New Year of Passion and Misunderstanding- Short Story Pt.2

This is part 2 of New Year of Passion and Misunderstanding- Short Story by Ray Bilson.
if you haven't read part one go to:
https://steemit.com/story/@raybilson/new-year-of-passion-and-misunderstanding-short-story-pt-1
And remember to upvoted.

Special Thanks to @blocktrades for upvoting part 1

Continues...

Her friend looked at me and we recognized each other. There she was! The girl from the dance floor. The red lips that I never thought I would see again. Somehow she managed to look even better than the night we met. She was such a beauty that I was in shock for a minute. I kept looking at her freckles and green eyes. It must have seemed strange from an outsider’s point of view, but I didn’t really care. My heart was beating faster than ever and my palms started sweating. I stuttered when I tried to say my name. “Hello, my n-name is Ronald Pino.”
Katherine looked at me and busted out laughing. When she could finally control her laughter, she said, “Hello, New Year’s boy, and by the way, you can call me Kat. After all, we do know each other.”
Jenn pointed me to a chair while she was getting back to her seat. “So, you guys know each other?” You could see the confusion on Jenn’s face
Kat said, “Well, knowing each other is a bit of a stretch, but we did cross paths at the New Year’s party.”
The girls started talking and, for a while, it was like I was not even at the table. Kat was talking about her new position at Society magazine or something and Jenn was so focused on Katherine’s words that she didn’t realize her food was falling from her fork. I took the time to appreciate Kat’s soothing voice and the elegant manner in which she conducted herself. They were talking about their college years when questions about me started to arise in conversation.
Kat said, “Jenny has been telling me a hell lot about you, Roy. If I didn’t know better I would say she has a crush on you.” She smiled and poked Jenn’s arm as she spoke.
Before she could even finish, I responded, “I hope only good things” I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks. I was just trying to hide my embarrassment, but my face showed my feeling.
“Don’t worry; I’m sure she would never say anything wrong about you. Aren’t you a photographer?”
“Definably,” I said while taking my portfolio out my bag “Would you like to see some of my work?”
Kat pushed my portfolio back into my bag “Who has time for that? I trust Jenny, if she vouches for you that’s all I need. I would…”
Jenn interrupted and said, “I told you she was great.”
“Please, Jenny, stop. I’m trying to hire your best friend, but you keep praising me.” Kat looked at me and started telling me about an event happening that night in the Hamptons. She explained that she needed a photographer because the one hired by the magazine was out sick. I felt overjoyed for the first time in months, everything had aligned for me to get this job and maybe even for me to meet this girl.
After brunch, Kat gave me the Hamptons gig. We were supposed to drive together to the event but first I needed to pick up some of my gear from my apartment. One of the things that I loved the most about my new apartment was how much natural light passed through the windows. It was like living in an art gallery. Just before I headed out of my room, I stopped to take a picture. Outside the door, Kat was waiting for me. I was just really ecstatic to be working on a professional level again. While I covered photography, she would be doing some interviews with New York’s upper class. As I headed out to the living room, I heard her.
“Thanks for not telling Jenny about the night we meet,” Kat said.
“Yeah, I supposed you don’t want her to know you stole my drink.” I faked a smile so she would know I was joking. A poor attempt at joking, anyway.
“You know Jenny, she is always talking about how open-minded she is, but when it comes to getting loose, she does not get it.”
The Hamptons party was great. There were big golden balloons, lots of champagne and caviar, and many lavish things you would expect from an event hosting the elite society of a city like New York, where the money ran wild. I captured some good images. However, what excited me the most about the night was the sharing of glances between Kat and me. From time to time, we would stop to check in with each other and have a little chitchat in between toasts. When the “big fishes”, as Katherine called them, left the party, she asked me to pack my equipment. I thought we were going to be leaving the party. However, Kat explained to me that our party was just getting started.
Even though the party was not as vivid as when we arrived, the music was still going strong. We sat together at a table to shares some drinks and talk more about our lives. As far as I could tell, Kat was a clever girl raised in the city by a single mother. Her smarts kept her in a good school that provided her with connections she later used to advance her career. She forced me to the dance floor, not that I don’t like to dance, but “Royals” is not really a danceable song. It took some convincing but, at the end of the night, I got the DJ to play one of my favorite songs (I won’t dance by Fred Astaire) for which I had a little choreography. Needless to say, Kat was entertained by some smooth steps and we danced very closely. I could not resist the urge and I kissed her. She smiled and walked away. Had I misread the situation? I really thought she was into me.
Later that night, we checked into an Inn. It was too late and we didn’t have the energy to drive back to the city. She asked me not to worry; the magazine was going to cover all expenses just as long as we went light on the mini-bar. We went our separate ways. In my room, I could not fall to sleep. The possibility of what it could be kept circling through my mind. Kat and me, me and Kat – it was too much going on in my head. I was gathering the courage to go to Katherine’s room when I heard someone banging on my door, I opened the door to find Katherine on the other side.
She pushed me to the bed and my mind started going to all kinds of places. I could barely contain my excitement. I have been dreaming of this moment ever since she kissed me the night we first met. Two strangers on a dance floor. She wasn’t talking, even though I try to initiate a conversation. It was intense and passionate. Our bodies just felt right for each other; synchronized to perfection. And in the ecstasy of the night, we both fell to sleep.
The sun shining through the windows woke me up the next morning. It kind of reminded me of my place, back in New York. I search the bed with my arm looking for Kat, but she wasn’t there. It was as if last night had never happened. She left the Hamptons without a trace. Why did she leave me all alone? Did she run off in the middle of the night or had she waited until morning. I took a bus back to the city and in my mind; there were so many unanswered questions. Had I imagined it? No – I knew I hadn’t.
I sent the images to the magazine electronically, after I gave up trying to reach Kat on her phone. I didn’t know what I had done wrong, but I wanted a way to correct it. Katherine was the perfect woman for me. She was the person I’d been dreaming about since I was a child. She, who I had only just met, was the piece that my life that had been missing. A voice message popped up on my phone from Jenn. She sounded happy and overjoyed, much like the feeling I had last night. Jenn asked me to meet her later for a run around Central Park. On my mind, all I could see was Kat, but later I texted her and accepted the invitation.
Central Park was a must-know location for a photographer. I had always associated it with tranquility and peace, but somehow running made the majestic place seem more chaotic. “Keep running,” I tried to keep that thought in my mind while I raced next to Jenn in order to keep up with her highly energetic pace. I was sweating over my second shirt when Jenn said: “Let’s take a break; I have something I want to tell you.” I was just happy to stop; my lungs were burning inside out. “Ok.”
“Kat stopped by my apartment this morning,” Jenn said, while she started to stretch her legs around.
“Oh, what did she tell you?” My stomach hurt like I had just been punched in the nuts. I was hoping to get some answer to what happened this morning. I felt so confused. I thought maybe Jenn knew what had happened
There was silence for a minute. Jenn looked like she could not decide whether to tell me a secret or not. Then she finally broke the silence. “We’ve been dating on and off for a while now, nothing serious, but this morning she asked me to be her girlfriend.” Jenn smiled like she just won a million dollars and in a way she did, because being with Katherine was better than anything I could think of, but at that exact moment, I felt my heart break into pieces.
I was falling for Katherine, but I also loved Jenn. Jenn had always been my best friend. Should I tell Jenn what had happened hours ago, risking our friendship, or could I simply make my peace with the fact the Kat would never be mine? Would I need to keep the most magical night of my life a secret?