Lines We Forget

by J. E. Warren

  “How did you guess?”

  “Because you’ve clearly spent a lot of time on your costume.” She’s only joking, of course, and the wide smile on his lips tell her that he enjoys their easy exchange as he dips his head low.

  Gently he kisses her and she reminds him to watch her nose. Charlie doesn’t seem too put off, and he cups a hand beneath the base of her neck to pull her in harder until Anna’s certain all of the chalky kohl’s rubbed off onto him.

  “Your costume is actually very cute. Honestly, it suits you.”

  She rolls her eyes and laments how crap she is at coming up with suitable costume ideas. “The theme is actually Party Animals.”

  “I see you’ve taken that very literally.”

  “I’ll be a cat at a party, so they can’t say I haven’t tried.”

  “What time do you need to get there for?” he asks as she playfully smears a finger down the bridge of his noise to paint it solid black.

  “Nine thirty-ish. I’d rather arrive late and not outstay my welcome too much. Molly isn’t going to be there either.”

  Charlie nods. “Okay, well, that leaves us a bit of time; I can turn up at Eddie’s whenever. Are you sure you don’t want to come join me?”

  “I’d love to, but I should probably show my face, make an effort, even though lots of people have pulled out of going. Plus, I am dressed like this, and I already embarrassed myself once at Eddie’s, so best I don’t.”

  “Well, if you change your mind you’re more than welcome too.”

  Anna mulls it over, and the offer becomes more tempting with each passing minute but she decides to stick her original plan. There’s something slightly more pressing to do before they go their separate ways for the night, before the clocks tick over into a new year.

  First she has to give Charlie his present.

  Asking for him to sit down on the sofa raises a concerned look as she retrieves the bin liner, cautiously carrying it over without causing damage. She tells him it’s not that exciting, downplaying it even though it’s the very opposite just so she can savour his reaction.

  And when he gives her a quizzical glance she feels the rush of excitement build in anticipation of watching how his eyes will light up.

  True to form, Charlie stutters out a jumble of nonsense as he slowly pulls out the light wooden guitar and accidently plucks a sharp string that bounces off the walls.

  “Anna,” he begins to say, his voice catching. “It’s…wow, I mean seriously wow.”

  “You like it then?”

  “Are you kidding? It’s beautiful…how? Why? What have I done to deserve this?” He rests it on his lap and just as she’d hoped, he starts to play without any hesitation. The notes he strums sound perfect and comforting.

  “Sounds good.”

  “I’m a bit speechless. I have no idea how you got this or why you did but really, it’s amazing.”

  Settling beside him, she feels a little smug and can’t wait to tell him the story of how such a gift came into her possession and just why she’d been so eager to give it to him.

  “Well, it’s kind of a funny story,” she says even though it’s not really. Still, she takes the opportunity to ham it up. “So we had a charity auction at work just before Christmas, and I never really go in for stuff like that but they had a list of the prizes on the tickets. Unfortunately I didn’t win us the test drive in a Porsche or the city break to Barcelona or the wonderful Christmas preserves hamper, but I did somehow manage to win that.”

  “Seriously?” Charlie asks, holding the guitar tight as if he might have to hand it back over.

  “Yes. I brought about twenty-five tickets and just hoped for the best. One of our past clients is an entertainment company and they donated it as part of the auction. Apparently there’s a little dent in the side, but looks brand new to me.”

  “That’s crazy.”

  “I thought I didn’t have a chance in hell, but then Molly told me I’d won on the last day before the office packed up for Christmas. Obviously it was meant to be, either that or she wrangled it so I won,” Anna explains, suspecting Molly really did have a bigger part to play in the story than she’d let on.

  “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you,” he repeats. “Really, I’m in shock, I can’t thank you enough. Thank you.”

  “Not a bad return for twenty quid, is it?”

  “Not bad at all.” He chuckles, still cradling it in his arms. And Anna can’t help but give in to the weak feeling in her knees when he kisses her softly on the cheek and whispers, “You’re the best, I love you.”

  “So do you want to take it out for spin?”

  “What, right now?”

  “Yeah, why not? We could hit up your old stomping ground outside the Tube on the high street. You know, the place where you first serenaded me, made me fall head over winter boots for you.” She giggles, hoping he’ll agree to spend a little more time together and treat her to a rendition or two of a classic song.

  “Okay, well, there’s no way I’m not taking it out with me tonight. I know I shouldn’t probably say this…but Eddie will be quite jealous. It really is a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, Anna, you know that right?”

  “It just looks like a regular old guitar to me, Charlie, but if you say it is, then I guess it must be special.”

  “I’ll grab my old case, don’t want to damage it,” he says, smile wide and eyes still gazing adoringly at the wood grain body.

  When he’s laid it to rest in a hard leather case, he grabs her by the waist and spins her round. A hot, passionate kiss lands on her lips and she embraces it.

  “Come on. Are we doing this or not? We’ve got to get there before the inevitable bloody Tube strike or before the roads get too busy,” she tells him after another long clinch.

  Charlie nods and takes care to wrap up in layers of warm clothing, prodding at her bare neck as he does. “No scarf?”

  “Couldn’t find one that went with my costume.”

  “But it’s cold as balls outside. Seriously, let me get you something.” The way he says balls makes her tear up with laughter and even though the dark tartan scarf he rummages to find for her in his drawer doesn’t quite fit with her feline theme, Anna duly accepts it and buries her mouth and nose deep into it.

  Finally ready to hit the streets, with Charlie’s arm linked in hers, one last time before the chimes ring throughout the city, ready to pull them into something new.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Charlie

  December 31st/January 1st 2011

  “White or red?” Anna asks, balancing on the tip of her toes as Charlie continues to laugh at how she can only just about reach the top shelf.

  “I can help you if you want.”

  “No, I’m fine. White or red?” she asks again, still struggling and just as stubborn as ever.

  “Does it really matter? It all tastes the same.”

  “You’re right. Red it is then, obviously.”

  He rolls his eyes, catches the cashier behind the counter in the middle of doing the same as she lifts down the miniature bottle of wine. The smile on her face, infectious and mischievous as she bounds over to pay only feeds into his strong desire to scoop her up and kiss her until he has no breath left.

  Just like he’d done whilst leaving the flat earlier, the need to press his lips to hers of the upmost importance. Charlie wanted to thank her again for the wonderful gift she’s given him, which is just as beautiful and unique as her.

  And so, to show his appreciation he kissed her with every ounce of adoration and gratefulness he had, even if her cat whiskers rubbed off onto him once more, causing them to be late and flustered. He didn’t care. It was a small sacrifice worth making for a girl so grand.

  Anna’s loud voice close by cuts through the memory of her dress hiked up, hips pressed hard into his, as she asks the cashier if it’s fine for her to pinch a couple of plastic coffee cups.

  “I only need two, I’ll pay for them,” sh
e says sweetly, flashing the guy a winning smile that Charlie knows is futile to resist.

  “Don’t worry. No charge,” the guy replies helplessly.

  “Are you sure?”

  He shrugs again and Charlie gives him a sympathetic, knowing nod when he passes them over, much to Anna’s delight.

  Back out on the street, he sighs as she stacks the cups and buries them deep within her coat pocket. “You really could get away with murder. When you do that look…and that smile.”

  “I’ve been perfecting it for years, Charlie, so I’d bloody hope so!”

  He links his arm into hers and they both laugh. “It does work. Every. Damn. Time.”

  ***

  The walk to the nearest station doesn’t take long and as he breathes in the cold air he feels optimistic about the night ahead. Even if his phone reminds him of the guilt he’s supposed to feel, having received a message from Emily halfway there.

  In it she’d wished him a happy new year, adding that she hoped he could find happiness again, and she’d signed it with single X. Which he thought was a nice thing to say and do considering how he’d called her with bad news out of the blue the night after Anna had come crashing back into his life again.

  It was a quick, somewhat awkward phone conversation and he hadn’t done a good job of explaining why he couldn’t see her anymore. Still, Emily had been nice, kind to him even, and it made the feeling of leading her on worse. It couldn’t have been easy for her to listen as he mumbled away about her being really, really nice but it wasn’t the right time for him to be in a new relationship because his mind and heart were firmly back in the hands of Anna.

  There was a stab of guilt and regret when she’d said Is this about your ex-girlfriend, Hannah or Anna or whatever her name is? Because it transpired that according to Emily he’d mentioned that name more times than he’d ever realised.

  “You said her name in your sleep once,” she confessed, which apparently cemented the fact she thought he wasn’t willing to commit. He’d felt bad about wasting her time and that she’d known all along his heart wasn’t quite in it, but it was nothing in comparison to how it felt having to nervously explain to Anna how his two months spent in the company of another could never compare to what they had, and still have.

  She’d been oddly calm about it all too, listening instead of pushing for him to answer questions, and she didn’t press him for all the details either—something he was sure would have happened in the past. An old, frustrating trait of hers that he doesn’t miss.

  And when he’d finished she thanked him for being honest and open, and then told him her own truths about a guy named Ollie who he had no desire to think or hear about again.

  “Great. Flipping brilliant! Looks like the Bakerloo line is down, what a surprise,” she says sarcastically, pointing up at a board filled with pixilated delay warnings.

  “We could hop on another line maybe, although it would mean doubling back on ourselves.”

  She shrugs, and he notices that she’s eyeing the wine bottle poking out her coat. Probably tossing up the idea of cracking it open, he thinks, to dull the sense of frustration at the severe lack of tubes.

  “Could wait it out on the platform, maybe? See if anything comes through,” he offers even though he’s certain her patience won’t stretch that far. Because there’s an eagerness in her movements that’s hard to ignore, which tells him she doesn’t want to hang around.

  Placing the travel-sized bottle of red into the stacked coffee cups, she spins on her heels and drags him along with her back up the stairs and out into the busy street. Giggling as they take two steps at a time, breathing in the cold fresh air.

  Anna pauses for a moment by the lit up station sign. “So we’ve got a bit of time to kill. I think maybe it’s best we grab something to eat.”

  “Where from, though? Most places will be booked up or closed by now.”

  “I didn’t mean go out for a slap-up meal. There’s a kiosk over there that does hot food. I’m only after something quick to eat.”

  “I’ve already eaten.”

  “I haven’t,” she confesses, sinking her face into his scarf. “Kind of forgot to what with all the outfit preparations and excitement about your surprise. I think it may be wise to line my stomach before any wine comes to play.”

  And so with time to spare, Charlie walks with her to grab a hot sausage roll that looks as if it’s been sat in its greasy metal cabinet since the last New Year’s Eve.

  He watches in disbelief when she scoffs the lot and half of a chocolate brownie too as they linger in an abandoned shop doorway to shelter away from the crowds spilling out from the station barriers. Most of whom are dressed up in a variety of glitzy outfits and fancy dress, all seemingly whooping with joy to forget the last twelve months and find hope in the next.

  Which is in stark contrast to how Anna’s acting, he thinks, realising that she’s now stalling by pointing out various landmarks that surround them. Talking the whole time at breakneck speed and expertly avoiding all conversation about getting back down to the Tube.

  He doesn’t mind though, even if his fingers and toes are turning numb from the biting December chill. Mostly because Anna and her cat ears and smudged whiskers, hearty laughter, and blissful chitchat give him all the warmth he needs.

  “Do you think Eddie will be pissed at you for turning up late?” she asks, offering the last of her brownie to him.

  “Probably not. The party doesn’t usually kick in till after the countdown. Plus of course he’ll likely be so drunk by then that he’ll have no idea I haven’t been there the whole time.”

  “That’s true.”

  Charlie leans against a boarded-up window and stuffs his cold hands deep into his pockets. “How about you? Do you think they’ll be bothered when you show up late?”

  “Nah. It’s not that big a deal. I think my invite was out of pity or an afterthought because so many people are back home at the moment. If Molly was going then I’d be more inclined to make an effort.”

  “I could always come with you, then head over to Eddie’s once you’ve done your duty?”

  Anna smiles and her eyes light up. “Good thinking there, I like it. Two parties, one night. However, we do only have a small bottle of wine to last us, so we’d better stock up beforehand.”

  “Well, I don’t know about your shindig, but Eddie will have stockpiled for the last six months. He did a booze cruise recently, specifically for tonight.”

  “I hope he hasn’t laid on a spread again. Not after that bloody cheese fiasco.” She sighs and he knows better than to ask her to expand on the subject. Bitter ex-girlfriends and cheese are most definitely strictly off topic.

  “Hopefully not. Anyways, all of that’s a long way off yet. We really should get going again soon.”

  “I bet it’s packed down by the river. Everyone waiting for the countdown and fireworks,” she says slyly, fiddling with the last bite of her brownie. “I’d say we should go but it’ll be over by the time we get there. At this rate we might not make it anywhere.”

  “Probably should have planned our spontaneous trip a bit better.” He laughs, brushing away a strand of hair as it falls to her lips; crumbs of dark chocolate stick to his fingertips.

  “But then it wouldn’t be as much fun, now would it? Just look at all the crazy, spontaneous fun we’re having right now, Charlie! I bet you never imagined you’d be huddled in a doorway that stinks of piss, watching in disgust as a slightly windswept Cat eats a manky sausage roll with a bottle of wine tucked in its pocket.”

  He smiles, thinks that he’ll never not be in love with how she can meander through words at such a pace and make him laugh so genuinely, from the pit of his stomach right to the grin on his lips.

  “It’s a wonderful sight. One I’ll likely never forget.” Charlie knows it’s the absolute truth because he feels it in his bones, how it’s already etched into the folds of his memory.

  “You’d better not.”
Anna winks, tossing the grease-stained napkin into a nearby bin. She adjusts her tail and hitches up her tights. “Come on, let’s go!”

  In true fashion she giggles all the way down the escalators, finding it hilarious to pretend like she’s a runway model as the air from the station hall rushes up to fight against them. He notices that she’s secretly unscrewed the wine cap too and has already taken a small swig. Which she does again as they wait with strained patience for a Tube train to pull up on the platform.

  Anna catches his mock-disapproving look. “What?”

  “I see you’ve already helped yourself.”

  “We might be stuck here for ages. All of New Year’s at this rate, so I thought I’d just have a little sip. Want some?”

  He knows that it’s not the done thing, especially since the drinking ban on the Underground the year previous, but her eyes burning into his allow him to throw caution and the rules to the wind. He takes the bottle and carefully knocks back a mouthful so no one catches him.

  “Rule breaker,” he hears her mutter in a sarcastic manner. She nudges against his arm to give him a quick peck on the cheek like she’s actually quite proud of the fact he is.

  “Bad influence,” Charlie counters as the bitter taste of wine hitting the back of his throat spurs him on for just one more sip.

  “You got that right!”

  When they’ve been waiting on the platform bench beneath a tiled enclave for what starts to feel like hours, Anna swing her legs back and forth with forceful frustration at each new announcement to apologise for further delays.

  And when they do finally get to board, she takes a seat on his lap and holds the guitar case between her thighs until they reach the right stop.

  “Well, that took forever,” he mumbles, not bothering to actually check the time on his watch because it’s clearly very late. All the party revellers are out in force, fighting to be heard over the stray fireworks going off in all directions and the cabs speeding by to get through the city before the clock strikes.