Somewhere Only We Know

Chapter 2 - Eli

   I was woken the next morning by persistent whining. With a stretch, I opened my eyes to find Milo - Sam's west highland terrier - staring at me. Groaning, I scratched behind his ears.

  "You're worse than Salem," I muttered, "let me sleep, damn it!"

Turning my head to the side, I sighed. I always ended up here...with her. Sam was sleeping peacefully beside me, a leg thrown over my hips as she curled into my side. The warmth and the company were nice, but I know she wanted more. She always had. And I couldn't give her that. I'd made it very clear from the beginning and she always understood. But that didn't stop me from feeling bad about it.

   Carefully moving my arm from around the dark-haired woman, I made my way to the kitchen to feed the dog. He barked happily once his bowl was full.

  "Hush hound. You'll wake your Ma."

I proceeded to fill the coffee pot with water and turn it on. The smell of fresh coffee had never failed to wake Sam up. I didn't want to disturb her, but I had things I needed to do, and she'd skin me alive if I left without saying goodbye.

   A loose floorboard on the landing creaked and I knew she was up. She shuffled her way into the kitchen, looking stunning as ever with her messy hair and an oversized t-shirt that used to be mine.

 "Morning, hot stuff," I smirked.

She pretended to hiss at me, rubbing her eyes grumpily.

"Why are you up so early?"

My smirk changed to an apologetic smile.

 "Sorry, I have things I need to do today. Didn't wanna leave without sayin' bye."

She pouted. I walked over to her, brushing my thumb over her lips before leaning down to give her a peck. Her arms wrapped loosely around my waist.

  "Do you have to go? It'll be ages before we can see each other again," she mumbled.

I ran my fingers through her hair, taking care to separate any knots.

  "I'll swing by soon, promise."

   I took a quick shower - with Sam to save water - before calling a taxi and making my way home. As I opened the front door, I found Salem sitting at the bottom of the stairs, giving me a look of disapproval.

  "Come on now, it was one night!"

With a quick breath through his nose, he sauntered into the kitchen, and I followed like the loyal servant I was to him. Damn cat runs this house, I swear. I filled his bowl and downed another mug of coffee before changing into a binder and more comfy clothes for the day, pulling my gardening overalls on over the top. A knock came from the front door, and I grinned, taking the stairs two at a time to get to the bottom. Ralph was there when I opened the door, an eyebrow raised in amusement and his guitar case hanging from his shoulder.

  "Nice to see someone's glad to see me," he chuckled.

I smiled softly, pulling the older man into a hug and into the house.

  "Always a pleasure to see you, Ralph! Would you like a drink?"

  "Coffee, please."

  "Coming right up!" I began preparing my personal coffee machine to make the drink exactly how we made it for him at the café.

Once the drinks were made and I'd put together a little snack tray, we made our way to the front garden. Ralph got comfortable on the top step of my porch, Salem following close behind and flopping down beside him.

  "What's the plan for today then?" he called from his spot.

  "I need to re-pot the sunflowers I planted a few weeks ago, then it's just a case of tidying up some of the beds," I replied.

   I went about my tasks, moving my new sunflowers to larger pots and trimming dead leaves from some of my plants. Ralph tinkered about with his guitar, occasionally blessing me with a tune I could hum along to. As I stood up to dust my hands off on my legs, I spotted someone walking down the street...someone that I'd never seen walking through this part of the neighbourhood before. And I'd recognise that blonde curly hair anywhere. It was down today, wild and fluttering slightly in her face each time the breeze caught it. She walked briskly, a full-looking backpack on her shoulders, and her eyes down on her phone. Ralph stopped playing when he noticed my lack of engagement.

  "Looks like you're seeing her sooner than we anticipated," he grinned, "why don't you say something? Talk to her!"

  "Are you crazy? She doesn't even know who I am! That'd be weird!"

  "Hmm, I suppose so," he smirked, "but how is she supposed to get to know you if you don't make a move to get to know her?"

But by the time I'd looked away from my friend and back towards the path, she was already gone.