The gloomy half-light began to darken further as the endless day moved towards what promised to be an equally endless evening. Luka lit the two candles again. They really didn't make the room much brighter, but the reddish glow of the candles looked a little more pleasant than the gray twilight had been. And looking at that light, Abby thought she could almost pretend that it was warm in here.
"So, what do you want for supper?" Luka asked. The first word either of them had spoken in the past 20 minutes. Abby ground out the very short butt of her cigarette. Only 3 left.
"I don't care."
"I think there is some hamburger in the fridge. We should probably eat it soon. Would hamburgers be ok?"
"Sure." Abby went to the kitchen, while Luka tore up a magazine and took it over to the grill. She heard the scrape of the match and the crackle as the paper started to burn -- and then Luka swore. "What's wrong."
"Window's frozen shut." Luka banged his fist along the edge of the frame, hoping to loosen it, but the ice held it fast. He swore again, or at least Abby assumed that the Croation words that spilled from his mouth were swearing.
"If you lived in a nice Gold Coast penthouse with a fireplace, we wouldn't have this problem," Abby commented. "Still, I don't think we'll asphyxiate in the time it takes to broil a few hamburgers." Bringing the shaped hamburgers over to the grill, she went on, "Do you have any buns?" And then, as the smile began to play around the edges of Luka's mouth, "Don't say it, Luka. Just don't say it!"
Luka cleared his throat and moving his hand over his mouth for a moment wiped, literally, the smile from his face. "No. I'd planned to use the meat for pasta sauce. We do have bread though." He put the burgers onto the grill. "No room for the coffee pot," he noted. "We'll have to wait for the burgers to finish cooking to make coffee."
"It's getting late in the day for coffee," Abby said. "I'll just drink beer." God, she needed a beer. "Do you want one?"
"Sure."
Finally the fire was down to ashes again, and the dinner was cooked. Luka served it up and sat down across from her at the table. He smiled at her and Abby found herself smiling back as she remembered other candlelit dinners. Other romantic dinners. Then she gave herself a mental shake. This was hardly a romantic dinner. It took more than candles to make romance. It took two people who actually liked each other. And she ... well ... she still wasn't sure what she felt about Luka.
The setting itself was hardly one that encouraged romance either. Neither one of them had showered in two days; Abby didn't even want to think what her hair looked like. Luka hadn't shaved since yesterday morning. Not that the thickening stubble looked bad of course ... especially in the candlelight.
'Stop it Abby!' she told herself. What's wrong with you? Must be the beer talking. She'd already finished most of the bottle before the hamburgers had finished cooking. She turned her attention to her meal, so she wouldn't have to look at Luka. Two rather sooty looking hamburgers, and two equally blackened slices of bread.
Taking a bite she couldn't help making a face. "Don't quit your day job, Luka."
"I guess I should have put them in a pan, hmmm? I thought they'd taste better 'flame-grilled,' you know?"
"I think flame-grilling assumes the use of charcoal, not paper."
Oh well, the food was relatively hot and, by the time Abby was down to the end of her second beer, she didn't even mind the taste. As she rose to get herself a third, Luka said "Go easy on the beer, Abby."
"We've got plenty. There are 4 more in the fridge, and a whole unopened case on the counter."
"That's not what I mean. Alcohol plus cold equals hypothermia. Remember?"
Abby sighed and put the bottle back. "Fine. Whatever." She wandered to the window and looked out. "Hey, it's snowing!"
"This is news?"
"Not sleeting. Snowing." Hard pellets of snow.
"Which probably just means it's getting colder outside."
The candles were starting to flicker, the wicks drowning in the puddles of wax. One of them went out.
Abby and Luka looked at each other for a moment in the dim light. "I only have four more," Luka said. "We need to save them. It's early, but we should probably just go to bed."
"Yeah, I guess so," Abby agreed.
There was an awkward hesitation, then Luka said "And I think we should --- I think you should sleep in my bed with me."
"Luka ..."
"Just sleep," Luka clarified. "It's freezing in here. You may have noticed that this place isn't very well insulated. It's going to be even colder by morning. I own two blankets. You can sleep on the couch with one, and me in the bed with the other -- or I can be a gentleman and let you have the bed while I take the couch. Either way, we'll both be miserable. Or we can be sensible and share the warmth. And be a little less miserable."
'That's your opinion,' thought Abby. But she just shook her head firmly and said "I just think it's a really bad idea."
"Fine. I'm just trying to be logical here." Luka grabbed one of the blankets from the sofa and turned on his heel, heading for the bedroom. He seemed irritated for the first time all day. He paused at the door, "You can go ahead and change in here. I won't be back until morning." The door slammed behind him. He'd left her the remaining candle.
Abby changed quickly into her nightgown, and put her coat on over it. She lay back down on the sofa and wrapped herself in the blanket, just as the candle flickered out, plunging the room into darkness.
After a few minutes she sat up again and groped on the coffee table for her cigarettes. Remembering Luka's warning about smoking in bed, she swung her legs around and sat up. Not that she was likely to fall asleep. It wasn't even 8 o:clock. She lit the cigarette and slowly inhaled the warm smoke into her lungs.
What is wrong with you? she asked herself again. What are you so afraid of? He isn't exactly going to ravish you against your will. Then, aloud, "Don't be such an idiot."
She finished the cigarette then got up and draped the blanket over her arm. Walking over to the bedroom door, she knocked.
"So, what do you want for supper?" Luka asked. The first word either of them had spoken in the past 20 minutes. Abby ground out the very short butt of her cigarette. Only 3 left.
"I don't care."
"I think there is some hamburger in the fridge. We should probably eat it soon. Would hamburgers be ok?"
"Sure." Abby went to the kitchen, while Luka tore up a magazine and took it over to the grill. She heard the scrape of the match and the crackle as the paper started to burn -- and then Luka swore. "What's wrong."
"Window's frozen shut." Luka banged his fist along the edge of the frame, hoping to loosen it, but the ice held it fast. He swore again, or at least Abby assumed that the Croation words that spilled from his mouth were swearing.
"If you lived in a nice Gold Coast penthouse with a fireplace, we wouldn't have this problem," Abby commented. "Still, I don't think we'll asphyxiate in the time it takes to broil a few hamburgers." Bringing the shaped hamburgers over to the grill, she went on, "Do you have any buns?" And then, as the smile began to play around the edges of Luka's mouth, "Don't say it, Luka. Just don't say it!"
Luka cleared his throat and moving his hand over his mouth for a moment wiped, literally, the smile from his face. "No. I'd planned to use the meat for pasta sauce. We do have bread though." He put the burgers onto the grill. "No room for the coffee pot," he noted. "We'll have to wait for the burgers to finish cooking to make coffee."
"It's getting late in the day for coffee," Abby said. "I'll just drink beer." God, she needed a beer. "Do you want one?"
"Sure."
Finally the fire was down to ashes again, and the dinner was cooked. Luka served it up and sat down across from her at the table. He smiled at her and Abby found herself smiling back as she remembered other candlelit dinners. Other romantic dinners. Then she gave herself a mental shake. This was hardly a romantic dinner. It took more than candles to make romance. It took two people who actually liked each other. And she ... well ... she still wasn't sure what she felt about Luka.
The setting itself was hardly one that encouraged romance either. Neither one of them had showered in two days; Abby didn't even want to think what her hair looked like. Luka hadn't shaved since yesterday morning. Not that the thickening stubble looked bad of course ... especially in the candlelight.
'Stop it Abby!' she told herself. What's wrong with you? Must be the beer talking. She'd already finished most of the bottle before the hamburgers had finished cooking. She turned her attention to her meal, so she wouldn't have to look at Luka. Two rather sooty looking hamburgers, and two equally blackened slices of bread.
Taking a bite she couldn't help making a face. "Don't quit your day job, Luka."
"I guess I should have put them in a pan, hmmm? I thought they'd taste better 'flame-grilled,' you know?"
"I think flame-grilling assumes the use of charcoal, not paper."
Oh well, the food was relatively hot and, by the time Abby was down to the end of her second beer, she didn't even mind the taste. As she rose to get herself a third, Luka said "Go easy on the beer, Abby."
"We've got plenty. There are 4 more in the fridge, and a whole unopened case on the counter."
"That's not what I mean. Alcohol plus cold equals hypothermia. Remember?"
Abby sighed and put the bottle back. "Fine. Whatever." She wandered to the window and looked out. "Hey, it's snowing!"
"This is news?"
"Not sleeting. Snowing." Hard pellets of snow.
"Which probably just means it's getting colder outside."
The candles were starting to flicker, the wicks drowning in the puddles of wax. One of them went out.
Abby and Luka looked at each other for a moment in the dim light. "I only have four more," Luka said. "We need to save them. It's early, but we should probably just go to bed."
"Yeah, I guess so," Abby agreed.
There was an awkward hesitation, then Luka said "And I think we should --- I think you should sleep in my bed with me."
"Luka ..."
"Just sleep," Luka clarified. "It's freezing in here. You may have noticed that this place isn't very well insulated. It's going to be even colder by morning. I own two blankets. You can sleep on the couch with one, and me in the bed with the other -- or I can be a gentleman and let you have the bed while I take the couch. Either way, we'll both be miserable. Or we can be sensible and share the warmth. And be a little less miserable."
'That's your opinion,' thought Abby. But she just shook her head firmly and said "I just think it's a really bad idea."
"Fine. I'm just trying to be logical here." Luka grabbed one of the blankets from the sofa and turned on his heel, heading for the bedroom. He seemed irritated for the first time all day. He paused at the door, "You can go ahead and change in here. I won't be back until morning." The door slammed behind him. He'd left her the remaining candle.
Abby changed quickly into her nightgown, and put her coat on over it. She lay back down on the sofa and wrapped herself in the blanket, just as the candle flickered out, plunging the room into darkness.
After a few minutes she sat up again and groped on the coffee table for her cigarettes. Remembering Luka's warning about smoking in bed, she swung her legs around and sat up. Not that she was likely to fall asleep. It wasn't even 8 o:clock. She lit the cigarette and slowly inhaled the warm smoke into her lungs.
What is wrong with you? she asked herself again. What are you so afraid of? He isn't exactly going to ravish you against your will. Then, aloud, "Don't be such an idiot."
She finished the cigarette then got up and draped the blanket over her arm. Walking over to the bedroom door, she knocked.