He had just moved into his brand new studio. The one he had to argue on a price for weeks with that fat and snobbish landlord. He fell in love with those tall windows months ago when he first went to visit the place. That day he had also met with an old friend. A girl whom he had known for many years, but rarely saw her. The last thing he had heard from her was that she was going off on another one of her long travels. A year in Asia it was this time.

The girl had surprised him. They had spent the day together and were getting to know each other all over again.

…

They were finally in the same place at the same time. They spent as much time as they could together. They began to know each other more and realized they enjoyed each other’s company just as much.

--

They had a dinner to go to that day. She was going to meet the whole family and be presented as the girlfriend. They were getting ready in his studio, where they spent almost all of their time. The bed covered in white linen was unmade. The brick walls were decorated by his own drawings and creations and the flowers by the window were from her. He was wearing his favorite shirt and his favorite boots. And she was wearing her favorite flower printed dress and her favorite boots. She was looking for her bag, as he stood still buttoning up his shirt and watching her. She turned around, exasperated with a stern look on her face, she couldn’t find her purse anywhere.

She looked at him, and as their eyes met, all worries vanished from her face, and the notion of the dinner became a far far away one.

She had a grin on her face now. He was still standing and looking at her. She walked closer to him and said: “You look very handsome”. As she put her hands on his collar she said “Can we be late?”, and without waiting for an answer, she kissed him. She started to unbutton his shirt, he grabbed her by the waist, she wrapped her legs around his, and he carried her back to the bed.

--

They were two hours late.

 

//

She arrived at his apartment. She was finally going to be in his own space, and see it all. He opened the door, they said a quick nervous “Hi” and she walked in taking off her coat. She looked all around and it was beautiful she thought. “I’ve always loved brick walls,” she said touching the nearest bricks. “One day I want a house with brick walls and wooden ceilings,” she told him. He just stared at her and smiled as she danced her way around the apartment, curiously contemplating every corner. She had dropped her coat and bag on a stool and was walking towards him. She could begin to smell his smell. She recognized that hypnotic scent that drove her mad. She got near him, looked at him in the eyes and said: “It’s a beautiful place you have”.

 

It was as if they had never left. They found each other in bed, exactly the same as they once had before. She opened her eyes and found herself embraced in his arms, facing his face. She looked at every freckle on his skin. She smiled because she woke up to that smell. She wanted to bury her face in his chest but didn’t want to wake him. She lied there looking around at the darkened room slightly illuminated by the moonshine coming through the tall windows. She slowly got out of bed, put on a shirt, and sat by the window. She looked outside at the late nightwalker, singing, drunk, walking home or to another party, and then she looked back at him, peacefully sleeping on the bed. She didn’t want to think about tomorrow. She wanted this moment forever like she’s always wanted. And so she got back in bed and snuggled in between his shoulders and his chest and it was at that moment that he hugged her, still asleep, and she knew she was happy. She was falling in love.

--

The next morning they woke up as the sun rose, arms and legs intertwined. Moaning through caresses and kisses. Neither wanted to leave that moment.

--

Their contact and updates were becoming fewer and fewer as day and month passed. She still thought of him often, and deep inside longed to see him again. She did not want to make it obvious that she liked him, she didn’t even want to say it. A few weeks before she was going back to his country she contacted him and told him she was going to be there in February, and perhaps, if he was there too, they could arrange to meet and see each other. He said yes, and how much that would please him. Since then, she has not been able to stop thinking about him and how it would be when they met. Would they be able to meet more than once? Would they find the time or privacy to be together? Would it be like last time or would he have changed? Would she be different to him? Thinking made her heart beat faster and faster. That’s all she needed, that little knot in her stomach to get her to stay up all night and dream a million scenarios with him. It drove her mad.