A Mighty Need

The next day, while people all across America stampeded through stores to get the early Black Friday sales and acted like a bunch of primates who’d never been out in public before, Audrey and Noel were still asleep in bed, snoring and occasionally shifting around on the mattress. Her cat Rhiannon came into the bedroom at one point and nudged Audrey’s face before curling up at her side to sleep as well. When they finally woke up, it was just after ten and they took their time going about their morning rituals. Audrey let Noel lay in bed a while longer as she went to her master bath to jump in the shower. She hadn’t really planned on doing anything today or for the weekend except to maybe write a little, but with Noel staying with her, she wanted to plan some outings; show him the city.

This time he was the tourist and she was the local.

She walked out her bathroom with a big, fluffy towel wrapped around her body and her wet hair hanging down around her damp, clingy tresses. She could Noel was watching her as she went up to her dresser to grab a pair of underwear and a bra to change into, so she threw smile at him over her shoulder and ducked back into the bathroom. When Audrey reemerged a second time, Noel was sitting up, playing with her cat who was eyeing him up skeptically and yet purring all the same.

“I got plans for you today.”

“I bet you do,” he replied cheekily.

“Not like that,” Audrey chastised. “Okay, well, maybe a little like that, but that way isn’t until much later tonight. Today I’m gonna take you around the city and have you do cliché tourist things.”

Noel stood up, as naked as the day he was born, and stretched his arms up toward the ceiling as he let out a shaky yawn. He pulled the sheet off the bed and wrapped it around himself almost like a toga as he staggered over toward Audrey while wiping the sleep from his eyes. Leaning close to her, he kissed her on the cheek, muttering something about wanting to brush his teeth first because his breath was probably horrid.

Audrey watched as he ducked out of the bedroom and out toward the living room where he had left his luggage the night before; listening to him unzipping and rifling through it. In the meantime, she went about getting dressed for the day; choosing a red, over-sized pullover knit sweater and a pair of faded denim jeans. On her feet she wore a pair of novelty socks that had Van Gogh’s Starry Night on them. She was sitting on her backless settee from Pottery Barn, putting the socks on, when Noel walked back into the room and continued on to the bathroom. He hadn’t shut the door so she stood up and stood in the archway, peering in at him.

“Want leftovers for breakfast or cereal? Or we could go grab breakfast somewhere.”

Noel looked at her with a mouthful of toothpaste, pulling the brush away so he could speak. “Leftovers are fine,” he mumbled through the minty paste caked on his teeth and tongue. He leaned forward, turning on the faucet and spat into the sink, then continued to brush.

“Want a little of everything? Pie, too?”

“You’re twisting my arm,” he smirked. “I can’t seem to get enough of your pie.”

Audrey snorted and shook her head, stepped out of the bathroom and her bedroom to go put together two plates of leftovers and warm them up for a bit in the microwave. By the time their post-Thanksgiving breakfast was ready and sitting on the counter, Noel joined her, wearing the bed sheet wrapped around his waist. Audrey couldn’t help but smirk and he just shrugged.

“I don’t want to get food on my clothes.”

“But it’s okay to get in on my Egyptian cotton sheets?”

“I’ll sit here naked on this stool if that’ll make ya feel better?” he threatened. “Dirty ass crack and all.”

Audrey gave him a slight shove. “Ew; not at the breakfast counter.”

Noel just snickered before the two of them began eating. She had cups of coffee for them as well and they would occasionally glance over the rims at each other with smiles in their eyes. When they were finished eating, Noel opted to grab a quick shower before that decided to leave to go anywhere. Audrey had followed him into the bathroom because that’s where her vanity table full of make-up was located. While showered behind the frosted glass shower doors, she sat there, staring at her reflection while putting on her face. The steam wasn’t a problem because she had the exhaust fan going to suck it away. Audrey stole a few glances at him in the mirror when he stepped out and began to dry off with one of her big, fluffy towels. She was in the midst of applying mascara when he came up from behind her and placed a kiss on her cheek and she nearly poked her eyeball out. Noel winced playfully when she yelped and apologized to her, and then gave her another kiss on the cheek before walking out of the bathroom to go find some clothes to change into.

When Audrey was done, she found him in her bedroom, fully dressed. She was impressed by his rather generic choice in wardrobe. He was wearing another pair of faded denim skinny jeans (slightly darker than the pair he’d worn the night before), his silver Chelsea boots and a plain, black pullover sweater.

“You look soft and cuddly,” she remarked.

“So do you,” he replied, following her with his eyes as she went to her closet and pulled out her black, Karl Lagerfeld wool-felt fedora. “So, what exactly did you have in mind for today?”

“Well, as this is your first time in Philadelphia, I think it’s only right that I take you to some of the historical places in Old City; like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross House and Christ Church. Then maybe we could go to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and we can take pictures like Sylvester Stallone running up the stairs in Rocky. There’s this great Irish restaurant nearby the museum called Tír na nÓg on Arch Street. We could grab dinner there later.”

“Sounds good.”

“Alright, well, I’m ready now if you wanna head out. I just gotta clean Rhiannon’s litter box and make sure she’s fed.”

“Sure, I’ll go grab my jacket.”

“You can put your suitcase in my room if you want, or occupy the closet space in the extra bedroom. Whichever.”

“I’ll weigh my options later when we get back.”

Audrey went to the laundry room to scoop some poop and top off Rhiannon’s food dish. When she exited the small room, Noel was waiting for her by the condo door. She grabbed her own coat out of the hall closet and threw it on, then had to dart back into the kitchen where she’d left her purse and cell phone. As soon as she locked up behind them, they decided they would walk instead of taking her car which was parked in the parking garage. She left the building and crossed the street, stopping first at her usual Starbucks where they grab coffees to go to keep themselves warm against the cold, late November wind whipping at them. Several times they wound up almost eating their own hair.

Walking five city blocks up to Chestnut Street, they turned right and continued on for about fifteen minutes until they happened upon the intersection of Chestnut and 6th Street where the Independence Hall was to their right and the Liberty Bell Center was to their left. They chose the Liberty Bell first, crossing 6th Street heading inside the building and then followed the other people in to see the Liberty Bell.

Noel seemed genuinely interested in reading in hearing a guy talking about the bell’s history. Audrey just watched him and took a picture of the bell with her phone. She’d gone her whole life living in the suburbs of Philadelphia and traveling into the city plenty of times before she actually moved to the condo she now lived in, and not once did she ever take a picture of the historical locations. She’d gone so many times in the past growing up that she took advantage of them being there. Having Noel with her was like seeing these places through new eyes.

When he got bored of the guy talking, he handed her his phone so she could take a picture of him next to bell which was had a slight barricade to prevent people from touching it. Audrey made sure she got Independence Hall in the background while he smiled a goofy smile at her. She took the picture and handed the phone back when he pulled her beside him and took a selfie with her and the bell in the shot. He then went to taping away at his keypad when her phone buzzed.

She smirked knowingly at him and knew he must’ve updated Twitter. And, sure enough, there was the message.

Letting freedom ring with Bunny Foo Foo @audreyewoods x

Audrey shook her head and put her phone away, not bothering to tweet a response. They left shortly after, walking up a block to the corner of 6th and Market Street to head into the Independence Visitor Center where they picked up their free time entry tickets to tour Independence Hall. While inside, Noel darted into the gift shop like a little kid, looking for kitschy souvenirs to bring home to London with him. He settled on a shot glass with the Declaration of Independence on it for his brother, a Love sculpture/Liberty Bell keychain for his mother and a Liberty Bell/Independence Hall shot glass for his father. For himself, he bought a beer pint glass with the Benjamin Franklin quote of “Beer is proof that God wants up to be happy” and a gray T-shirt with the Thomas Jefferson quote of “A little REBELLION now and then is a good thing.” After his purchases were made, he took her hand as they left and crossed Market Street, continuing back down 6th and crossing over to Independence Hall back on Chestnut Street.

They lined up for their tour and were inside just before one in the afternoon. Noel didn’t take any photos inside but once the tour was over, he grabbed a few shots as they exited. He had grown up being taught the British side of things when it came to America’s war for independence and even then, the subject wasn’t touched upon too long. Noel commented that it was nice to get to know “more of the story.”

Afterward, they walked east down Chestnut Street, and stopping in front of Carpenters’ Hall, were the First Continental Congress used to meet, when Noel noticed a small blue sign in front of the building that said ‘PASSENGER FERRY TO CAMDEN’ on it with a yellow arrow pointing up ahead. Noel thought it was funny and took a picture, because it made him think of home. After he got his picture, they walked on, chatting about goofy things, like what would happen if they fell into a random wormhole and found themselves back in the past, during the Revolutionary War. Would they be able to manage without modern comforts? Would they die of disease? Would he be bayoneted by an American Patriot because they thought he was a British Loyalist?

Audrey laughed off the latter idea, saying that many people living in Philadelphia back then would’ve had British accents, whether they were for or against American independence.

Noel had taken her hand in his again as they walked, eventually crossing the street to turn left and head north up 2nd Street. One block later, they were at Market Street, crossing at the light and continued up 2nd Street where they quickly came upon Christ Church. They passed through the open wrought-iron gate and back to the side rear entrance to the church, where there was a small little gift shop. Audrey dropped a fiver into the donation basket, despite entrance to the church being free. They walked down the center aisle hand in hand, and suddenly it felt funny between them. Not funny in a bad way, necessarily, just strange. Probably because whatever they had going with each other was still so new and they hadn’t defined it yet and there they were, walking hand in hand down a church aisle together.

For someone with an abstract, surrealist’s eye, Noel seemed to enjoy the simplicity of the church’s interior. It was mostly all white, though there was some gold embellishments on the raised lectern and the pews were lined in dark wood, as was the altar area. Audrey dragged Noel to one of the pews, remembering it specifically to be the pew designated as George Washington and his wife Martha’s usual spot. There was even a plaque commemorating the fact. She slid into the pew and sat down, propping her feet up and looked up at Noel.

“Check it out; my feet are where George Washington’s ass was.”

Noel laughed and slid in beside her. He sat with his hands between his knees, his souvenir bag dangling from his fingers with a gentle sway. He was looking up toward the altar, leaning back and looking as if he was in deep thought.

Audrey glanced at his profile and nudged his arm with her shoulder. “Penny for your thoughts?”

“I was just thinking how, despite not ever being raised with any religion and not being a religious person, I could see myself getting married in a place like this someday.”

Nodding, Audrey tried to envision getting married in Christ Church. “I’ve never been particularly religious either, that’s why I also thought of myself getting married outside somewhere, like in the woods or maybe someplace original, like inside a library or an abandoned building.”

Noel looked at her. “Like something that looks like it’s about to fall down or just empty but structurally sound?”

“The second one,” she replied. “Being crushed to death by the roof caving in on my wedding day would be a major downer.”

They met each other’s gaze and decided to get up moments later. They headed back out to the gift shop area and paid the four dollars to take the fifteen minute tour of the Christ Church burial ground where Benjamin Franklin and his wife were interred. Once there, Noel took a photo of his and Audrey’s shoes at the base of Franklin’s grave and tweeted it.

@audreyewoods and I are six feet above Ben’s bones x

Audrey didn’t bother checking her phone until after the tour. They left the cemetery, going east on Arch Street where they soon came to the Betsy Ross House and paid for tickets to tour the place. Afterward, they went down into the museum store where they both bought girls’ mop hats. Audrey pulled out her phone and took her fedora off, placing it her souvenir bag. She pulled the mop hat out and walked out into the courtyard area to take a seat beside Betsy Ross’ grave. She had Noel take her photo, then she took one of him and then she asked a passing tourist to take one of them both wearing their mop hats.

Growing hungry, they decided to call for a cab which took them back to her building. When they got upstairs, they picked at some leftovers again and then lounged on the couch for about twenty minutes, talking and flipping through the channels on the TV. Afterward, they left again but this time headed down to the parking garage to take her car to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They’d had enough walking around the streets of Philadelphia for the day.

After a fifteen minute drive, she parked at the museum’s parking garage and they got out, walking around to the front of the building and going up the steps. Noel began to run up them with his fists pounding the air which made Audrey laugh.

In his best Sylvester Stallone voice, he turned around to face her and called out, “Yo, Audrey!”

“Stop,” she said, pulling her phone out. “Let me get a pic of you doing the Rocky stance like everyone else on these stairs.”

Noel noticed a few others doing the same thing. “So, this is really where that scene was filmed, yeah?”

Audrey nodded. “Well, not this landing. He did the victory jig at the top.” They were only halfway up.

“Well, then wait here and I’ll go up the rest of the way, and then take the picture from where you are. That way you can get all these steps in.” Noel turned and ran as best as he could up the rest of the way in those damn Chelsea boots he loved so much. Reaching the top, he turned and smiled down at her and threw his arms up in the air with balled up fists.

In response, Audrey took a picture, and then began to walk up to meet him. As soon as they were side by side again, they continued on together, with Noel asking to see the picture she’d got. Once inside the museum, they didn’t have to pay because Audrey had paid for the Ambassador membership, which gave her free admission for two to over fifty museums across the country, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Institute of Chicago and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Since it was Noel’s first time, she let him lead the way, wherein he chose to go straight to the Contemporary and Modern Art galleries.

Audrey watched his face light up as he peered at almost every piece. Some he commented quietly to her that he thought he could’ve done a better job, and then flashed a cheeky grin. She was, admittedly, not as into the same art he was, though she did admire his art a great deal. She preferred portraits and scenery from the European painters from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. Her favorite artist was Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. She just felt his works were the perfect glimpse into how life was in that particular place and time.

As seemed to become the norm for them, at some point, Noel took her hand in his as they walked from room to room, gallery to gallery. Before they knew it, it was going on seven in the evening and their stomachs were beginning to growl again. They soon left the museum and got back to her car. After a five minute drive down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, they came upon the intersection where the building that the restaurant was located in. She went across the street from the building in question — The Phoenix — and drove down into the Autopark at JFK Plaza. Once in the parking garage, Audrey drove around before finding an available place.

Five minutes later, Noel and Audrey were walking into The Phoenix and turning left to head into Tír na nÓg, which was next door to a Starbucks. They were greeted by a hostess who led them to a sectioned off area on a raised floor where there was an empty table near a lit fireplace. Noel helped her out of her jacket and holding her chair out for her like a proper gentleman before sitting down kitty corner to her and taking off his own jacket. A waitress soon darted over to them to take their drink orders; Audrey chose a bottle of Stella Artois while Noel chose a bottle of Heineken.

When the waitress left to get their drinks and so they could look over their menus, Noel made a face at Audrey. “I thought you didn’t like beer.”

“I’m not a beer girl, but Stella Artois is the only one I can really stomach.”

“Full of surprises,” he quipped.

“I’d hardly call that a surprise.”

“Well, considering you always drink wine, mixed drinks or shots, beer is a surprise to me.” They stared at each other over their menus. “I had a good time today,” he added.

“I’m glad,” Audrey nodded. “Tomorrow you can choose whatever you want to do.”

Noel shrugged. “I haven’t the slightest idea what I’d wanna do. Who, however…”

Audrey chuckled. “Well, I suppose that’s just a given.”

“Not really. You could turn me down. I wouldn’t be offended.”

“Have you met you?” she gestured to him with a wave of her hand. “I couldn’t turn that down if I tried.”

Grinning from ear to ear, Noel leaned down on the table slightly, running a hand through his hair, just as the waitress returned with their drinks and asked if they needed more time to order. Considering they hadn’t really looked at their menus, they agreed that a few more minutes would be nice.

In the end, they ordered their meals and enjoyed them quite a bit. Audrey went for the beer battered fish and chips while Noel decided to get the Philly cheesesteak, claiming he could eat British and Irish cuisine anytime he wanted at home. He was in Philadelphia and would eat local cuisine. And, as it would have it, he loved it. For dessert, they split a slice of mascarpone cheese cake; choosing to share because they both knew there was still plenty of pie back at her condo.

After dinner, Noel paid the bill, despite Audrey’s objections. As they left the restaurant and The Phoenix altogether, they crossed the street, but didn’t go down to the parking garage right away. Audrey dragged him to JFK Plaza, around the fountain and over to the Love sculpture.

“You bought this in keychain form for your mom, you might as well get a picture of the real thing,” she explained her reasoning for dragging him there. All the lights from the streets and within the plaza set against the night gave the impression of a starry sky; something that couldn’t be seen due to cloud cover and the city’s light pollution. “Come on; stand in front of it and do a pose or something.”

A young Asian walking past noticed them and stopped. “Do you want me to take a picture of the two of you?” she offered.

Audrey looked over at the girl, then to Noel, and then back to the girl again. “Uh, yeah, thanks.” She walked up to the girl and handed her phone over before sidling up next to Noel.

He looked down at her and smirked, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her closer up against him. They stared at the girl and smiled as she took their picture. Audrey met her halfway to see how it came out and when the girl asked if they wanted another one taken, Noel pulled out his phone and asked if she’d take one with his camera instead. The girl obliged.

While Audrey was prepared for another generic pose with the sculpture looming above them, Noel had another idea. “On the count of three, take the picture, okay?” he asked the girl, who nodded and began to count. On three, Noel placed his hands on either side of Audrey’s face and pulled her in for a kiss. Her hands went to his arms on instinct to brace herself, and almost purred in response.

“Oh, that came out so cute,” the Asian girl commented. She walked up to the pair and handed Noel back his camera.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” the girl nodded with a smile, noting his accent. “Tourists?”

“I am,” Noel pointed to himself, then nodded at Audrey. “She’s a local.”

“Thanks again,” Audrey finally spoke, finding her voice again.

“Woops. I have a missed call from my mum,” he mentioned after looking at the photo the girl took with his phone. “I’ll listen to it later.”

All the while, Audrey found herself just staring at him, even as they walked back to the parking garage. Once she got to her car, he began to tap away at his phone, typing something quickly and then pocketing it away. In less than five minutes they were back at her building on South Broad Street, and parked in her designated space as a resident. They walked to the lobby and grabbed the first available elevator up to her floor. As they got into her condo and removed their jackets and shoes, Audrey checked her phone while Noel seemed busy with something. Audrey wasn’t sure what that something was because she was staring down and noticing Noel had updated his Twitter again.

She saw the post he’d made earlier in the day at Benjamin Franklin’s gravesite and smirked, then noticed the recent one he must’ve been posting on the drive back.

It was the picture of him kissing her below the Love sculpture and the message read: Can you feel it, @audreyewoods? xxxx.

Audrey blinked as she walked toward the living room and looked up, not seeing Noel there. She looked to her right and then noticed him standing in the archway to the dining room, having removed his sweater and now only wearing his pants.

“D’you read my twitter post?”

Audrey nodded. “Yeah.”

“Do you?”

“Do I what?” she was feeling a bit dazed at the moment. Part of it had to do with the picture and the tweet, and part of it had to do with how good he looked, standing before her like that. She was going to need a cold shower in a minute.

“Do you feel it? I do.” He was looking at her, quite seriously. No jesting or cheeky smirks; all business.

Audrey could feel her heartbeat begin to speed up a bit; that was for sure. “You feel what, exactly?” she baited him. She was sensing some nerves starting to eat at every inch of her. The pulsing of blood through her veins was like a surge of jackhammers underneath her skin.

Noel reached out and took her hands, pulling her up against his bare chest and placing her hands on his hips. He stared down at her, pressing the tip of his nose to hers. “That I love you,” he whispered. His admission sounded shy; like a little boy standing in the rain with his heart on his sleeve. He pulled his face back a bit. “I know we haven’t known each other too long; only just over a month. But I know what I feel for you. I know I can’t stop thinking about you even when I’m with you. I know that the last few weeks since you left London that I wake up every morning wishing you were waking up beside me. I know I’ve smiled the most I think I’ve ever smiled when I’m with you or talking to you. I feel like a teenager with you.”

“Are you sure it’s not just lust?”

“I know lust and I have felt it with you, but I feel more than that now.” He stared at her with his big blue eyes, so earnestly that he almost melted her. “I don’t want you to—”

“I love you, too,” Audrey blurted, then bit down on her bottom lip.

Noel smiled then and they just looked each other in the eye. “You’re not just saying that so I don’t feel like a tit, are you?”

Audrey shook her head. “No, I mean it. But I do think we shouldn’t rush too much.” She slowly snaked her arms around his waist and placed her chin on his chest, staring up at him. “I’m not saying I’m looking for a Victorian courtship, but I’d like to take things at a steady pace. I mean, what we’ve been doing is great, too, and I wanna keep doing it,” she smirked. “But I also think we shouldn’t hurry into any bigger steps. Know what I mean?”

Noel nodded and laughed. “I wasn’t planning on proposing to you tomorrow.”

Audrey narrowed her hazel eyes and slapped his ass. “Smartass.”

In response, Noel kissed her, and then spun her around to lead her more into the dining room. “Beautiful Foo Foo,” he murmured into her mouth as he backed her against the table.

“Cockney whore,” she giggled.

Hooking his hands under her arms, he lifted her up to sit on the table and she quickly wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer to her as they kissed.

“How steady is this table?” he asked.

“The steadiest.”

“Good.”

Noel pushed her gently down till she was lying back on the table and then climbed up over her. Leaning his face into the side of her neck, he whispered once more, “I love you.”

Audrey smiled and wrapped her arms around his bare shoulders. “I love you, too,” she whispered back.