Maille looked out the French door panes thinking to go out and jump on the tramp, and was surprised, even flabbergasted to see the tramp was occupied.

She opened the door and stood on the patio just looking.

Part of her was incredibly thrilled. He was there, and she could share with him ... No, she couldn't. Not yet. She didn't know him well enough, yet.

But there was something very powerful about being able to see him there, hers, her friend, her safe friend. He had come back, and she'd thought maybe the whole thing was a dream.

His dark eyes scrutinized her as she approached. He sat cross-legged on the trampoline, dead center, and watched her. She was watching him as well. A man of few words off stage. She saw he was wearing the same white t-shirt from the night before, as she was. It pleased her. It was theirs, their memory, their moment. However strange those moments had been, they had given her the strength and clarity to step outside herself long enough to do what she needed to do, had been needing to do, for a long time.

Kell wore a blue India batik wrap-around skirt and sandals. His hair was down, but he wore turquoise-rimmed glasses over his eyes. She could see her reflection.

He tossed her a matching wrap around skirt, but she just caught it and stood there beside the trampoline, hardly believing he was there, and hardly believing she was there with him ... again.

"Put it on, Put it on!" Kell said in his demanding sort of way and she obediently wrapped the sarong around her waist and tied it.

"Pants, off! Off! Off!" he said critically until she complied and left the pants sitting on the tramp and climbed on.

"Will you accompany me tonight, Maille Mann?"

Maille shrugged. "Do you want me to?"

He made a face and stared away from her before jerking back to pierce her with a reproving eye that seemed to say, would I be here if I didn't?

He flipped his hand impatiently and then indicated his car parked in the driveway, a silver sedan car, not the sports car of the previous evening.

"I should get my purse and some shoes." She turned toward the house but he stopped her with a hand on hers, a very familiar hand.

"I have brought you shoes." He said, "And you will not need your purse. I will provide for you."

"That's an odd thing to say. Then it would be a date, wouldn't it?"

He shrugged, pulled her to his car and opened the door. "Get in, Get in, Get in."

"Where are we going?" she asked as he pulled out and drove quickly to the freeway without talking. She was used to people not talking to her, only usually they talked among themselves. Silence didn't bother her, and it obviously didn't bother him either.

He took her hand as he had the night before and placed it on the gear shift. Maille felt a slight vibration as the car moved under her touch, and as his hand held hers again.

Dreamed? She chided herself. He was bored, and missed his... boyfriend. So he'd latched on to her, a safe bet. Unattached and female... completely safe.

He drove on the freeway for a few miles, pulled into a strip-mall and parked in front of a hair salon. Warily Maille eyed the salon. He got out and she locked the doors immediately. What was he thinking? She heard the doors click unlocked and she held the button down on lock again.

"What are we doing?" she called through the window. He was standing there waiting patiently pushing the button on his little key chain thing. He looked down his nose at her. And waited.

"Kell! What are you planning?"

He was nothing if not patient. But this seemed to be going to a lot of trouble for a temporary friend while 'honey' was away. She finally gave in and opened the door. He smiled at her lazily as if he were sure of her reaction and then held the door to the salon. Two women were doing hair appointments, but Kell walked through the shop as if he owned it and indicated for her to sit down.

"Kell, you are not cutting my hair!"

"No, I'm not."

Maille looked around. "Neither is anybody else." She stated, gripping the revolving seat as he pulled her closer to the sink and leaned her head back to wash her hair. She felt his hands and the water at the same time, as he leaned carefully over her. He smelled good also, like a guy, not like what she imagined a gay guy to smell like. But like a masculine guy. She closed her eyes as the warm water caressed her.

"Why did you come out today, Maille?"

"I was hoping to use up some energy jumping on the tramp."

"And what did you think when you saw me there?"

His hands were so professional, so gentle, the soap smelled so sweet. "Om... I thought I would tell you my secret."

He was quiet, expertly applying conditioner.

"Have you been here before? Do you know these people?" she asked.

"Yes." He answered. "So you would trust me with your secret?"

She smiled softly. "Not yet." She said. "I had already changed my mind when I approached the trampoline. I don't really know you well enough."

He nodded and gently ran the shower head along her neck. He massaged her head and Maille felt sublimely cared for in a weird sort of way. She thought she should feel uncomfortable, but she didn't. He had worked his magic on her again.

"But you were happy to see me?"

"Yes. I guess I still am happy to see you. But you're weird, Kell. I mean that in a good way. Just unpredictable."

A few more minutes of massage and then he wrapped a towel around her head and urged her to a different seat, carefully swung her away from the mirror, and dried her head. "But you have a secret... a recent secret?"

"Yes."

"And your secret has made you happy?"

"Yes."

"Is it about a person that I know?"

"Yes." She said as he took a comb and began parting her hair and combing it straight. "Is it about someone you recently met?"

"No."

"Is it about someone you recently wanted to confront?"

"Yes." She answered a little dreamily, she couldn't get enough of someone playing with her hair, it had an almost hypnotizing effect. She giggled a bit, and he gazed at her, perplexed.

"Your secret is funny?"

''No, but the thought that you can relax me enough to hypnotize me is."

"You are like a little rabbit, if I rub you right here..."he rubbed his thumb between her eyes and she giggled again.

Kell's fingers were magic. For a few moments, she didn't realize that he had begun to braid her hair, little teeny braids all over. Not actual dreadlocks, but fake ones. It took a long time to do braids in her hair, she'd had it done once before.

"You're making me into you?" she looked up at him.

"No. I like your hair, but it is heavy and hot, this will keep it cooler for you."

She was surprised he had been so thoughtful of her, and even more surprised that he took the time to do it himself.

"Kell, is this what you had planned for us tonight?"

"Planned? It's what I wanted to do last night, but there wasn't enough time." He concentrated on her hair. She was quiet for a few minutes, actually dozed off but only in time to hear him mumble a few words about liking a certain sound, and then she was awake again.

"Tell me about your family."

"I have no family. I am an orphan. I was never fostered and never adopted. I lived in a group home till I was sixteen and then I moved to a men's shelter and went to acting school and got a job, or several jobs and that is bow I got to be where I am."

Maille contrasted his upbringing with hers and was shocked. A loving large family with natural kids and adopted kids and cousins and aunts and uncles and family friends numbering in the hundreds. All in the entertainment field, or else in the professional fields.

"What is it like to be alone?" she asked and felt his hand still on her side behind her ear. He gently rubbed her ear between his two fingers.

"Alone." He said softly.

"I've never been alone. I think I would like to start being alone some."

"You have me."

Maille blinked. "Not really. When your boyfriend comes back you will forget all about me."

*****