Disclaimer: Must come up with a more original way of saying 'AJ and supporting cast mine, Thunderbirds not'. But hey, so long as it keeps me out of trouble with the lawyers…
Wow! Fantastic reaction to Chapter 5 – thanks to all those who took the trouble to write some truly fabulous reviews! Thankyou!
Chapter Six – Under The Bridge…and she kisses me windy,
I never worry,
Now that is a lie
I don't ever wanna feel,
Like I did that day
Take me to the place I love,
Take me all the way…
'Under The Bridge' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers"It's just one date" Scott mentally repeated as he paid the cabbie and looked up at the building in front. He'd laughed when AJ had first told him where she lived, but John later confirmed it – 'Elephant and Castle' was a real place. AJ had given him detailed directions to her apartment block, but he hadn't needed them – London cab drivers being some of the best in the world.
Scott scanned the electronic pad by the speaker - no visual though, how old is this area? - until he found the name he was after.
"Hi AJ"
"Scott! Hang on, I'll buzz you in – come on up!"
Despite it's depressing appearance, the interior of the building was surprisingly pleasant, even the elevators worked.
Seconds later he was outside AJ's door. Taking a deep breath – can't believe I'm nervous – he rang the door chime. The door slid back, revealing his date.
"Wow. You look really nice"
AJ was in a black skirt that was short one side but draped to mid-calf on the other, the cut and light material making it sway as she moved. The black was off-set by a red, figure-hugging jersey, sleeves pushed halfway up to her elbows. Her hair was pulled up elegantly, and she had a hint of make-up on for a sophisticated but natural look. The ensemble was completed by a pair of knee-high black suede boots – 'nice' was an understatement.
"Aw thanks – so do you. Are those for me?" she indicated the dozen yellow roses Scott carried.
"A thankyou from my family"
"Really? Come in" she beckoned as he handed her the flowers.
"Okay, they're from me. I was trying to come up with an excuse to give them to you"
AJ laughed "I'll pretend if you want! Thanks – they're gorgeous"
And they ain't the only thing, she mused, taking an appreciative look at the dark-haired man now standing in her apartment.
"Feel free to look around, make yourself comfy. I'm gonna find someplace to put these" AJ disappeared, taking another sneaky glance as she left. That navy polo fitted well – he must work out – and the jacket over it only added to the look – what is it with me and guys who wear leather?
Scott checked out his surroundings – he was in a fair-sized living room furnished with a bright sofa – red's definitely a favourite colour – along with a flat screen TV and stereo, plus coffee table and various storage devices for music and movies. The pale blue walls were bare save for a pair of mounted speakers and a simple mirror. In one corner sat a desk, with laptop and scattered papers – brings her work home, Scott noted.
"Are you up to meeting my flatmate?" AJ called
"Sure" though he wasn't, visions of a 6'6 boyfriend playing across his mind.
"Bruce is heading your way"
Scott laughed in part surprise and part relief as Bruce appeared in the doorway. The large Siamese feline made itself comfortable on the couch and gazed at Scott in an interested manner.
"Is Bruce friendly?"
"Very – you're not allergic to cats are you?"
"Nope"
"Phew. Sorry, I forgot to ask"
"Hey, no problem"
AJ emerged, the roses in a clear vase. "Where do you reckon…" she stopped and laughed. "Made friends, huh?"
Scott was sitting on the sofa scratching Bruce under the chin, which judging by the deep purr was appreciated.
"He's big – what do you feed him?!"
"Not as much as you'd think – he's mostly fluff"
Scott realised this as his fingers practically disappeared into the cream fur.
"He's not a proper Siamese, just a cross"
"That explains his size"
Having placed the flowers on the low table, AJ straightened and shook her head.
"Softie"
"Me or Bruce?"
"I was going with Bruce – but I may change my mind. You have pets too?"
"Not unless you count my brother's pygmy alligator"
"You're kidding?!"
"If only. Damn thing gets more meals than I do"
"Aww. Speaking of meals – do I finally get to find out where we're going? You were really mysterious when you called"
"Chinese"
He got a look "You might wanna narrow that down a bit for me"
Scott grinned as he rose from his seat, giving Bruce one last pat "What's the best way to get to South Audley Street, Mayfair?"
"Wow – you mean Chyou-Jin? That's the best in London!"
Scott sent a silent 'thankyou' to his brother – John was officially hired as date-guru.
"So that's okay then?"
"It's perfect – I feel really spoilt!"
"I made reservations for 8:30 – and since you know London a lot better than I do, how do you recommend we get there?"
"The Tube?"
"London Underground?" Scott frowned "Is that safe?"
"Yes, it's safe! I use it everyday – trust me"
"Okay then, you're the boss."
"With that attitude, you're gonna go far" AJ grinned as they headed out the door.
Despite Scott's misgivings, their journey via the Underground was fine. He'd used subways before in New York, but the London version was the granddaddy of them all, and still going strong.
"It's been revamped a couple of times" he was told as they changed at Piccadilly Circus from the Bakerloo line to one that would take them to Hype Park Corner. "But essentially it's the same as it was in the early 1900's" 15 minutes later they were walking up South Audley Street towards their destination, The Chyou-Jin restaurant.
Scott briefly admired the deep yellows and oranges the front was painted in before they stepped inside.
"Ni-hao, good evening" a smartly-dressed pair of waiters met them
"Xie-xie, ni-hao" AJ replied.
"Whoa" Scott murmured "You speak Chinese?"
"Mandarin – xie-xie is 'thankyou'. Say 'ni-hao', it means good evening"
"Ni-hao" Scott managed, pronunciation not bad. The staff were delighted, taking their names and showing them to a table opposite the window looking out onto the street.
Greeted and seated, the menus were perused for a few moments before AJ shook her head. "Okay, I'm stuck. How do you choose – it all sounds good!"
"Glad I'm not the only one. I vote we get some of everything"
"Will your credit card cope?"
"Sure – and don't go worrying about it. My treat, remember?"
AJ grinned.
Their server for the evening approached, introduced himself and took their order for food and drinks. Menus out the way, Scott turned his focus back to AJ.
"Chinese, huh?"
"Yeah. I'm not fluent, but…"
"Hey, from a guy who only speaks English – and badly, Chinese on any level is pretty impressive"
"It kinda helps when you're a translator" she laughed.
"What other languages do you know?"
"Oh – er, a few" Taken aback by his genuine interest, AJ had to think "Well, I speak English – obviously – French, Spanish and German fluently, plus Italian, Dutch and Russian, and I know a little Chinese and Portuguese"
"Wow – that's impressive."
AJ put up her hands "Oh hey, but that's it. I mean, I was useless at everything else in school – science gave me a headache, history was boring and I can't count to save my life. So I concentrated on language, since it was the only thing I was any good at"
"Except sports"
Both grinned at the memory of their impromptu games session the week before.
"So how'd you become a translator?"
"It's not that an exciting story – went to University, studied a bunch of languages and got hired by the company I'm with now – been with them almost four years"
They were interrupted by the arrival of drinks, and Scott learnt to say 'thanks' in Chinese, making him a firm favourite with the staff.
"This is neat – I should pay more attention to John when he uses a different language"
"John?"
"My brother"
"You have more than one?"
Scott chuckled "Yeah – I'm the eldest of five"
"Bloody hell! Five?! Okay, tell me all – names, ages, the lot"
Taking a mouthful of his drink, Scott sighed "Oh man, where do I start? You met Virgil already – he's the next eldest at 27. Then there's John, Gordon, and Alan – John's 24, Gordon's 22 and Alan's 21"
"You're all pretty close in age then. Do you all look alike? I know Virgil's dark, like you…"
Scott snorted "Ah, no. I mean yes, Virgil's dark – but the rest are all different. John and Alan are blonde – but John's white blonde, Alan's more golden – and Gordon's a red-head"
"Whoa, that is a mix!"
"Tell me about it – what?" Scott queried as AJ frowned
"Alan Tracy – as in the racing driver?"
Scott nodded "That's the one. I didn't think you'd know that!"
"My dad's a fanatic, I remember the name being mentioned once or twice but I never made the connection. What else are you Tracy's hiding?"
"Oh, you'd be amazed"
At that point their waiter appeared with the first of the dishes. It took another two trips for him to deliver the rest of the meal – everything from sizzling platters to bowls of rice and noodles. Conversation petered out for a while as both began to eat, with only the odd comment about the food.
"Is that – "
"Pineapple with the chicken? Yep" AJ helped herself to some, using her chopsticks expertly.
Scott steered clear of the fruit and piled egg fried rice into his bowl instead.
"Not keen on spiky fruits then?"
" 'Fraid not" he grinned
"You like mussels?" AJ indicated the dish on her left.
"Why?"
"Can't stand them"
"Great! I'll have the mussels if you eat the pineapple – deal?"
"Deal" AJ laughed.
The rest of their meal went well – really well, Scott thought as he finished the last of the steamed vegetables and eyed what was left. They'd talked about family – hers living a couple of hours away, to all of his living on the one island, and discussed English universities. AJ was stunned to discover that Scott had been at Oxford for a while, as well as Yale. She had studied at Cambridge, and they happily compared the two. When they weren't talking the silence was a comfortable one with no awkwardness, and John had been right – in the attempts to retrieve food their hands collided, prompting apologies, laughter and lingering eye contact.
When neither of them could manage anymore, the waiters cleared the table astonishingly quickly. AJ was marvelling at the balancing act being performed as Scott mentioned they could give Kyrano a run for his money. This led to further conversation on Scott's extended family over coffee, Scott explaining the situation between Tin-Tin and Alan, and tales of the various pranks his second-youngest brother had pulled over the years.
"…so there's Dad standing there with the miniature outfits, totally convinced they've been shrunk in he wash, and not realising he's been set up by Gordon and old G.I. Joe clothes"
AJ wiped her eyes "That's priceless. And Gordon does this a lot?"
"Started when he was six and never stopped. The jokes are still as juvenile as they were"
"There must be days when you get under one another's feet though – all on the one island all the time?"
Scott nodded "Oh yeah. When we first moved it was hell – we'd all got used to living separately and there were times we could've cheerfully strangled one another, but we settled pretty quick. Plus Dad made sure everyone had their own space – so escape is possible. But it's good to get off the island and do something different"
"And hopefully the company has been okay?"
"The company's been great" which made AJ smile.
"Good"
Scott finished the remainder of his coffee and sighed "Guess we'd better think about moving"
"I don't know about you, but I really need to walk off some of that meal. You game? I know somewhere with a fantastic view"
"Sure, sounds good"
Scott handed his credit card to their waiter and while the bill was being settled had AJ teach him how to say 'goodnight' and 'goodbye' in Mandarin. The staff bid them 'wan-on' and 'zai-jian' and they headed out into the chilly London night.
"So where are we going?"
"Wait and see. We have to take another Tube ride, but it's worth it"
A change to the Jubilee line and several stops later got them to their destination – the bank of the River Thames, under the famous Tower Bridge.
The Thames by day wasn't particularly prepossessing – usually dull grey-green in colour, partly from the reflection of typical London sky, and partly from the filthy debris. At night however, it was transformed by the lights of the various attractions that lined the banks of the river, illuminating the waters as it flowed steadily on.
Scott whistled softly as he took in the view of the silent waterway.
"Worth it then?"
"Definitely"
"Thought you'd like it" AJ leaned on the guard rail, a cool wind blowing strands of her hair that had come loose. "Just keep any urges to dive in under control – these boots weren't made for swimming"
"No fear. I've had enough unexpected trips into strange waters to last me a lifetime"
They laughed together, then fell into a companionable silence.
The breeze blew stronger, sending a rush of cold air off the water and making AJ shiver.
"Here" Scott stripped off his jacket and offered her the extra layer. AJ deliberated for a moment before giving in and shrugging into the warm leather, appreciating the pleasant smell of Scott's aftershave that came with it.
"Thanks"
"Hey, no problem" his hands lingered on her shoulders for a few seconds before he withdrew them. John, I owe you big time, buddy.
"I gotta confess," AJ broke the silence "It's been a while since I did this"
"Watch the river at night, or spend an evening with someone?"
"The latter, fool!"
"Same here. I love the island and my family, but it's been good to get away – and for something other than business"
AJ turned slightly so her green eyes met his blue ones. "You do a lot of overseas work?"
You have no idea, he thought, but answered with "Not too much, no. Why'd you ask?"
"Just wondering if I could drag you away, maybe repeat this sometime?"
Scott grinned, and shifted closer "Is that an offer for a second date?"
"Maybe. Depends"
"On what?"
"On this"
AJ leaned up to touch Scott's lips gently with her own. She held the contact for a moment before pulling back.
Caught by surprise, it took Scott a moment to find words.
"And the decision was based on that?"
AJ nodded
Sliding his arms around her waist he pulled her in for a longer and deeper kiss.
"Wow"
Scott grinned "I really want that second date"