Acute Adoration, Matt

Chapter One
Cursing his feelings, he sat on the 9:15 train to London reading a crumpled newspaper he had picked up from the vacant seat next to him. He had never found it this difficult before, but somehow events where different this time. Having only just met her the once in the Bull & Horns pub during his last visit to London, they had since spent weeks on the phone to each other almost every night and he had grown quite attached to her voice. looking out of the window at the blurred British country side whizzing past his mind mulled over the idea of turning back home and just forgetting the whole affair, he could say something else had cropped up and issue a rain check.

Unfortunately for him it was already too late to turn back, London Victoria was the next station and she had already rung his mobile just moments before this was announced to confirm she was sitting at the station eagerly waiting for him. This alone made him nervous, and he glanced back from the window down to the three day old newspaper which lay open in his hands. It was a short while later and the sudden jolt of the of the train as it pulled into Victoria jerked him out of the trance he had fallen into, upon realising he had spent the past fifteen minutes reading the same article repetitively he folded the paper up and sat it down next to him before glancing up through the window at the urban scene. The sight caused a twinge in his chest as he was reminded of why he had came. Normally London would have felt like home to him, not today, he had other things to be doing and wasn’t entirely sure if he should be.

Even before the train had stopped, commuters were busying themselves with collecting their things and moving as close to the doors in a futile attempt at being the first to exit. On a normal day he would have joined them, excited by the prospect of visiting his favourite city again and meeting all the old friends he had collected during his years on the net. Today he didn’t really feel like rushing, the usual excitement he had felt upon entering the train had all but left him now, replaced by worry, he was nervous, never having done this sort of thing before he slowly gathered his things, checked his reflection in the window and got up - one of the last to leave, he nodded to the cleaner entering the carriage as he departed on to the noisy platform, platform two. He looked around to check that she wasn’t anywhere to be seen before putting his bag over his shoulder and making his was at a leisurely pace towards the ticket machines, this at least gave him time to try and regain the excitement he had felt that morning, excitement it seemed now impossible to stir again as he put his ticket into the machine and walked through, past the guard and into the heart of Victoria.

He knew this station like the back of his hand, spending as long as he had in such a place tends to endow upon someone an un-natural knowledge of where things are. He knew every stain on the floor, even recognised some of the pigeons sometimes, quite often he would stop and say hello to the regular homeless people he knew, the sorry looking folk who in their time of need would ask for spare change - once upon a time he had even gone so far as to buy one scruffy looking chap dinner in a spontaneous act of charity, it was Christmas two years previous, he never did see him again. Walking from the ticket machines he entered WHSmith to check if they had a magazine in he had been hunting for, this was of course just another method of grabbing more time to think, they didn’t so he was spared the long wait to purchase it, something that did insight some despair within him but he pushed it to one side and decided that he wouldn’t procrastinate any more and go meet the girl.

Chapter Two
They had planned to meet in Weatherspoons, it only just now occurred to him that she may have seen him reluctantly walking from the train to the WHSmith which lay below where they where to meet. This rejuvenated him somewhat and he quickly walked out of the shop and turned to head up the escalators towards the meeting point, in his haste he had almost knocked over several people milling around outside and both their complaints and his words of apology where lost to the wind as he sped up the moving staircase.

Upon reaching the top he composed himself before entering through the vast glass doors of the drinking establishment. The thick stagnant smell of smoke was in the air making it difficult for him to breath, he almost choked as he walked past someone exhaling blue wafts while he made his way through to the non smoking area. At this time of the morning the place was mostly frequented by business men sat down sharing a coffee before they headed off to work and the odd lay about sharing a pint of the brown stuff, a smile crossed his face as he was reminded of previous times spent here with friends while waiting for their trains but that thought was all but obliterated when he caught a glimpse of her. She was sitting in the corner of the non-smoking section dressed in a body clinging white dress and reading a book, she hadn’t seen him yet and so he moved to a position where two men heartily laughing about something partially blocked her view of him. “She - is - beautiful!” he thought and excitement filled his veins once more.  On the table in front of her was an empty glass, and he began to worry that maybe he had left her waiting too long. With that in mind and his heart thumping he made his way through the thronging crowd to where she sat.

It took a couple of seconds before she noticed him standing there, he waved and cautiously said hello. Looking up from her book - The Magician by Raymond E. Fiest - in the blink of an eye she registered who he was and jumped up beaming at him. “Oh, hey Mathew!” she said excitedly “Have a good journey?” From up close he could see better than before how the dress covered with a blue butterfly design showed off the beautiful contours of her body, this caused him to take a moment before he registered that she had her arms wide open to hug him. Dropping his bag to the ground and hugging her he felt the warmth from her skin with his hands as she squeezed him slightly, “Journey was alright,” he lied, it had actually been fraught with worry but that was gone now, in its place sat a fat child and a mountain of candy.

An hour past quickly, the entire time was seemingly spent with the pair staring longingly towards each other and giggling about silly things the other had said, he had gone up to the bar soon after meeting her and ordered two drinks, they had hardly touched them in that time. It’s during meetings like this that you know two people are destined to get along or at least one may hope so. From a casual onlookers point of view they looked like an age-tested couple out on a date, maybe they where, had they not just spent the past 6 weeks on the phone to each other almost all the time? This nor the time was any consideration of Matt’s at the moment. In his mind was a symphony of thoughts and emotions, it was a nice feeling and beat the day to day cacophony of noise that usually took its place. She had been right, you do miss all the chances you don’t take, and he was pretty glad that he had taken this one. Another hour past during which they finished their drinks and left the pub heading for the tube.

It was a comfortably warm day outside and they had taken the tube from Victoria to Hyde Park. Walking along the path surrounded by green grass and tall trees they where silent, content enough in the comfort of each others company to walk together and enjoy the time spent wondering, it was at this moment she put her hand in his and he placed his fingers about hers, they glanced at each other for a second before looking out at the other people in the park, both smiling.

Matt looked out at the busy park, as they walked hand in hand he saw couples together on the grass some chatting, some cuddling and some simply laying there basking in each others and the suns warm glow. He felt happy, happier than he could remember being he turned to her and after biting his lip asked, “Do you think we could make this work?”
She looked at him, blushed a little before replying, “Anything is possible.”
Slightly confused by her cryptic reply but reassured by her smiling at him he responded, “Well, I would like to make it work.”
She looked up at him, “But what about the distance?” she knew this wasn’t a problem but couldn’t think of any other excuse.
“Distance is no challenge, I really, really like you,” he paused thankful he hadn’t used the dreaded L word and then continued, “if we both want it to happen then, then I shall do my best to make it…” His sentence was broken off as she planted her lips softly on his in a kiss, his heart thumped in amazement, overcome by shock his mind a fireworks display of emotion and unknowing of what else to do he instinctively wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes and kissed her back, moving his hands up her back to support her neck while she wrapped her arms around his waist and held his body close, feeling his heart beat next to hers.

They kissed for a short while, an act which caused passing couples to some how feel closer to each other, and provoked many a smile on the face of other passer-by’s. Unfortunately they had been crossing a bike lane when the moment happened and it was called short as a guy not paying too much attention to the road had to brake hard and almost come off his bike in an attempt to avoid hitting the new couple. Slightly embarrassed the two jumped to one side as the cyclist rode by glaring at them, unbeknown to them he was somewhat jealous of their obvious affliction for one another. They looked at each other before laughing, their eyes glistening in the sunshine full of energy, she jabbed his arm with her finger and upon announcing “TAG!” darted off across the green grass laughing while dodging the other couples who had sat down to enjoy the day.

He grinned before taking off after and upon quickly catching up with her he playfully grabbed and swung her about him, her beautiful dress spraying out in the wind, both of them breathing heavily from the recent exertion, looking longingly into each others eyes they kissed a lingering, loving kiss. To the on looking couples who had been disturbed by this act of affection the two looked very happy with each other and instilled a feeling of love in all those who lay there with their partners. The atmosphere had changed remarkably from that morning, Matt had felt incredibly nervous of meeting this girl unsure of what would happen, but he was glad he had taken her advice and come. It was this moment, right now that he was thankful for allowing himself to meet her and for listening to his heart more than his head, a risk which had paid off.

The pair sat in the park for several hours, some people had come with kites which provided some amusement for them as they watched the colourful fabric fly in an astonishing aerodynamic display before returning their attention to each other. They lay down, he had his arm supporting her head while his other hand rested on her waist, this prompted her to turn and snuggle into him and he moved his hand so that he could stroke her hip with his thumb. He kissed her forehead lightly and she tilted her head up to meet his lips, kissed and then snuggled deeply into his chest to feel his warmth. They had joined the other couples in the park in the very popular past time of enjoying each others company during which the pair dozed off for what seemed like only a few minutes.
When he woke up Matt felt a cool breeze on his face and noticed that thick black clouds had taken dominance in the sky where a warm and friendly sun had been sat only hours before. At his side she was happily asleep in his arms and it felt wrong of him to disturb her. Gently nudging her and whispering that she should wake up she stretched out and groaned a little before opening her eyes and smiling at the sight of him, “It’s cold,” she said softly, slightly shivering as the cool breeze turned into a slight wind.
“Looks like rain,” he replied, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm her up, “fancy wearing my hoodie?” he asked, “I brought one just in case,” he finished while opening his bag and rummaging. She accepted his offer and pulled the material he offered her over her head, it was thick and black with Coventry University written on the front in big white lettering and surprisingly warmed her up substantially. She smiled as he helped her up and upon collecting their things they dashed back to the tube station in an attempt to seek refuge before the heavens opened.

They hadn’t made it quite back to the tube station before gigantic raindrops by the dozen fell from the sky soaking the pair as they made a run for cover. They soon reached the station and rushed down the stairs into the warm sanctuary of the underground before both passing through the ticket machines and quickly boarding a train which had just pulled into the north bound platform of the Piccadilly line. By now it was late afternoon and the trains where beginning to get busy again, by the time they departed at Leicester Square the train was full and their seats where quickly filled as soon as they had left them. The relative warmth of the underground had mostly dried them off by the time they reached the surface, both hand in hand they walked out of the station to be greeted by the afternoon sun low in the sky it illuminated the urban surroundings in a warm, golden light. The now mostly light grey clouds could be seen moving on the horizon off loading what was left of their load on other unfortunate beings while the couple disappeared into the crowds in search of somewhere to eat.

Chapter Three
Even though the restaurant was brimming with people Mark had nothing to do, the rest of the staff had everything covered and so he lent against the bar waiting for the next hungry customer to come through the door and give him something to do. He had almost dozed off when a young couple came in through the low doorway, the taller of the two leaning down so as not to bump his head on the oak beam. The girl was wearing a white body hugging dress with a black university hoodie over the top, the sight of which woke Mark up a little, the guy on the other hand was just wearing jeans and a T-shirt not nearly warm enough for the cold of the night, he noticed they looked happy together and so he watched them for a second as  they both stood waiting before deciding to provide some form of service.

The restaurant looked old, very old. Matt stood with her looking about at the dark beams and white washed walls with old paintings hung on them and the people sat at big oak tables eating what looked like very tasty food from big white plates. There was a busy atmosphere as the building was filled with a hundred conversations, Matt caught glimpses of some, husband and wife talking about their day, a couple in the corner giggling at each other and a businessman, obviously a workaholic eating his meal while on the phone to some client or other. A few moments passed before a waiter came up to them and introduced himself, “Good evening, I’m Mark. Table for two?”
“Yes please,” replied Matt while putting his arm around his new partner. The two where guided by Mark to a table lit by candles in a remote corner of the restaurant, remote as it was they where surrounded by several other couples some staring into each others eyes, others holding hands while chatting and a few actually eating the food sat in front of them while sharing a conversation about something Matt couldn’t make out.

Having ordered their food and upon Mark placing a bottle of Domaine des Baumard on their table the two sat sipping on the aromatic wine while chatting about the day. By the time their food had arrived the pair had already settled in to the environment and from a distance would have been indistinguishable from the other couples sat pining over each other. Mark smiled to himself as he set down their meals, the couple thanked him and he left slightly jealous of the guy, “She is a very beautiful lady” he thought as he returned through the swinging doors of the kitchen, thankful of having something to occupy himself with.

After finishing their meals and leaving a larger than normal tip Matt helped her out of the chair, she held his hand and kissed him before they departed the scene and out onto the London streets at night. Mark cleaned up their table after pocketing the surprising tip, he liked spring, romance was in the air and it made people generous.

It was mid-evening and although the sun had set the streets of London where alive with the hustle and bustle of people out for the night. Matt would have loved to have joined them and taken her to a fantastic underground salsa club he knew of in Soho but it was getting late and her last train would be leaving soon so they couldn’t stay much longer in this city of insomnia. They caught a cab to her train station and she snuggled up to him on the seat, he had his arm around her and looked out the window. It had been a fantastic day, better than he could have hoped for, his mind was lost in a sea of joy for a moment while he stared out of the window at the crowded streets before looking down at his sweetheart, she had her eyes closed and a slight smile of content on her face, he squeezed her slightly prompting her to smile and snuggle more into him.

The taxi pulled up outside the train station just before it began to rain for the second time that day, less violent than before, just a light drizzle but it wasn’t anywhere near enough to dampen Matt’s day. He opened the door of the taxi and stepped out onto the damp pavement, he then held the door open for her to exit though before closing it and paying the driver, “Keep the change mate,” he said handing over a twenty, the taxi driver slightly astonished at this generosity but not likely to turn down a gift showed his gratitude and drove off leaving the couple to walk into the station.

Her train was waiting at platform four, with two minutes to spare they rushed over through the ticket machines, he was surprised his ticket let him through but that thought was pushed out of his head by a greater feeling of sadness. She was going home and he didn’t know when they would next see each other. Just before boarding the train she turned to him and putting her lips to his, kissed him in a strong longing kiss while pulling him close to her, with a tear in her eye she said, “I shall see you soon, right?”
“Of course you will,” he said, fighting back a tear, “Ring me tonight, ok? Just to let me know you go home safe?”
“Yes, I will,” she replied sniffing before kissing him once more and turning into the train he wondered what she was thinking for a second before stepping back as the train began to move out of the station. He stood waving until he couldn’t make her out anymore then turned to make his way back to Victoria.

He stood outside in the cold, shivering somewhat which reminded him he had left her with his hoodie, not a bad thing though as it gave him an excuse to visit to get it back. The taxi whom he had arrived there in drove past, the driver recognised him and pulled up allowing him to get in. He shared a few friendly words with the driver while he stared out at the street, it was quite a way to Victoria and he was in the taxi a while before it pulled up outside the familiar station. He got out and slung his bag over his shoulder before turning to pay the driver. The man refused his payment with a smile and simply thanked him before driving off satisfied that the good deed had been returned. Matt turned round and headed into the station, slightly confused at the taxi drivers actions he saw his train was just about to leave and ran to catch it.

Just about catching the train before it began to trundle out of the station Matt sat down and picked up a newspaper from the otherwise vacant seat next to him, opened it and without reading began to mull over the day in his mind. Good times he thought to himself, good times, smiling as he stared at the paper seemingly reading the same three day old article over and over as the train sped through the night.