Dusk & Summer

tom.
oct 24, 2005.
encinitas, california.
"So when are you coming to see me, then?" She asked. I could hear she was smiling. I grinned as I stretched my legs out luxuriously, basking in the warm sun. It was an exceptionally hot day for the end of fall.

"Well the deal was finalised yesterday." I told her, running my fingers through my hair.

"Congratulations!"

I grinned again. "Thanks. The house is empty, the people living there moved out a month ago and just left it on the market, so I can move in whenever I want."

"And when are you going to?"

"I'm getting a moving firm in next week. It'll take a while because there's all my stuff here, then I've got a lot of stuff in storage from the divorce settlement. So I thought...I could come while they're doing that."

"Next week?!"

"Yeah."

"Yeah yeah do that!" She exclaimed, and I grinned happily.

"I'm going to. My assistant's booking my flight as we speak."

"Wait." Anna spluttered. "...You have an assistant?!"

My cheeks went red as I gnawed at the inside of my lip.

"..What's wrong with having an assistant?" I asked cautiously, and Anna laughed.

"Nothing. But what does she do all day?"

"Well she doesn't work every day!" I protested. "And she just...takes my calls when I'm busy and you know...gets my lunch when I'm at the studio and stuff..."

Anna laughed loudly. "You lazy bugger."

"Hey!" I laughed. "Plus, what made you assume my assistant would be a woman?!"

"Did you deny it?" She simply asked in reply, which shut me up.



oct 29, 2005.
london, england.
I hurriedly gave the taxi driver the fare and thanked him, before climbing out of the cab and looking around me quickly. I was a few minutes late but I couldn't see her anywhere. She didn't exactly specify where in Leicester Square we were meeting, so I stuck to the side of the square near the tube station, chewing on my lip nervously.

Suddenly I spotted her, standing near the Ben & Jerry's stand under a street lamp. I had to actually stop for a second to stare. She looked phenomenal.

I let my gaze trail from her hair, hanging loose around her shoulders, down to her jacket and dress where my eyes lingered for a moment, before following her gorgeous bare legs to her shoes. Luckily she hadn't seen me yet because she was looking into a compact. As I approached she snapped it shut and slipped it into her small bag. My heart was beating fast and my palms began to sweat as I got close to her. What should I say? Should I kiss her? Oh God, should I kiss her?!

She finally looked up and saw me, and her face broke into a huge smile. She quickly walked the last few steps towards me and immediately hugged me, before dropping a kiss on my cheek.

"How've you been." She asked me with a wide grin which turned out to be infectious.

"Good, thanks. You?"

"Pretty good, yeah." She laughed, her hand still resting on my arm. She looked me up and down and grinned again. "You look nice."

"Me?!" I looked down at my plain black dress pants and white shirt. Then I looked Anna up and down again and opened my mouth a few times. "Y-you-- look-- amazing."

She laughed and looked down shyly.

"Thanks. I better, this dress is one of the most expensive items of clothing I own."

I laughed and looked down briefly, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Do you want your birthday present?" I asked her with a smile, and she gasped.

"Tom, I told you you didn't have to get me anything!"

"I know I didn't, I wanted to." I said dismissively, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a small, dark blue box. I held it out to Anna, but she just stared down at it. Slowly she reached out and took the box carefully.

"Tom this-- this is a Swarovski box." She said, as though she couldn't believe it. I grinned.

"I know."

"But- that means-- there's- Swarovski-- jewellery...inside--" She said dazedly, and I laughed.

"I know, Anna. But you won't get to see it if you don't ever open the box."

She stared down at it for a few more seconds before holding it back out to me.

"No." She said, shaking her head. "I can't accept it. And if i see it, I'll want it, so just take it back."

"What-- why?" I said, upset that she didn't even want to see what I'd got her.

"Because you will have spent-- more than you should have on me, Tom, and--"

"Anna, just accept the fucking present and don't think about how much it cost." I said, pushing the box back towards her. She laughed and stared down at the box again before looking back up at me with sparkling eyes.

Slowly she took the lid off the box and stared down at the bangle inside.

"Oh my God."

She carefully took it out of the box and held it delicately in her hands. Then she laughed happily.

"Oh my God." She repeated. "This is--"

She looked up at me and laughed disbelievingly.

"You shouldn't have spent this much." She scolded as she threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly. I grinned, happy that she was pleased with it, as I hugged her back.

"Tom, this is amazing." She breathed as she pulled away and slid the bracelet onto her slender wrist. "It's gorgeous."

I smiled widely and shrugged. "I'm glad you like it." I said shyly, and she stepped closer to me.

"I love it." She told me, hugging me again. I laughed and squeezed her gently, and after a few moments she pulled back, but only slightly so that her nose was gently nudging mine. My breath hitched in my throat as I looked down at her wide, gray eyes, but only for the briefest second because before I knew it, I could feel her soft lips against mine in a kiss. I kissed her again and reached up to lace my fingers through her hair as she sucked briefly on my bottom lip, making my stomach fill with butterflies.

I didn't want to stop kissing her, and she didn't pull away either so I hoped she felt the same. One of her small hands was resting between us on my chest, and I felt her slide the other up the back of my neck into my hair. I let my hands fall to her waist, before I slid them down to her hips and gently pulled her lower body closer to mine.

We kissed again, this time a lot deeper, before slowly breaking our lips apart. I nudged her nose with my own gently before smiling down at her.

"I'll buy you Swarovski Crystals every time I see you if it means you'll kiss me like that again."

Anna laughed loudly as she examined the bracelet again, moving her wrist in and out of the light so that the pearls shimmered.

"I think this one's going to last a while, I wouldn't worry."

I laughed and tried not to look too pleased with myself as she linked her arm through mine and began to lead me towards Picadilly Circus.

"So where are we going?" I asked, twitching my cold nose as I looked around us. "Are you hungry? We could go eat somewhere."

"No." Anna shook her head. "We're going to the theatre." She then told me, and after a second I laughed.

"We are?"

"Yes. We're going to see Stomp."

She stopped walking and turned towards me whilst opening her bag and looking inside. Then she pulled out two tickets and handed me one with a smile.

"That's awesome!" I said, laughing as I took the ticket and examined it. "Thank you." I then said, smiling at Anna. She grinned, her eyes sparkling.

"It's nothing, Tom. You just gave me a Swarovski Crystal bracelet. A theatre ticket is nothing in comparison."

"Yes it is! Theatre tickets are expensive. So thank you."

"It's okay." Anna said shyly, smiling and looking down. Then she looked at her ticket again. "The show starts at 9, so we've got an hour and a half to get something quick to eat then get a drink in the theatre bar. Sound good?"

"That sounds great." I said as we started walking again. I felt Anna's gloved hand lightly brush up against mine, so after a few moment's nervous hesitation, I laced my fingers through hers, feeling the cool leather of her glove against my cold hand. I sensed her glance up at me but I kept my gaze facing forward, hoping the dark night was disguising my flushed cheeks.

"How about we just go in here." Anna suggested after a few moments, pointing to a Pizza Express on the corner. "It's right close to the theatre and we can just share a pizza."

I smiled at her dialect before nodding. "Sure, that sounds good."

We crossed the street and stepped inside, being greeted by warm air that smelt like dough, and the sound of quiet chatter. It was busy, but I suppose it was always busy, being right near the theatre. A waiter greeted us and led us over to a free table in the corner, by a window. We looked at the menus and quickly ordered a pizza to share, along with a glass of wine each.

Our food came and we ate while talking casually, with Anna laughing at me each time I took a bite of pizza and ended up fanning my mouth frantically as it was too hot. When we finished I refused to let Anna pay the bill despite her asking me repeatedly if I would give her the bill as I held it out of reach from her across the table. But then, as she leant forward I allowed my gaze to trail downwards to her cleavage and I very nearly told her I'd do anything she wanted.

"You should feel flattered, I don't think any other woman has ever made me as nervous as you do." I told her as the waiter took the bill away, and she laughed loudly.

"Really?!"

I nodded and grinned at her, taking a sip of my drink.

"Why do I make you so nervous?!"

"Because...I don't know...you just do." I said with a shrug, and Anna shook her head with a smile. "Especially in that dress." I added in an undertone, but Anna heard. She laughed again and lightly nudged me with her foot under the table.

"You are such a charmer, and you know it." She told me, and I laughed.

"If you think the way I've been acting is me being charming-- this is me charming on a very bad day." I joked, winking at her. She raised her eyebrows in mock approval, before she burst out laughing.

"Shall we go." She said as she finished laughing. She glanced up at the clock on the wall of the restaurant. "We've got half an hour til the show starts. Let's go get a drink at the bar in the theatre."

"Okay."

We stood up and left a tip, then walked out of the restaurant. I felt Anna's hand gently slip down my arm before she wove her fingers between mine as we walked down the dark, busy street towards the theatre. My breath was coming out in clouds as the cold air ruffled my hair.

The theatre was warm and softly lit as we stepped inside and made our way across the plush, dark red carpet towards the bar.

"Let me buy you a drink." I said, as we reached the bar and Anna picked up the cocktails menu.

"You don't have to!" She said, smiling up at me. I rolled my eyes and grinned.

"I know I don't have to." I said, exasperated at saying the same thing every time I offered to buy her a drink. She grinned up at me and leaned into me a little, which made my heart flutter lightly. I slid my hand onto her waist and looked at the drinks menu over her shoulder.

"So what are you gonna get?" I asked her, but all I could think about was how I could smell her hair.

"I might just get a glass of wine." She told me, looking up at me and smiling. I grinned back and nodded, then after a moment's hesitation dropped a kiss onto her temple before turning to the waiting bartender. I ordered a glass of white wine and a glass of red, my stomach flipping pleasantly as I felt Anna's arm slip around my waist.

The bartender returned with our drinks and I quickly got my wallet out of my back pocket to pay him.

"Let's sit on the balcony." Anna said, taking my hand and leading me over towards the glass doors.

"But it's cold!" I whined, and Anna laughed.

"Don't be such a baby, it's always cold here."

We stepped onto the balcony, there were a few other couples out there already. We sat at a table near the railing, and both sat down on seats next to each other that faced down onto Leicester Square. It was a gorgeous view at night.

I shivered a little as I took a sip of the warm, heavy red wine in my glass.

"Oh you are such a baby." Anna teased, shifting her chair closer to mine and nestling under my arm as I rested it around her shoulders.

"I am not." I laughed. "But it's almost November! And it's always freezing in England anyway, especially in winter."

"I know, I do live here." Anna said, laughing and looking up at me before taking a sip from her own glass. We were both silent for a few minutes as we looked at the view in front of us, comparing the calm atmosphere up here with the busy square below us.

"So what's your new house like?" Anna asked me, and I gave her a brief description. She tutted and drank some more wine.

"You must've been overwhelmed by the size of my flat, then." She said sarcastically. "It must be a mansion compared to the sound of the house you've just bought."

She looked up at me and grinned to let me know she was just kidding.

"I'll probably have to move into somewhere smaller soon, anyway." She then said with a sigh, looking down into her wine glass.

"How come?" I asked with a frown, taking a sip of my own drink.

"Well Mel's been with Sam for about a year and a half now. They're pretty serious, so it doesn't look unlikely that she'll move in with him."

"Oh right." I said, stroking her arm with my thumb absentmindedly.

"And I won't be able to afford that flat by myself. In fact if Mel moved out, I wouldn't be able to afford it even if I found a new flatmate. The only reason we've got such a nice flat and can afford it is because the landlady is Mel's aunty. She lives downstairs from us." Anna told me, and I nodded. "So she charges us hardly anything to live there. But if Mel moved out, I know she'd probably double my rent."

"I'm sure Mel wouldn't let her do that." I said, but Anna snorted into her glass.

"Mel's aunt doesn't even like her that much. She doesn't like anyone that much. She's a crotchety old woman with about 6 cats."

I laughed, and Anna joined in as she took another sip of wine.

"She can't be that bad, if she doesn't charge you much to live in a pretty sweet apartment."

"Oh, she only does that because Mel's mum made her."

"Oh right." I laughed, taking a sip from my glass. "Well, Mel's not just gonna up and leave without giving you any notice."

"Yeah, I know." Anna sighed, taking her last sip of wine and almost draining the glass. She set her glass down with a little bit of liquid still inside it and said, "Shall we go in?"

I nodded as I drained the last of the wine from my glass and set it down on the table beside hers. We stood up and made our way back inside, where there was now a small line of people showing their tickets to the theatre assistants on the doors. We joined the back and after a few minutes, showed our tickets to a young guy on the door, who ripped off our ticket stubs and handed back the rest of the ticket so that we could see our seat numbers.

"Enjoy the show." He said with a polite smile, and we both said thank you before making our way into the theatre.



anna.
"You are such a liar, Tom!" I cried, not able to stop laughing as I turned at the top of the stairs and looked down at him.

"I am not!" He protested, laughing as well as he followed me up the stairs. "I saw one, I swear on my life! It ran out in front of me when I was driving home from my mom's."

"Mole people don't exist!" I laughed, unlocking my front door and throwing my bag on the sofa as I walked into the kitchen.

"Don't knock what you can't prove, Annabelle." Tom laughed, closing the door behind him and following me into the kitchen. I looked up at him and shook my head, still laughing as I pulled my gloves off and placed them on the counter.

"Do you want a drink?" I then asked as I slowly stopped laughing, looking up at him from filling up the kettle at the sink.

"Just some water's fine."

I put the kettle on the counter and flicked it on before reaching up to open the cupboard we keep the glasses in. I leaned up on tiptoes to try and reach a glass as the only clean ones were on the top shelf - the rest were in the sink.

"Here." Tom laughed, seeing me struggle and coming up behind me. I lowered my hand and watch Tom's arm reach above me to grab a glass. I could feel his other hand on my hip as his front pressed against my back lightly. I turned round so that my chest pressed lightly against his. I looked up into his face and smiled.

"Thanks." I said, and after a second Tom gave me a crooked grin as he placed the glass down on the counter behind me. After a few moments, I leant up slightly, my hands resting against the edge of the counter behind me, and at the same time Tom moved his head down a little towards mine. Suddenly his warm lips were moving against mine and tiny pinpricks of pleasure exploded all over my body. I felt his tongue trace the dent in my top lip before nudging my lips apart gently. I gasped breathlessly against his lips as his tongue slid into my mouth and his hands moved round onto my lower back.

I hooked my forefingers into the front of his pants, and felt Tom smile against my lips as he raised his left hand and laced his fingers through my hair. His tongue rubbed against mine softly, before I broke my lips away from his. We were both breathless, and Tom stared at me with wide eyes, wondering why I'd stopped kissing him.

"You- you don't have to leave tomorrow, do you." I asked him with a smile, and after a second Tom grinned back and shook his head.

"You're stuck with me for a week." He told me.