Little Faith in a Big City

Chapter 4- Dinner at 7

When we get to my apartment I help Hayley bring the groceries in which we stopped off for on the way back. We spent almost an hour in there because this 13 year old girl recognised me and gave me a whole speech of how she's read all my work and how she wants to be a writer when she's older. I was actually surprised because I wouldn't usually class my work as something that was age appropriate for someone like her. I write about how love is pathetic, pointless and overrated. And how I believe a morning of awkwardness is better than a night of loneliness. The kid didn't stop yapping on! She followed me and Hayley all the way back to the car. I locked the car door and wound the windows up but that did not stop the girl from trying to talk to me. I began to feel that running her over was going to be our only solution. However, Hayley unfortunately decided to spare the kids life. I'm guessing you can tell I don't like kids very much.

6.00pm
I went to my room to get ready. I put on my red dress, curled my hair, applied my lipstick and before I knew it- Tom had arrived. I grabbed my purse add went out the front door. Tom was leaning on the car, hands in pockets. He looked so good in his smart black suit. As I walked to the car his eyes never left me. He opened the door for me as I got in then jogged to the other side.

Once we were in car he said "You look beautiful."

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself." I look over a Tom and he has a little smirk on his face.

During dinner we laughed about plenty of things. He's a really funny guy. He talked about being on an expedition in the Amazon rainforest where the rare plant called the Rosey periwinkle was located and how he was attacked by monkeys.
After, he talked a lot about his times in the marines.

"Why did you leave the marines?" I asked.

"Do you want the truth or the story I tell everyone else who asks?" His face looks more serious.

"Oo I wouldn't mind hearing the secret truth. I won't put this in the article if you don't want me too." I assure him.

"I left because of a girl. I met her whilst travelling and I fell for her. She looked very much like you actually. I resigned so I could be with her but when I went to find her she had ran away. Never heard of her again. But that was years ago."

That story made me empathise with him and for a second I felt his pain. Then the desert arrived and there was a change in atmosphere. We laughed more and I listened to more stories.

"My dad was an ex-soldier and my mom was a college professor. They're great, they put a lot of pressure on me, I was an only child so...they really didn't put a lot pressure on me- I put a lot of pressure on myself, probably because they did so much great stuff. Off the record, don't put any of this in the article. They're great, they're great. You know, I don't even know why I'm saying this." Says Tom starting to laugh.

"Don't worry I won't put your parents in the article." I say. Tom looks at me relieved, "This articles going to be a killer."

"Yeah it's going to be a bummer." We both laugh. "Have you been writing anything new recently for a novel?" He asks.

"Nothing as of recent but I think will soon."

"If you want, once you've written something of course, I could read it and give you my thoughts before you put it out there."

"That'd be great" I reply. He looks at me, quiet for a moment.

"Do you want to get a drink?" Asks Tom.

"I'd like that."

Tom looks for the waiter and gestures the signal for the cheque. "Cheque please! Cheque!"

"He understands you. You don't do both. You can gesture the cheque and mouth it loudly without making a noise. Watch me." I demonstrate what I mean and the waiter signals that he'll be there in a minute.

"Ohh I get you, let me try." Tom catches a different waiter's attention and signals the gesture for a cheque then mouths the word cheque but immediately shouts "CHEQUE!...Could I please have the CHEQUE!" He totally ignored what I said and we burst into laughter. I put my hand over my face embarrassed.

At the bar we took shots and he told me more stories about his life which I just found so interesting. I also told him things about me which had him in stitches. I had no shame, seeing him smile made me smile. A funny story in particular which he told me was also "off the record" was that when he was younger, his parents had bought him these new Nike air trainers and this older boy in his school beat him up and took them. The reason it was funny was because Tom has a very muscular build and does not look like the type of person to have been bullied. We get up laughing with each other and head outside to get in our taxi. I give the man my address and away we go.
When we got out the taxi my heel snapped off. I took my shoes off on the street then Tom races over acting like superman.

"I'll save you!" He says swooping me into his arms.

He carried me like a baby to my apartment across the road. I noticed Hayley's car wasn't there. Where could she be off to so late I wondered to myself. When we got in my apartment Tom put me down and we stand face to face.

"We're so drunk." He laughs, staring into my eyes.

"Every night plastered... It's a beautiful disaster.

He puts his hand gently on my cheek and gives me a single kiss on the lips then we stared at each other for a moment. We both know exactly what's going to happen next. I grab his shirt, pulling him in for another kiss then he picks me up and sits me on the breakfast bar. Carelessly, we knock everything off, passionately kissing then move to another part of the room. Finally we get to my bedroom and Tom lays me down on my bed. I wriggle back to a comfortable position and watch tom at the bottom of the bed. He unbuttons his already half undone shirt, slowly whilst singing quietly. His terrible vocal performance had me in stitches. He stood there with his shirt in his hand, topless, tanned skin with a defined abs, and he was just admiring me.

"Care to join me superman?" I ask.

A big smile appears on his face and he ties the sleeves of his shirt around his neck like a cape and dives onto the bed next to me and without any words needing to be said, we began kissing, I ran my fingers through his slick back hair, and untied his the sleeves of his shirt that was around his neck and threw it on the floor. Moments after it was like déjà-vu.