Chapter 11 'Nightly Walk' (Alt title: Martin and Luana)
Well, I'm finally back with this story. I am terribly sorry for the long wait. I also apologise as this chapter probably won't be very long and may end up being what one may consider filler. (lol, I had no idea how long this would be) But I do plan on writing chapter 12 soon.
I have nothing else to say, so let's get on with it! Enjoy or suffer.
24/01/2021
(Track playing is: Nightly Walk (I plan on eventually making these songs, until then these messages are useless))
Meanwhile, in the wet streets from showers that fell earlier that night and lit with warm golden lights, were many pedestrians going on walks and people enjoying the local cuisines and other activities after dark. Two of those people were Martin and Luana.
Luana wore a light dark blackish-brown leather coat around her, as it was a bit cool for her. Martin on the other hand just wore his plain black t-shirt, as the weather was pleasant for him. For obvious reasons, their tolerance to the cold were quite different.
Granted, the cool breeze and the wet streets from rain that fell earlier did make it feel cooler than it actually was. The actual temperature was no more than about 20°C, which by pretty much anyone's standards was a pleasant temperature, but paired with the humidity from recent rains and cool breezes, and those less tolerant to the cold were affected, Luana included.
Martin took a quick glance at Luana, who was to the left of him, and cracked a light smile. He quickly looked forward again to avoid getting noticed. Martin felt what he could only describe as a pleasant warm glow inside of him.
At this moment Martin wondered if he was developing an actual crush on Luana, one that was beyond simply finding her hot and wanting to bang her. Of course, he still felt that, but it was getting superseded by a more "intimate/pleasant" feeling. Though, it was too early for him to truly know if this was a genuine crush, or just him wanting to bang her.
Martin decided he'd speak, otherwise this walk they both decided to take would be essentially pointless beyond Luana just showing Martin the sights within walking distance of the place they had parked.
''This place is a lot more lively at night than Moose Lake.'', Martin said in awe, looking around at the many things in childlike wonder, ''I mean, its not a high bar to clear.'', Martin added, chuckling.
Luana looked at Martin, smiling, and chuckling lightly.
''Yeah, Moose Lake hardly looks like the kind of town with a good night life.'', Luana replied jokingly, ''But hey, looks can be deceiving.'', Luana added in a tongue-in-cheek manner. Martin let out a puff of air in amusement. (Chortle is a name for it)
''Are you cold or what?'', Luana asked Martin, ''I mean, it's a bit cool tonight.'', Luana added meekly. Martin cracked a wry smile for a second,
''No, not at all. I wish it was like this in Moose Lake if I'm honest.'', Martin answered, ''I thought after experiencing the frigid cold of Moose Lake you'd cope with the cold a bit better.'', Martin awkwardly joked. Martin quickly realised that he may have came off as rude, ''Uh, I don't think I worded that right.'', Martin added, cursing himself. Luana brushed her arm against Martin reassuringly,
''Its alright. I mean, you're right, this is nothing compared to Moose Lake.'', Luana responded, ''But I'm sure you'd still feel the cold if you went to the south pole in winter.'', Luana remarked, poking fun at Martin's words. Martin caught on,
''Hey!'', Martin laughed in playful offense, ''But fair point…'', Martin admitted, chuckling. Luana lightly chuckled, until they fell into silence, however it wasn't awkward, but more so… Comfortable… Martin and Luana looked at each other for a moment. Neither smiled, but Martin did take a breath of air, and he felt that same warm glow inside. He was even blushing a bit.
The silence was interrupted by the barking of a dog. Martin jumped and let out a frightened yelp, and quickly walked to the right of Luana, breathing heavily as the owner of the dog pulled on its leash, walking away.
Luana looked at Martin with a mix of concern and a light bit of confusion,
''Hey, its alright, it's just a dog, it won't hurt you…'', Luana spoke softly, brushing her hand lightly against the back of Martin's hand. Martin calmed down a bit, and insecurely sighed,
''Uh… I just don't like dogs…'', Martin sighed, shamefully, ''You have cynophobia, right?'', Luana asked, and Martin nodded,
''Yeah, I don't like dogs. They're so dirty and slobbery and I'd take a parrot any day over a dog.'', Martin responded, the shame in his voice less prevalent.
''I don't really like dogs myself, never have. I'm not afraid of them though.'', Luana replied, reassuring Martin.
''I think I got my fear when I was 5 years old…'', Martin began, sighing, ''I was at a park with my family, and I saw this large dog, I think it was a rottweiler. So me being an innocent and curious child, I went up to the dog and petted it.'', Martin continued, ''I know that was stupid, but again, I was 5.'', Martin admitted, and sighed as he remembered the next part, as Luana looked on conceriningly,
''Well… The dog just… Growled viciously and bit me right on my arm. I don't remember the events very clearly, but I remember shouting and a world of pain.'', Martin continued, his voice fearful from the traumatic memory, ''And there was lots of blood too. I don't know what happened to that dog, maybe it got put down or something. But I was taken to the doctors, and I had my arm in a bandage for a few weeks. I still have a scar from it.'', Martin told her, and showed Luana his right forearm, which had the scar, although it was faded with time.
''That's horrible, I'm so sorry that happened to you…'', Luana spoke sympathetically, and Martin smiled thankfully, ''So, ever since then I've been scared of dogs. I mean, you'd think I'd also be scared of parrots. Believe me, I've been bitten by Bluey a few times and it hurts…'', Martin continued, ''But there's something about a dog bite that's so much worse… Maybe it's the larger area affected, maybe it's the ferocity or the dirty mouth, or maybe a mix of all three… But dog bites are just so much worse…'', Martin finished.
''Yeah, I've seen dog bite victims and its horrible.'', Luana told Martin, ''Of course, parrot bites hurt too. I've had my fair share of bites. Here, I've even got a scar on my index finger.'', Luana spoke, showing Martin the scar on her left index finger.
''Oh, are you left handed?'', Martin asked, confused, and Luana giggled and shook her head, ''No, I was handling this macaw and for some reason it decided to bite me on my left hand.'', Luana answered. ''Oh..'', Martin responded, ''I've got a scar on my left hand too…'', Martin showed Luana the scar on his left hand between his thumb and index finger, with Luana cringing, ''Eesh, right were it hurts…'', Luana cringed, breathing in through her teeth, and immediately regretting it as it hurt her sensitive nerves.
''So I don't know why I automatically assumed you were left handed, if I'm right handed and I also have a scar on my left hand.'', Martin commented sheepishly, ''Well, seeing how this is just turning into us showing each other our scars, do you have any other scars?'', Martin asked humourously.
''Well, I do have on my breast, but I won't show you it.'', Luana answered, and Martin blushed, ''Oh, I'm sorry…'', Martin apologised. Luana smiled reassuringly,
''Its okay, you didn't know.'', Luana replied reassuringly. Martin looked at her, ''Wow, you're blushing really redly!'', Luana chuckled, and Martin sheepishly smiled, ''Yeah… But may I ask how it happened?'', Martin nervously asked.
''Well, I got it when I was a little girl. I was climbing with my siblings in a tree, and I slipped, and I ended up cutting my chest on a branch or something.'', Luana answered. ''Ouch, that must've hurt.'', Martin commented, ''I remember I stepped on broken glass at a park once. Man, I hate people who just leave broken glass laying around for people to cut themselves on.'', Martin told her.
''Let me guess, it scarred.'', Luana remarked, and Martin nodded, ''Yep, but I won't show you it, especially not right now. I doubt you'd want to see my feet anyway.'', Martin answered.
''I'm gonna guess you never went out barefoot again?'', Luana asked, ''Well it's not just for preventing cutting myself on broken glass. You can really only go out barefoot in the summer and spring. Autumn if you've got tough feet, and winter if you're an idiot.'', Martin answered humorously.
Both of them shared a chuckle but fell into a short silence. Martin smiled a bit, enjoying the feeling of socialising with someone who you feel a connection with.
''So, uh, what did you do in Moose Lake?'', Luana asked, breaking the silence, ''Well, as you know I own a bookstore named after Bluey, "Blue Macaw Books".'', Martin answered, ''I really wish macaw began with a B, because that would've been a good alliterate title, but I guess we can't all have what we want.'', Martin added humorously, eliciting a chuckle from Luana, whom Martin noted seemed to be easy to get a laugh/chuckle out of.
''Well, as you can guess, I read a lot. But I also like music.'', Martin continued, ''Well, I'm sure most like music.'', Luana commented in a tongue-in-cheek manner. ''Yeah…'', Martin sighed, amused.
''I have a collection of CDs and vinyl discs from quite a few artists. Most of which I got from this record store nearby, the owner of which I'm acquainted with.'', Martin continued.
''So, who or what do you listen to?'', Luana asked, ''Well, I guess I like older music. Mostly from the late 60's to 80's, with a few stuff from before and after that period. I suppose my favourite genre is rock.'', Martin answered.
''Yeah, I listen to a variety of things, rock included. I tend not to restrict myself to a particular genre or time period.'', Luana responded, ''I mean, I can listen to pretty much every genre if the song is good.'', Martin commented.
''I'm sure most are like that.'', Luana chuckled, and so did Martin, ''Yeah, I guess…'', Martin spoke sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck, ''I mean, I don't like some songs from that era. I honestly really don't like We Didn't Start the Fire.'', Martin added.
''Oh really? Why?'', Luana asked, ''Well, I suppose the lyrics are kind of lazy, and… Well it was the song that was playing when my dad died…'', Martin responded sadly. Luana gasped in guilt,
''Oh, I'm so sorry for bringing it up, Martin.'', Luana spoke remorsefully, ''I'm so sorry you had to go through that. I really am.'', Luana added.
''Its okay…'', Martin assured, and sighed, ''I mean, I never liked it that much.'', Martin remarked.
The two fell into silence again, as Martin looked at his surroundings. The buildings were two to three stories tall, and were mostly shops and mixed buildings, comprised of residential and commercial. The buildings were built from brick and concrete, or at least the walls/exterior were. The roads/paths were stone bricks, and there were trees lining the roads, which mixed with the warm lights, the pedestrians and the wet ground made for a very pleasant area.
''So, anything else?'', Luana asked, and Martin was silent, ''As in, what else do you do? You have any friends or something?'', Luana elaborated.
''Oh, well I just hang out with Bluey and watch movies, or play games.'', Martin answered, ''As for friends… Well… I don't have any friends apart from Bluey…'', Martin sighed, looking down at the ground.
Luana sighed,
''I don't really have many friends either. I mean, I don't talk with my co-workers much outside of work, and apart from that I don't really have friends.'', Luana told Martin, ''So, I guess its nice to talk to someone like you.'', Luana smiled warmly, and Martin blushed.
''Likewise… I haven't really spoken to girls before, apart from my mother and relatives… And store clerks, and some small talk with others…'', Martin awkwardly responded. Luana chuckled lightly,
''So, it must be pretty cool to talk to one of us elusive creatures.'', Luana joked, which elicited a laugh from Martin.
''Oh wow, that was actually really funny…'', Martin laughed, ''I don't get the stereotype of women not being funny.'', Martin spoke without thinking, and Luana playfully and lightly shoved him, ''Yeah, I don't know why I said that.'', Martin said sheepishly.
''Well, there's my car.'', Luana said, changing the subject, as she pointed to her car, ''Wow, I didn't even realise we walked in a circle.'', Martin commented, and Luana looked at him, smiling, ''I guess we were just so deep in conversation.'', Luana spoke, ''Or maybe it was just you being infatuated with talking to us elusive girls.'', Luana chuckled, as she playfully jogged.
''Hey!'', Martin laughed, as he joined in and playfully chased after her as the two giggled like children. Luana ran back to her car, laughing along the way, as she grabbed her keys. Martin caught up, still laughing and panting.
''Nothing like a quick run to finish off a night out…'', Luana sighed, smiling. The two exchanged a glance at each other, which lasted a little over a second, before they looked away. Luana unlocked her car, and she got into the driver's seat, while Martin got into the passenger seat.
Luana's car was a 4/5 seater black car, with leather seats in the front. Luana turned on the ignition as they both put on their seatbelts. The reason for it being a 4/seater, is because it was the "cheapest nice car".
Luana pulled out of the parking space and drove off. The two sat in silence, with the radio quietly playing music that Martin couldn't understand the words of on account of being Portuguese. At least the instrumentals were pleasant, Martin thought.
However, after about 4 minutes, Martin realised something.
''Damnit…'', Martin cursed, ''Son of a bitch…'', Martin hit himself. Luana took a quick glance at him, before returning her gaze to the road.
''What?'', Luana asked. Martin looked at her, ''Ugh, I forgot to book a hotel… God, I'm such an idiot…'', Martin cursed himself. Luana glanced at Martin with a reassuring smile,
''Its alright, you can stay at my place.'', Luana told Martin. Upon hearing her words, a feeling of excitement and nervousness swept over Martin, although this was only displayed by him blushing.
''Oh, really? Thank you…'', Martin said sheepishly, ''Its alright.'', Luana responded. The two fell into silence again, as Martin felt that warm glow some more.
Luana's house was over the way towards the sanctuary, and it relatively wasn't too far from it, probably about 30 minutes away or less. Luana pulled up outside. The building was a 3 story apartment, and Luana got out, with Martin following suit.
''Here it is…'', Luana spoke, as she went to the door, and went inside, with Martin following behind her. There were stairs that led to the second and third floors. These stairs were what appeared to be concrete, with a simple guide rail. There was also a small window letting some of the limited light shine through.
The entrance was a hallway, with the doors that were numbered that led into the apartments. The walls were a whiteish beige colour, with the floor being standard indoor masonry and with a likely inexpensive over it. The building also had a faint musty smell, Martin noted.
''Is there an elevator?'', Martin asked as Luana stepped onto the first step, but stopped when Martin asked the question. She looked back at Martin, ''No.'', she shook her head, ''Elevators are usually for taller or newer buildings.'', Luana told him.
''Oh, well I'm sure I can manage.'', Martin chuckled, ''I mean, I climb a flight of stairs multiple times a day.'', Martin added, with Luana smiling in response, letting out a chortle. (a short puff of air/exhalation in amusement)
The two climbed their way to the third floor, with Luana getting her keys out as she walked to her apartment. She opened it, and walked inside, with Martin following behind her.
The apartment was decent, making the most of the standard quality of the building. There were some bookshelves but was surprisingly (to Martin) not all too expensive looking or well decorated.
''I don't know why, but I expected your place to be a bit fancier.'', Martin commented. Luana laughed, ''You know, living primarily off of government grants doesn't really leave you with much money to spend.'', Luana responded.
''Oh, well I figured you'd have more money.'', Martin replied, ''Don't get me wrong, it's a nice place… But I did expect more…'', Martin quickly added.
''I can't blame you…'', Luana replied, ''Unfortunately, having an aviary isn't very profitable, and the government grants do cover the costs of running the aviary, and is enough to pay the wages, but it doesn't leave too much for me. But I manage.'', Luana continued, ''I wouldn't trade my job for anything.'', Luana finished.
Martin looked around the place once more, and looked at Luana,
''So, uh, where do I sleep?'', Martin asked nervously, rubbing the back of his neck and smiling sheepishly.
''Uh, I have a guest bedroom there.'', Luana said, pointing to the bedroom, ''Sorry to disappoint.'', Luana remarked in a tongue-in-cheek manner, as she walked over to her bedroom, as Martin blushed after a moment when he registered what she meant, ''Well, I'm gonna go to bed.'', Luana said, as she opened her bedroom door, ''Goodnight Martin.'', Luana smiled, as she went inside her room and shut the door.
Martin decided to take one last look around the apartment before going to bed himself. The entrance to the apartment was a kitchen, which was situated to the left. The loungeroom took up a fair portion of the apartment, which also featured a computer office/desk.
The entrances to all the rooms was connected to the loungeroom, including the guest bedroom, which was to the left, and Luana's bedroom/the master bedroom, which was to the right. The bathroom was also to the left, and the entrance to a small balcony was on the right. There wasn't a laundry room, but Martin figured the apartment had its own communal laundromat. If that wasn't the case, then there was likely a laundromat nearby.
With all this done, Martin decided to just head to the guest bedroom, which featured a king single sized bed, and the room was small, but cosy. With nothing left to do, Martin turned the ceiling fan on, (which Martin was actually somewhat surprised to find) figuring that he'd need the cool air blowing on him in the morning and throughout the night. Martin laid down on the bed, and got himself comfortable before going to sleep.
Well, that wraps up this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it!
I wrote pretty much all of it in one burst, with the first two paragraphs and the first dialogue paragraph being the exception, as I had wrote them in early January.
This also turned out way better than I thought, and way longer. In fact, it's the longest chapter so far. I'm actually quite proud of the chemistry between Martin and Luana, which is even more surprising as I've never been in a relationship that mattered, (sorry 3rd grade me with a crush on some girl named Ella) so I hope it felt natural.
Anyways, I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but I hope to get it out soon. Again, I'm sorry for the wait.
Until next time, goodbye.
