They walked in companionable silence to the guest accommodation block. Sammie knocked gently on the door to her room, “It’s me, I’ve got company, can we come in?”
The door swung open, to reveal an older woman standing on the other side. “Sure,” she said and stepped aside.
In the room, the woman regarded Luca with suspicion, the smile on her face contradicting her narrowed eyes, “I’m Annie,” she eventually said, extending a hand out to him.
Luca shook her hand, “Luca.” Her grip was much firmer than he had expected.
“Luca has invited me to dinner. Are you okay if I go? You don’t mind eating alone, do you?” Sammie asked, her eyes pleading.
“You’re more than welcome to come as well,” Luca offered. It would be a stretch to feed four people, but maybe he could ask Matty for an advance on tomorrow’s eggs.
Annie’s entire demeanour transformed as the suspicion vanished, and she smiled warmly at him, “That’s very kind of you Luca, but I think I’ll take a little walk, then get an early night.”
Luca hid his relief. Annie seemed nice enough, but the meal would have been sparse even if he had been able to get extra eggs.
“Are you sure?” Sammie asked, “I’d love it if you could come.”
Annie looked from Luca to Sammie, “I am, you go and have fun,” she smiled, “Just don’t wake me when you get in.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” Sammie chuckled.
Together the three walked back towards the square. As they passed the town hall, they nodded at Petunia. She was sitting reading on the steps leading up to the building. She nodded curtly in return. Saying their goodbyes to Annie, Luca and Sammie started the long walk back to his house.
~
Luca could not remember the last time someone had visited his home, and as he pushed open the front door, he cringed. The house was tidy but scruffy. The carpet was threadbare with patches long since worn away. The furniture throughout the house was stained and broken.
“It’s er, not much, but it’s home,” he smiled weakly at Sammie.
She spun round, “It’s gorgeous,” she grinned back at him, “I love the high ceilings and those windows … wow!” she gestured at the large sash windows. Then she turned and stared at the fireplace, the focal point of the living room. The fire grate was set back into exposed bricks with an oak mantel above it. Stone tiles formed the hearth. “Wow,” she exhaled, “That’s beautiful.”
Luca’s face lit up at her enthusiasm, because the fireplace was functional, it kept them warm in the winter.
It was also a pain, as birds nested in the chimney. He had never looked at it as a thing of beauty. It was as if he was seeing it for the first time.
“My house is more … I guess modern,” she told him as she continued to stare around the room. “We don’t have anything like that. We have an electric heater, but we’re only allowed to use it in extremely cold weather.”
Luca’s heart sank. Electric heater. Only zones have electricity. She must be from a zone. He watched unhearing as she talked and pointed at features of the room that Luca had long since stopped noticing. Her smile filled her face, and her eyes shone. She was beautiful. Luca no longer cared if she were from Zone E. She was here, now in his house. She would be gone before long. He would take tonight and enjoy it.
He led her into the kitchen, pleased to see that his Dad was already chopping vegetables for dinner. Just two weeks ago, Robert had left everything up to Luca, now he didn't even need to be prompted to help.
A shadow crossed his face as his thoughts briefly turned to the two captives, probably sitting hoping that Luca would visit with extra food tonight.
If Sammie was from E, she might know them. Was that why she was here? Should he tell her? No. He quickly pushed the thought aside, he had resolved to enjoy the evening with this beautiful and funny girl. Her visit to the zone might be completely unrelated, she might be from a different zone entirely. The presence of the two captives, at least for tonight, was best left unmentioned.
“Hi, Dad.”
Robert’s eyes briefly flicked up in acknowledgement of his son’s presence. Then he did a double take as Sammie walked into the kitchen behind him.
“Dad, this is Sammie, Sammie this is my Dad, Robert. I’ve invited Sammie for dinner.”
“Pleasure to meet you, love. I would shake your hand, but you know,” he gestured at his hands that dripped juice from the tomatoes he was chopping.
“Don’t worry,” she smiled, “It’s a pleasure to meet you too. Can I help with anything?”
“That’s very nice of you to offer, those carrots need peeling and slicing,” Robert pointed at a handful of carrots on the kitchen side.
“You’re a guest,” Luca said firmly, “I’ll do them.”
“No. I want to help,” Sammie insisted.
“Luca, you can peel and cut the potatoes,” Robert said.
Together the three of them prepared the vegetables. As they worked, Robert updated Luca on the afternoon work in the armoury and Luca told him how Danny had knocked him over in the training session.
“Why don’t you show Sammie the garden, while the stew is cooking,” Robert suggested when they had finished.
“There’s not much to see,” Luca said doubtfully.
“I’d like to see it anyway,” Sammie said.
He led her outside into the small garden, “Told you,” he said.
“It’s sweet,” she assured him, looking around. They stood on a small patio, the paving slabs long since cracked from the weeds forcing their way through. The patio led on to a modest unkempt patch of grass. At the bottom of the garden stood a large tree, overshadowing the rest of the space.
An old tyre swing hung from the branches.
“A swing,” Sammie exclaimed, “Can I?” without waiting for an answer she sped off to the tree and jumped on the tyre.
The swing had sat untouched since Luca was a boy, and over the years the weather had battered the rope, causing it to wear. For a few minutes, it withstood Sammie’s weight, before snapping and dropping her unceremoniously to the ground.
Sammie's head was bent low, and her shoulders were shaking. Crying from the pain of the uncomfortable landing.
“Shit, I’m sorry,” Luca said, running to her.
She lifted her head, and he saw that instead of crying she was trembling with laughter. He stopped short, “Are you okay?”
“I’m … fine …” she gasped through the laughter.
Her amusement was infectious, and soon Luca found himself laughing with her.
“It was stupid of me to jump into an old swing without checking it first,” she said, “But it’s been ages since I’ve been on a swing.”
“There’s a park nearby, I can take you on your way back if you’d like.” Luca offered.
Sammie’s eyes lit up, “Seriously? Wow yeah, that would be awesome,” she paused, then stood and brushed dried mud and leaves from her clothes. Clearing her throat, she added in a deeper voice the usual, “Um … Or, yeah whatever.”
He grinned at her, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone you’re a big kid, plus, it’s been ages since I’ve been to the park and it does sound like fun.”
The grin returned to Sammie’s face, and she bounded over to Luca and pulled him into a hug, “Thank you.”
He held her close, taking in the warmth of her body, aware of her breasts pushing into his chest. He inhaled deeply, reluctant to release her. Sammie pulled out of the embrace first, she looked over his shoulder as though unwilling to meet his eyes.
“So … er,” he said lost for words.
“What’s your favourite playground ride?” she blurted, and he laughed as she visibly cringed at her own question.
“Well now,” he said, adopting a serious tone and scratching the stubble forming on his chin as though in deep concentration, “That is a difficult question, and to be able to answer that, one must consider the relative merits of all of the available equipment.�
�
“Idiot,” Sammie laughed and gave him a friendly push on the chest.
“Okay, okay,” he held his hands out in mock defence, “The swing. I’ll just say the swing. What’s yours?”
“The seesaw, my Mum reminded me the other day of how much I loved to play on the seesaw when I was younger,” a slight sadness flicked across her features as she spoke.
“Is your Mum …” Luca asked, letting the words hang in the air.
“No,” Sammie smiled, “She’s very much alive, but I was thinking about a recent conversation I had with her. She didn’t want me to take this job, but I’m so glad I did. It’s only been a few days but so much has happened already.” She paused and looked at him, “Like meeting you.” She turned away quickly, missing the bittersweet smile on Luca’s face.
“Well, I’m glad you did,” he told her. They lapsed into silence. Standing side by side staring at the bugs that raced their way around the garden in the cool dusky night.
~
Sammie leant back in her chair and sighed in contentment, “Thank you, Robert, it’s been ages since I’ve had a hot meal, and that stew was delicious.”
Robert smiled, “I’m glad you liked it, it's been a while since I've cooked and I was worried that I’d forgotten how.”
“You definitely haven’t,” Sammie replied and patted her stomach, “I’m stuffed.”
Luca glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. The stew was good, but there wasn’t a lot of it, so she either had a small appetite, or she was a terrific liar.
“So, Sammie love, I’ve not seen you around before. Are you new to the zone?” Robert asked conversationally as Luca collected up the bowls.
“I’m just visiting for a few days,” she replied.
“From where?” Robert asked innocently. Sammie shifted uncomfortably.
“Dad …” Luca growled.
“It’s okay, Luca,” Sammie said, patting him gently on the arm, “For some reason, I’ve been told not to tell anyone, but I’m from Zone E.”
A bowl slipped from Luca’s hand and dropped noisily to the floor. He bent down hastily to retrieve it. Robert ignored his son and focused on Sammie, his face darkening.
“Sammie, listen to me very carefully. Do not tell anyone else where you are from. It’s important. Do you understand?” His words were rushed and urgent.
Uncertainty clouded her eyes, “I won’t, I promise … but why?”
Robert sighed, “There are some here who believe that Zone E are trying to hurt us.”
Luca watched Sammie’s reaction carefully, but she seemed genuinely surprised by the statement, “That’s absurd,” she said, “Why on earth would we do that? Why would anyone think that?”
“Are you suggesting it’s not true?” Robert asked, his voice was kind, with no hint of accusation contained in his tone.
“It is absolutely not true,” fire flashed through Sammie’s features as she spoke. “We have everything we need in E. Why would we want to hurt another zone? My aunt is the leader of E, and she is one of the nicest people I know. There is absolutely no way she would be plotting to fight another zone.”
“Okay, Sammie,” Robert said, “I believe you,” he smiled, “but the fact remains, there are others who firmly believe that Zone E is dangerous, so please don’t tell anyone where you are from.”
She nodded dumbly as she processed the revelation.
“Why are you here?” Luca blurted, unable to contain it any longer, “Why did you meet with Brian?”
Sammie sighed and rose from her chair. She turned to Luca and gently took the empty bowls from his hand and placed them back on the table. She took his hands in hers and stared into his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Luca, but I can’t tell you that. Please believe me when I say that we here with only good intentions. But I am sworn to secrecy.”
Luca nodded, mesmerised by her hazel eyes boring into his and by the burning sensations where her hands were touching his skin, “Okay,” he whispered, “I believe you. I trust you.”
“Thank you,” she exhaled and stood on her tiptoes and softly pressed her lips to his cheek.
Releasing his hands, she turned back towards the table to Robert, “Thank you for the lovely meal and for welcoming me into your home. I should get back to my friend now.”
Robert smiled warmly, “You’re welcome. Luca, I assume you will be escorting Sammie back?”
“Yes,” Luca confirmed, then looked to Sammie, “If that’s still okay with you?”
“Of course,” she smiled.
“I’ll see you to the door,” Robert pushed himself out of his chair.
At the door, Sammie turned to Robert and thanked him again for the hospitality. He pulled her in for a brief hug.
“Look after yourself,” he said as he released her.
“I will,” she replied with a sad smile.
Luca turned to Sammie as the door closed, “Do you still want to go the park? I know it’s dark, but that just means we can act like kids without anyone seeing us,” he asked hopefully, not ready for the night to end.
“I don’t know, I probably should get back to Annie and tell her what your Dad told me.”
“She said she was getting an early night, so surely that can wait until the morning?” Luca said, aware of the pleading note creeping into his tone.
Sammie paused, then smiled, “You're right. Let’s go and play on the seesaw.”
“Yes let’s,” Luca clapped his hands together, mimicking a small child. Then stepping aside as Sammie aimed a dig at his chest. He caught her finger in his hand and pulled her along, “Let’s go,” he sang.
Hand in hand, they raced to the park. As they neared, Sammie pulled herself from his grip, “Last one there has to push on the swings,” she called, already sprinting.
“Cheat,” Luca yelled chasing her.
Sammie was opening the gate leading into the park when Luca caught up. He grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up. Unceremoniously dumping her on her backside a few metres away.
“Now who’s the cheat?” she called, jumping up and tackling him to the ground as he entered the park. Twisting in mid-air, he grasped at her, catching her sleeve in his hand. As he landed on his back, she fell on top of him. Their laughter fell away as they realised the intimacy of the position they were in. Luca reached out a hand and brushed a loose strand of her hair away from her face.
“You are beautiful,” he whispered.
Sammie opened her mouth to speak but seemed unable to find the words. Instead, she leant forward and brushed her lips against his, then pulled back with uncertainty. Luca responded instantly, placing a hand on the back of her neck he pulled her face closer to his and leant towards her, returning the kiss.
Sammie’s lips parted, welcoming his lips against hers. Luca kissed her with tenderness and longing. All thoughts of who she was, why she was here, and where she had come from, were wiped from his mind.
Eventually, Sammie pulled away from him, planted a kiss on his forehead and jumped up. She ran to the single swing and jumped on it, “I won,” she declared, laughing, “Now push me.”
Luca groaned and let his head fall back into the soft ground. He wanted to stay in that moment forever. To savour the sensation. Instead, he stood and strode casually over to this swing.
“You know you didn’t actually win. I did.”
“Only because you cheated.”
“You cheated first,” he protested.
She laughed wickedly, “Yet here I am on the swing. Now push me.”
Conceding defeat, he gently pushed the swing forwards. She squealed in delight.
“Harder, faster,” she demanded.
He grinned at her unintentional innuendo, “But Sammie, we’ve only just met.”
She turned in her seat and stuck her tongue out at him, “You know I meant the swing.”
He shrugged and pushed the seat with such force that it sent her high into the air. She kicked her legs in delight, “Again
, again.”
He laughed at her obvious pleasure, “You really are a big kid,” he told her.
“You really are a big kid,” she repeated in a mocking tone. At the top of the arc, she released her hands from the chains and leapt forward. Allowing her body to fall to the ground. She landed on her feet and jumped quickly back to avoid the swing heading back towards her. She then bowed gracefully.
Luca laughed at the display, “Is it my turn now?” he asked.
“Later,” she said, “Seesaw next.”
She raced over to the seesaw and sat down. He joined her and took the other seat. The last few years of limited food had lightened his muscular physique, but he was still heavy enough for the force of his body to send her skywards. She chuckled.
He pushed off the ground, and her side lowered. They stayed on the seesaw each trying to unseat the other. Abruptly Sammie leapt off causing Luca’s to crash to the ground, where he tumbled off. She laughed, then came over to help him to his feet.
Standing facing each other, she leapt into him and kissed him again briefly, before pulling away, “I guess I’d better be getting back now.”
Luca nodded, he’d known this moment would come, “I’ll walk you back.”
“Thank you.” She took his hand in hers and held it tightly. They ambled back through the empty moonlit streets, their pace slowing as they neared the centre. When they reached the square, Sammie turned to Luca and pulled him to her.
“Maybe just one last kiss before I go,” she said, shyly looking at him.
He lifted her chin with the tips of his fingers and kissed her forehead.
“Idiot,” she said softly, then placed her lips on his. She moved her body into his embrace and pressed herself into him, kissing him with passion. Luca felt a stirring in his groin and groaned as he released himself from her.
“You’d better go,” he said, his voice husky, “If you don’t, I’m not sure I’ll be able to let you go.” She laughed softly, a sweet melody like the sound of chimes blowing in the wind. “Thank you for today,” he added.
“No, thank you. You’ve certainly made my visit here more enjoyable.”
Safe Zone (Book 2): The Descent Page 13