Unlikely Places (16 page)

August

My relationship with Sam had been on a slow burn since we
first met six months ago, was now piping hot, we rarely spent a night apart
sharing our time between Sam’s flat in town and my house. Often spending
evenings cooking and working as Sam’s workload had slowly increased, I began
altering my work schedule around her choosing to work in the evenings alongside
her.

I realised I wanted to be more open with Sam, I was all too
aware she was largely an open book to me while I was locked up tight on many
occasions deflecting questions like a ‘Nadal’ on a tennis court. She was very
patient with me, but I wanted to at least venture inside the baseline and start
heading towards the net. I thought for a while on how I could approach this
slightly perilous subject, I had always struggled opening up to close friends
and girlfriends in the past, always holding something back. I felt closer to
Sam than I had anyone before, I felt ready to let go I just needed some form of
stimulus to get the ball rolling.

Thinking about our common ground at the local University I
managed to unearth my photography portfolio out of storage. I hoped it would
give Sam a little insight into my minds workings or at least create a spring
board. Taking advantage in a lull in conversation while eating spaghetti
bolognaise on a relaxed Friday evening I ventured fourth.

“I dug out my old photography portfolio today if you want to
have a look at it?” I nonchalantly dropped out between sips of wine.

“Umm yes please”. I saw her eyes light up as she took
another sip of her wine.

I was still unsure about letting her see my work, it didn’t
feel like it was mine anymore it was from so long ago, at the time it was all I
could think about but now it was the furthest thing from my mind. Returning our
plates to the kitchen I turned to see her standing in the doorway draining the
last of her wine before placing the glass on the worktop. 

“Is this some form of chat up line?....Come upstairs to see
my etchings type of thing because you don’t need to do that....I’ll happily
follow you upstairs you don’t need to make an excuse?”

“Really?.....Good to know”. I said smiling as I took her
hand leading her to the second floor, the portfolio was laid out on the floor
ready for her perusal. Kneeling in front of it I pulled her down next to me,
opening the battered and dusty front cover.

“So....umm these are some pictures I took while I was at Uni
they’re mostly of architectural landscapes....I did some others further on of
natural landscapes showing how they can be structural that kind of thing”.

As we flipped through my portfolio, I could actually
remember taking some of the photo’s it made me slightly wistful of the long
hours I spent in darkrooms developing endless photos trying to get the right
composition, the right contrast. My mind drifted to the idea of setting up a
dark room I had quite a bit of the equipment in storage from when they revamped
their equipment at Uni before I left. It would just take a bit of DIY to
actually set the room up, black out the windows set up an enlarger and
developing table. I had the time and space I just needed a subject. In my day
dream we had travelled through most of the portfolio, I realised how little
interest I had in it now. Looking past the subject I could still appreciate the
technical aspects, I was definitely warming to the idea of setting up a
darkroom at home.

Right at the back there were a few loose more recent photo’s
I had taken since leaving Uni mostly of derelict buildings I had spotted around
the city before and during demolition. I picked up one that caught my eye, it
was of a large residential building with the external façade missing exposing
the internal walls and their various wall coverings no doubt lovingly picked by
the previous residents. Looking at the second floor I focused on the random
graffiti that was daubed on the walls it read -‘Pete smells of fish’. I
remember it catching my eye at the time as the word ‘of’ and ‘fish’ were very
close together making the word ‘offish’ which I wasn’t sure was intentional but
it always brought a smile to my face as I contemplated the mind-set of the
writer.

“I always liked this one with the graffiti”. I said handing
Sam the photo.

“Is it ‘of fish’ or ‘offish’?” She asked with a slight
frown.

“I’m not sure....I think that’s why I like it”. I said
leaning in to her to look at the photo.

“I like all the different wall textures they’re so
sharp.....I think my grandmother had tiles like that in her kitchen”. She said
as she handed me the photograph.

I put it to one side to keep out, as we continued to the end
of the portfolio, closing the back cover I spilled more info of my time at
university.

“I went to Uni with someone whose work consisted of photos
of piercings....as in private parts it was all a bit risky at the time.....it
had to be behind curtains with an over eighteen warning”. 

She eyed me with interest. “Really?”

“Guess what her name was?”

She smiled a slight frown questioning me.

“Nicky Pierce!”

Her laughter filled the room. “No fucking way”.

“Well....sort of...I remember after finding out what her
work was about I said to my friend Kate how weird it was that her name was
Nicky Pierce.....she burst out laughing and I couldn’t figure out why”.

“And?”

“Well apparently her name wasn’t Pierce it was a nick name
they had given her relating to her work as there were two Nicky’s on the same
course, but I’d only ever known her as Nicky Pierce so I thought that’s what
her name was”.

“Oh my god you’re so funny....What was her real name?”

“Absolutely no idea”. I said stifling a laugh. “Nick names
are funny things I was called ‘plant pot’ for two years by someone who miss
heard someone when they called me ‘Philpot’ one night”.  

Sam was still giggling as she came towards me pulling me
into a tight embrace kissing my neck.

“I like your work....thank you for showing it to me”.

“Really?...It’s so old now it doesn’t even feel like my work
anymore.....I like the later ones I took after leaving Uni....but-“.

My sentence was cut short as Sam captured my lips kissing me
deeply, I felt a surge of lust rush over me. I whispered against her lips. “You
know we haven’t christened this room yet”.

She pulled away long enough to say. “I know”.

My official community payback time at the hostel was coming
to an end this week, I was grateful for what it had given me, most noticeably
in the form of Sam and a semblance of normality to my life after two years of
hibernation. Sam was also felt indebted to the hostel and Mike, she tried to
spend one evening a week at the hostel providing support and advice for
residents. We both planned to continue giving back, I had already offered my
DIY services for any repairs that needed doing at the hostel or flats they
held.

As my last timesheet was filled in I shook Mike’s hand
thanking him for all his help during my time there. It almost felt wrong
leaving, I had become a better person since I had started working there.

“No problem it’s been a pleasure”.

“I’ll be in next week to look at that kitchen in the
apartment...probably on Tuesday with Sam if that’s okay?”

“Absolutely.....thanks for doing that”

I was relieved that my payback time over and felt a small
celebration coming on as I parked outside home, a number of lights were on Sam
was in there somewhere probably hunched over some work. It had really started
to feel more like a home since she had started spending more time around there,
it felt warmer, more homely. As I made my way to the front door my head filled
with thoughts of opening a bottle of wine and cuddling up with Sam.

“Oooh um hello....you’re back early?”

I saw Sam poke her head out from the kitchen, glancing at
the clock as I took off my coat it was a little after seven I was a little
early, I eyed the empty doorway suspiciously. 

“Am I?...Have I caught you doing something naughty?”

“Err no not at all....what makes you say that?”

I stood in the hallway peering into the kitchen. “Can I come
in?....I thought we could have a glass of wine to celebrate the official end of
community payback”.

Appearing in the doorway she took my hand leading me into
the kitchen. “Of course...now what wine would you like to celebrate your
freedom?”

I scanned the kitchen looking for anything out of place
giving any hint of her evenings toil.

“Umm I’m not sure”. I gently pulled her into my arms. “Maybe
if you tell me what you’ve been up to...I’ll tell you what I want to drink”.

She pulled back to look at me. “I see trying to bargain are
we?.....Well I do have something for you it’s....umm a bit off the wall and I
have to say it seemed a good idea when I was lying in the bath the other night
but I’m having second thoughts right now”.

I couldn’t stop smiling at her look of concern. “You’re
really tweaking my interest now...you know that right?”

She began to dip her head resting her forehead on my
shoulder. “I’m just making it worse so I’ll put us both out of my misery”.

“Hey”. I whispered in to her ear before kissing her neck
softly. I freed my left hand using it to lift up her chin brining her beautiful
green eyes to mine. “Whatever it is I’ll love it because you chose it”.

She smiled but didn’t seem convinced by my effort to
convince her, moving to the fridge she retrieved a black box measuring about
five inches square, handing it to me with a shy grin.

I met her eyes as I took the box from her feeling the cold
on my hands, it must have been in the fridge for some time. I opened the box
revealing what looked like a snowball of the frosty variety not the chocolate
marshmallow kind. I looked up a little confused.

She bit her lower lip I hadn’t seen her do that in ages.
“It’s more about what’s inside it?”

“I see....do I need to let it melt? Or can I......attack
it?”

She grinned. “Umm depends how patient you are I think”.

With an idea already in mind I took her hand in mine.
“Okay...come with me”. Box in one hand I lead us into the garage connected to
the house, once inside I flicked on the light.

I raised an eyebrow. “So if I drop it or throw it...it won’t
damage what’s inside?”

Sam perched on the edge of my workbench lining the opposite
wall. “That’s correct”.

“Sure?” I asked just to make certain. 

“Sure”.

Gasping as the icy orb came into contact with my skin, I
launched the snowball at the wall in the garage. Most of it slid down the wall,
but the core seemed a little more compact requiring a second hit. As it hit the
wall again I heard a clang, investigating I found two keys on a ring, frowning
I looked up at Sam.

“A set of keys......to your flat?” I beamed at her taking in
her soft green eyes.

“I thought it was about time....you don’t have to wait in
the street then if were meeting at mine”.

“Thank you”. I played with the keys as I moved towards her
drying my right hand on my jeans I reached up to cup her face, pushing stray
strands of hair behind her ear. “I love it”. I whispered against her lips
before kissing her, pulling her tightly against me as I deepened the kiss.

I had already given Sam a spare front door key several weeks
ago, I hadn’t intended it to be a catalyst for her to reciprocate. I wanted to
be confident she wasn’t feeling obliged to return the favour.

I pulled back seeing her eyes lazily open. “Are you sure?”

She almost looked offended at my question. “Of course, I’ve
had the keys for ages I just wasn’t sure how to give them to you....I should
have done what you did”. She narrowed her eyes at me.

I laughed thinking back to a few weeks previous when I snuck
into her jeans pocket one morning while she was showering, adding a key to my
front door to her key ring. We had planned to meet up at my house later that
day after I had picked up Lucy for the evening. I made sure Lucy and I were out
when we were due to meet up, keeping an eye on my phone as we shopped for
diner.

Seeing her name flash up I grinned as I heard her voice echo
in my ear. “Hey...are you on your way?”

“Hey you....we won’t be long sorry.....why don’t you let
yourself in make yourself at home we’ll be back shortly I’m just picking up
diner”.

“What?....I don’t have a key?”

I smiled into the phone as Lucy tried to slip another packet
of doughnuts into the shopping basket.    “Really?....Have you
checked your keys?”

I could hear the jingling down the phone as she inspected
her key ring.

“Uh...oh I see what you’ve done there.....ooh your sneaky
when did you do that?” She giggled down the phone. “You’ll pay later Alex
Philips”. 

Sam brought me back to reality as she softly tugged my hand
containing the keys towards her pulling a key ring from her front pocket, I
smiled when I saw a small silver camera hanging from the key chain.

“Is that for me too?”  

She beamed showing her dimples which I took as a yes, as my
new keys were being added to the ring.

Placing my hand on her waist as she tucked the keys in my
front pocket. “Thank you...now I have two things to celebrate”. I said.

Taking her in my arms I felt her body shiver next to me.
“Can we go back in where it’s warmer to celebrate?”

“Come on then”. I said leading her back in to the house, as
we passed through the kitchen I handed her a bottle of wine, picking up two glasses
we headed towards the sitting room.

As she filled our glasses she looked forlornly in my
direction.  

“I do have some bad news I’m afraid......I’ve got to go to
London in a few weeks for probably three or four days with work”.

“Shit....really?...............I’ll miss you”. I pulled her
tight against me, feeling her breath on my neck as she spoke.

“Me too.....but I don’t want to think about that tonight”.
Her warm breath turned into warm kisses as her lips found mine. Pushing me
towards the sofa, I felt the weight of her body push against mine as she
straddled me. Thoughts of her going away left my head almost immediately.