I am only teasing with my remark, but judging by the way Lola looks crestfallen I know I’ve said something wrong. Only I don’t know what so I can’t even make it right. All I can do is squeeze her fingers between mine and hope that whatever I’ve said doesn’t put her off me. She’s the most interesting woman in this town, I don’t want to push her away already.
“So, this is my home,” she suddenly blurts out, making me jump. I got so lost in worry then that I forgot we were even walking! “That little cottage, right there.”
She points to a small, wooden type building that can only be made for one. It’s sitting on the edge of a farm that looks like it was bustling and full of life once upon a time, the sort of place you might see in a children’s picture book, but now it’s failing. Not quite post apocalyptic, but certainly not thriving anymore. The animals appear to be few and far between, the equipment is rusty, the house at the other edge of the farm is crumbling and falling apart. It’s not the sort of home I would have pictured for Lola.
“Oh right, it’s nice!” I lie a bit too enthusiastically. “It looks really, erm, homely.”
“You don’t have to say that to make me feel better,” she replies dryly while unlocking the door to her home. “I know it isn’t much, but it’s all we have at the moment.”
I want to ask her more. I want to pry further into her life and find out all about her but I don’t know if I can. This isn’t even like a first date or anything, just a chance encounter than neither of us were expecting. I don’t know what the rules of privacy are, but I’m sure if she wanted to offer me an explanation, she would.
Instead of probing her, I step inside behind her and glance my eyes everywhere inside, which doesn’t take long because there’s hardly anything; a tiny kitchen with a tabletop oven and a microwave, plus a couple of drawers to store everything in, then a small table in the same room. There’s a partition separating a couple of chairs and a TV in what must be the living room, and two doors. I presume one leads to her bedroom and one to a bathroom.
Wow, she really doesn’t have much. Money must be the issue here. No wonder she doesn’t want some big shot billionaire coming into her town and telling her what it does or doesn’t need. We couldn’t be further apart in our worlds if we tried.
As I walk through and I take one of the chairs, I think about my own home back in the city. I have a massive, luxurious three piece suit in my living room and a massive flat screen television with all the extra gadgets a person could ever want surrounding it. Three of this cottage could fit in that one room. Then I have a kitchen with all the cooking equipment known to man, and I don’t ever use it, I just get take out. I have four bathrooms and five bedrooms. Plus a games room and a reception area. It’s ridiculous really, far too much for just one person. I’ve never seen it that way before, not even once.
“Why don’t you live in the other building?” I ask without thinking as she hands me a drink. A mug filled with wine so cheap it’ll probably make me sick. Not that I care about that. “I mean, you do have it lovely here, it just seems like there would be more room there.”
“That’s my dad’s house,” she replies quietly. “I live here so I get my own space and I can practice my music without disturbing him. It’s just easier, and I like it.”
Oh God, her dad must be a bossy bastard like mine. Maybe he runs a tight ship around here when it comes to the farm, which makes Lola’s life difficult. I shouldn’t have said anything to get involved with family stuff. “Fair enough, I like it too.”
We sit in silence for a few moments, both lost in our own thoughts. Inside my mind I’m trying to work out just who Lola is. She’s clearly a girl with fire, but that’s been dulled by her circumstances, which is a real shame. I know I can’t do much for her since I’m not exactly going to be around forever, but it’d be awesome if I could show her a good time while I’m here. For the both of us. I’m not usually a big believer in fate but it kinda feels like we’ve met at a time when we both need some fun and company, making it perfect.
“I have to tell you, I like those shorts,” I say with a wink, amping the tension back up to a sexual one. I think we need to put the serious conversation topics of family, death, and exes to bed for a while. It’s time to be flirty and fun instead. I even add in yet another wink, because she seems to really like them. “They make your legs look very long.”
“Oh yeah?” She stands up and twirls around, giving me a glimpse of them from the bottom to the top. “W0w, thank you very much. I’m sure you have nice legs too.”
“Do you want to see?” I join her by standing upwards. I shake off my suit jacket and toss it to the ground as if it didn’t cost me seven hundred dollars. Then I fiddle with the button on my trousers as her eyes bug out of her head. “I have runners legs.”
“Do you run?” she gasps out, clearly struggling to breathe because I’ve stunned her so much.
“Nope.” I pop the P teasingly. “Just got the legs for some reason.”
I think she thought I was joking because she makes a noise as the trousers drop. I have to really stifle a laugh. If that’s stunned her then she’s going to be in with a shock when it comes to me and her. I think we’re going to have a whole lot of fun.
“Wow.” She gulps loudly. “You really do have runner’s legs.”
I step closer to her, closing the annoying gap between us. Her flushed cheeks and wide eyes tell me that she’s ready for this. She might not know it herself yet, but she is. I just need to ease her in gently.
I cup one hand around her cheek, enjoying the warmth of her skin and I direct her gaze up to me. She might not be able to vocalize what she’s feeling with words, but her baby blues say it all. She’s craving my touch, she wants me to kiss her, she brought me back to her home for only one reason.
“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur as I bring my head in closer. “So very beautiful”.
I pause for a moment with our lips almost touching. There’s something that I love about this moment, the anticipation before our first ever kiss. I breathe her in and she does the same to me, both of us with hot anticipation racing through our veins. The moment is coming, we can both feel it, and we know that once our mouths connect nothing will ever be the same between us again.
Any minute now…
Chapter 5 – Lola
Oh my God, what am I doing?
I’m kissing Brandon, this man that I only saw a moment ago in the bar. I never behave this way, this isn’t like me at all, but damn it, it feels so good. It feels incredible to just let lose and to have some fun. It feels good to act out of character just for once. This man is just a stranger anyway, just some guy who is rolling through town. Never to be seen again.
And now his trousers are down and his hands are tangled up in my hair. Also he’s kissing me like there’s no tomorrow. This certainly isn’t how I thought this night would end.