What she discovered was polished, wooden floorboards; tasteful decoration; and black-and-white pictures of Nathan and friends on their various expeditions and exploits, similar to those she had snooped at on Facebook. A quick glance confirmed there was no significant female presence; a fact that made her more relieved than itprobably should have. Nathan took Lisa’s hat, scarf and jacket from her. She slipped off her boots, revealing fluffy woollen socks, and took off her jumper. Adjusting to the warmth, she hoped her nose wasn’t running.
In the lounge there were the gently glowing embers of a real fire in the original fireplace and an old, school-style radiator adding to the warmth of the room. A polished,wooden surfboard hung on the far wall. A lamp, made of what looked like driftwood, was dimly lit in the corner. The soft lighting and fire made Lisa wonder if finishing their evening here had been premeditated. Not that she could judge Nathan for that; she knew she had put a bottle of wine in her mum’s fridge, just in case she had wanted to invite him in at the end of the evening;friends canshare a drink, she had told herself almost convincingly. The wooden floors continued throughout. There was a large rug and a brown, leather sofa making Nathan’s flat reminiscent of Wild, Wet and Windy with a bit more personality thrown in and slightly fewer displays of sports equipment. A cat, appeared from behind the sofa, arched his back and elongated his front legs into a long stretch as ifwoken from a deep sleep.
‘That’s Uno. Uno meet Lisa, Lisa Uno.’
‘He’s gorgeous.’ Lisa walked towards the large cat she recognised as a domestic shorthair, or moggy as they were often called. His striped, tabby coat and green eyes were stunning. ‘I never imagined you having a cat.’
Nathan laughed. ‘OK, I’m not sure how to interpret that.’
‘I just meant, you’re allextreme sports, travelling,’ she gestured to the pictures around the room, ‘and um, muscles.’ Lisa bit her lip to stop herself from rambling further.
Nathan grinned, walked over and picked Uno up. The cat purred and rubbed his face into Nathan’s chest. ‘Well, Uno here was my first rescue when I joined the brigade.’
‘Ahh. Stuck in a tree?’
Nathan laughed. ‘No. That’s notas much of a thing as you might think. Uno was in a house fire. I spotted him in the beam of my head torch, lifeless on the kitchen floor. When I picked him up, he wasn’t much bigger than my glove. The smoke had got to him, so I carried him out and used the oxygen mask we have for babies to bring him round. I wasn’t sure he was going to make it. When he moved… ’
Lisa could hear the emotionin Nathan’s voice.
‘Anyway, he was a bit woozy for a while.’
‘And his owners?’
‘Turned out the place was abandoned and Uno was the only kitten we could find. His mum must have made it out with any others. There was a cat flap, signs they’d been there. So with no mother around, that left Uno – with his big green eyes, paws and ears he needed to grow into – all alone. I tookhim to get him checked at the vets. Once he got the all clear I brought him back here to look after him for the night.’
Lisa stroked Uno’s soft fur, pushing away an image of him lifeless from smoke inhalation. ‘When was that?’
‘About three years ago, I wanted to be sure he was OK.’ Nathan grinned.
Lisa looked at Uno, purring in Nathan’s arms. ‘Well, I guess it’s best tobe sure.’ She laughed.
The thud of a firework drew their attention back to the display.
Lisa padded over to the window seat in front of a large sash window. Nathan placed Uno down and followed Lisa as the cat made his way to his food bowl in the kitchen.
‘See, the perfect view.’
Lisa looked out at the fireworks from her fresh vantage point. The atmosphere of beingpart of the crowd was lost, but she quite liked the new atmosphere made for two. The contrast to how busy it was outside, just a couple of hundred metres away, made Nathan’s warm, welcoming flat feel even more intimate. ‘We could have watched from here all along!’ she mused her voice sounding a little too light, betraying the butterflies she could feel inside.
‘Hmm, I’m not sure you’dhave said yes if I’d suggested it earlier.’ Nathan laughed, as he walked over to the small kitchen, which was adjacent to the living room.
Lisa smiled, knowing he was right. Earlier in the evening she would have worked harder to convince herself that being in Nathan’s flat was a bad idea. ‘But now?’
Nathan appeared with a bottle of wine and two glasses. ‘Let’s just say the factyou didn’t punch me when I kissed you on the float made me think you’d say yes.’
Lisa blushed accepting her glass, remembering that there had been a time when he had thought she would say yes before.
Nathan turned off the lamp, to improve the view out into the darkness, and joined Lisa by the window. Her body responded to his, her nerves enlivening. She could smell his aftershave– tones of amber and sandalwood – mixed with the scent of the bonfire and evening air that hung upon them both. She felt him trace a line down her side with the lightest touch, sending shivers down her spine. She didn’t move; she didn’t attempt to stop him.
His hands moved to her sides, only the cotton of her T-shirt separating their skin, and his arms, more muscular than Ben’s, slippedround her. She could see their reflections in the window looking back at her, with the two of them framed in a perfect moment – an image of what might have been. She looked beyond to the fireworks as she felt Nathan shift position. His right thigh rested against hers as he mirrored her stance. His thumbs stroked across her ribs, his hands tantalisingly close to her breasts.
Lisa attemptedto maintain steady breathing while they watched the last of the fireworks burst into the sky – their sound made more dramatic by the ricochet from the glass. Heat spread through her body, while her mind whirred with anticipation. When it was clear the display was over and the crowd began to disperse, Lisa turned to Nathan. ‘There was no goodnight…’ Looking into the heat of his eyes, she faltered.
He leaned in and kissed her, his hand slipped round her waist and her skin tingled at his touch, with the sensation spreading through her, enlivening every nerve. In response she moved her hands round his torso, and even through the cotton of his T-shirt she could feel the outline and movement of each of his honed muscles. She heard a change in his breathing and enjoyed the fact that hertouch was affecting him; his response urging her on. Her mind could barely keep up, unwanted thoughts of Ben got pushed aside, but, as she thought of Nathan, her Nathan, it was hard to assimilate her memories with the firm, fit-bodied man caressing her now. This was oh-so grown up, no fumbling, no misdirections and,bloody hell, this Nathan knew exactly what he was doing.
