Her mom and her girlfriend had both not sided with her, thought Stella when she told them about  Anton. Both of them insisted that Anton was in all likelihood more interested in her that he let on. Her mother had put it this way. "Sweetie, men don't cook  for women usually. Not casually, is what I mean." She had heard her mother sigh over the phone "trust me, if he cooked for you then he's interested. Neighbors don't just do that."  Maybe they had a point she thought.  But then there was Magdalene moving in, and she wasn't planning to be around for that. "Just tell him how you feel," had said Elena, a friend from college, "it's the twenty-first century you know, it's entirely acceptable for women to declare their feelings to a man first." Stella had pointed out that she didn't want to complicate his life given what he had been through but Elena cut her off. "Don't be an idiot Stella, how is he to know you like him?"<br/><br/>By the end of the two conversations Stella had felt little wiser than before, should she tell him or just step out of the way and let the hot as a nuclear warhead bombshell Magdalene have him. That sounded so weird to her. He is a person for goodness' sake, she thought, not a puppy. Still, the thought kept playing through her head. What did she have to lose beside her personal dignity and pride in letting him know that her feelings for him were a lot more than... neighborly?!  'You're such a coward,' she scolded herself even as she mentally retreated into her old, cat lady shell.<br/><br/>She forced herself into her music at work and allowed her mind to empty as she began to work on Alkan, beginning with some of his slower pieces to get a feel for the French composer. As she closed the piano, she realized where she really wanted to be right now was with Anton, in his or her apartment it didn't matter. Just to hang out with him, have a cup of tea maybe, laugh about the cats, chat.... and.... launch herself at him and kiss him.... She shook her head with a sad smile, nope, not going there, he has the latin sex goddess, back off carrot top.<br/><br/>It was a lovely warm evening when on her way home she stopped to pick up some moving boxes, tape, and packing paper, maybe she'd open the window today, but then Tesla would rocket launch himself onto the tree and bee-line it for Licorice and that fat cat on a tree scared he bejesus out of her. Nope, no windows, she decided as she lugged up the stairs, a little depressed at the sign in the yard. As she rounded the corner she saw a man by her door. It was Anton.<br/><br/>In a feeling of complete deja vu she watched as the big man unfolded his frame and got off the floor as she approached the door. Stella felt a little dizzy, off center at this. Why did her heart pound like this? She wasn't that out of shape.... But this, this was how they had met, was this how he would now say good bye? She placed the cardboard boxes on the floor, flexing her fingers glad to have the cumbersome weight gone, and then tried to smile.<br/><br/>"Hello Anton," she said, "is everything OK? Do you want to come in?"<br/><br/><div class="bbMediaWrapper">
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