'the second date'
They are sitting on the balcony floor. Lily tucks the afghan under her feet when the cool breeze filters through the balustrade and numbs her hands.
‘Do you want to go back now?’ Lily catches the half-heartedness in his voice.
When he told her that afternoon to meet him later, she’d taken off her watch and replaced it with a silver bracelet. They have been out here for a long time, and she’s sure its past curfew. ‘No.’ She smiles then out of surprise. Because she’s getting comfortable here and she thinks she doesn’t really want to say they should go unless he does.
He stands up from beside her and walks the few steps to the railing. He’s very motionless for a few minutes, looking away into the inky expanse. A cloud moves, and the moonlight glimmers on the stone of the Astronomy Tower. ‘
Oh ’ she hears him say softly.
She gets herself up, drops the afghan on the floor. He turns slightly when he feels her standing behind him. ‘Where are you?’ she says smiling but feeling a little confused, a little lost. But suddenly the way he’s looking at her makes her think there might not be anymore conversation tonight.
James is leaning towards her and Lily’s heart is like drumbeat in the silence. ‘On top of the world,’ he says and closes his eyes before he meets her lips.