At the Hulton
"How'd you like to have lunch at the worst fish and chips place in London?"
Harry thought about how he couldn't refuse, the invite coming from Chris on the other end of the phone. Let's go swim near the intake pipes of the power plant? Sure, let me get my bathing suit.
"Is this payback for taking you through the Imperial War Museum Sunday?"
"No, this is me bored and not wanting to eat alone. Payback for Sunday is gonna hurt a whole lot more."
"Where are you?"
"I'm at the Hulton Archive. North end of town. Take the Picadilly line about five stops and then change to the Jubillee line. Hang on, let me get the tube map."
"So you think I have time to drop everything and come charging out there just for lunch?"
"No, actually, I'm only hoping."
That locked it up. Chris, in the days since they had first met, had struck Harry as an incredibly self-possessed woman who did not hesitate to speak her mind and didn't shy away from language, expletive or otherwise. She was tough, she was hard, she was determined. And she had a soft, vulnerable side a mile wide that Harry had found when they talked about painful things in their life. He wasn't sure how he had broken down that wall that quickly and why she had let him in so soon but he did know that it was real and not pretense. Chris did not have to feign vulnerability, Harry never went for the role of protector and they had already hit their stride in this relationship as equals. But she had shown her soft side nonetheless and to Harry that showing implied trust and trust was something Harry had not had in his relationship with a woman in years. That was what made it so attractive and that was what hooked him into Chris. The beautiful thing was too that Chris had no idea.
She finished giving him directions to the photo archive and Harry hobbled out into the street.
He and Lou had gone running a few nights ago. Harry and Lou were friends who ran regularly when stateside and they had heard of London's parks and the mecca they were for runners. Regent's Park was no disappointment. The paths were smooth, clear and cut through gardens, past fountains and around makeshift football pitches. Trouble was Harry had sensed his knee aching ever so slightly when they headed out. He ignored it at first and then at his peril, as the thing got worse and worse. During a final sprint to the gate of the park, his knee had flared in pain to the point of stopping him short of beating Lou to the street. That was not something that happened a lot, Harry was fiercely competitive.
They walked back to the hotel. The streets were had runners interspersed with Londoners heading home from the office. Pashmina shawls next to Nike breathable tops. A block from the hotel, Harry spotted Chris walking towards them on the sidewalk. There was a young couple, runners just heading up to the park, stretching between him and Chris. They leaned up against the building and, hands flat against the wall, stretched hamstrings by leaning forward against the stone surface. Harry ran to them. Flattening himself against the building, he called out:
"I'll hold it, Lou, the building's collapsing, go get help!"
Chris stopped. "What are you doing?" And to the runners, "Sorry, he's American, he doesn't know what he's doing."
The London runners laughed and began to walk up to the park. Lou, Chris and Harry stood in a circle.
"That was so out of character for you." she said.
"Actually," Lou said, "That's pretty much in character for him. You two should get to know each other better."
Lou didn't know and that had come close to the truth of the last few days.
"I'm taking a walk." Chris said. "You should take a shower. Maybe we can have a drink later."
"Sure." Harry answered. Or maybe I can linger and you can join me in a hot bath. Lou turned and began towards the hotel. "See you later. I've going to look over some of the circulation figures tonight. Don't count on me at the bar."
"Later."
Harry dawdled. Chris was pretending to look in a shop window. It was a tobacconist so the illusion was weak. What saved it was Lou just not paying attention.
"Hey," she said.
"Drinks later?"
"Maybe, but it's a quick walk. Don't lock your door."
Harry thought about how he couldn't refuse, the invite coming from Chris on the other end of the phone. Let's go swim near the intake pipes of the power plant? Sure, let me get my bathing suit.
"Is this payback for taking you through the Imperial War Museum Sunday?"
"No, this is me bored and not wanting to eat alone. Payback for Sunday is gonna hurt a whole lot more."
"Where are you?"
"I'm at the Hulton Archive. North end of town. Take the Picadilly line about five stops and then change to the Jubillee line. Hang on, let me get the tube map."
"So you think I have time to drop everything and come charging out there just for lunch?"
"No, actually, I'm only hoping."
That locked it up. Chris, in the days since they had first met, had struck Harry as an incredibly self-possessed woman who did not hesitate to speak her mind and didn't shy away from language, expletive or otherwise. She was tough, she was hard, she was determined. And she had a soft, vulnerable side a mile wide that Harry had found when they talked about painful things in their life. He wasn't sure how he had broken down that wall that quickly and why she had let him in so soon but he did know that it was real and not pretense. Chris did not have to feign vulnerability, Harry never went for the role of protector and they had already hit their stride in this relationship as equals. But she had shown her soft side nonetheless and to Harry that showing implied trust and trust was something Harry had not had in his relationship with a woman in years. That was what made it so attractive and that was what hooked him into Chris. The beautiful thing was too that Chris had no idea.
She finished giving him directions to the photo archive and Harry hobbled out into the street.
He and Lou had gone running a few nights ago. Harry and Lou were friends who ran regularly when stateside and they had heard of London's parks and the mecca they were for runners. Regent's Park was no disappointment. The paths were smooth, clear and cut through gardens, past fountains and around makeshift football pitches. Trouble was Harry had sensed his knee aching ever so slightly when they headed out. He ignored it at first and then at his peril, as the thing got worse and worse. During a final sprint to the gate of the park, his knee had flared in pain to the point of stopping him short of beating Lou to the street. That was not something that happened a lot, Harry was fiercely competitive.
They walked back to the hotel. The streets were had runners interspersed with Londoners heading home from the office. Pashmina shawls next to Nike breathable tops. A block from the hotel, Harry spotted Chris walking towards them on the sidewalk. There was a young couple, runners just heading up to the park, stretching between him and Chris. They leaned up against the building and, hands flat against the wall, stretched hamstrings by leaning forward against the stone surface. Harry ran to them. Flattening himself against the building, he called out:
"I'll hold it, Lou, the building's collapsing, go get help!"
Chris stopped. "What are you doing?" And to the runners, "Sorry, he's American, he doesn't know what he's doing."
The London runners laughed and began to walk up to the park. Lou, Chris and Harry stood in a circle.
"That was so out of character for you." she said.
"Actually," Lou said, "That's pretty much in character for him. You two should get to know each other better."
Lou didn't know and that had come close to the truth of the last few days.
"I'm taking a walk." Chris said. "You should take a shower. Maybe we can have a drink later."
"Sure." Harry answered. Or maybe I can linger and you can join me in a hot bath. Lou turned and began towards the hotel. "See you later. I've going to look over some of the circulation figures tonight. Don't count on me at the bar."
"Later."
Harry dawdled. Chris was pretending to look in a shop window. It was a tobacconist so the illusion was weak. What saved it was Lou just not paying attention.
"Hey," she said.
"Drinks later?"
"Maybe, but it's a quick walk. Don't lock your door."
posted by The Caustic Bunny at 9:51 PM
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