Trivial Pursuit

Kristen elbowed her sister the way she'd done a thousand times to her growing. "Ow! Jeez, Kristen. Get a grip. I just said he was cute." She rubbed her side then said, "Now I know why you're all dressed up!"

She jabbed her again making Angie yelp. This time as she finally got the message and shut up.

Angie helped Kristen bring out some nice stemware along with the wine and set it on the coffee table between the sofa and the love seat. Angie sat down next to her husband on the love seat while Kristen sat a comfortable distance from Guy on the couch.

"So tell us about yourself, Guy. Where are you from? What do like to do? What are your future plans?" Angie said trying to chat him up.

"Angie? Back down, okay?" Kristen said coming to his defense.

"It's okay. Really. Well, in a nutshell I retired from the Marine Corps three years ago, I taught junior high for a couple of years then moved over to Kristen's elementary school to be a computer lab administrator. I've got an 18-year old son at the UW and a yellow lab named Lobo." He shrugged as if to say that was all he had to tell.

"The Marine Corps? It's a good think Michael isn't here, right?" Angie said.

"Can you elbow her, David?" Kristen said.

"What? What did I say wrong now? First I say Guy's cute and you elbow me. Now I mention Mike and you want my husband to hit me."

Kristen's face was very red again and her hands were covering it as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry," she said. "It really is true that you can pick your friends but you can't pick your relatives."

Guy just laughed and said, "I think Angie's very charming."

"Ha! See there?" she said as though she'd just won a major battle. "I'm charming." She turned to Guy and said, "Thank you, kind sir. You have very good taste in women." Then she looked at her sister and said flatly, "Well, with one obvious exception."

"How about some wine?" David said trying to shift gears.

"Yes, please!" Kristen said staring down her sister.

"So are we playing boys against girls or do you wanna be on the same team as your hot new boyfriend?" Angie said throwing gas on the fire.

"Ugh!" Kristen grunted. "I'm so sorry, Guy. I hope you won't judge me by my sister. She's incorrigible."

"You didn't answer my question," Angie told her.

"We can play like how we're seated if that's okay with you, Guy," Kristen suggested.

"So you and I are on the same team? Sure. That sounds fine."

After correctly answering a couple of arcane questions correctly, Angie began looking at Guy with suspicion.

She asked, "What was the first planet to be discovered using the telescope, in 1781, Guy?"

"Uranus," he said without hesitation which brought a 'yes!' and a high five from Kristen.

On his next turn David asked him, "Which BBC music program was broadcast weekly between 1964 and 2006?"

"That was Top of the Pops," he said.

Another high five and an even longer stare.

Angie looked at him and said, "You haven't missed one question yet. If you get this right, I quit."

"Promises, promises," Kristen quipped.

Ignoring him, Angie asked, "What Elton John album became the first album to enter the charts at Number One, in 1975?"

"I owed that album. That was Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy."

Angie threw the card up in the air and said, "He's a human encyclopedia, for God's sake! Is there anything you don't know?"

Angie was almost through her third glass of wine while everyone else was still sipping on their first.

She held up her glass and pointed it toward Hansen. "Guy? Kristen says this isn't a date, but I'm just curious and I'd like your opinion. She's never worn makeup to play Trivial Pursuit before and that's a brand new, very expensive cashmere sweater she's wearing. So doesn't that look to you like she wants this to be a date?"

"Angie, I swear to God..." Kristen began.

Guy just smiled and looked at Kristen and said looking at her new sweater, "It's very pretty. I meant to say something on my way in, but I kind of got sidetracked."

"Ambushed is the better word," Kristen said glaring at her sister.

"Honey, can you pour me some more wine?" she asked holding out her empty glass.

"Oh, my God! You're drunk!" Kristen said. "Guy, I am SO sorry. This is like the worst night of Angie-on-Elm-Street ever!"

"I'm not drunk!" she said tipping her glass back and forth.

"Of course you're not, honey," Dave said. "But it is time for us to be going."

"Going? It's not even ten o'clock. We never leave this early."

He set her glass down then stood up and took Angie's hand. "Come on, baby. Time to go home. Tell everyone good night." He basically pulled her out of her seat as she protested all the way to the door.

"I need my coat!" she said. Kristen was right there helping her put it on. "Good night you guys—and Guy!" she said pushing her sister out the door. Once they were out, she shut it and leaned up against it.

"I can't apologize enough for that," Kristen said shaking her head. "I've never seen her like that. At least not since we were in college together."

She walked back over to the sofa and took a seat. "You're sister really is charming," Guy said again. "Something tells me you two are best friends in spite of whatever just happened here tonight."

Kristen sighed and said, "Yeah, that's true. I can't imagine what I'd do without her. Still, there are times when I'd just like to..." Kristen balled up her fist and shook it.

Guy laughed and said, "You two remind me of me and my brother growing up. We're best friends now but we fought like cats and dogs all our lives." He picked up the bottle and said, "Can I top you off?"

She unclenched her fist and said, "That sounds nice. Yes, thank you." He poured in a little bit more in both of their glasses then set down the empty bottle.

"This stuff is amazing," she said taking a small sip. "I'm afraid to ask how much it cost."

"Then don't," he said smiling.

"More than a hundred dollars?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"A little more," he said in a 'no big deal' kind of way.

"I was looking at your car outside. I'm not an expert, but that looks really nice. What do you drive?"

She was taking another small sip when he looked right at her and said, "A mid-life crisis."

Unable to stop herself from laughing, she spewed most of the drink. The good news is it was a very tiny sip. The bad news was two tiny drops found their way onto her brand new, very expensive sweater.

"Ugh!" she said. "It's ruined."

"Not so fast," he said. "Do you have any club soda?"

"In the fridge," she said looking at the red stains.

"Good. Give me your sweater, quick."

"Excuse me?" she said.

He reached for a blanket behind him and said, "I won't look. Hand me your sweater and use the blanket to cover yourself up. Hurry or the stains will set."

He heard her earrings dangle then felt something soft in his hands followed by the sound of the blanket moving. "Okay," she said.

He got up and went straight to the kitchen. "Turn the water on as hot as you can get it," he said as he found the club soda. "Is this sponge new?" he asked her.

"Yes. I just bought it," she told him as she followed him holding the blanket over her upper body.

He soaked the two tiny spots with club soda then began dabbing very gently. He soaked them again and let it work as the water warmed up. Once it was hot enough to burn his hand, he placed the stained part under the water and stretched the material taught. The stains had already faded and just seconds later, both of them were gone.

"Holy cow! Is there anything you don't know?" she said as she thanked for saving her $200 purchase.

"Unfortunately, the older I get...no jokes, please...the more I realize how little I know compared to all there is to know in this big old universe."

"Do you think it would be safe to blow dry this?"

"Sure, just keep it on low heat."

She came back out wearing it a couple of minutes later. "Good as new," she said. "I can't even tell where the stains were." She was standing next to him and looking down where they used to be and she was right. They were gone.

"One of them was right there," Guy said pointing to a spot just above her left breast. "And the other one was right there," he said bending down slightly and pointing toward her waist.

He stood back up and as soon as he did, Kristen put her hand on his cheek and kissed him. "Whoa!" he said pulling away. "What's going on here?"

"I thought...it seemed like you were...I was thinking maybe..." She turned away from him and sat back down on the couch and reached for her wine glass. "I don't know what I was thinking."

He sat next to her and said, "Hey? What just happened?"

"I guess I just had to much to drink," she said without looking at him.

"You haven't even had one full glass in over two hours." He put his hand on her forearm and said, "Do you wanna talk?"

"No, I don't think so," she said quietly.

"You sure? Seems like it couldn't hurt."

"That's okay. I don't want to say or do anything else stupid tonight."

"Okay, that's just not fair. You haven't done anything stupid." He slid a little closer and said, "What's going on, Kristen? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. Just like it always is with me and men I like." Hansen didn't say anything. He just waited to see if she had something more to say. "I have this amazing ability to pick the wrong guy or blow it with the right guy or just run them off or..."

He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I'm not really sure I know what you're saying, but I'm pretty sure you're being way too hard on yourself. You certainly haven't offended me or done anything that would make me not want to continue being your friend."

"Exactly," she said.

"Exactly?"

"Right. I've managed to impress you to the point where you 'wouldn't mind continuing to be my friend.' Gee, that's really high praise. But that's about par for the course for Kristen Kennedy who knows how to blow up or sabotage any relationship with any guy she meets."

"Relationship? Is that what we have here? A relationship?"

"Obviously not," she said. "Not after me misreading your signals that badly thinking you were feeling what I was feeling. So...now we can...keep being friends. How nice."

"Kristen?" He waited for her to look at him. "I'm really confused. I know I haven't dated or...what do people say these days? Hang out, right? I haven't even hung out with a woman in oh, gee, let's not go there. But didn't you say this was just playing Trivial Pursuit? I thought you specifically mentioned that's all it was. What am I missing?"

"Nothing," she replied. "It isn't you, Guy. It's me. It's always me."

He put his hand in the middle of her back and ran it up and down a couple of times and asked her, "Are you saying you wanted this to be more than playing a game?"

"For such a smart guy, you can be really slow," she said without looking at him.

"So your sister was telling the truth? The makeup, the new sweater? That was...for me?"

"You're a regular Einstein," she said still looking away.

"I may be slow, but I am teachable," he said leaning his head down trying to look her in the eye.

"If you were feeling what I was feeling, you would have kissed me back. It's obvious you don't and why would you? I'm just a kid to you and a pretty foolish-looking one at that."

He stood up and moved in front of her. He held out his hands and waited for her to look up. Once she did, he did the 'come on' gesture with them and she slowly put hers in his. He lifted her up and waited for her to look into his eyes.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea. I just couldn't imagine a very pretty, very young girl being interested in me like that under any circumstance. It was nice to have you tell me I looked good in my uniform but well, as I said, anyone can look good in that thing. I don't know whether it's ignorance or stupidity on my part, but I really had no clue."

"So you're saying you're clueless?" She smiled for the first time since the botched kiss.

"Well, I am a man, right? Need I say any more?"

"Maybe one thing," she said softly.

"What might that be?" he asked her.

"Do you have any feelings for me? I mean, other than continuing to be my friend kind of feelings."

"I have two questions," he told her.

"Okay," she said again very softly.

"Hypothetically, were I to ask you on an actual date, as opposed to a non-date where we play Trivial Pursuit and end up wondering if it was a date, would that be something you might want to do with me?"

"Well, hypothetically, I think that sounds very much like something I'd enjoy doing with you. What's your second question?"

"This is going to sound strange coming from a man my...any man...but I have to ask it. Are you interested in me or are you seeing the uniform and confusing that with me?"

"Um, that's actually a very refreshing question. By this point, I'm usually being asked, 'So you wanna hook up?'" She smiled sweetly and told him, "Yes, I was very impressed by your uniform. I won't lie or try and say I wasn't. But if you weren't the kind of man you are, no uniform would get you..."

"Get me...what?"

"See, you're such a good, decent guy you're gonna think I'm terrible if I finish my sentence."

"I promise I won't think that," he assured her.

"It wouldn't get you past a hook up."

"Oh, I see. And by 'hook up' you mean..."

"Yes, that's what I mean. See, now I'm so embarrassed because you'd never do something like that but..."

"Yes, I would," he told her.

"You would?"

"Uh-huh. But not with someone I really liked."

"I'm confused," she said.

"I'd 'hook up' with a girl I had no further interest in, but not with someone I genuinely liked."

"Oh. Oh! Okay, now I understand. So...in that case, I'm very relieved you're not asking to hook up with me."

"But I am asking you on a real date. Will you have dinner with me this weekend, Kristen?" he asked her.

"Really. Then, yes. I'd love to have dinner with you!" she said smiling at him again.

"So do I text you the details? Is that how this works these days?"

Kristen laughed and said, "That works for me."

"Well, okay. I guess maybe I do still have game," he said rolling his shoulders in a silly way.

"You definitely still have game," she assured him. "Guy? Thank you for coming over tonight and...for not trying to hook up with me." She laughed again and said, "I don't think I've ever said that to a guy I like before."

"Regardless, I'm taking it as a compliment and saying you're welcome."

"And again, I apologize for my sister. You must think she has a drinking problem or something."

Guy cocked his head to one side and said very seriously, "No, she clearly has no problem drinking. She pours, she drinks. I'd say she drinks just fine."

Kristen put her hands over her mouth as she laughed loudly.

"Please don't cover your face," he said as he took hers back in his hands. He then let go of one of them and ran his fingers along her cheek and said, "Your face is much too pretty to ever hide it from me."

Her eyes were racing back and forth between his and she could feel her heart pounding. "Okay," was all she could say.

"And I really do like your sweater," he told her smiling.

"I'll remember that for our date. This weekend."

"So...good night?"

"Oh, right. Um...good night."

She walked him to the door and handed him his beat-up leather jacket and told him, "Well, stay warm."

"I really enjoyed this," he told her.

"I'm just going to feel so embarrassed every time I see you after having...you know."

"I enjoyed this, too," he told her. "I think I know a way for you not to feel embarrassed about having kissed me."

"You do?" she asked.

He was now holding both of her hands near her chest as he said, "I do." He leaned down and gently kissed her for the briefest of moments.

Her eyes initially opened wide before she closed them and softly kissed him back. "Wow," she said. "I feel like I'm 16 again."

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked her.

"I don't think so," she told him. "It's actually kind of nice."

"So I'll text you?" he said as she let him out.

"Sure. Good night, Guy." She watched him walk down the sidewalk and get into his mid-life crisis. She was still staring as he drove away when she finally closed the door.

Once again she put her back to the door and leaned up against it. He put her hand over her chest and said, "Oh, my God. Be still my beating heart."

She avoided looking at him in the lab the next day as long as she could. He broke the ice by saying, "I see you're back to wearing two shoes again."

"Oh, right!" she said. "It was almost strange putting both of them on again."

"How does it feel?"

"Pretty good, actually. I got a list of exercises to do and the doctor said I can slowly build up to running within a week by walking starting with half a mile."

"Wow. You'll be ready to run a marathon in no time."

"You know, I've always said I'd do that someday. Maybe with the right motivation and inspiration, I can do just that." She smiled at him and said, "Your idea worked."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "Um...what idea was that?"

She moved closer to him and said, "You know...when you did the same stupid thing to me I'd done to you. It helped me not feel embarrassed."

"Oh, that idea! Hmmm. I know it's been a very long time since I did um...that...to a woman, but I've never had one tell me it was stupid."

She laughed sweetly and told him, "For a teacher, I'm not that good with words, am I? I meant what I did was stupid. What you did was actually very nice."

"Whew! For a minute there, I thought I'd done it wrong. I kept telling myself it's just like riding a bike, but if I did it stupidly then..."

"Stop!" she said trying to laugh. She made sure no one was looking then hooked her pinky around his and said, "Have you decided where we're going yet?"

"Don't I have to text that to you? I mean, is it even permitted to talk about such things?" he teased.

She motioned for him to let her say something in his ear so he leaned down to let her. "I really want you to kiss me again right now."

A couple of the kids looked their way and he deftly unhooked his finger and said a bit louder than normal, "Well, all you have to do is remember that perimeter is the fence around the yard and area is lawn inside the fence."

"Nice save," she said her eyes sparking with mischief.

He said loud enough to be heard without being obvious, "Ms. Kennedy? I bought some things to use as rewards for our kids who score over 90% in here. Let me show you what I got." He pointed to the small storage closet near his desk and Kristen smiled.

"How nice of you, Mr. Hansen! The kids will love you for that. Let me see what you got."

He opened the door and flipped on the light as she went in first. He stepped in and closed the door behind them and said, "You know we can't do this again, right? Fifth graders aren't stupid."

"I know," she told him.

"So let me show you what I had in mind," he said as he put his hands on her arms.

He leaned down and kissed her softly. She closed her eyes and kissed him back. For the briefest of moments, he felt her tongue touch his and he responded in kind. "Mmmm. You have very good ideas, Mr. Hansen," she said as the kiss ended.

"Even a blind squirrel occasionally finds a nut," he told her.

She started giggling then immediately covered her mouth. "Sorry!" she said. "We need to get out of here."

He opened the door and said a little too loudly again, "What do you think? Do you like what I showed you?"

Several heads looked over but immediately went back to their computer screens.

"I did like it, Mr. Hansen. I liked it very much. Thank you for taking the time to show me that."