At Wimbledon...
"Typical bloody British weather! So-called summer!", Lee exclaimed, disappointed and frustrated.
Today was him and Lucy's first official date, and so far it wasn't going as well as he'd envisaged. By now they should have been enjoying strawberries and cream, maybe even a glass of Champagne, in the sun. It could have been really romantic. Instead, they were sitting glumly on the plastic chairs, wishing more than anything they had brought umbrellas as they got ever more soaked through, rain continuing to fall without respite.
Play had stopped over ten minutes ago now, the umprire making the decision to halt the match just 15 minutes after it started, when what was originally just a few drops of rain hitting the court almost straight away became a torrential downpour. It was quite fascinating at first, watching the girl and ball boys immediately springing into action and pulling the waterproof cover over the court as the players disappeared inside the building and various officials dashed around. Now it was just...relentlessly wet.
The people around them were gradually vacating the court, each giving up hope that play would restart any time soon. Lee and Lucy were among the handful of spectators still holding their ground, seemingly determined to not to let the weather spoil their day out. The difference though between Lee and Lucy and the other remaining spectators was that everyone else had clearly thought to check the weather forecast before they left home this morning and were wearing waterproofs and sheltering under umbrellas. Lucy heard Lee sigh, and seeing how crestfallen he looked by the situation, decided to try and make him feel better, despite the fact she was now uncomfortably soggy herself.
"Nevermind, maybe the rain will stop soon. I think the sky might be brightening up".
Lee had the feeling Lucy wasn't really as optimistic as she was making out.
"Do you reckon?"
"Yeah...look, I don't think the rain is as heavy now".
Lee looked down at himself and noticed he could see skin through his shirt,
"Oh blimey, I wish I hadn't worn this white shirt now, it's gone completely seethrough".
Lucy had noticed this too, but she had been trying not to stare, aware of the warmth spreading across her cheeks as her attention was drawn to his clinging shirt again. She had said she thought they should see how things went before they moved on to anything physical, and her head still told her that was the right and responsible thing to do. Yet, right now the thought of maintaining her resolve was getting harder. Right now she just wanted to jump Lee, to feel his body against her own and kiss him until she ran out of breath.
In an effort to stop her mind wandering she tried to keep her eyes on his face, but as he moistened his lips with his tongue then combed his hand through his wet hair, causing the droplets of rain to run down his face, she thought it best to look away completely. Did he have any idea how sexy he looked right now? How alarmingly...tempting.
Lee spoke again, "Maybe we should go. I don't know about you but I'm getting cold just sitting here. I'm so sorry Lucy".
Hearing Lee speak snapped Lucy out of her daydream.
"It's not your fault, you can't control the weather. I'm disappointed but there'll be another time".
They got up from their seats and started walking towards the exit.
"Yeah, but I'm sorry I couldn't afford centre court tickets, with the roof and everything we'd still be warm and dry and watching tennis".
"It's okay, I just appreciate the thought. And I know the cost of centre court tickets means most ordinary people would need a bank loan to pay for them".
"Yeah, that or sell their body. What do you say?"
"I'm not selling my body Lee".
"I meant me".
"If you sold yours we might not even be able to afford the strawberries and cream".
Lucy was grinning and Lee knew she was only teasing, but he played along anyway, feigning a look of offence.
"How dare you, I'll have you know there are lots of women who would pay good money for a piece of this".
"And who could blame them, you look like Mr Darcy in that wet shirt".
Lee smiled shyly, and couldn't think of what to say next. He may have been the king of witty comebacks but he never knew how to respond when Lucy complimented him.
Lucy put her arm around Lee as they walked and he returned the gesture. They both felt warmer immediately, their physical closeness generating heat.
"Come on Mr Darcy, let's go in the cafe and get a warm drink".
"Sounds like a good idea to me".
"I don't know about you but I'm not sure I've ever been this wet. I'm pretty sure even my pants are soaked through now".
"Well...I do tend to have that affect on women. Is it the Mr Darcy thing?"
Lucy screwed up her face slightly, though she had asked for his remark to be fair. She knew Lee well enough to know she couldn't expect to mention her underwear without him making some cheeky retort.
"You know that's not what I meant".
Though she gave Lee a look of disapproval, Lucy couldn't help but smile to herself as she saw the expression on Lee's face. It was that slightly tilted head, raised eyebrow, lip biting expression that was so familiar to her now. It was almost Lee's trademark, slightly more subtle than the full Carry on film "ooh matron" but still loaded with meaning. There was something charming about it, something almost disconcertingly attractive.
Lee, seeing Lucy roll her eyes, hoped he hadn't overstepped the mark. He wouldn't have thought anything of being that cheeky or flirtatious with Lucy before, but now something more than just flirtation was on the cards between them, perhaps he needed to think before he spoke more.
They walked into the cafe and took a seat, the warmth inside the building providing immediate relief from the discomfort of being cold and wet.
"Sorry, if I was inappropriate just then. You know sometimes my mouth engages before my brain".
"Only sometimes?"
"Alright, I said sorry didn't I?"
"It's okay, don't look so worried. I'm not that easily offended. I've lived with you for several years, I'm used to it".
"Still, I didn't mean to embarrass you".
"I'm not embarrassed".
"Oh, it's just you're still bright red, I assumed...".
Lucy had felt the warmth rise in her face, but had hoped Lee hadn't noticed. It was what he had said. Of course it was meant as a throwaway remark to make her laugh, but the images it conjured up in her mind, and the fact the comment was so close to home, to how he made her feel, she couldn't help but blush.
"Oh, I'm not blushing, it's...it's the probably because my face got cold, you know...in the rain. And coming in to a warm cafe, the change in temperature, you know".
Shut up Lucy, she said to herself. She was sounding flustered now, and the more she spoke the more she was babbling.
Lee decided not to push his luck any further, and decided to rescue Lucy by moving the conversation on.
"Of course. So, do you want a tea, coffee, hot chocolate?"
Lucy visibly relaxed at the change of subject.
"A Cappuccino would be nice".
"Coming up".
Lee got up and went to the counter, coming back with two steaming cups of coffee. He handed one to Lucy and sat back down. She took a sip and relaxed back in her seat.
"Mmm, that's just what I needed. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing, it's on me".
"Thanks. I might just go to the loo and dry my hair with the hand dryer, I won't be a minute".
Lucy came back a few minutes later with her hair all dried and brushed.
"Is that better?".
"Yeah, though my clothes are still wet. Not much I can do about that really".
"You could take them off and hold them under the hand dryer".
"Yes of course, because no one would think that was weird at all would they?"
"It was just a suggestion. We'll just have to stay in here for as long as possible then won't we and hopefully our clothes will dry naturally".
"Yep, I suppose so. I can't believe we didn't check the weather forecast this morning".
"I've said it before, hindsight is a wonderful thing. Anyway, I looked yesterday, and it wasn't saying rain then. Sorry our date has turned out to be a complete washout Lucy".
"You don't have to keep apologising for the weather Lee. This is nice anyway, just sitting having coffee with you. You're good company".
"And I suppose this morning could have been worse. At least cliff Richard didn't sing".
"That's very true. I do admire your positive outlook on life".
"Yep, my glass is always half full".
"Yeah, I've noticed...of beer mostly".
"Ha ha Lucy, very funny", Lee responded sarcastically.
"So, shall we just hang around for a bit in case the rain stops? We might be able to go back to see some tennis if the match starts again", Lucy wasn't ready to abandon their date just yet".
"We could do, I'll have a look at the weather on my phone. Oh no, the forecast is for this rain to carry on all day".
"Oh. Will you get a refund for the tickets?".
"Yeah, it said when I booked that refunds are given if play is cancelled due to rain"
"Good, that's something at least. I suppose we may as well go home then. Looks like it's going to be housework today after all".
"Not necessarily. Why don't we find something indoors to to?"
"Okay. Actually, I know it isn't really your sort of thing, but there's an art exhibition I really want to see at the Tate gallery. It won't take that long to get there on the tube. What do you think?"
Lee didn't look convinced, then had an idea.
"I'll tell you what. I'll come to your art exhibition if you'll come to the dog racing with me later. We could go to Walthamstow so we don't have to come back out this way".
"Okay, it's a deal".
Lucy didn't hesitate in agreeing to Lee's suggestion. She wanted to prove to him that she wasn't a snob and was happy to take an interest in his hobbies. She decided she would forget all of her preconceptions about dog racing and go there with an open mind.
Lee was surprised and really chuffed that Lucy had agreed to go to the dogs with him. He imagined she probably wasn't massively keen right now but he knew that she would enjoy herself when she was actually there. Now he just had to make the effort to be enthusiastic about something Lucy enjoyed. The previous two occasions he had been to an art gallery may have been slightly disastrous, but today would be different, he was determined about that...