delicate ~ L.W

Chapter 8: You can hear it in the silence

We’re walking side by side through the unusually quiet streets of London, searching for a small cafe for us to have breakfast inside, our hands brushing ever so slightly every now and then. I want to take her hand in mine but I stop myself, exercising every last strand of personal restraint I have, knowing I’m not ready to get involved with anyone again. Not yet. Let alone the mess and drama that can happen when you start dating a teammate (been there, done that) and the damage it can cause to a team's chemistry if you break up.

As we’re walking along the path, I notice a beautiful, worn down building off to the side of the main street slightly. I look closer, examining the mysterious building covered in ivy and moss, the stone exterior giving a hint at the age of the structure. As we walk closer towards it I notice a sign outside displaying ‘clover’s cafe’.

I place my hands in my pockets and turn slightly towards Leah, “what about that cafe over there? Clover’s cafe,” I nod subtly towards the cafe, “you been there before?”

Leah looks over in the direction I nodded towards and a slight confused expression falls over her face as she scrunches her eyebrows together slightly.

“No, I’ve never noticed it before actually.” She utters softly as if she’s taking a second to contemplate it.

I look down at her with a soft smile “why don’t we go in there then?”

She seems slightly wary of the idea, fidgeting slightly with an apprehensive look in her deep blue eyes.

“C’mon, Le. Let’s have a little adventure,” my soft smile widens into a childish grin, two dimples on the corners of my mouth appearing, “what d’you say?”

She lets out a soft giggle as I feel my heart melt slightly and I freeze slightly, unable to catch my breath. Hoping. Praying. That I’ll be graced with the angelic sound of Leah Williamson’s laugh once again. She looks up at me with a sly smile, raising her eyebrows up at me slightly.

“Alright, dimples. Let’s go to an old cafe off the side of the main street. Sounds like the start of a horror movie where we end up dead.” She mumbles teasingly, turning to look at me as we stand still despite the streets of London beginning to fill the space around us but I can think about is her.

“Oh okay, I see how it is, Williamson. You’re almost as scared as you were last night,” I place my arm around her shoulders, bringing her into my side as I tilt my head to the side and whisper into her ear softly, “Don’t worry, blue eyes. I’ll protect you from the prospect of being murdered in a cafe.”

I move my head back and watch as she goes to speak then stops.

“Also, calling me ‘dimples’ now are we?” I tease with a sly smirk.

“Calling me ‘blue eyes’ are we?” She retorts, raising her eyebrows as a slight pink hue spreads across her cheeks.

I blush ever so slightly in response but laugh it off “well played, blue eyes. Well played.”

After a few moments of comfortable silence, I take her hand in mine slightly, holding it loosely. Her palms are soft and gentle whilst mine are covered in calluses. I start to pull her along slightly towards the cafe until we’re just outside and I push open the light-weight wooden door, which has cracks along the paint. Some would say it ruins the look of the place but I think it adds charm and history to the building which intrigues me.

The door creaks as we step inside, the cafe appearing fairly larger inside than it looks from outside. There are only about 3 tables taken up. I notice one in the corner on the spacious area, but just as I’m about to point towards it or even acknowledge it, she pulls on our conjoined hands as I realise that I never dropped your hand. Before I get a chance to think about it, she pulls me towards the table I was going to suggest, seemingly having the same idea.