Tanya stretched languorously like a young cat, extending her body and twisting, then rolling over onto her stomach. She twined a lock of her hair around a finger and thought of Kevin. The 'experiment' had been a success. She licked her lips, stretched again, and smiled, eyes closed in satisfaction. She then bounced out of bed, ready to see Kevin once more.
His studio window reflected the sun, but showed no light within. She shaded her eyes with her hand and peered inside.
"Hello, don't you know the penalty for snooping?" Kevin's voice said, mere inches from her ear. She jumped, startled, her heart beating a race inside her chest.
"Trying to scare me to death… Kevin, give warning, why don't you?" she said in a sputter, then laughed, threw her arms around his neck, and gave him a hug.
"I was on my way to find you," he said. "Marta's away, her niece had some sort of accident, and I was feeling lonely. When I saw you, I couldn't resist…nosy little thing that you are." He grinned at her, kissed her on the tip of her nose. "Come on, let's see what's in the refrigerator for lunch."
The kitchen, small and cozy, held an oval table in the middle and white-washed cupboards on every wall. Kevin pulled a large bowl of leftover chicken salad from the refrigerator, two forks from a drawer and a handful of napkins, and set them in front of Tanya. He sat beside her. He reached back once more and pulled out two cans of beer, popped the tops, and sipped the foam from one.
"Tell me about the women in your life," Tanya asked after a sip of her own beer.
"What women?" he asked with an innocent smile.
"You know. Wives, girlfriends, that sort of women."
He lifted the beer to his lips and sucked from the opening, the muscles in his throat moving as he swallowed. She shivered.
"There really isn't too much to tell. I haven't had very much luck with permanent relationships," he answered, looking across the room as if there were something he needed to see outside the window.
"But you've been married, right?"
Kevin turned his head to glance at Tanya. "Well, yes. Twice. My first wife's name was Jane. Party girl Jane, out for a good time. We met in college." He paused, took another drink from his beer, then slapped it down on the table. "Jane liked to live it up. She thought college was to party, not to gather knowledge. She lasted about a year, a year in which we partied together and went steady. Then we got married."