Page 58 of Choose Us
The sensation of her skin so close to mine and her soft voice delicately purring in my ear sent a shiver down my spine, but it also caused the excruciating turn of my stomach. Suddenly my whole body felt like it was being launched from left to right in a washing machine.
She missed me.
How was I supposed to respond to that?
The obvious reply refused to leave my lips. Of course I missed her too, but before I had a chance to shake my body from its trance she waskissing me.
She was really kissing me this time, with a raw passion, and with the intensity of someone who knew it could go further. My neck, my ears, my mouth, my cheeks, she kissed me until my own lips matchedher energy.
Her mouth was insistent. She knew what she wanted. Suddenly, I forgot everything, not just the inelegance of our whereabouts, or that we were reliving our first kiss, but the apprehension I felt at leaving, the bad timing of it all, and the ache. That was the big one, the constant agony I felt with every second that passed knowing my time with her wasrunning out.
This was a dream I wished I could refuse to wake up from, but for a few minutes I forgot it all. As I felt the warm tip of her tongue trace my lips, she manoeuvred her tongue to compliment mine. Brooke was the one thing I could never forget. I needed her in orderto survive.
*
We took the 12:30 p.m. train from Ginza to Nakameguro Station. The trendy neighbourhood was best known for the Meguro River that runs through it, so we walked alongside the river. It was flanked by cherry trees, independent stores selling all kinds of books and art, as well as a myriadof eateries.
We stopped at two Japanese gastropubs tucked neatly away in the narrow side streets. Each offered a different element. The need to rehydrate every thirty minutes or so made for several pit stops, although we didn’t eat until we reached a little back street pizzeria that would give any Italian restaurant a run for its money. The smell hit me before I noticed the sign.
“Can you smell that?” I asked.
“It smells heavenly. I can’t believe we’re still hungry.” Brooke laughed.
“It’s hard to turndown pizza.”
“Do you remember—” We both went to say the words at the same time.
“When I ordered a pizza to your office for your dinner, because you refused to go home?”She smiled.
“Yes, and you had the delivery driver write a note on the box.” This was before we’d even shared our first kiss. When we claimed to be, “good friends”. We’d been so much more than that.
“I did. Do you remember what it said?” Brooke asked.
We sat outside on two of the four metal chairs under the worn-out canopy.
“It said,Maybe one day we can share a pizza together, I think?”
“It did. And whatdid you do?”
“I called you into the office the next morning and offered you pizza for breakfast.” I remember it so vividly. Things were so simple back then.
“You did. You even provided a piece of A4 paper from the printer as a plate and a can of Coke from the vending machine. I just knew.” She pulled at her dress. There was no attempt to finish her sentence. Instead, she turned her attentionto the menu.
We opted for the Margherita. The wood fired crust was perfectly charred. The little speckles of salt sprinkled over the dough and the creamy mozzarella made for a great combination. There was a hint of garlic on the base that elevated the flavour and transported me right to the small side streets of Venice.
After exploring Nakameguro for an hour or two we got a coffee to go and found a quiet spot by the river. We leant up against the railings, and I fished out the Kashi Pan with cream cheese filling from earlier.
“Surprisingly I’m not even that full. I feel like all we’ve done is eat,” I said as I pulled the fluffy bread pastry from its box.
“That was the point of today. Wasn’t it?” Brooke smirked.
“Yes. Here, you get thefirst bite.”
“Do you really think I’m going to fall for that again?” She rolled her eyes.
“No, I wouldn’t do that, honestly.” I used my free hand to cross my heart. She nodded, and I proceededto feed her.
“Mmm, that’s good.” She licked at her lips, and I couldn’t help but smile.
