New York cabbie for two hours�
�That�s not the point! Don�t I at least get a �thank you� for coming all the way back?�
�Of course! Yes, thank you! I just can�t believe you did that! Practical Kelly is just overpowering me right now��
�Well I�m glad I came back. I like Practical Kelly. And I like this little ensemble you�re wearing right now,� he smirked.
It was only then that Kelly realized her semi-nudity. The towel was big, but it certainly left little to the imagination. She clutched it tighter self-consciously, yet at the same time wishing he would rip it off� Orlando just grinned and tucked a stray curl behind Kelly�s ear. She shivered as his hand grazed her neck. Great, she thought. In a towel, a gross ponytail, and now covered in goosebumps. Why can�t I ever look good around this man?!?!
She laughed nervously, and said in a quivering voice, �So, did you want to sit down or something? Do anything?�
�No, I should actually get going. The taxi�s waiting outside. But, before I go, I have a strange request.�
A million and one things popped in Kelly�s head, and not a single one she would say no to. She silenced the thoughts and lifted her head in affirmation.
�I�m going to be gone a long time, you know. I have to finish all the Return of the King stuff, then I�m finishing a movie in the Cayman islands, then it�s on to Spain, with brief stops in LA and London, and��
�Orlando, are you asking me to be your travel guide? Because if you aren�t, then get to the point, bud,� she chided, relieved that her sense of playfulness was returning.
He grinned, and continued, purposely highlighting his flight plan. �Of course, after LA and London and Spain, I�ll be back in Morocco, and then who knows where. But I doubt it�ll be Princeton, New Jersey. And even though I�ll probably see Kate a few times during my globe-trotting, I doubt I�ll be graced with the presence of her quirky roommate.� He paused, and Kelly raised an eyebrow.
�Quirky?�
�Yes, but in a good way. A very good way. Anyway, love, that�s not the point. Well, it actually is, sort of. Kelly, I want something to remember you by. I want a tidbit�something to gnaw on while I�m away. Something truly telling of your personality that I can think of and smile. Can you tell me something to quench my desire?�
God, this man is a genius with word choice. I�d quench any desire� Kelly had no idea what to tell him, though. She pondered for a second. �Well, this isn�t my natural hair color,� she suggested.
�You�re not a redhead?� he asked with a frown.
�Not this bright. I used to have nice hair, but then it degraded into this really dingy brownish-reddish crap. So I dyed it. Don�t tell anyone!� She winked.
�Your secret�s safe with me, Kel, but I want something more. Something really weird. Make me smile.�
Kelly jumped as something popped up in her head. �I�ve got it! It�s really coincidental that you asked this today, because while I was on my date with Adam��Orlando�s brow raised at the word �date,� but Kelly continued��I started making a list of all the things about me that are really weird. In my head, of course, because I didn�t want to regale Adam. Anyway, it turns out I am pretty quirky. So I�ll tell you one of these things, is that ok?�
Orlando was grinning from ear to ear. �Kelly, the fact that you made a list only proves my point. But I�d love to hear one to confirm it.�
Kelly smiled goofily. �OK, I have this thing, where if I�m listening to the radio or something with a volume dial, the volume has to be set on a number that doesn�t end in one, six, or nine.� At his inquisitive stare, she explained. �Well, if the number ends in zero, that�s ok, right? Because it�s a nice round number. If it ends in two, four, or eight, it�s ok because those are good even numbers that aren�t too close to a better number, like five. Five is good because it�s the middle, and three and seven are also the middles, between zero and five and ten. So we�re left with one, six, and nine. Which aren�t round or even, well, besides six, but they�re so close to a better number that it seems pointless to me not to round them up or down! Why would you set the dial on nine when, with one click, it can be on ten? It�s crazy!�
Orlando was staring at her. �Yeah, it�s definitely the crazy one. Not you, Kelly, not you.�
�Shut up! You�re the one who wanted a quirky thing! I gave you one!�
�Yes, you fulfilled my wildest expectations. Whenever I miss you, I�m going to imagine this scene right here, complete with you gesticulating wildly in your bath towel while miming a volume control scene. You�re a piece of work, and I love it.�
Kelly just smiled a shrugged, refusing to let her mind dwell on the wild picture she had voluntarily painted for Orlando or on his use of the �L-word.� �I do what I can, Orlando. I do what I can.�
He reached out and enveloped her in a massive hug and kissed her forehead. Kelly was instantly reminded of his greeting to Kate just two days before, and couldn�t help but notice the way his lips felt on her forehead. She felt the all-too familiar melting sensation rise from her toes again�
�Kelly,� he said in a gravelly voice, �I�ll miss you very much, but keep thinking of quirks for when I come back, ok?� Kelly could only nod mutely. With another swift kiss on her forehead, he turned and went out the door. As soon as it had shut, Kelly sunk to the floor, too bewildered to bother with her shower.