Elizabeth left the door open and went to change out of her work clothes.
"Elizabeth?" he called when he entered. He'd never been there before and wasn't sure where he should or shouldn't be.
"I'll be right down." She called down the stairs.
"Oh, right." He shut the front door and waited for her.
"Make yourself at home." She smiled, descending the stairs. She was in a comfortable old pair of jeans and a baby blue woolen cardigan, her hair loose around her shoulders. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
"What?" she questioned his quirky smile.
He cocked his head to one side, "It's not fair." He shook his head.
She questioned his statement but said nothing.
"You're stunning."
She pretended to curtsy in reply and walked through to the kitchen, flicking on the electric jug as she passed. "Coffee?" she got two mugs down from the cupboard.
"Only if you are." He leaned against the counter watching her.
"I'm having tea but it's no bother." She turned to him.
"Tea sounds great."
"Yeah, it does. It's a sleepy drink. You like plain, or herbal?"
"Whatever you're having."
"Robert, you've never been so polite in your life."
"Impressed?" he crossed the kitchen to be closer to her, and of course, to pick his tea.
"It's too late for that," she turned to him "Apple, Lemon, Rasberry, Echinacea, Green or English Breakfast."
"Wow, quite the selection."
"Well, while you choose, do you want sugar or honey, and I think there's lemon juice in the fridge."
"I really don't know that much about teas. Really – whatever you're having."
"Lemon tea with lemon and honey then."
Robert nodded.
She set to making them and handed him his. He went to take a sip.
"It's too hot, and it hasn't had a chance to draw yet." She instructed. "Just bring it with you." She turned off the light in the kitchen one her way out. He followed, still unsure of himself in her home. She led him out onto the balcony and put her tea on a small glass table. "I'm just going to grab a blanket." She disappeared back inside.
'Right.' Robert said quietly, 'Pull yourself together.' He sat down on the sturdy cane sofa. Then he got up and slipped his feet out of his shoes, put them on the other side of the door, out of the way, and sat down again. Nervously he stirred his tea. He never thought he'd be here. And now he was; his mind was such a storm he didn't know what to think or do or say. Honesty had served him well so far. But they were going very fast, and faster you go the more damage you do to the brake pads. Nice analogy but his fuddled mind couldn't put two and two together, let alone figure out if their relationship could be compared to a motor vehicle…
"Here you go." Elizabeth handed him a blanket and sat beside him tucking her feet under herself and opening her own blanket over her. "Sun'll be up in a few hours." She took her tea, stirred and sipped, closed her eyes as the hot liquid warmed her from the inside out.
Robert opened his blanket over him and sipped his tea, not sure what to do next. "Elizabeth." He said softly – his voice sounded louder in the dark
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for tonight."
She smiled softly, taking his breath away… again.
"I never thought I'd be here." He pushed on, "and, I always thought it'd be, I mean, you'd be amazing, but this…" he looked out over the dark city, spotted with lights and tucked his feet under him on the sofa, so aware of brushing her legs with his own that he forgot that he was talking.
She turned her body so she was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "This…?"
"Oh, right…" he desperately tried to remember what he'd been saying, let alone what he was about to say… nothing. "I forget." He let his eyes linger on her face. "I'm just a little awe-struck." He shrugged.
She smiled and took his hand, lifting it to her lips. He turned to face her and watched her kiss his hand, savoring the touch, aware of every cell she effected.
When she returned to her tea she didn't let go of his hand.
"You comfortable?" she put her empty cup on the table beside her and took his from his hand, grazing her hand against his leg.
"Not really." He smiled at her, like laughing was too loud for the darkness. "But the sofa is fine, the blanket is great and the company is perfect. I'm just not used to feeling this out of my depth."
Elizabeth looked thoughtful for a moment then stood up, throwing her blanket over him playfully and went inside. He was confused until he heard the music she'd turned on. Sounded like an old one. Piano tinkering like the bar in Casablanca. A jazzy saxophone. Elizabeth returned to the sofa and shook both blankets over them.
Billie Holiday's husky voice sang 'every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven… don't you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven…'
"Is that Billie Holiday?" Robert turned to ask, surprised at how close Elizabeth was now. She nodded and held his eye contact. "Good taste." He reached up and tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. Time seemed to stop. Robert started singing very quietly along with the next track, "The very thought of you, and I forget to do, those little ordinary things, that everyone ought to do. I'm living in a kind of daydream…" he kissed her forehead, "The mere idea of you, the longing here for you. You'll never know how slow the moments go until I'm near to you. I see your face in every flower, your eyes in stars above, it's just the thought of you the very thought of you my love."
She was entranced by the depth of his eyes. He was right – the idea of this was good, but this… took her breath away. And then he kissed her and did it again. She shut her eyes to savor the touch of his lips on hers. It was so soft, as though he feared she'd disappear. She ran her hands across his chest, under his arms, pulling him closer.
"Elizabeth." He muttered breathlessly
"Mmm." She moaned.
"You drive me crazy." He pulled back just enough to look at her.
She laughed. "Don't think for a moment that you're the only one affected by this."
He nodded, his face inches from hers. She pulled him into am embrace, burying her head in his shoulder.
"It's getting lighter." He whispered into her hair.
She twisted her body around, so her feet were on the arm rest, lying back against his chest, watching the horizon. He lifted one leg so she lay between them and played absentmindedly with her hair.
When the sun first peaked over the horizon his head leaning on hers. He held her hands, their fingers interlaced on her lap. He kissed her temple, not wanting to spoil the moment with words. She turned her head to see his face, amazed at the love she found there. He'd said he loved her, but once again, this… took her breath away.
"Elizabeth?" he called when he entered. He'd never been there before and wasn't sure where he should or shouldn't be.
"I'll be right down." She called down the stairs.
"Oh, right." He shut the front door and waited for her.
"Make yourself at home." She smiled, descending the stairs. She was in a comfortable old pair of jeans and a baby blue woolen cardigan, her hair loose around her shoulders. He couldn't tear his eyes away.
"What?" she questioned his quirky smile.
He cocked his head to one side, "It's not fair." He shook his head.
She questioned his statement but said nothing.
"You're stunning."
She pretended to curtsy in reply and walked through to the kitchen, flicking on the electric jug as she passed. "Coffee?" she got two mugs down from the cupboard.
"Only if you are." He leaned against the counter watching her.
"I'm having tea but it's no bother." She turned to him.
"Tea sounds great."
"Yeah, it does. It's a sleepy drink. You like plain, or herbal?"
"Whatever you're having."
"Robert, you've never been so polite in your life."
"Impressed?" he crossed the kitchen to be closer to her, and of course, to pick his tea.
"It's too late for that," she turned to him "Apple, Lemon, Rasberry, Echinacea, Green or English Breakfast."
"Wow, quite the selection."
"Well, while you choose, do you want sugar or honey, and I think there's lemon juice in the fridge."
"I really don't know that much about teas. Really – whatever you're having."
"Lemon tea with lemon and honey then."
Robert nodded.
She set to making them and handed him his. He went to take a sip.
"It's too hot, and it hasn't had a chance to draw yet." She instructed. "Just bring it with you." She turned off the light in the kitchen one her way out. He followed, still unsure of himself in her home. She led him out onto the balcony and put her tea on a small glass table. "I'm just going to grab a blanket." She disappeared back inside.
'Right.' Robert said quietly, 'Pull yourself together.' He sat down on the sturdy cane sofa. Then he got up and slipped his feet out of his shoes, put them on the other side of the door, out of the way, and sat down again. Nervously he stirred his tea. He never thought he'd be here. And now he was; his mind was such a storm he didn't know what to think or do or say. Honesty had served him well so far. But they were going very fast, and faster you go the more damage you do to the brake pads. Nice analogy but his fuddled mind couldn't put two and two together, let alone figure out if their relationship could be compared to a motor vehicle…
"Here you go." Elizabeth handed him a blanket and sat beside him tucking her feet under herself and opening her own blanket over her. "Sun'll be up in a few hours." She took her tea, stirred and sipped, closed her eyes as the hot liquid warmed her from the inside out.
Robert opened his blanket over him and sipped his tea, not sure what to do next. "Elizabeth." He said softly – his voice sounded louder in the dark
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for tonight."
She smiled softly, taking his breath away… again.
"I never thought I'd be here." He pushed on, "and, I always thought it'd be, I mean, you'd be amazing, but this…" he looked out over the dark city, spotted with lights and tucked his feet under him on the sofa, so aware of brushing her legs with his own that he forgot that he was talking.
She turned her body so she was sitting cross-legged, facing him. "This…?"
"Oh, right…" he desperately tried to remember what he'd been saying, let alone what he was about to say… nothing. "I forget." He let his eyes linger on her face. "I'm just a little awe-struck." He shrugged.
She smiled and took his hand, lifting it to her lips. He turned to face her and watched her kiss his hand, savoring the touch, aware of every cell she effected.
When she returned to her tea she didn't let go of his hand.
"You comfortable?" she put her empty cup on the table beside her and took his from his hand, grazing her hand against his leg.
"Not really." He smiled at her, like laughing was too loud for the darkness. "But the sofa is fine, the blanket is great and the company is perfect. I'm just not used to feeling this out of my depth."
Elizabeth looked thoughtful for a moment then stood up, throwing her blanket over him playfully and went inside. He was confused until he heard the music she'd turned on. Sounded like an old one. Piano tinkering like the bar in Casablanca. A jazzy saxophone. Elizabeth returned to the sofa and shook both blankets over them.
Billie Holiday's husky voice sang 'every time it rains, it rains pennies from heaven… don't you know each cloud contains pennies from heaven…'
"Is that Billie Holiday?" Robert turned to ask, surprised at how close Elizabeth was now. She nodded and held his eye contact. "Good taste." He reached up and tucked a tendril of her hair behind her ear. Time seemed to stop. Robert started singing very quietly along with the next track, "The very thought of you, and I forget to do, those little ordinary things, that everyone ought to do. I'm living in a kind of daydream…" he kissed her forehead, "The mere idea of you, the longing here for you. You'll never know how slow the moments go until I'm near to you. I see your face in every flower, your eyes in stars above, it's just the thought of you the very thought of you my love."
She was entranced by the depth of his eyes. He was right – the idea of this was good, but this… took her breath away. And then he kissed her and did it again. She shut her eyes to savor the touch of his lips on hers. It was so soft, as though he feared she'd disappear. She ran her hands across his chest, under his arms, pulling him closer.
"Elizabeth." He muttered breathlessly
"Mmm." She moaned.
"You drive me crazy." He pulled back just enough to look at her.
She laughed. "Don't think for a moment that you're the only one affected by this."
He nodded, his face inches from hers. She pulled him into am embrace, burying her head in his shoulder.
"It's getting lighter." He whispered into her hair.
She twisted her body around, so her feet were on the arm rest, lying back against his chest, watching the horizon. He lifted one leg so she lay between them and played absentmindedly with her hair.
When the sun first peaked over the horizon his head leaning on hers. He held her hands, their fingers interlaced on her lap. He kissed her temple, not wanting to spoil the moment with words. She turned her head to see his face, amazed at the love she found there. He'd said he loved her, but once again, this… took her breath away.