A 10-part short story about learning in relationship, beginning at part 1/10
Louise fingers the card in her pocket as she leans against the door. "Your scarf is unfeasibly long."
Romford laboriously coils the scarf on his shoulders. "My mum made it. Not 'hand made with love' or anything; it was a rehab therapy project. Didn't work for her but it keeps me warm."
They step out from the glasshouse into the early spring twilight. Louise feels a crystal of snow hit her nose. She tips her head back, grinning at the flurry coming at her from the darkening sky.
"Perfect!"
Romford finds he can't tilt his head for the volume of scarf, so he unwinds it again, gazing at Louise's rapture. Then he finds he no longer wants to tilt his head. He had the same feeling that day at the coast, when they had finished the sandcastle and were strolling along the beach.
She straightens her head. "Where to next?"
He keeps looking at her. He has completely forgotten where they were going, and how they came to be there at all. Something has changed. She holds out her mittened hand. He takes it. They pull each other closer. In a long moment between snowflakes they kiss.
Romford pulls back, concerned. "Was that OK?"
"That was so far beyond—"
He's mortified. "I'm so sorry; I got carried a—"
She holds up a mitten. "I mean, it was much better than OK."
He grins with relief.
She adds, "I think the consensual check is good, but you should probably do that before?"
He nods, feigning seriousness. "May I kiss you again, Ms Chancery?"
"You may, Hillary."
He double-takes. "How—?"
"Ah, come on. Everyone at school knew."
"They absolutely didn't."
"Maybe I heard Ms Wright the English teacher call you that."
"Unlikely."
"Nominative determinism if ever I heard it."
"Hillary?"
"Wright. English teacher."
"How did I not notice that?"
"You too, of course. Hillary-ous."
He smirks, still perplexed. "So, how...?"
She holds out her other mitten with the card from her pocket.
He takes it. "What's this? A photo? That's me..."
"According to my mum's infallible legend, that's 'Hillary and Louise in the Botanic Gardens rockery'. I'm the nappy with a head. You're the one dismantling the geology with a plastic spanner."
"I have no recollection of you whatsoever."
"My personality wasn't fully cooked."
"Still, here we are again."
"Inexorably."
"About two hours ago, didn't you say I could..."
He kisses her properly.
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