29 July 2012
Lewis wrapped his arms around my waist from behind me as we stood in the entrance. Mismatched sizes of books huddled next to each other, crowding eight rows which stretched along the whole wall on bookshelves that had been painted to match the dark green floor a stark contrast to the red walls.
"Oh my dears, have you been out in the rain" a chunky, ancient woman, behind a huge dark wood desk at the back of the room, cooed hobbling around it towards us curled platinum hair bouncing slightly as she moved.
"Yeah, could we use your phone?" I asked, as she came closer placing her pink spectacles on the edge of her wrinkled nose. She was slightly hunched over her eyes studied us both carefully her aged blue eyes shining with a grandmotherly care still shone with young determination.
"Oh aren't you the cutest couple" she smiled kindly clasping her hands in front of her chest as she looked between us "You need to get dry first and oh my you're hurt you'll need a first aid kit, come with me" she turned to her right and waddled over to a door which she pushed open and ushered us into he adjoining room. It was quite small the far wall taken up wholly by a massive stone and iron fireplace ladened with chunks of partially charcoaled wood. The rest of the room was taken up by a large, black, leather sofa which opposite it sat an old worn wooden table hugging the wall with four chairs sat around it. "Dorothy!" she crowed - silence "She's got selective deafness sometimes I'll be right back" We sat on the giant, leather sofa smiling at each other finding her highly amusing but soon my attention diverted to how his t-shirt was stuck to his body even tighter than it had been before if that was even possible. He lifted my face up to his using two fingers beneath my chin.
"You were staring" he stated a wry smile spread over his mouth, humour draped in his voice and I turned my head away, blushing deeply, brushing his hand away.
"So?" I mumbled refusing to look him in the eye knowing I'd probably be turned into a melted heap on the sofa.
"Nothing I'm flattered" he chuckled placing his hand on my far hip rubbing it with his thumb. I snuck a quick glance over my shoulder at him, he was smiling but it didnt meet his eyes where there was a plethora of emotions swimming around unable to fathom them all out but predominantly love. I smiled and leant back into him resting my head on his shoulder turning on my side placing my hand on his chest.
"Well I bet you didn't see this happening when you got up this morning" I breathed a laugh pulling at part of the now dark grey jumper which was stuck to my arm.
"I didn't, no" he agreed "I can't believe you're still wearing that" he reached over and pulled the zip all the way down opening the jumper. We both sat up and he gently pushed it off of my shoulders his hands still so warm heating my soaked skin as they moved down my arms dragging the jumper past my elbows. His mouth pressed softly on my neck leaving a hot wet mark there as he pulled the jumper off fully. My t-shirt underneath was soaked too and sticking to my figure, I took the jumper from his hand standing up and draping it over the back of a chair seated at one end of the table. I turned back to him to see he was leaning his elbows on his knees clasped his hands watching me intently.
"You're staring" I mimicked him, he chuckled still watching me. I walked over to Lewis and stood in front of him, his hands unclasped and wrapped themselves around my legs. I pushed my hands in his hair causing his eyes to close and his thumbs to rub half circular motions on the front of my wet, jean-clad legs.
"Sorry I was so long" the old woman appeared again and I stepped away from Lewis snickering at how he opened his eyes narrowing them slightly at me, his hair slightly stuck up in weird positions.
"It's alright" I smiled as she passed me a first aid kit, I opened it and got out bandages and some cotton wool type material not being a first aider I didn't know it's name. "Lewis come over here" I said over my shoulder, he brushed past me as he sat on the chair beside me resting his right arm on the table giving me access to his injured left shoulder. I cut off the makeshift sleeve bandage still keeping pressure on it as some blood had dribbled down his arm. He gritted his teeth, clenching his jaw looking the other way as I knelt on the floor beside him as I pressed on it harder. I cleaned up his bloodied arm then wiped over his wound with some gel that killed bacteria, he hissed in pain opening his mouth to probably swear but keeping quiet as the old woman watched us. I put the cotton wool type material over the wound pressing on it once more as I stood to start winding the bandage around his shoulder and arm tightly.
"Is that tight enough?" I asked
"Yeah it's fine" he answered watching me now.
"Ok" I pulled it tighter and carried on, I smiled inwardly as his eyes complained at me. "Do you have a safety pin?" I asked keeping my hand over the loose end.
"Here you are duck" she smiled kindly handing me the silver pin. I attached the loose end to the rest of the bandaging, kissed it and declared it finished.
"How does it feel?" I asked as Lewis gingerly moved his arm and shoulder.
"Not bad" he tested it a little more, found his boundaries of movement. "Thanks" he smiled up at me and pulled me down for a brief kiss.
"You are brave dear" the old woman shook her head admiration in her eyes. Lewis nodded starting to clean my own bloodied hands.
"Oh Rose you didn't even set the fire going for them they'll catch a cold in their wet clothes" sighed another old woman appearing in the room, she, however, was slimmer and stood straight without a hunch. But the two women as they differ in figure their face shape was exactly the same, the shape of their eyes was also the same, they too had the same worn, pale blue ring around their iris'.
"I'm Dorothy, please call me Dot, and this is my sister Rose I apologise for her lack of hospitality skills" the slimmer one sighed shaking her head slightly bemusedly but also tiredly.
"It's ok really" Lewis smiled politely
"Aren't you a dear" Dot smiled squeezing his cheek as she walked by. I tried to suppress a laugh as he glared at me and the back of her head. I hit him gently on his chest and he rolled his eyes. The fire was soon roaring expelling a huge amount of welcome heat.
"It won't do you any good staying in those wet clothes" she tutted looking between us.
"We just need to call home, his uncles are staying for a while they'll come and collect us" I lied not wanting to cause them too much trouble.
"And send you back like this? You could catch your death dear and how would I feel knowing I didn't do anything to help?" she asked we were both silent exchanging slightly worried looks that we'd been slightly kidnapped by two old dears.
"Well I'd like to call them to tell them anyway of you don't mind" I said looking between the two, they nodded and brought me a wireless handset where I stared at the keys. "This'll sound really stupid but we haven't been in the house very long and we haven't got our phones but you know the house that is in between this village and the one on the opposite side of the hill? We can't remember the number" I explained
"Oh I know that house a young woman used to live there, really pretty she was, came in for a new book every week we got to know her and wrote the number down somewhere didn't we Dot?" Rose looked to the other woman who nodded eyes lighting up.
"Oh yes! I remember she was going to have a baby but left without saying anything one day, must be seventeen years ago now, ever so weird how time flies isn't it? Anyway I'll get you the number" she smiled kindly
"What are your names?" asked Rose
"Lewis and -"
"Adrianne" I interrupted smiling, old habits die hard it seems. Except for people Eddie and Garry introduce me as Delilah to or those who work with them like Lewis, I think of a new name I've lost count of how many I've used.
"Beautiful name" she complimented my name and imagination.
"Personally I'm not a huge fan but most people I know don't like their names" I lied seamlessly still smiling.
"Well I like it now can I get either of you a drink? Coffee, tea, hot chocolate?" she offered
"I'll have tea please - milk two sugars" I answered, she nodded and turned to Lewis who was watching me a slight frown on his face.
"I'll have tea too, same please" he replied not taking his eyes off of me. Rose exited the room too, Dot replacing her presence handing me a book pointing to the number. I quickly tapped it in and waited for it ringing. Answer machine just great, I nodded thanks to Dot and as she took the book away I began speaking.
"Hey Garry, Eddie whoever gets this first, it's Delilah and Lewis, we're fine and at a book shop in -" Dot came in and saw me struggling for the name of the village and mouthed Deepdale and I nodded thanks again "in Deepdale could one of you come pick us up, thanks, bye" I ended the call and Dot picked up the sopping wet jumper I had taken off.
"Now we have two showers here, you can use them to warm up and I'll dry your clothes for you ok?" Dot suggested we both rather reluctantly agreed and trudged upstairs where pastel pink wallpaper greeted us at the top of the stairs.
"Oh do you have any cling film?" I asked and both Lewis and Dot's eyes widened in confusion. Dot's eyebrows rose then frowned pulling together, her mouth dropping open slightly.
"Wh- what do you need that for?" she asked almost worried about what I might be suggesting.
"His shoulder, if he goes in the water it'll get wet and I'll have to do it all over again and it hurt him when I did it, even though he won't admit it, it did, and I don't want to hurt him again. So if I wrap it in cling film it'll keep it dry or at least that's the idea" I explained smirking as they relaxed slightly when hearing my reason.
"That is quite clever young lady" Dot nodded and turned on her
Who Am I? Part 13 • Opuss № I