Tea and Coffee, Vol. 7

Tea and Coffee, Vol. 7

Stomachs full. Bill paid. We walked down the cobblestones, hand in hand, without a particular destination in mind. The yellow glow of the halogen lampposts lit our way.

'Kings and queens have stood on these stones' I say, running my hand through the cracks in the wall. 'This city's been here for over two thousand years.'

I stare up at the night sky. I feel my mind several meters above my head, elevated by too much red wine. Lily's beside me, her arms swaying gently, the clack of her heels hitting the floor in syncopation.

'I didn't realise you were such a history nerd' she says, her voice light and bouncing.

'I may be trying to impress' I say, laughing. 'I'm not normally so interested in history. But this city, I love it so much. Every brick, every stone, I want to know about. This place is home, so I try to be an expert on it.'

We continued to walk aimlessly.

'These buildings look very modern,' Lily points out.

'They're post World War' I say. 'We got hit pretty hard by the Germans during the Blitz. Well, I guess everyone did. But many of these streets were completely devastated, just upturned overnight into piles of rubble. These buildings must be fifty, sixty years old at this point? But you're right, in architecture terms they're pretty young.'

'I've always wondered that.' Lily says.'Why the city's separated like that.'

'It's not just pre and post war. Roman's and anglo-saxons have left their mark too. The distinction between those two is much harder to tell though. You'd have to be a real architecture geek to see it.'
Lily giggled. 'You can see it, can't you?'

'What? No!' I say. 'Do you really think I stare at buildings in my free time?'

'That sounds completely like you' Lily says. She runs off a few steps to the next building, and points at it. 'Roman, right?'

I look at her, trying to hide my amusement.

'Ooh your face is giving it away! You totally know! So it's anglo-saxon?'

As I catch up to her I feel a stupid smile spread across my face. It takes all of my self control to stop myself grinning. I take my hands and gently place them on her waist, pushing her against the wall. I lean in closely. I can smell the scent of wine on her lips. I can feel her breathing against me. Despite my best efforts I still feel that stupid smile on my face. I hold my lips an inch away from hers, my eyes still open. Hers look at me for a moment, then close. Snap. My facial muscles can't take it any longer. I break out into the stupidest, cheek-bending, teeth-showing grin I've ever made.

The moment gone, I rest my head on Lily's shoulders, still grinning from cheek to cheek.

'It's Gregorian actually. The chimney gives it away.' I say, and I feel the bounce of her chest as she giggles uncontrollably.