She looks up from her phone and raises an eyebrow. “What was that?” Her tone more statement than enquiry.
“Nothing” he replies probably thinking better of it.
“No, go on, you said something” she insists though her eyes have already returned to her screen.
“Yes I did but… whatever.” He gets up from the table and the metal chair clatters over without him to counter the weight of his bag.
A momentary hush descends on the surrounding tables of the terrace. He smiles half heartedly and picks up the chair. “Keep your eye on my bag will you, I’m going for a piss.”
“Don’t be vulgar” she says without looking up.
He turns, blows out his cheeks unnecessarily loudly and heads towards the bathroom. She seems to have recovered her hearing.
He signals to the waiter to bring the bill and the matter of fact acknowledgement appears enough to lighten his gait a little.
He returns shortly, damp faced, running his wet fingers through his unkempt hair. The bill sits in a saucer weighed down by a salt shaker next to his empty cup. A clear track through the table debris speaks of its journey there.
“I’ll get this shall I?” he prods, but her hearing is back on mute as she drums away on the screen.
The tomb of the unknown relationship.
He leaves money in the saucer, picks up his bag and mumbles “shall we go?”.
“Just a moment” comes the inevitable response.
“I’ll wait outside” he says forgetting they already are as he slowly walks off .
She soon follows calling after him, hands on hips and shaking her head. I watch as she catches up. Any engagement at all would be a kindness of sorts but none is forthcoming. She probably knows him too well to oblige and instead prefers administering death by a thousand cuts. It could just be they’re having a bad day but their body language festers with something deeper and longer standing.
They disappear back into their own story and I turn to my companion. “Did you see that?”
“What do you mean? See what?” She looks up from her phone and glances around quickly before turning back to it.
“Nothing” I reply thinking better of it.
“No, go on” she says eyes still glued to the screen.
“It doesn’t matter” I say as I stand up, my hand steadying the chair, not wishing to tempt fate. “Back in a moment”, I put my bag over one shoulder and begin to turn.
She smiles and nods then carries on tapping her phone.
Not taking any chances I pay the bill at the bar and go to the bathroom without announcement.
“Are you ready?” I ask as I return.
“You know what?” she says looking pleased with herself.
“No, go on” I say slightly knocked off-kilter but curious at her improvised departure from the oracle.
“I just booked us a table in that place we saw yesterday, you know the one near the gallery that was closed.”
“Wow, excellent!” I say audibly sighing in relieved surprise.
“What’s up?” she says puzzled at my reaction.
“Nothing at all” I reply smiling, “that’s great, thanks, it did look good”.
“Had to do it now, my battery is dying. You’ve got your phone haven’t you?”
“No, I haven’t” I answer, “I left it charging back at the hotel.”
“Oh, okay, I guess we’ll just have to try talking won’t we?” and she laughs.
We bid the waiter goodbye as he comes over to clear the table.
She links my arm and we head off into our own story or at least for a promising lunch.
It must be love
