The Missing Scene

Ida blinked. What's going on? she asked herself. She suddenly had the feeling that she was in a romance novel. . . .

"How much do you know about me?" asked Emily.

"That you're thirty-four, a Homicide Detective, and you haven't dated once since I've known you."

"There's a reason for that, you know," she said, placing a hand on Ida's cheek.

"Which is?" Ida's heart started to beat faster. Something was going to happen, but she didn't know what.

"This." She leaned forward and kissed her.

Emily's lips were soft, and Ida felt a twinge of regret when Emily pulled away.

An awkward silence followed.

Emily was the first to speak.

"I'll let you make the second move," she said. "No pressure." Then she was gone.

Ida sat at the table, trying to sort out her thoughts. It was almost ten.