by Sarah Thorn
“You haven’t seen London at all have you?” Elizabeth said to me, while cutting through the runny yolk of her fried egg with a blunt knife. Elizabeth was probably my only friend, the only person whom I spoke to on a regular basis who was also not a part of the Geography faculty.
I shook my head subconsciously, while I remained bent over writing the final paragraph of a report I was going to submit.
“You have to get out there love. You’re leaving in a few weeks” she said and I looked up to find a string of yellow yolk running down her pale chin. I smiled and said, “Well, I’m leaving in one week and you’re right but I don’t have the time”. I took a bite of my cold toast over which Elizabeth had spread a generous coating of Marmalade for me.
“You’re in London! It’s a Friday! We must go and have some fun” Elizabeth said cheerily and looked at me, almost pleadingly.
“I’m not much of a party person” I said and pointed at my oversized denim shirt and the faded black jeans I had managed to throw on.
“You’re telling me you don’t have one gorgeous outfit for a night out?” Elizabeth said and raised her eyebrow at me. Well, I did pack one, but I had forgotten about it and besides going out on a Friday night when I still had so much work to do just seemed like a terrible idea.
“We’re going and that’s that. Even if we have to go buy a new outfit for you” Elizabeth said with a flourish and sank back in her chair.
*****
It was 8PM when we left the King’s College campus, Elizabeth and I hand-in-hand as we made our way to the Tube stop which would connect us to the London City center. I had found my little black shift dress with a sparkly sequin design at the edges. Elizabeth had lent me her high black heels which clicked against the gravel road that we were walking on. All the time that I spent indoors, and the fact that London in September means practically no sun, had made me appear to be at least a few shades paler than I looked at home. For a change, my copper curls were manageable and I let them hang behind my shoulders in waves.
This was my first time out in London. This was the first time I saw the double decker red buses which somehow never topple over, the first time we walked through dark and dingy stone archways and old buildings in pristine condition. I hated to admit it, but our little adventure out was fun!
When we reached the City, Elizabeth immediately dragged me by my hand into a pub she claimed was famous for all the authors and writers who used to visit it regularly, a hundred years ago. To say that I felt out of place was an understatement. I hadn’t been out drinking at a bar in ages, let alone in a foreign country! As expected, Elizabeth immediately made friends while I stood awkwardly at the edge of the circle of people around her, taking small sips of a pint of strong Cider.
That is till I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around to find a man standing behind me, a huge grin on his face and a pint of a dark beer in his hands.
“Bored?” he asked, a thick English accent hit my ears and all I could do was smile and avert my gaze nervously. He was tall. At least a foot taller than me. Broad shoulders and big hands, are what I noticed first about him. His pale blonde hair was swept back from his forehead, while his crystalline blue eyes were studying my face. He looked much more casual than I did. Just jeans and a light sweater, so calm, so suave.
“You’re clearly not from around here” he said to me and took a sip of beer from his glass.
*****
“What gave that away? Before I even spoke?” I asked him, while leaning against a rounded wooden table. I was glad that I at least had somebody to talk to, instead of just awkwardly standing in the corner watching Elizabeth flirting with strangers.
“You just look…different” he said after a while and smiled knowingly at me. He had apple-red lips I noticed and I could see the green veins on his jaw under his pale almost flawlessly translucent skin. His voice was masculine and made him sound at least a decade older than he looked.
“Do you like London?” he asked suddenly and I nodded in response, I didn’t have much to talk about London with him, I barely knew the city.
“Well, it rains a lot” I said eventually and we both laughed. His laugh was boisterous, his whole body shook when he laughed and his eyes gave the impression that he was enjoying himself. We both took big gulps from our glasses and he said, “Bottom’s up?” and without waiting for a response, drained the glass into his throat and I had no choice but to do the same.
“I’m getting us repeats” I heard him say as I was finishing up the last bit of Cider from my glass. He returned within minutes and he had two pints of Cider for me and two pints of what he indicated to be Guinness, for himself.
“Wanna race?” I asked him, surprising myself and he had just about placed the four glasses on the table when we both picked up a glass each and chugged it down in record speed. The next one took us a bit more time, especially me, but we managed it nonetheless and by the time we were done, I was as good as swaying on my feet.
“I need to sit” I said, and hoped that I hadn’t begun to slur my words. He laughed shortly and I felt his hands grip my shoulders as he pulled me down towards a tall wooden chair that had been placed in the corner of the room. He stood in front of me after that, shielding my view from Elizabeth and her group. His arms were crossed across his chest and his blue eyes were studying my face.
“You all right?” he asked and I nodded enthusiastically.
“Haven’t done that in a while. I’m all right” I said and giggled like a school girl. He laughed too and continued looking at me.
“You know what you need? Some fresh air” he said suddenly and before I knew it, he was pulling me up again by gripping my hands. I wanted to protest and looked back towards Elizabeth. She was kissing a man who I didn’t recognize and I shook my head. So she’s clearly not going back to campus tonight, I said to myself and allowed my hand to be pulled forward by this strange handsome man who led me out into the streets of London.
The chill in the air was like a slap across my face and he was right, the freshness of it made me feel a lot better. He had let my hand go when we stepped outside and now he was standing a few feet away from me, allowing me to steady myself on my feet.
I took in a deep breath and released.
“You were right. This feels great” I said and squeezed my eyelids shut against a strong cool breeze that swept across my face and which I knew, would have also completely messed up my hair.
“It’s the English cure” he said and laughed. “Nothing like a harsh cold wind to wake you up” he added and we both laughed. When our laughter faded, we were both looking at each other. He still had a smile on his face, while I couldn’t help but bite down on my lower lip. He was so damn attractive, and that laugh of his was making me weak in my knees. I had a sudden incredible urge to trace my fingers along the faded green veins on his jaw, and I had to really struggle to stop myself from doing it.
He was looking at me keenly as well, his eyes traveling from my face to my chest and for a split second I thought I saw his gaze linger on the spot between my legs. I immediately blushed and I knew that he caught me having an embarrassed moment.
“C’mon. Lets go for a walk” he said and grabbed my hands again. I hadn’t noticed when he had wrapped a chunky maroon scarf around his neck but he now pulled it away and hung it from my shoulder.
“You need it more than I do” he said with a smile and I thanked him while wrapping it haphazardly around my neck and shoulders. It smelt of him. That strong masculine scent of beer and cologne. I licked my lips as I became aware of the touch of his hands pressed against mine. Our fingers were laced together and I looked down to see his white knuckles in the palm of my hand.
I chanced a glance his way as we began walking slowly through the cobbled streets of London, which was both quiet and devoid of traffic but bustling with people inside bars and pubs at the same time. His hair was ruffled in the wind, and his nose and cheeks had taken on a rosy hue in the cold night air.
His blue eyes were focused on the street ahead, while he still had a faint smile on his lips.
I looked away immediately, afraid of being caught. I hadn’t realized how much I needed this distraction. I hadn’t felt so carefree, adventurous and independent since I had gotten into Princeton. Just walking down the streets of London, hand-in-hand with a stranger whose name I didn’t know yet, seemed to be just what the Doctor ordered.
*****
I had no idea where we were headed. We had been walking for what seemed like at least an hour. Our feet stamping on small puddles of day old rain, the cold breeze in our hair, while he told me legends about the Tower of London and the prisoners who had been locked away and tortured, centuries ago. Our hands had unclasped at some point, and I felt a dull ache in my palm where his hand had tightly gripped mine. I missed the touch. For some strange reason, he didn’t feel like a stranger to me.
We arrived at the edge of a bridge and he suddenly turned to me.
“I live just across the Tower Bridge. In Bermondsey” he said, his blue eyes were looking into mine again. I nodded my head, pretending to know exactly where this Bermondsey place was, and smiled weakly.
“Want to pop in for a night cap?”. This man knows how to get to the point! I thought and looked away as if I was toying with the idea. Although, in all honesty, I knew I was going home with him. I wanted something to happen. Even though we hadn’t kissed or explicitly touched each other, other than holding hands, I knew I wanted to sleep with him.
“Sure, why not” I said eventually and I could see his eyes light up.
“C’mon then” he said, with a renewed cheer in his voice as he grabbed my hand again. We ran across the Tower Bridge, at nearly midnight, like a pair of teenagers who were running away from trouble. The wind carried our laughter as we giggled and stumbled and ran across the bridge to the other side. The scarf around my neck trailed behind me as he pulled my arm with his hand and ran in front of me. The metal chain of my purse strap dug into the skin of my bare shoulder, but I didn’t care. I was having fun. I was finally, having some uninhibited fun.
We had just crossed the bridge over to the other side when he turned around on his heels and dropped my hand. Without a word he bent down and grasped my head between his hands and sunk his lips on to mine. I could taste the beer on his breath as his tongue furiously found mine and then explored the inside of my mouth. I wrapped my arms around his waist as my head bent backward to accommodate the force with which he was kissing me. I could feel my lips swell up and my eyes were shut tightly, to keep the rest of the world out of this wonderful moment I was sharing with him.
We pulled apart after several minutes. We were both panting for air and it took me by surprise when he broke into laughter. His laugh was infectious, and I was giggling as well. Embarrassed by the suddenness of what had just happened and yet overcome by an uncontrollable urge to clutch my stomach and laugh like I had never laughed before.
“Is this insane or what?” he said between his laughs and I nodded, biting down on my lips again as I focused on his trembling laughing body.
“Just a few more minutes!” he said loudly and grabbed my hands again, pulling me in the direction opposite to the bridge.
He was right, we had reached what looked like a fairly old yellow brick building within minutes.
“My flat is on the second floor” he said while rummaging in the pockets of his pants for keys. I stood behind him, with his scarf still wrapped around my neck. I couldn’t help but smile broadly. He finally managed to bang the door open and then held it open for me as I entered a small space with a set of stairs.
“Follow me” he said as he whizzed past me and up the stairs, till we reached a small wooden door on the second floor landing.
“Home sweet Home” he said with a flourish as he unlocked the door of his apartment and held it open.
“I usually have a flatmate, but he’s on holiday now” he said as we both entered the apartment. I looked around and drunk in the boyish mess, books strewn around the floor, an open laptop on a low coffee table. It was however, not even close to as messy as my own room usually tends to be. I looked back at him and smiled.
“London is pricey. Can’t afford a home without a roommate” he said and smoothly walked over to a corner table which had a crystal decanter and several glasses arranged neatly around it.
“I’m afraid Whisky is all I have to offer” he said. His voice had become more serious and gruff suddenly as he began pouring some of the golden liquid into two glasses. I had never been a big fan of whisky, but I didn’t want to tell him that.
“That’s alright. I’ll limit it to one anyway” I said and walked over to a large red couch which looked inviting and comfortable for my tired feet.
“Have a seat stranger. Don’t be shy” he said, without turning around. I had no idea how he knew I was contemplating sitting down. I sunk into the couch nonetheless and slipped out Elizabeth’s heels from my feet.
“Your home is very cozy” I said to him as he walked over to where I was sitting and placed the two glasses on the coffee table in front of me.
“It serves the purpose” he said with a smile and sat down beside me on the couch.
We were quiet again, our eyes boring into each other’s faces as our bodies were mere inches away from each other. I saw him lick his lips subconsciously and I couldn’t control myself any longer. I leaned in towards him and placed my hands on his knees to push myself upwards, so that our faces were now at level with each other. I didn’t have to do anything else, without a word he was kissing me again. His hand wrapped in my hair, while my hands now pressed against the solid muscles of his chest. He was kissing me like he didn’t care for good manners.
*****
“Amber!” I heard Elizabeth’s voice in my ear as I wriggled around on the slim bed in the dorm room I had been assigned while at King’s College. I mumbled under my breath as I tossed over to dig my face into the pillow.
“Where on Earth did you disappear? I was so worried” I heard her say and that is when the memory of the previous night came flooding back into my brain. Or at least what I think happened. I saw flashes of a man’s blue eyes staring at me, the scent of beer and cologne on my skin, his hands lifting me by my waist and placing me down on a bed. I sat up suddenly.
“What the Hell is this?” Elizabeth said as she reached out for a maroon scarf that was tied around my neck. I looked down to it and wrapped it out and away from me, throwing it on the floor. I couldn’t believe I had just engaged in a one night stand, with a strange foreigner in London!
I had still not responded to a single thing that Elizabeth had said and she was beginning to talk to me, asking me a million questions a minute.
“Just slow down” I said to her groggily as I reached out for a glass of water on the table next to my bed. I took a large gulp of the water while she waited in silence, her hands on her hips.
“So. What happened?” she finally asked. She didn’t appear to have calmed down by any means.
“I don’t know. I might have gotten lost” I said meekly, averting her eyes.
“I was responsible for you! Why did you even leave the pub Amber?” she was yelling now and her big eyes were bulging out of her sockets.
“Well, I made it back, didn’t I?” I said with a huff and sank back in bed, pulling the covers over my head.
“You gave me such a fright! You’ve slept through your entire Saturday” she said and I heard her footsteps fade as she left my room. Finally I had some alone time to think things over.
As far as I knew, I hadn’t told him my name. I definitely didn’t know his. But his face, his hands, his bare chest and the muscles of his thighs - were all clearly embedded in my mind. I had obviously not been drunk. I remembered it all, too clearly. This is something I never thought I would do, sleep with a complete stranger in a foreign country.
I peeked my head out of the covers and stared up at the white ceiling. Well, I have nothing t
o lose this way, I said out loud and I couldn’t help but smile. I felt like I was on top of the world, like I had been given a new lease on life. I had taken a risk and done something completely out of character but I felt refreshed and rested for some reason. I could feel the energy flowing through my veins as I eventually sat up in bed again and gazed out of the window of my dorm room.
I was thankful that I had revealed nothing about myself to him, and that I knew nothing about him. It was fun and it was good, but it would have to remain a memory. This was exactly the kind of experience I needed if I was to charge through the last year of college and prepare myself for the storm ahead, of applying for my PHD. I was still smiling as I stood up and my eyes fell on the maroon scarf lying on the floor.
I bent down and picked it up. Before I knew what I was doing I held it up to my nose and took in a deep breath. It smelt delicious, it smelt of him. A flash of an image of me tiptoeing out of his apartment, hit me like a sudden wave. I remembered clearly, walking in Elizabeth’s painful heels in the dim light of the morning for what must have been hours till I reached a Tube stop. The scarf was clutched in my hands and I held it close to my chest as I thought about the way he smiled, the way he laughed and how he held me as I fell asleep in his arms.