If Only Tonight
Interlude One: Summertime
Flipping through the newspaper in her hand, Mia stared down at the familiar picture. The headline had caught her attention along with his face. 'Sea side bachelor Rossi heads for Barcelona, in search for love. Will he find it?' It wasn't just the headline that had drawn her attention; the picture of him captivated her.
Dressed in black shorts, and a matching t-shirt; Matthew had been pictured carrying a drink and his cell phone, heading towards a dock. His hair covered with a baseball hat, aviator shades guarding his icy blue eyes, and his face blank, made him seem all the more mysterious. She wondered what he was thinking about, as he strode down the dock in the next photo.
Upon hearing footsteps, Mia snapped out of her thoughts. Turning the paper to the sports section, she noticed how guilty she felt reading rumours about him. I shouldn't be so interested in Matthew's life, she scolded herself. Reading the story on the page in front of her, she thought being caught reading about rumoured player transfers would be just as bad as being caught reading the gossip pages. Quickly, Mia tucked the paper into her books, and opened up the other paper she had brought with her.
The footsteps became louder, until they stopped close to her.
"Brooklyn!" She heard a deep voice. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. "Reading University Affairs, I see."
Peering up, Mia saw the stern face of Mark Phillips.
"Looking for a new job?" He asked her.
"No, I love the one I have. Just getting up to date with what's going on around here." Mia replied.
"Didn't I say that you can have your break after you finish the paper that's due tomorrow?" He asked her, an eyebrow raised.
Mark Phillips' was the university enigma. With cold hard eyes, there wasn't a detail he missed. Mia had guessed he was in his sixties, his full head of hair was all white. He didn't bother to dye it. Always dressed in firmly pressed khaki pants, and a white long sleeved shirt, Dr. Phillips was an immaculate and orderly man. His research group was usually too intimidated to argue with him, instead they would fear his glowering gaze at their mistakes.
Although, Mia too, had been a little bit scared of him at first; she had quickly learned how to tell when her work was up to par. The extra effort she put in her work kept her from getting in trouble and helped her find new ways to go beyond her mentor's expectations. Although there were a few times when her carelessness or exhausted mind would get her a scowl or earn her a 'Don't screw this up Brooklyn!'.
Folding up the university paper, Mia looked up at him from her seat on a couch in the graduate student lounge.
"Sir, I already handed in the paper." She told him, his face blank. "I put it in your inbox yesterday afternoon and submitted it online too."
For a moment Dr. Phillips seemed caught off guard. He was quiet, his dark eyes analyzing her.
"With the changes I asked?"
"Yes sir. I triple checked it."
Looking pensive, Mia knew she had surprised him.
"I take it I'm not going to have to hunt you down, then, Brooklyn." He said, the most minute flicker of a smile on his face.
"No, sir." She told him, giving him a grin.
"I see...Don't you have any other work to complete, Brooklyn?"
"I just have to re-mark tests. I'll do that after lunch." She told him.
"Very well then." Dr. Phillips paused. "And Brooklyn..."
"Yes sir."
"Make sure you get out for a little while. Wouldn't want to mentally exhaust you."
"No Sir. I plan to go out. I'll be going with the under-21s in two weeks." She told him.
He analyzed her once more.
"Make sure to keep a close eye on Spain, Brooklyn. Many great players go there but only a few return." He said as he left.
There was nothing that could escape his notice, Mia thought sheepishly as she pulled out her newspaper again.
-----
Watching the water lap against the yacht, he lowered his arm. The cool water felt heavenly as the sun burned bright over him. Everywhere he went the beaches were filled with people; bikini clad women lounging in the sun, children running around in the water or making objects with the sand, men playing sports along the shoreline, some hoping to impress the women. He knew that if he really wanted to, he could have gotten any girl to have dinner with him at night. There weren't many who would refuse. He had noticed several ladies staring at him as he had crossed the dock to get on board. Each one trying to send subliminal messages with their eyes. The come hither look had no effect on him. At least it hadn't for the recently ended season.
Even in this lively atmosphere, Matthew couldn't be bothered to engage with the women who watched him. All he could think of was the sparkling green eyes he had seen months before. Sitting on the edge of the yacht, and letting his legs fall into the water, his gaze returned to the packed beach.
"Looking for a fair maiden to take to dinner?" He heard a male voice from behind him.
Turning his head, Matthew saw who was intruding on his peace and quiet. Looking ready to jump into the water, his cousin Leon grinned at him.
"Don't tell me you've hit a dead end in your search here as well! Lina was just getting used to this place." Leon snickered, stepping on to the ladder that lowered in to the watery depths. Matthew watched as his cousin sat on the lowest step, his shorts darkened by the water.
"No, I was just thinking."
"About what?" The light voice came from his other cousin. Leon's sister.
"Were you thinking about the girl who you gave the locket too? You know, without telling me!" Lina said, pointedly. Her sun dress billowed in the breeze.
"Still holding that against me?" Matthew said, amused.
"You bet. I'm not going to let it go until you tell me her name." Lina said stubbornly.
"You're going to be waiting a long time then." He smirked.
"You keep thinking that, Bello. Sooner or later, I'm going to find out." She told him. "Anyway, I'm heading for land. Come Leon, let's go restock before the food runs out and this one goes pazzo. Ciao Matty."
Giving his cousins a small wave, Matthew watched as they left. The boat slowly dipping up and down as they stepped off it and on to the dock. As the calm and quiet returned, Matthew's thoughts settled back on to that one person. Mia...
Dressed in black shorts, and a matching t-shirt; Matthew had been pictured carrying a drink and his cell phone, heading towards a dock. His hair covered with a baseball hat, aviator shades guarding his icy blue eyes, and his face blank, made him seem all the more mysterious. She wondered what he was thinking about, as he strode down the dock in the next photo.
Upon hearing footsteps, Mia snapped out of her thoughts. Turning the paper to the sports section, she noticed how guilty she felt reading rumours about him. I shouldn't be so interested in Matthew's life, she scolded herself. Reading the story on the page in front of her, she thought being caught reading about rumoured player transfers would be just as bad as being caught reading the gossip pages. Quickly, Mia tucked the paper into her books, and opened up the other paper she had brought with her.
The footsteps became louder, until they stopped close to her.
"Brooklyn!" She heard a deep voice. She didn't have to look up to know who it was. "Reading University Affairs, I see."
Peering up, Mia saw the stern face of Mark Phillips.
"Looking for a new job?" He asked her.
"No, I love the one I have. Just getting up to date with what's going on around here." Mia replied.
"Didn't I say that you can have your break after you finish the paper that's due tomorrow?" He asked her, an eyebrow raised.
Mark Phillips' was the university enigma. With cold hard eyes, there wasn't a detail he missed. Mia had guessed he was in his sixties, his full head of hair was all white. He didn't bother to dye it. Always dressed in firmly pressed khaki pants, and a white long sleeved shirt, Dr. Phillips was an immaculate and orderly man. His research group was usually too intimidated to argue with him, instead they would fear his glowering gaze at their mistakes.
Although, Mia too, had been a little bit scared of him at first; she had quickly learned how to tell when her work was up to par. The extra effort she put in her work kept her from getting in trouble and helped her find new ways to go beyond her mentor's expectations. Although there were a few times when her carelessness or exhausted mind would get her a scowl or earn her a 'Don't screw this up Brooklyn!'.
Folding up the university paper, Mia looked up at him from her seat on a couch in the graduate student lounge.
"Sir, I already handed in the paper." She told him, his face blank. "I put it in your inbox yesterday afternoon and submitted it online too."
For a moment Dr. Phillips seemed caught off guard. He was quiet, his dark eyes analyzing her.
"With the changes I asked?"
"Yes sir. I triple checked it."
Looking pensive, Mia knew she had surprised him.
"I take it I'm not going to have to hunt you down, then, Brooklyn." He said, the most minute flicker of a smile on his face.
"No, sir." She told him, giving him a grin.
"I see...Don't you have any other work to complete, Brooklyn?"
"I just have to re-mark tests. I'll do that after lunch." She told him.
"Very well then." Dr. Phillips paused. "And Brooklyn..."
"Yes sir."
"Make sure you get out for a little while. Wouldn't want to mentally exhaust you."
"No Sir. I plan to go out. I'll be going with the under-21s in two weeks." She told him.
He analyzed her once more.
"Make sure to keep a close eye on Spain, Brooklyn. Many great players go there but only a few return." He said as he left.
There was nothing that could escape his notice, Mia thought sheepishly as she pulled out her newspaper again.
-----
Watching the water lap against the yacht, he lowered his arm. The cool water felt heavenly as the sun burned bright over him. Everywhere he went the beaches were filled with people; bikini clad women lounging in the sun, children running around in the water or making objects with the sand, men playing sports along the shoreline, some hoping to impress the women. He knew that if he really wanted to, he could have gotten any girl to have dinner with him at night. There weren't many who would refuse. He had noticed several ladies staring at him as he had crossed the dock to get on board. Each one trying to send subliminal messages with their eyes. The come hither look had no effect on him. At least it hadn't for the recently ended season.
Even in this lively atmosphere, Matthew couldn't be bothered to engage with the women who watched him. All he could think of was the sparkling green eyes he had seen months before. Sitting on the edge of the yacht, and letting his legs fall into the water, his gaze returned to the packed beach.
"Looking for a fair maiden to take to dinner?" He heard a male voice from behind him.
Turning his head, Matthew saw who was intruding on his peace and quiet. Looking ready to jump into the water, his cousin Leon grinned at him.
"Don't tell me you've hit a dead end in your search here as well! Lina was just getting used to this place." Leon snickered, stepping on to the ladder that lowered in to the watery depths. Matthew watched as his cousin sat on the lowest step, his shorts darkened by the water.
"No, I was just thinking."
"About what?" The light voice came from his other cousin. Leon's sister.
"Were you thinking about the girl who you gave the locket too? You know, without telling me!" Lina said, pointedly. Her sun dress billowed in the breeze.
"Still holding that against me?" Matthew said, amused.
"You bet. I'm not going to let it go until you tell me her name." Lina said stubbornly.
"You're going to be waiting a long time then." He smirked.
"You keep thinking that, Bello. Sooner or later, I'm going to find out." She told him. "Anyway, I'm heading for land. Come Leon, let's go restock before the food runs out and this one goes pazzo. Ciao Matty."
Giving his cousins a small wave, Matthew watched as they left. The boat slowly dipping up and down as they stepped off it and on to the dock. As the calm and quiet returned, Matthew's thoughts settled back on to that one person. Mia...