Chapter Six: The Night
You don't have to say it twice-
Because I've done a lot of things tonight,
And I'd take a part of me and put it on your skin if you'd let me.
I've been gone for much too long.
"Here, scoot," I muttered, pulling on the blanket behind the couch. "You have goose flesh."
"I'm plenty warm," Naomi returned, though allowed me to pull the flannel and throw it over our legs and chests. "I didn't want to move," she insisted, trying to mold back into the spot on the couch. "It was so comfortable."
"You're ridiculous," I shook my head and found my spot back leaning against her shoulder. Her arm went around my shoulders. I shuffled harder into her side, folding myself against her side until I found my spot again. "Much better," I muttered, pulling the blanket up to my chin as Naomi's fingers ran along my arm and her cheek found the top of my head and nodded.
"I like this part," Naomi whispered. I couldn't pay attention to the movie playing on her desk computer. I just paid attention to her moving, to her fingers and how they paused when she got excited at a part of the movie, or how she shifted and pulled me closer with each movement, or how she smelled so damn good, and now her blanket was around me, and it smelled just as good too. I was cozy and everything was wonderful and the last thing on my mind was the movie coming from her desk.
This was our fourth time hanging out, and each time we got progressively closer. The first, she awkwardly invited me to watch a movie after work. We sat on opposite sides of the couch until I started to nod to sleep, and my legs somehow ended up across her lap. She kissed me at my door when she dropped me off after that.
"Charlie had fun with the trees," I finally said in the quiet. I was enjoying the screen and the animals on it, but I was nervous, and when it was quiet I thought, which made me more nervous.
"Me too," Naomi nodded again. She kissed my head and moved the hair with her nose.
The next time we hung out, she took me and Charlie to go Christmas tree shopping. She didn't let go of Charlie as they searched for trees quite seriously. I took pictures and tried to convince them to take the tallest one there. Naomi chose two. The tall, full one was delivered to the pub, and the squat, awkwardly shaped one Charlie picked was sent to her estate for the holidays. We got hot chocolate and huddled together on the trunk of her car in the parking lot. Naomi was quiet, and she understood Charlie in ways that almost made me jealous. She already had her own sign in Charlie's vocabulary. That was terrifying for me. Once you're in a vocabulary, you're there. You can't erase words once they've been learned. But Naomi kept Charlie warm, and asked us over the next day to help her and Effy decorate the tree. That counted as our third time together. We snuck off to the attic and she kissed me until I was smiling too much and we had to stop.
"I think you're a complete stranger," I readjusted my head as an alligator overtook a gazelle. It wasn't true, it was just partially honest.
"You are too," she reminded me. "Did you know that a three-point-five meter crocodile has a brain the size of a walnut?"
"Is that true?" I asked after a moment. She just nodded again. I settled back against her and relaxed. The day had been too long to think too much about anything but the brain size of the Australian crocodile.
We were here in this moment, and I got really good at simply enjoying moments with Naomi. There were no assurances of the next, or how long I'd have to wait between. And her, with her, I wasn't afraid. I simply wasn't really thinking of anything bad. I was alone, and content, and completely out of my element in a very good way. These facts made me appreciate these moments. I knew they had to be inherently good because they were ceaselessly fleeting.
"I don't think you're a stranger," she started out of no where. Her cheek lifted from my head. "Two creams, two sugars in your coffee. Charlie's mum. Twin. Volunteer. Elephant lover. Blue lucky socks. Football novice. Brave. Calm. Amazing cucumber peeler. Horrible Christmas tree picker. Impatient. Patient. Smart. Comfortable. Eyes just a shade lighter than your sister's. Pretty face. Sleep mumbler. Pen chewer."
"That is impressive," I relented and went back to staring at the movie again. "It's quite simple when you put it like that."
"How can I not be a stranger to you?" she mused. It didn't seem like a question I had to answer, so much as one she simply had to say because it filled up her brain and she was confused and serious. But when she was confused and serious I wanted to help.
"Tell me something you don't want me to know," I ventured. Her legs shifted as she crossed and uncrossed them and crossed again. I could heard her brain whirring mechanically behind me. You could read Naomi. She was easy to understand when you gave up trying to figure out what could possibly be going on inside her head, and instead just know that she was processing something. Her mind was always running, you just had to learn the speeds.
"I have two doctorates," she finally said. Her hand paused on my hip and simply rested there.
"Why wouldn't you want me to know that?" I laughed slightly. A bird on the screen did a funny dance with its tail.
"I'm just a cook," she shrugged.
"You're a chef, who owns her own business, who makes wonderful food," I corrected.
"It's geeky," she tried another tactic. I think that was more honest.
"It is, but that's okay. It's even better," I assured her. "Except I bet you're ridiculously smarter than me."
"Nah," Naomi sighed and shifted more to the side. We slowly rotated to the idea that we were almost on our sides on the couch.
"What are they in and when did you get them?" I shifted my legs so I was completely on my side.
"I got my degree in Calculus at sixteen, and my other in Physics at eighteen," she moved again. "But I took over the pub at nineteen."
"Can we move?" I asked sitting up. "Here, you get comfy there," I directed her. "My legs won't reach the table at this angle. But now," I laid down beside her, sandwiched between her body and the back of the couch. "So much better." Her body stiffened until I laid back down beside her and my head went to her shoulder. "Why did you take over the pub?"
"It was my grandpa's. And his grandpa's. And his grandpa's," she said, hand slowly going back to my side. She was skittish when she had to talk. "And he died, so I just took over."
"How'd you learn to cook so well?" I yawned into her side.
"He taught me," she shifted against the heat of my yawn and rubbed my back through my shirt.
"Geniuses are becoming a running theme in my life," I sighed, moving to my chin so I could look at her. "You and Charlie are going to be doing formulas with more letters than numbers, and I'll be tallying the bill with my fingers." She shook her head and chuckled. She stared at the monitor still, though I doubt she saw anything. "It explains a lot. You're not a stranger."
"That's good," she nodded, sneaking a look at me. I yawned again and ducked my mouth into her shoulder. "I'm keeping you up too late." She started to move away to sit up. I held on tighter.
"No, stop," I struggled. "I'm comfortable. I'm having fun. It's a nice date."
"Date?" she sank back against me. I shifted my leg over hers so she couldn't move again. I just nodded. "Can we do this again another time?"
"I was hoping, yeah," I agreed.
"Do I have to ask you, like, should I say 'would you like to go on another date' or something?" she continued.
"You can just invite me to hang out, or say that, I don't know," I shrugged and looked at her again, finding the furrow in place. "It doesn't matter."
"But I didn't know it was a date now," she gave me her eyes, all blue and confused and far away. "And I'm not sure how I got it to be."
"It doesn't have to be," I quelled.
"I like simple," she asserted firmly. "I can't... I'm just... I don't know."
"This is simple," I promised. I recoiled slightly despite my words. I wasn't sure if it was, I wasn't sure if it would stay that way, and I wasn't sure if this was her telling me this wouldn't happen again.
"I like you," Naomi stated, just as firmly. "I can't explain it. And that makes me unsure of what to do. And now that you know I like you, I definitely don't know." I watched her eyes dart about the room. I felt her heart thump.
"Did you know that a giraffe has a heart that is two-feet long?" I offered, resting my head on her chest. I shifted my hips until I was on top of her. I curled up in a ball and nuzzled my cheek under her clavicle. I felt her shake her head. "I promise."
We just sat there. Naomi's hands eventually went to my back where they sat beneath by scapula and rubbed off-beat circles. Her heart rate slowed after a few minutes, but I could practically feel her brain churning violently. Another set of animals started to sprint through fields across magnificent scenery. I just closed my eyes for a second.
"I like you," I mumbled, keeping my eyes shut. I felt her shirt in my hands and held it as hard as I could without pulling. "I don't know why either. But you're not supposed to know. You just like people sometimes."
"I've never liked someone like I like you," she said. I smiled and blushed. I played with her hair and pushed it from her forehead. "Things are never simple when you want them to be," she sighed.
"We are," I promised, playing with her cheek and jaw.
"Good," she lightened slightly. The furrow relaxed a bit. "I was never a stranger," she corrected again. I could see her smile. It was the biggest and most natural I'd ever seen from her.
"You were never a stranger," I agreed. She hadn't been, I was just afraid.
I leaned down and kissed her. I figured I could do this now. I'm sure there would be rules with her, but for now I just wanted to kiss her. Lightly, I touched her lips with my own. I kissed her cheeks. I moved to her nose and her eyes and her forehead. She chuckled and ran her hands up my ribs.
I kissed her again. I lowered my chest to her chest and kissed her as hard as I could. I felt her crane her neck to kiss me. I felt her lips move and grab and hold. Naomi's hands finally made contact with skin as they gently slid beneath my shirt quite casually. Her fingertips played along the back of my ribs, never venturing very high, but simply holding me to her tighter. I made her breathe harder. I liked kissing her, so I kept doing it. I grabbed at what I could. I felt her bra through her shirt. I felt her push against me harder.
"More," she insisted, sitting up. I bit her lip. I kissed her neck. She made delightful sounds in my ear. I leaned back slightly, pulling her towards me. She was over me on the opposite end of the couch. I grabbed at her shoulders. I loved her shoulders. I kissed her harder. She slipped her hand under my knee and pulled it higher, hitching me closer to her. The same hand slid under my shirt again, bravely scaling my ribs. I dug my hands into her hair and felt her tongue. I made ridiculous noises into her throat.
"We should get you home," she finally decided as we slowed. I couldn't form thoughts about much.
"The movie isn't over," I protested without looking at the screen and instead electing to kiss her again, earning a smile.
"It is," she motioned towards it with her head. The screen was black. I sighed and just relaxed into the couch again. She leaned on her hand and her elbow dug into the cushion beside me. Her other remained on my ribs.
"Let me catch my breath?" I asked simply. I meant, let me try to get the room to stop spinning from that onslaught.
"I will get our coats," she finally rolled over me and regained her feet on the floor. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back for one more kiss.
I stood up and let her help me into mine easily. If I hadn't liked her before, that would be the moment that sealed it for me.
"This was fun," I reminded her as I waited for her to lock the ally door for us before we made it to the street.
"I'm glad you had a nice time," she responded as she pocketed the keys. "Even though you missed half of the movie."
"It was kind of worth it, right?" I nudged her slightly and gave her a conspiratorial smirk. She ducked her head and blushed a bit. We walked down the familiar streets, though now they were even more empty than when we normally left work. It was late, but I didn't care. It was the nice kind of late that comes about for only an hour per night, when everyone actually was where they needed to be.
"We can try to watch again this weekend," Naomi offered. I slipped my hand into hers in her pocket. "We have it at Anglesey, and Mum loves nature documentaries. And I'm sure Charlie will love it."
"You're awfully excited for the holiday break," I nudged her. She ducked her head again and there was a tiny blush.
"It's my favorite," she bashfully explained. "There are so many traditions to show Charlie and you, too."
"We're excited," I promised. "You're sure it's no trouble?"
"None at all," she nearly interrupted. I felt her squeeze my hand. I wasn't sure if it was to reconcile her words with an action or simply a habit when she got anxious. "The house is so empty when it's just Mum, Kiernan, Effy and me."
"Katie will definitely liven it up then," I smiled and pulled myself closer to her as we continued to walk. "Do you want to use your degrees?" I asked through the quiet.
"Yes," she nodded. Her hands dug deeper into her pockets. "One day."
"What do you do with that?"
Naomi paused for a minute, pulling me to a halt as well. "You really want to know?" I nodded. She searched my face for a doubt of anything. "I do this," she pulled out a notebook from the inside of her coat. I recognized it from a similar stack of about twenty she had in her office. Hurriedly she flipped through it and used the street light to show me pages filled with scribbles. "Just... this stuff," she said excitedly. She went on to explain some of the ideas, but they were lost on me. I'd never seen her so excited.
"Are these the secrets of the universe?" I asked, trying to read her tiny and difficult handwriting.
"No," she shook her head seriously. "This is all one proof. You know when I wasn't at work a few nights last week?"
"You were doing this?" I couldn't believe it. It was pages and pages stacked to the ceiling with numbers and letters and notes. She nodded.
"I do this," she nodded again and again.
"I don't understand any of it, but it looks amazing," I promised.
"I get lost, sometimes," she explained, flipping pages and walking down the street again. "That's why I like the Pub. I can't get lost there. I'm too busy."
"We all need that," I kept looking at pages and realized I had no idea who she was. Every inch I thought I understood, I lost another foot. "Wait, what's this," I stopped her as she flipped and babbled about something else.
"What's what?" she continued to flip anxiously.
"Go back," I insisted, tossing back pages. "What's this?" I stopped walking again and held it up to the orange street lamp.
"Nothing," she kept turning pages. I held up the page I wanted in the light.
"It's wonderful," I sighed. "Naomi, it's amazing."
"No," she shook her head. "Let me show you this one part..."
"Naomi, it really is amazing. Where is it?"
"Stop, please," she kept flipping, not meeting my eyes. I let go of the book.
"Okay," I nodded.
"See here," she pointed. "I think this line is where I have it." She was rambling about theorems.
"You'll have to explain it to me one day," I offered. "Though, Charlie might be a more apt pupil." I earned a small laugh from Naomi. She grabbed my hand after frustratedly shoving the notebook back in her pocket. We walked past Effy's street. "I didn't mean to push." She nodded.
The street taunted me with its silence now.
"It's an old mill on the property," Naomi said as we paused in front of my building. "My dad made it into my place."
"It looks beautiful," I offered carefully, feet shifting in our stillness.
"I'll show you," she promised.
"Okay," I smiled and leaned forward to kiss her. I was hoping to form a Pavlovian response. When she offered a bit, I'd reward her.
"Have a good night," Naomi offered. "Sweet dreams." She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
"You too," I offered. "Be safe on your walk home."
"It's not far," she promised. "Goodnight, Emily."
"Goodnight, Naomi."
I went upstairs after she was out of sight, and slipped into bed beside Charlie. It felt better. I almost couldn't wait for her to wake up so I could see those eyes and smile. I felt calm, now, with her steady breathing.
"You're going to grow up and know the secrets of the universe," I whispered. "All of them and I won't understand any of it. But you are going to do amazing things with that brain of yours, dented and dinged as I let it get. I promise. You're going to do amazing things. I saw." I kissed her temple and covered her in the jacket and snuggled into a sleep beside her.
Not even the nightmares were as bad as they normally were.