7
Lucius apparated to the corner of St Lukes Mews and All Saints Road, then knocked on the periwinkle blue door before noticing that there was a bell to ring. Why had he knocked? He felt silly now, and groaned to let his frustration out, but decided to wait to see if she had heard it.
The little house was wedged in between a long row of neatly kept homes, some painted bright colours like fuchsia or royal blue, others dark charcoal, which he liked, but Rose's house, Nr 24, was of a clean white, like many of the others. Wisteria was growing up along the side of the façade and white impatients with lush dark green foliage were planted and in full bloom in a tidy rectangular container in the front of the house. This made a good first impression, Lucius thought.
He heard movement inside and instinctively ran a hand through his hair. He was nervous he noticed. Unusual.
The door opened and Rose smiled, "Hey you...".
"Hey."
She stepped back making room for him to enter, then closed the door and moved towards him. His heart hammered in his throat. His mouth went dry. She was gorgeous, her long flowy summer dress hugging her silhouette perfectly, her skin rosy and freckled.
Rose softly laid both arms around his neck, her body melting gently into his. He wrapped his arms around her waist and a guttural sound escaped when he realized that her back was bare save for the few straps holding up the front of the dress. "Oh Lord," he whispered and inhaled deeply. He felt her smile and his heart skipped a beat.
"I'm glad you're here," she said quietly releasing him only reluctantly.
It took him a moment to recover, but then clearing his throat he said, "I brought you something," and handed her a small box held shut by a sheer glittery ribbon.
Rose's eyebrows shot up. "Awww... You shouldn't have..." she clasped one hand over her mouth while the other took the gift. As she did so, Lucius waved his hand softly across it and the ribbon untied itself in her hands. She gasped and beamed in the delight at the same time. "What is it?"
"Open it."
She pulled the loose ribbon out from under the box and dropped it on the back of one of her Emerson chairs, which sat in a pair, side by side, separated by an accent table. Carefully she lifted the top and gave a tiny squeak of joy. How had he known?
"Lucius! Where...? How...? Oh my God!"
Mindful of its fragility, she pulled out a silver, patina-stained Thai Buddha statue, whose robes were adorned with jewels and gold inlays.
"Oh my God," she whispered again and raised her eyes to meet his. "I don't know what to say. Thank you SO much! I absolutely love it! How did you know?!"
Lucius smiled. "I actually did listen when you spoke of your travels. And flowers are so overrated, aren't they?"
She giggled. "Where did you find this?"
"A small shop down on King's Road. I had a bit of time on my hands yesterday."
"It's brilliant! Thank you so much!"
Tenderly she placed it on the mantel piece and stood adoring it for a second. "Beautiful," she whispered.
"Yes..." he said, but when she turned, she noticed he wasn't talking about the Buddha and blushed.
Concealing her inner delight, she quickly grabbed the box and ribbon and led him through the dining area to the kitchen.
Her house, while small, was very efficiently designed. One entered the open-floor-planned home into a sophisticated sitting area with a large fireplace (big enough to add to the Floo Network, Lucius thought), then through a chic six-seat dining area to a state-of-the-art kitchen and ending in a conservatory with a view to a small outdoor space, also professionally designed to make the most of the space available.
