Playing With Fire

++++++++++



"Kelly?" Carrie questioned as the short, bubbly Texan turned around.



"Carrie!" Kelly exclaimed, pulling the blonde into a tight hug. A blush rose to Carrie's cheeks at her forwardness. They had only met once or twice before, but Kelly always made her feel like she had known her her entire life.



"Sorry," Kelly laughed nervously, pulling away. "I'm a bit friendly at times."



Kelly's eyes fell on Carries outfit. She was wearing a fitted black dress that stopped just below her knees. Her strappy heels helped to show off her toned legs, and the spaghetti straps gave Kelly a view of her perfect collar bones.



"Ugh--I--ugh," Kelly stammered.



"So, how have you been?" Carrie questioned, loving how adorable this girl was. "I haven't seen you since the Idol finale."



"You look great," Kelly blurted out. She mentally hit herself for that one.



"Thanks!" Carrie beamed, twirling to show off her dress. She mentally slapped herself. How dumb must she look right about now? "I needed an outfit for a dinner tonight."



Kelly nodded, "Cool beans. So, you live here in LA?"



"No, down in Nashville. I'm just here for the week. I'm starting on my new album, so I have a bunch of meetings with execs and stuff, you know?" Carrie rolled her eyes.



Kelly looked at her sympathetically, "I know too well, hun. If you need anything, anything at all, even if it's just someone to talk to, call me k?"



"Seriously?" Carrie questioned, trying to hide the excitement in her voice.



"Of course," Kelly smiled, touching Carrie's arm. A slight jolt of electricity shot through both girls. "If we don't look out for each other, then who will."



The two of them were frozen like that. Kelly's hand on Carrie's arm. Brown looking into hazel.



A phone rang, breaking the two of them out of their trance.



"Shoot," Carrie sighed, rushing back into her dressing room. "That's me."



She changed quickly, throwing her regular clothes back on. She walked back out, her phone on her ear as her manager talked her to death.



She rolled her eyes, pointing at the phone. Kelly giggled, and the blonde enveloped her in another hug. Kelly found herself melting into the warm embrace.



"I'll call you," Carrie whispered in her ear, sending shivers down her spine.



"K," was all Kelly could manage as Carrie walked away, sending her a wink.



'Did I just wink at her?' Carrie thought to herself. 'Was I just flirting with freakin Kelly Clarkson?'



A smile came across her face at the warmth that had spread through her when Kelly had hugged her. So, maybe she was flirting with Kelly. Was that necessarily a bad thing?



Ashley walked out of the dressing room to find Kelly in a trance. She only had one flip flop on. The other was on the floor from when she dropped it out of surprise of her having an audience. Kelly's eyes were

glued to something that only she could see.



"Wait, I didn't give you my number!" she called coming out of her trance.



Ashley looked around, "Um, Kel? There's nobody here."



Kelly hit her forehead, groaning, "I'm such a dork."



"What happened?" Ashley asked.



"Well, remember how I was singing?"



"Kinda hard to forget."



"Funny. Anyway, Carrie Underwood was here. Yea, and she heard me. Then I made a complete fool out of myself. But she said she'd call, and I forgot to get her my number..." Kelly explained, defeatedly.



"It's ok. You can always find out her number from the record label or something, right?"



"I don't know...maybe."



"Care if I ask why you're so bummed about this? I mean, you make a fool of yourself all the time. It's no big deal."



Kelly slid on her flip flop, "Yea, I guess you're right. It's just been a long morning. Let's get some lunch, ok?"



"You're paying," Ashley reminded her.



"I'm paying," Kelly nodded with a smile. Her fingers were still tingling from the feeling of Carrie's soft skin.



++++++++++



It was two weeks later and Kelly was just getting out of a meeting where they had been discussing the video treatment for her new video for Sober. She turned her car on, and couldn't hide the smile when she heard the song that was playing on the radio--Before He Cheats. She felt her heart skip a beat at the sound of Carrie's voice, even if it was only coming through her speakers. She could still feel the warmth of Carrie's skin beneath her fingertips, and her laugh still resounded through her ears.



However, Kelly still hadn't managed to find Carrie's number, and she was starting to see it as a lost cause. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be--whatever it was.



She picked up her phone as it started to vibrate and smiled at the name that flashed on her screen.



"Hey Narvel. How's it going?"



"Great Kelly, but I need to talk business with you for a second. Ok?" he asked quietly.



Kelly raised her eyebrow and whispered back, "Is there a reason why we're whispering?"



"Yes, well not you just me," he laughed. "Listen the ACMT's are coming up."



"Yes?"



"And they are honoring Reba with the lifetime achievement award."



"Seriously?! Oh, Narvel, that's great! Nobody deserves it more than she does. Tell her I said congratulations. Better yet, put her on the phone. Is she there?"



"That's why I'm whispering," he explained. "It's a surprise."



"And you told me?" Kelly laughed. "You are definitely not a smart cookie."



"I know, but I had to tell you because they want you to sing."



"Me?"



"Yea, they want you and Martina McBride to sing Does He Love You like y'all did for Giants. It's a sort of tribute thing."



"Oh, I'd love to do it. When is it?"



"In two weeks," he replied tentatively.



Kelly couldn't help but laugh at his hesitancy, "It's ok. I'll do it. Anything for Reba."



"Kelly, you are amazing!"



"I know...I know."



+++++++++



Carrie sat down tiredly at the edge of her bed. She was back home in Nashville and had gone out with her friends for a night of fun. Except, it just didn't seem like as much fun as it used to. She plugged her phone into her charger, mentally kicking herself for the millionth time for not getting Kelly's number. She had asked around, but that girl was so completely unlisted that Carrie was starting to wonder if she even had a cell phone.



She pulled the covers over her, sighing defeatedly. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Cause if it was, then shouldn't there have been some sign or something?