The room did not disappoint, if not more than what the two had expected it to be. LED string lights hung along the wooden-paneled walls, giving off an atmospheric vibe when switched on at night, one could imagine. It was spacious enough to fit two more people if not for the lack of beds and contained a sufficient number of charging-ports.
The attic room once belonged to the landlady, the house used to be under the ownership of Maj and several housemates who procured it while the group had made a fresh start in work life. Now, it belonged to Florian and Maj, the young and yet to be married couple.
Exhausted but needed to be cleaned first, Cay took out his toiletries and began marching down the stairs and into the shared bathroom. By the time he came out and was up the wooden stairs, Judas had already unpacked his belongings, scattering whatever was on his jeans onto the desk. Cay called out that it was his turn to use the bathroom, put on his shorts, and began to unpack.
The two shared a large bed, a cat that belonged to the neighbor came walking up and joined Judas by his side. It purred while Judas stroked its’ head, letting out a satisfying meow through his light scratches. Cay only noticed it when he woke up from a short nap and shooed it downstairs, not wanting any loose fur onto the bed. Judas shrugged at his reluctance to share a bad with a cat and began putting on his jacket, mentioning the time to have dinner. Many shops nearby were closed due to a Sunday, so they settled down on a pizza joint just down the street.
The two came back and found two women, one unmistakably being Maj, Florian, and another male. The four were in the process of watching an Italian film by Paolo Sorrentino, half-drank wine glasses and an empty bottle were sitting on the glass coffee table. The two greeted the four and the latter invited them to watch the movie together, excusing the fact the subtitle was in English and the actors only spoke Italian. The two did not mind at all and sat down with the land owners and their friends.
Florian went into the kitchen to fetch cans of beers and offered Cay and Judas each, which the two very much obliged to receive. Maj and her friend were engaging in a soft-spoken but intensive conversation, only to laugh when Maj said something out loud in French. Judas sat staring at the Apple Macbook when a giraffe appeared when Jep Gambardella before Arturo appeared within the visible light shown by construction lights. The main character had been surprised to see the animal.
After the movie was over, Maj offered a cigarette to the two, which Judas rejected but accepted by Cay out of politeness and craving. The living room was warm with a functioning heater and blankets covering legs, with an addition of hearty volume of alcohol being drank to keep the lively conversations going.
Cay told some of his stories back when he was still in Malaysia, the country appeared intriguing to everyone (“How do you live in a country that’s hotter than summer every day!?” exclaimed Maj.) and the man that came from it was the center of attention for that time being. The living room hazed from the continued smoking of tobacco, Judas had to excuse himself outside for some fresh air and away from the dizziness.
Maj invited the two for breakfast after her two friends left and Florian began busying with the washing in the kitchen. The two said yes without a second thought and went back to the attic room.
*
Cay got out of bed, still slightly panting from a few minutes ago and feeling glad that the two had their moment, went for a shower.
“Honey, get ready, we’re leaving in ten minutes!”, he called whilst showering.
“Okay.”, she responded with a faint voice, sounding drowsy.
By the time they have reached the shopping centre of Bournemouth, it was already half past six in the evening and the two felt hungry again. The sandwiches had only been enough to sate Jenna’s appetite long enough until the next meal.
Most of the shops were closed (unexpected to Cay, since Bournemouth was a decent size city) with only streetlights lighting the pavements and eateries illuminating from within. Jenna, feeling moody from being abruptly woken up by Cay, decided the restaurant without further discussion. It was then Cay knew that he should be paying close attention to her needs. Although lovely and all, Jenna could be sometimes difficult to deal with, especially when she was tired.
“Do I look tired?”, Asked Jenna with her inquisitive look in her eyes?
“No, honey. You look great after the short nap.”, Cay responded, calculatedly.
“But my eyes feel tired. Do I not really?”.
“No, lovely. You look great as usual.”. Sounding reassuring, Jenna went back to her Grilled prawns by pinching a lemon slice above them.
Cay knew protocols for certain conversations. To him (or maybe any other straight males), some talks had meant to be minefields set up intentionally by their dear half. He had not understood and probably would never but acknowledged the consequences if any of these conversations subsequently deteriorate into an isolated interrogation. Verbally hostage.
The Bournemouth Pier was a great alternative to continue the evening trip after most of the shops were closed. Yu, the middle brother, told him that it had a relaxing atmosphere like the movies when he brought his Manchester girlfriend with him. He made an imitated prayer, hoping that it would not rain that night.
They walked on the wooden platform outstretched from the beach and onto the water of Poole Bay, small carnival rides with their cheap-looking light bulbs illuminating an assortment of colours that serve only too look the attraction tacky, and two restaurants were present with their white table cloths and cheery staffs.
Cold breeze blew from behind the two and Cay wrapped his jacket around Jenna, who in return gave him a peck on the left cheek. Cay was a head taller than his girlfriend, so it had not been an inconvenience to see the city lights illuminating on their left. If they walked across the platform, they would be able to see the faint glow from Sandbanks premises.
They settled down on a table outside of the Key West Bar & Grill and ordered coffee (“go easy on the milk, honey.” Reminded Cay the lactose-intolerant Jenna) along with fried calamari. The two spoke about the day and their plans for tomorrow, Cay highlighting the parts that probably appealed interesting to Jenna but most likely would not.
It did not matter, the night has been proceeding smoothly and happily, anyway.
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