"After Dinner Conversation"

*This story takes place directly after Kate & Colin’s dinner with Sid.

Kate watched as Sid made his way down the steps then closed the door, smiling to herself. As she turned, Colin let out a loud sigh and said, "Kate, we need to talk."

Kate frowned. She had a feeling this was coming. She’d tried to keep her feelings for Sid well hidden from Colin, but obviously Colin had picked up on it. "What about?" Kate asked, as innocently as she could. She walked past him and headed towards the kitchen.

Colin quickly followed and put a hand on her arm to stop her from leaving the room. "Oh, I think you know," he replied, angrily, as she spun around to face him.

"What’s that supposed to mean?" she asked, managing to avoid looking directly in his eyes, and turned back towards the kitchen. Surely he hadn’t figured out what had happened between her and Sid during the fireworks, had he?!

Colin followed behind her and let out a snort. "Who did she think she was fooling?" he wondered to himself, then replied, "Kate, please, the man was seriously making moves on you tonight. And what’s worse, you were allowing him to do so – even enjoying it."

Kate let out a deep sigh of relief that her secret was obviously still safe, then, picking up a plate from the sink and loading it in the dishwasher, she started to object, "Colin..."

Colin didn’t let her finish her sentence, however, exclaiming, "He just blatantly asked you out on a date – in front of me! If you really think I’m gonna sit back and let you go to his fuckin’ alien-spaceship-of-a-house on Tuesday night, you’re nuts!"

Kate turned away from the sink. Of course he’d object. Why wouldn’t he? She’d be a fool to think otherwise. That wouldn’t stop her from going, though. She looked into his eyes, glaring, "Colin, you don’t have the right to tell me who I can and can’t be friends with or have the power to stop me from going where I want to go. You don’t own me."

Colin was completely thrown off guard by her statement. His mouth fell open and he just stared at her, wondering what was happening between them. Finally, he found his voice again and spoke, softer this time, "Kate, sweetheart, please... don’t do this. Sid’s not worth it."

"Why, just because he dresses fancier than you do and has an appreciation for the finer things in life?"

"No, Kate, because he wants you for his self and doesn’t seem to care that you already have a boyfriend."

"Colin, please, he’s just being friendly. I’d say you could come along with me on Tuesday, but you made it quite clear to both me and Sid that you don’t want to."

Colin let out a sigh, shoulders slumped. "Well, no, I can’t say that I do want to go. But that doesn’t mean you should go without me, either. And you’re absolutely right, Kate...I don’t have the right to tell you where you can go or who you can be friends with. I’d think, though, that if you loved me you’d make the right choices... on your own."

Kate turned back towards the sink and began to angrily load the rest of the dishes into the dishwasher. Colin just stood there, quietly watching, waiting for her to say something. Finally, with the dishes done, Kate slammed the washer door closed and turned back to face him.

"I’m going to bed. It’s been a long night." she told him, flatly, walked out of the kitchen and up the stairs, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

Colin just stood in the kitchen, dumbfounded. "What the fuck just happened?" he said to himself, running his hand across his face.

TBC...