After sex cigarettes // dreamwastaken

XXXVIII

England smells different to America, it smells of smoke and drains.
"It's so fucking cold" clay pulls his hoodie around his arms
"Let's get breakfast" I drag him out the taxi and into a Sainsbury's "you've never had a good breakfast until you've been to the Sainsbury's cafe" we sit in the corner, in front of the window
"Where are we staying"
"I've booked a Airbnb in Earl's Court" he drinks his lucazade
"Oh my god! My mum lives in South Kensington" he nods along
"I know I know" he looks a little confused about lucazade
"So Ena told you" he nods again. We eat our toast and jam.

The air bnb is a brown stone terrace. It's a Lovley 2 bedroom 2 bathroom house.
"What shall we do first?"
"Sleep." He face plants into the the bed, it's in front of a window on second floor "you're going to be my bitch over every inch of this house" I know he means it, and in all honesty it sends sparkles down into my core. "We'll go see your mom tomorrow" I snuggle into him

We wake up and it's 4am, well I wake up, it's still dark outside. I missed this so much. I walk out to the patio, the cold, icey Christmas air consumes me, the silent roar of traffic comforts me. The sliding doors open behind me
"It's so cold come inside" I stay silent, he straddles me from behind engulfing me within his arms.

We take an early walk though the neighbourhood, we stop at a cafe and get breakfast.
"Do you wanna see my house?" He chokes on his orange juice
"You have a house? What am I doing playing 5 grand for a air bnb?"
"5 grand?" It's my turn to choke "my dad left it me, obvi."
"Obvi." He flicks his hand.
"It's a 10 minute walk." We finish breakfast and start our walk

He murmurs about the 'high class neighbourhood'.
"We're here" it's similar to the house we're staying at but larger, the outer stone is a darker gray. "Okay so it's run down, no ones even been here since he died" he stays quiet as I fumble with my keys. "So it's been like vacant for a good 4 ish years" when we step through the door dust flies up causing us to cough. "So my dad left it to me and his whole estate, I'll tell you the whole story a different day" not a peep leaves his mouth. I give him a tour of my old bedroom, the kitchen, the lounge, my dads office.
"So your dads a big deal"
"We'll he was." I spin in his office chair "we can watch one of his rugby games"
"I can't believe you've not told me anything ever! Like I didn't even know your dad was into football."
"Yeah, it didn't do him all good," I get an old bottle of flash out of the utilities cupboard and start spraying his desk down "I lived with my mum and dad for years, but then they got divorced and we lived here until he went down hill and was put into palliative care."
"Shit im so sorry" he manages to voice
"Come help me," he walk up beside and takes the bottle and an extra cloth "I know you're set to live in Orlando but this feels like my home, you know? It's like I never left, he never left" we stay at the house until midday. I called my mum as soon as I found out and we set up a time on when clay and I come visit.

Before I can even knock on the door my mum jumps from behind it, trapping me in her grasp
"Oh Lara! You look so healthy, still as pretty as ever. And Chris, it's so nice to meet you." She pulls clay into a hug
"It's clay" i corrects her. We go into her flat.
"Lara, happy birthday! We must go out for supper one evening." She starts spewing all these things at me, she didn't call me on my birthday, not even a text. Two large hands land on my shoulders, Steve.
"Ah Steve, come sit with me, I'm just telling Lara and her boyfriend about that new restaurant we went to" he goes and sits next to her, Steve's my mums husband and the father of my siblings. I scowl at this man, he made my life so awkward for the two years I begrudgingly lived with him, it was always "where are you going?" School. "You can't go out dressed like that!" In jeans and a jumper? "Those friends of yours are bad influences" we went to revise at a Starbucks. It was always critique after critique, never a "well done" or "I hope you're okay".

We sit making idle chatter until the floor length windows show evening.
"We need to dash mum, but dinner sound Lovley." We exit the house of horrors.

"Jheeze that was long." I sigh
"Your mom seems nice, Steve's seems okay"
"Steve's Steve. My mums a bit full on, I've not seen her for a few years so I don't know what to expect." Clays been quiet since we arrived in England. We get in a taxi and head back to our bnb.

"You've been awfully quiet since we've gotten here." I quirk an eyebrow, we're walking around a waitros getting some food "it's okay if you don't like England."
"No I'm just watching"
"Watching What?"
"You" I blush at his remarks "I never seen you in your element like this"
"It's just England, these are my 'endz' as my fellow chavs will say" he furrows his eyebrows "one day we'll go to a cafe and people watch I'll show you all the different kinds of English people."
"What do you mean? Different types?"
"Don't worry I'll make you a cheat sheet"

"So this is only a food store? Like no clothes?" I shake my head
"We have some like that, like Asda and Sainsbury's, but Waitrose tends to just be food. they're Aldis and Lidl's, you can get produce to dining chairs"
"You seem so much more British in England, it's kinda weird"
"Wait till we get to a pub, you'll have to sit down and I'll order. You'll never get served."
"I always go to the bar though"
"In America. And it's a pub, oh my goodness I feel like you'll never be able to blend into the England culture, do you want to come to church on Sunday?" He scoffs
"Church?"
"Yes, there's a Lovley one in my dads parish"
"Where's all this religion coming from"
"Just Cus I don't practice Christianity often doesn't mean I'm not still a Christian."
"Well I can have you screaming gods name in minutes" he dips down to my ear
"We're in public you weirdo" he looked but hurt "at home, talk to me like that at home"

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Posted     18:49
                 13/12/21