Chapter 14

But Ken wasn't out of the woods yet. There was one more person he had to tell.

"Tim, we have to talk."

"Okay ... out here?" Tim led Kathy out to the back patio and closed the door behind them. Muffled sounds of the party came through the glass. Most of the guests were around the TV watching a video of the recital.

Ken grabbed both of Tim's hands and took a deep breath.

"Okay, here goes..." he said.

"Wait!" Tim trotted over to the bushes, fiddled with something, and suddenly strings of Christmas lights blinked on, adding white twinkles to the warm spring evening.

"Oh!" Ken said in wonder. "They're beautiful!"

"Now, what was it you wanted to tell me?" Tim reached out and held both of Ken's hands in his.

"I..." thrown off stride, Ken took a second to gather his thoughts. "It's just that ... I mean..." Tim's hands felt wonderfully soft and warm, Ken realized.

"That you were born a man?" Tim asked, gently.

"WHAT??" Ken's eyes shot wide open. "How did you know?"

Tim shrugged his shoulders. "Sarah told me," he said simply, "a few days ago. I think she's known since you first danced for her."

"Really??"

"Yeah. And so, when I was helping out with the scenery, remember? She pulled me aside and told me. I think she could tell I was getting ... uh... 'attached' and wanted to warn me before my heart got broken, or yours. She said you had enough to deal with already."

"I feel just terrible!"

"Why?"

"Because! I should have had the guts to tell you when we first met. I almost did, so many times! But..."

"But what?"

" ... I was too afraid. I..." Ken hesitated, "I love you," he finally said, simply, staring down at the ground, suddenly so afraid that he started shivering.

Tim tilted Ken's head back up, looked him in the eyes, and kissed him.

"Mmmmmm..." Ken sighed feeling all of the day's stress and turmoil slip off his shoulders like a cloak, sliding down his body and away, revealing the girl within.

Ken was back to being Kathy again.

"I love you too," Tim said, breaking the kiss. "As if that weren't already blatantly obvious. I mean, when I first heard the news from Sarah, I was like, 'no way!' I mean, you're so beautiful! But then it started to make sense, your attempts to warn me off at the beginning, your nervousness on our first date ... everything. And then, when I sat down to think about it, I discovered something else."

"What?"

"That it just made me want you all the more."

"That's impossible."

"Apparently not. I don't know why, but it's the truth."

Unable to speak, Kathy simply melted into Tim's warm embrace and kissed him.

"YAAAAAAYYY!" Julie squealed, followed by applause!

Startled, Tim and Kathy broke their kiss and looked over. The entire party had been watching the two young lovers from behind the glass doors.

Now the glass doors opened and the young couple was surrounded by all of the party goers.

Kathy and Tim just grinned, and kissed again.

"You go, you two!" said Sarah.

"Hey, get a room!" said Brian, teasingly.

"Don't listen to him," said Tina, pulling Brian into a kiss of her own.

"They love each other! I knew it! I just knew they would fall in love!" said Julie running around in circles.

"I am Kathy," Kathy thought to herself, "and here I am."