Touch & Go

2. Tenerife Sea

Dedicated to natmarie because her poems are effortlessly beautiful. <3

I do not own any pictures or videos in the multimedia attached or the covers made.

~~~

"I want you to know it's enough for me."

- Ed Sheeran, Tenerife Sea

~~~

December 31st, 2015

DRUNK. Buzzed. Intoxicated. Inebriated.

That was Iris in the moment for you. She had lost all control of her senses. I expected her to be reluctant when she emptied her fourth vodka shot, but she looked proud, if anything at all. She wasn't a cheap drunk, which I was thankful for. I didn't want to hold her hair while she puked her guts out whilst everybody was keenly waited for the ball to drop.

We had created our own Model Ball Drop at the Holmes' Research Centre in Somerset, England. It was 8:00 pm and I was waiting for Iris to finish her pity party as I downed my sixth shot. Considering how well acquainted I was with liquor, I knew I won't be the one who would have no recollection of this night the next morning. Not that I was planning on taking advantage of Iris, I was just looking forward to harmless fun.

"Where to now, Theo?" She slurred a bit.

I smiled at the nickname, relieved she wasn't being distant and rude. I didn't want the company of a crude drunk tonight.

"Now, Irie dear, we walk to the Open-Air Cinema. I've never been to an outdoor cinema."

"Oh, I heard they were playing Restless today. I love it." She smiled at the ceiling.

Once we had arrived at the parking lot where people were huddled together in the cold, we found a cozy spot in the corner. I borrowed a blanket from an old couple who had brought an extra and I covered us, bringing us at a compromising proximity. But since we were happy drunks, we couldn't care less.

~~~

The entire movie had passed with me switching glances between the screen and Iris. Her eyes glazed over and dreamy as she watched as if she was watching it for the first time. And I remember how she sniffed continuously towards the end. It was adorable, I'd say, as long as I kept the thought to myself.

We stayed behind even when everybody had cleared away. She stayed because, I guess, she was too tired to get up. I stayed because I was too comfortable with her back pressed against my chest. I conveniently blamed the cold.

"I want something like that. A friend who I can be with all the time."

"Like Hiroshi?" I asked.

She nodded, "yes, well, I have one." She struggled to stand up and with a bit of assistance from my side, she succeeded.

"Theodore, meet Jedidiah. Jed, this is Theo." She smiled sweetly.

I would have pinched her cheeks if I could. There go my balls.

"Hi Jed, it's a pleasure to be in your company tonight." I bowed after gaining balance.

She laughed and gestured towards the exit. But I had a plan in my mind. We weren't not taking advantage of this empty parking lot. I took out my phone and plugged in the earplugs, giving her one while I tucked the other in my ear.

"May I have this dance, Miss Iris Eden Davies?" I asked as Tenerife Sea by Ed Sheeran played in the background.

She laughed and nodded, "you may."

We continued to move back in forth in a new found rhythm and she would laugh every time I pulled a face when she stepped on my foot.

We are surrounded by all of these lies,

And people that talk too much.

You've got the kind of look in your eyes,

As if no one knows anything, but us.

I chuckled lightly as I twirled her around.

Should this be the last thing I see,

I want you to know it's enough for me.

All that you are,

is all that I'll ever need.

And I couldn't deny how my breath caught when she rested her head on my shoulder, breathing deeply and smiling softly. I smiled back. I had a feeling I was going to miss this once it ended.

Lumière, darling.

Lumière over me.

I suppressed the urge to kiss her, knowing she would hate me tomorrow if she ever knew. And I didn't want to kiss her only for her to forget it. It was just not something I would do. And she was not one to be treated so casually.

She was a breath of fresh air. She was a bird longing to explore the horizon. She was a firefly, illuminating the dark that surrounded her. I knew I'd stared at her constantly during lunch breaks as she basked in the sun, and in those moments, how much I'd hated working in the opposite wing. I wished our workplaces were closer. I wished she knew me for who I was rather than what my dad wanted me to be. It was hard, considering he was a trustee at the Centre and I was supposed to be the prodigious son of a prodigious man.

So when I saw her at the bar, it was hard to pretend not to know her. I had to come off as anything but a stalker. The problem at hand, however, was bigger than these thoughts. It was her hands on my shoulders. It was her scent that would linger on my hoodie. It was her eyes that twinkled in the moonlight. And it was thoughts of her that would invade my sleep.

"C'mon, Theo" she tugged at my hoodie, forcing me out of my trance. "We can't miss the Ball Drop." She said with determination.

"Moody." I watched, bemusedly.

~~~

We walked to the Centre, hand in hand. Sure, people would talk about this later but it was worth it. She laid the back of her head on my shoulder and stood in front me, allowing me to hold her waist from behind. Lord bless alcohol.

Two minutes to 2016, and I don't want to let go. How I wish I had a pause button. How I wish I could rewind and play all those moments.

"Happy new year!" The crowd cheered as the ball dropped and fireworks started to illuminate the night sky. Iris looked back at me with a soft smile on her face and stared at my lips. My heartbeat stuttered.

"Happy 2016, Eddie Teddy." She laughed at her joke and before I could too, her lips landed on mine.

As the English folklore goes, she was the one who decided how the rest of my year would be. And I wasn't complaining.

~~~

Lumiere, darling.

Love, Sirrah