January 11 , Leeds

January 11th, Leeds, Platform 4. 10am.

That’s what was agreed, couldn’t have been clearer. Why hadn’t she been brave enough to go back to his flat, or why at least didn’t she get his phone number? She pulled at her coat and sat there wondering what to do now.

¬

January 6th, 11:45am Leeds.

Anyway from memory, no way was it a phone number. He poured out his coffee and sat there wondering what to do now.

~

January 6th,11:17am  Leeds
By the way the light was shining into the window, the noises filtering in through the glazing, its daytime.
Clyde pressed down the edge of his pillow to squint at the clock.
‘Shit’
It was eleven seventeen. He rolled over, eyes closed again and felt around to find that warm soft skin. Just cold sheet. He opened his eyes to an empty bed and felt immediately disappointed. Laying still he tried to hear noises she might be making in the bathroom or kitchen. All quiet, her scent lingering up from the folds of the duvet. Propping himself up he tried to hear any movement in the flat at all.
‘Kay?, you up?’
Nothing.
Bugger, she must have snuck off without waking him.
Swinging his feet to the carpet he bent to reach his shorts and was fastening his trousers as he walked into the living room. No one there. She had clearly scampered.
There was half a jug of coffee she’d made still in the machine and Clyde poured it into the mug she’d used. Her lipstick stain said she was a leftie. Another thing he hadn’t known about her.
What a night.
He looked around the flat, it was a shambles and headily redolent of their urgent fumbling and boundary testing of a few hours ago. Clyde walked to open the balcony door, throwing the lounge cushions back into place on his way. He glanced down into the car park, her Alfa was gone. Naturally. So she was away then. He dropped into the armchair and sucked up a mouthful of coffee. Urgh, no milk. Up again, on the way to the fridge collecting some used items to throw into the bin.

A smile bent its way across his face as he remembered that he’d only gone out to get a bottle of milk. He poured milk from the bottle, took another sip of coffee, lent against the bench and allowed himself a wallow in the memories of last night.

He had been in no hurry at the co-op, had got his milk and then idled a while in front of the magazine stand, first flicking through this month’s CAR then got distracted by FHM and a picture spread of their claimed top-ten sex positions. Pretty innocuous stuff really, but worth a look.
That was when he caught her perfume and glanced up.
There was something immediately special about her. Like you get sometimes when you meet someone and there is that thing, like irrational recognition, something that squirts a jolt in your chest.
“Picking up some tips?” She had quipped.
Clyde looked at his bottle of milk not immediately understanding. She giggled at his reaction as he realised she could see the pages of the magazine.
“Always learning” embarrassed, but glancing an appraisal. Nice, and he saw that she had just unhooked a multi-pack of AA batteries.
“Your girl’s best friend run out of spark has it?” he retaliated, instantly thinking ‘shit, too strong.’
Embarrassment was his again as she stared blankly at him for a second before realising what he had implied. To his relief she snorted a laugh and said “Neat come-back.”
“Yeah. Um, sorry about that”
“No worries, I guess I asked for it” she blushed and walked away.
Clyde stood thinking, should he chase her down…nah, too new puppy, should he pretend a lack of interest…, how to reconnect? Why were things always so bloody awkward? Anyway the moment had passed. He put the magazine back, decided to dawdle past the wine counter pretending to trawl for a select bottle of red and eventually he headed to the counter to pay, all the time looking around just a bit to see if he could spot her again.
Outside in the car park the warning lights of a little Alfa flashed as he started to walk home and he saw her fumble with her bags and keys, dropping something in the process. Not thinking this time he’d darted over, picked up the packet of batteries and reached over to open the car’s door.
Smooth he thought. But then blew it by saying “You wouldn’t want to get home without these would you?” Gawd, I’m such a prat he thought. This close her smell was delicious and as she reached to take the batteries her hand brushed his. There was that squirt in the chest again and now he was staring at her, really close up. She just looked back at him. Wide eyes. If it wasn’t her moving in, then for no reason he could fathom he leaned and gave her a kiss. In a heady surge he felt her respond a little and he let go the car door to put his arm around her waist.
Things sort of took on a different slant then, she leaned into him and he felt her body and a hunger hinted at by parting lips and a flick of her tongue before an equally sudden steeliness and a steady pressure pushing him back. He relaxed his hold a bit, stood looking at her unreadable expression and blurted,
“Christ, I don’t know what happened then, I don’t pounce on women, usually, I don’t.”
There was a short pause while they both realised their bodies had not actually stopped touching. The next embrace was mutual and passionate until Clyde broke off gasping for air
“This is not the place, would you like a wine back at my place?”
“Nmmm hmm. I’ll drive, you direct”
The short trip was surreal, her name was Kate, she preferred Kay, must remember that, lived near to the co-op and worked in the city.
He said his name and some other stupid stuff about work and travel and they didn’t look at each other again until Clyde had opened the front door to his flat.
There in the entry hallway, one leg still in his trousers, her bra and pants pulled aside they hungrily satisfied an animal urge. It was frantic, and urgent, gentle and persistent, lingering, shuddering and ultimately rewarding until they lay crumpled and panting gripping each other together combined and spent on the floor.
“So this is my hallway”. He chuckled, burying his face in her hair.
“I don’t know if I’m up for the full house tour” she breathed back.
He kissed her neck and, slowly removing himself, helped her to stand up. “Would you like that glass of wine?” and they headed into the living room. The night then rotated between drinks, embrace, chat, hungry sex , more drinks and eventually a sensuous and delightful couple of hours in his bedroom. Clyde had never experienced anything like it. It was as if he had known her for ages, going from chat to play and back again. To be honest he was fascinated by her, her voice and expressions, her gestures, but given the ongoing distraction of her glorious naked body he had not paid that much attention to what she had been saying. Something repeated about her favourite places and was it train trips and, god she had such a beautiful girl bits he kept wanting to be there, wrapped in her legs and arms and lips. She would be chatting on about taking a trip somewhere but he was rather distracted by the, well, by her everything really.

Gees, finished my coffee. That snapped him out of his reverie and he turned round, re-started the coffee machine and looked about the flat a bit more. He collected the wine bottle, chocolate and honey jars and threw them in the bin. While the coffee was brewing away he noticed the lipstick on the coffee table, it was a message.  He stared at it, puzzled.
Clyde presumed she’d used his phone and had made some note while she was talking or , maybe a password or pin number. The text made no sense to him,
CU10,11/1,.plt4 k. and a smiley face. ...   cuten eleven, one? P one t four..? peewont fork? … Nope, no sense at all.  He wiped it with a dropped face wipe . As soon as he did, it suddenly dawned on him that he had no way of contacting her, no address, no phone. Was the memo her contact details? He peered at the smear to check but had erased it too much.
Anyway from memory, no way was it a phone number. He poured out his coffee and sat there wondering what to do now.

~

“Carol?
Hiya, only me.
Okay I guess. I um , I think I just raped a guy.
Yeah him,
I have not been stalking him.
I so haven’t! It’s your fault anyway, you pointed him out. I just keep seeing him around.
I haven’t Carol, stop it. Anyway his name is Clyde and he’s ..
Clyde, what’s so funny about that?
Do you want to hear or not?
Well I’ve got to tell someone.
Last night at the Co-op,
Yeah well. I thought this time I’d brave-up and say something to him. He was staring at a car mag and I sort of just stood there for a while, well, sort of hoping he’d notice me.
Yeah, anyway, so then I thought if I reached for something he might look. I lent across to grab the nearest thing after he had pulled another magazine out.
Don’t know, it was some lads mag and I made a stupid comment.
Oh, I don’t remember something about needing a sex guide.
Yeah I know. Any-way. He joked about the batteries I’d grabbed and it all went pear-shaped and I ran away.
I couldn’t Carol. I sort of snuck to the checkout while he was off shopping for something else. And then, this bloody new car with its stupid card lock thing. I dropped my shopping trying to get in and he saw me, came over to help and, well, I sort of jumped him I suppose.
I am not.
Yeah, been a while.
No. It wasn’t like that, it was like, mutual, but shit, I got scared and sort of pushed him away …Then he kind of looked at me and, oh I don’t know, I think I was still holding onto him and well, we started again…
Yeah I know. …. I know,
Anyway he asked me back for a drink and things just went sort of crazy.
No I wasn’t … but … listen will you?…
Yeah okay but do you want to listen for a minute?
Whatever. Anyway, we got back to his place and we just sort of went for it.
Yeah, really. Oh Carol, it was fantastic.
No, just inside the front door.
I know. I know. Mad.
Yeah, a bit.
Okay, a lot.
No, we went inside.
To the lounge in front of the fireplace.
Sort of, ended up in his bedroom.
Oh yeah…. Really, really...
Well, different….But he’s a really nice guy.
Yeah, he works out a bit I’d guess , but he listens Carol, he really listens. We talked all the time on and off.
No, alright,
Well,,, we were naked,
Yes, like that, and there was some foodstuff involved
No! Shit Carol.  Don’t be revolting.
He was lovely, we just had fun that’s all.
He wants to go on the Leeds to Carlisle trip with me.
Because we talked about it, and anyway you didn’t want to go.
Of course. Anyway I left a lipstick note on his coffee table reminding him.
See you at ten, Jan. 11 , platform 4.
Yeah, next weekend , can’t wait.
No I won’t.
I won’t, I’ll see how it works out after a day with our clothes on!
Ha! Yeah. Yeah, okay.
OKAY! Gees!, yeah, later,
Yeah, Thanks Carol, See you.”

~

That’s what was agreed, couldn’t have been clearer. Why hadn’t she been brave enough to go back to his flat or why at least didn’t she get his phone number? She pulled at the collar of her coat and sat there wondering what to do now.