It’s a rather long walk but we can’t all fit in Emily’s mini. I don’t mind too much because I like walking. And I am getting back to being comfortable with walking in this town since what happened in the alleyway. Having a group to walk with certainly makes that part easier.
The pizza shop is packed for a weeknight. But I guess it’s to be expected in a college town. I look for David as we walk in and don’t see him. There are no tables except for the patio at the very edge so we all, all four girls and three boys, cram into the back. One of the guys sits by me, which throws me off a little. I hope Emily isn’t trying to set me up or something. She knows I don’t want a boyfriend and doesn’t really know how David and I are a little more than friends and I guess I am to blame for that since I haven’t talked to her about it.
We order a variety of pizzas to try for the table. One all veggie, one all meat, and another a mixture of the two, and my favorite ham and pineapple. The guys in the group are 21 and order beer. I stick with water. The guy next to me is starting to slur a little and I loose track of what we are even talking about. They are on their fourth or sixth beer when finally our pizzas come out. I am sitting there still trying to get into what he is slurring about when David interrupts.
“Hi Thea.” He says. Setting down a few of the pizzas. I smile at him and he winks at me. Then he whirls around and is gone and I am disappointed but I get it he is working. In five minutes time David is back with the rest of our pizzas and I am sure I am beaming again.
“Can you take a break at all?” I ask him.
“Ya I just got that okayed.” he says.
There are no spare chairs around since the place is packed. So I ask “Want to step outside for a minute?”
“Later.” he says. “You eat first.”
I get up and tell him to sit down. He looks confused but I grab his hand and guide him into the chair sitting on his knee so I can eat my pizza. The drunk guy next to us still tries to talk to me and I still can’t understand what he is going on about. I am finished with my pizza so I decide to give David a big but quick kiss on the mouth hoping drunk guy will get the hint that I am not interested in him. That does the trick and the guy moves onto talking to one of Emily’s other friends.
“Ok your not getting away with that so easily.” David says. “Let’s take that step outside now. It’s not nice to tease.” He entwines his fingers with mine and guides us out the back way that opens to the street.
I don’t think through the part about what kissing him would mean to him so much. I mean I very much liked kissing him but I really was trying to get drunk guy to lay off a little.
He cuts off my thoughts with his tongue biting my top lip gently and leaning me back against the door we just came out of by guiding my hips. A gasp escapes my mouth. I kiss him back and he kisses me back. His hands are still on my hips and his thumbs caress the skin above my shorts. I moan. And then he stops just like that.
“You think I am a tease.” I say.
“Have to get back to work. And you started it.” He says.
“How long till your shift is over?” I ask.
“Not till one a.m.” he says. “I am cleanup crew tonight.”
“Really?” I ask. “Hey I have a favor to ask you. I have a new assignment to show a business behind the scenes for my photography class. Mind if I stick around and take some pictures of you.”
“Ok. I’ll check with the boss.” he says. And we both go back inside.
By eleven thirty the crowd starts winding down. And Emily and the group are ready to go to a club or something. I tell Emily I am staying and will get a ride back from David. She raises her eyebrow ring at me and I tell her it’s no big deal.
After they leave I move to the bar and get out my camera, prepping the f-stop settings for indoors at night. I take some shots of customers picking up to go pizzas and the transaction at the cash register. I take more images of the servers carrying pizzas above their heads and images of the chefs through the long rectangle window peeking through to the kitchen. It’s nearly midnight and the last customer finally leaves.
“Let me lock up and then the cleaning can begin.” David says.
Luckily there is one other employee on clean-up duty otherwise I am not sure I would let David get any work done. But I need to focus on the assignment here. I start clicking away zooming in on his hands holding the broom handle and his green shirt framing the background of the shot. I snap away more backing up and going out on the other side of the bar to get some shots through the window that looks into the kitchen. I walk back into the kitchen without moving my eyes from the camera viewfinder. I suddenly feel something slimy land on my arm. I look down and it’s a pepperoni. I realize where it came from and that David is asking for a full on food fight. So I grab all of the olives from a small bowl and smack. They land right in his face as I take a picture capturing a few of the olives still in flight. He runs at me and I scream going behind the island and around. He chases me still with the broom in hand and catches me. He acts like he is letting me go when more pepperoni hits me. I keep taking pictures not sure how many of these just came out.
“Ok. Ok. You win.” I say. His devilishly handsome smile lifts up the side of his mouth knocking one of the olives off of his face and onto the floor. I follow it with my camera and take another shot. He lets me go and I click a few more times before setting down the camera and grabbing a cloth to pick up the olives and wipe down the counters with him.
We are just about finished in here when I see the other employee stacking chairs in the inside dining area. I snap a few shots of his hands touching the upside-down legs of the chairs and the dishcloth gripped tightly. David starts moving the patio tables and chairs inside. I take some of his silhouette holding the door open with his foot and a large table in his hands.
Finally everything is done and it’s time to head out. I get one last high contrast shot of his hand flipping off the light switch. I make sure I get frames before, after, and during it too. And it’s literally lights out for the night.
The next couple of days pass quickly and without much excitement to speak of. And finally it’s Friday. Our dinner date night. He hasn’t told me where we are going. Just to dress nice but comfortable and he will come by my room to pick me up at seven.
Emily let’s me borrow a black jersey knit dress that comes a few inches above my knees. I don’t mind the length even though it does display the faint reminder of the night in the alleyway. The cut on the back of my leg is mostly healed and turned into what’s looking more and more like a scar. The knit dress is lightweight so I won’t have to worry about the sweat sticking or showing up too badly. I pin my hair up too also in retaliation to the typical warm Savannah night that I know it’s going to be. The black high-heeled shoes are also thanks to Emily, which she forces me to wear. It’s quarter to seven and I decide to wait for David on our stoop. I inhale the slight breeze and the short pieces of my bangs blow around the edges of my face.
“Hi there beautiful.” David says in a quiet but serious voice.
“Hi.” I say taking my arms off the railing and turning around to face him.
“You clean up nice yourself.” I say but thinking he is the sexiest thing I have ever seen.
“You’re early.” He says.
“So are you.” I say back.
He is wearing a light grey shirt with a thick strip of brown around the collar and the bottom of the shirt with light brown pants. He has on brown canvas looking shoes. His hair is slicked back a little and I can see a hint of stubble on his face.
We stand there a moment looking at one another and I can’t seem to think of anything else. And I don’t want to. He walks towards me slowly stopping in front of me. We are as close as we can be without touching. David reaches his hand up and gently settles the bangs blowing around wildly on my cheek directly below one of my eyes. When he moves his hand away from my face he runs it along my neck, down my arm and interlaces his fingers with mine.
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“Ready?” he says.
“Sure. So where are we going?” I ask as we both manage to get our feet moving.
“A shack on the beach.” He says.
“Really? I may be slightly overdressed for that.” I say as we step onto the elevator.
“The shoes might have pushed it over the edge.” He says as his eyes skim down my legs to my feet and to the black high heels of Emily’s.
“Ya they might be a bit much. They are Emily’s. I can run back and grab my flip flops.” I say.
“No way. I am enjoying them way too much.” says David making me blush.
We take his white Honda Accord and I can tell by how long the drive is that we are going to the beach and should be there soon. We park the car and I see a sign that says The Crab Shack. It does look a little like a shack on the outside with weathered wooden sides and a surrounding deck to match. But the tiny white lights wrapping the outside and serving as a canopy on the inside make it a spectacular site. The tables inside are made from the same weathered wood. They are round with a hole in the middle. David gives the host his name and they lead us back to a table outside at the very edge of the deck. It overlooks the water. The tiny white lights from the building dance in the waters reflection.
“This is awesome David.” I say. “Have you been here before?”
“No. I wanted to go here with you.” he says.
I try not to think about how him just saying things like that or looking at me gives me butterflies. This isn’t supposed to be a serious relationship. He must see me looking at the hole in the middle of the table because he adds, “That’s to put the crab shells in. It’s a trash can.”
“Oh.” I say.
We both order sprites and a pot of the low country boil to share.
“I am glad we finally got to do this.” David says.
“You mean that I finally agreed to go on a date with you?” I say.
“I knew you would agree someday. I just meant that I’ve been waiting for tonight and our schedules to work out so we could have our second date night.” He says with his sarcastically wicked grin.
“This is technically our first date. But I guess I have been looking forward to it all week as well.” I say.
In between back and forth conversations we break to admire the water beside us. The dancing white lights on the surface are mesmerizing. The low country boil cast iron pot arrives with crab, crawfish, and corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage all in a still simmering broth. We also get bibs, plates, a crab cracker and wet wipes, which I plan to take full advantage of all of these things.
“Do you have low country boils in Pensacola? “ I ask.
“A lot of seafood, but not anything like this.” he says. “And you? What is the Memphis cuisine?”
“BBQ and cornbread is a pretty big deal for us. I have to say though this low country boil is stellar. I could eat this on a regular basis.” I say just as I bear down on the crab cracker and squirt a little crab juice on my bib. I look down at the wet spot on the bib but don’t see anything on the dress. I look up and David is pausing mid chew starring at me. His sideways grin lifts up the corner of his mouth and he lets out a chuckle.
“I know very funny right. Can’t take me anywhere.” I say.
“Well I already knew this about you.” David says.
We eat and eat and make a good dent on the cast iron pot. We are both stuffed but impressed by the place. I am sure the company has a little to do with it also.
“Before we head back to the dorms do you want to take a walk with me on the beach?” David says.
“Ya. I would like that.” I say.
After David pays for the meal we head around the side of The Crab Shack to the beach walkway. We walk over the bridge and end up in the sand. I grab onto David’s arm to steady myself and take off my black high heel shoes. It’s hard enough to walk in them without trying on the sand. We walk in comfortable silence along the beach. We go what seems like miles and then I notice where we are. We are in that spot with the rocks where I slipped and knocked him down the day the bus took us to the beach.
David stills us so we stop and sink a little in the sand. “Déjà vu” he says. “
“Don’t worry I won’t knock you down this time David.” I say.
“It’s my turn then.” he says with his devilish smile and pulls me to the ground with him. We both laugh rather hysterically for a few minutes. Then he props himself up on his side and looks down at me laying on my back. He has one hand on my hip and it feels nice. And I think those cool blue grey eyes of his could melt anyone.
“I have to ask you something.” He says.
“Ok.” I say back unsure of what I am getting into.
“I need a favor from you,” he says pausing. “Can I draw you for my figure drawing class?”
“You mean like nude?” I ask.
“Not completely nude. But it’s figure drawing so I’ll need to capture your form.” He says as his eyes trail across me.
“Well I guess you did so kindly help me out with my last few assignments. The shots at the pizza shop and then there was developing the shots from the squares. So, ok. I’ll do it.” I say.
He kisses my neck and then quickly stands and yanks me to my feet with him.
“Ok so you mean like now?” I say.
“Ya I have my sketchbook in the car. And I am feeling inspired.” he says.
“Ok.” I say as he practically drags me behind him.
We jog across the bridge, me delicately on my tiptoes since I don’t have my shoes on. He digs the sketchbook out of the back trunk.
“Ok so where is this happening?” I ask. Once again David grabs my hand and leads me quickly back to the same spot on the beach. He seems to have already planned this out. He tells me to face a certain way so that the light from the moon and clouds are behind me. The spot is on a slight hill, which is the part he wants me to sit at. I sit catty-cornered to him with my legs bent and folded together to the side of me. The black jersey knit dress hugs the top of my thighs up to my shoulders. I peak behind me and see the coastal reed grass silhouetted by the moonlight and blowing in the wind like the ends of my hair. It’s a peaceful night and I sit relaxed just listening to the wind and the noise of David’s pencil sketching on the paper.
I am not sure how much time has passed but David gets up and comes and sits next to me.
“Can I see it?” I ask.
“Sure. But I am not finished with it yet. Needs more shading work and I may add in some of the gold and blue and purple tones from the sky and the sand and those legs. But I will finish it out this weekend.” He says.
The drawing is amazing. I never thought of myself as beautiful but this person, this form in David’s drawing is just that. The leaning reed grass in the background is solid black, a silhouette. My form is a mainly a silhouette too. Though since I am closer to the foreground you can see several details. Details like the tops of my knees and where the muscles start in my calves. Details like the bottoms of my bare feet, one of my forearms and one shoulder. You can also see some of the lines in my jersey knit dress resting on my thigh and curving around my bottom. My face is a silhouette with flyaway hairpieces sweeping around one side of my face. There are also various details and shapes in the sand surrounding me.
Without thinking I move my lips to David’s and kiss him. Parting his lips open with my tongue. He kisses me back with that gentle lip biting that drives me crazy. I let him close his sketchbook grabbing his hands when he is done and placing them on my legs. He moves his fingers over them gently. I move my hands under his soft grey shirt craving touching more of his skin. He pulls his shirt off as if obliging me. He moves closer leaning me back with one hand in the small of my back and the other propping himself up on the sand and also touching my hip. He trails kisses and licks along my extended neck down to where the jersey knit dress blocks him from touching my skin. I pull the dress down over my shoulders first, which he kisses. Then I pull the dr
ess down even more so it’s in the sand and his bare chest is against mine.
He moves his mouth back to mine and bites my lip again forcing a moan that has been building. Wanting more of him I unbutton his pants and he pulls them the rest of the way off kicking his shoes off too. His fingers play with the straps on my silk black bikini panties. He caresses my thighs too with soft grains of sand moving with his fingers on my skin. I move my fingers to his and guide them to pulling the sides of my panties down and off. He kisses my chest and moves so he rocks on top of me. I grip the muscles in his back with intense pleasure rolling him over so I am on top now. He touches the side of my rib cage lightly caressing the sand and my skin. After awhile he rolls us back over so he is on top again. I moan when he moves his lips back to my mouth and rocks on top of me. We both go over the edge.
We clean the sand off each other in silence and both get dressed. I look at him and he has that beautifully wicked one-sided grin. He looks at me and I know I am beaming at him and probably blushing a little now too.
“Thea.” he says pausing “You’re incredible.”
“Your not to bad yourself.” I say.
We sit next to each other looking at the reed grass swaying and the soft rolling tide in the distance.
“So you ready?” says David.
“Ready for what?” I ask.
“This!” he says picking me up and tossing me over his shoulder.
And I know where this is going. He is going to toss me in again like the last time we were at the beach.
“David!” I holler right before he tosses me in.
The water is stingingly cold.
“Déjà vu?” he says chuckling.
“Oh ya. Well I think it’s your turn then mister.” I say jumping on him so he falls back into the water.
“Ok I guess I deserved that.” He says. With another chuckle he adds “Let’s get out of here it’s freaking cold. And I don’t want to find out right now if there are anymore jellyfish nearby.”
Capturing Savannah Page 6