Hannah was unable to contain her curiosity as Lucas unlocked the door to his flat. She wondered what sort of home he'd made for himself, imagining it would be open plan, quite minimalist with few personal objects...maybe just a place for him to crash.
Her imagination hadn't let her down. It was a large open plan flat with white walls, lots of light and clean lines. The kitchen was a bit of a surprise. It looked to be far from basic with a huge Smeg fridge and a range cooker. It was a serious kitchen. Hannah wondered if Lucas had chosen it or if it was just part of the fittings. Everywhere was spotless and apart from two Blake prints on the wall, which she was instantly drawn to, there was little to identify this as Lucas's home. The prints were The Ancient of Days and The Great Red Dragon & the Woman Clothed in Sun. As Hannah stood in front of them Lucas moved behind her and slipped his arms around her waist.
"So what do you think then?" he spoke softly against her ear sending shivers down her spine.
"It's a great flat," she paused, trying to find the right words, "I can see why you chose it."
Lucas turned her round in his arms and raised an eyebrow, "You can?"
Hannah nodded, "It's light, open, airy and spotless...everything that prison wasn't." She smiled softly at him, reaching up to cup his face in her hand and caressed his cheek as he looked into her eyes.
He kissed her gently. "No-one else has ever made that observation...and if they have, they've never spoken of it to me."
"I'm right aren't I?" Hannah could understand how important it must've been for him to be somewhere that was far removed from the terrifying and suffocating squalor of the prison.
Lucas nodded slowly, "Most people prefer not to mention Russia. It's as if they're pretending it never happened."
Hannah knew exactly what he meant, "It doesn't help does it?" She remembered the few friends she had fussing over her after the accident but never actually mentioning what had happened. They all seemed to be walking on eggshells around her. It became unbearable and she'd wanted to scream at them but she hadn't. Instead, she'd just distanced herself so much that once she stopped working she lost them altogether.
Lucas showed her round the rest of his home, finally ending up in the bedroom. The large bed was neatly made with crisp dark blue cotton bedding. Over the bed was a large skylight, the view of the sky unhindered by blinds. "Like sleeping outside," Hannah said as she looked upwards.
"Exactly," Lucas nuzzled her neck as he wrapped his arms around her.
--
As he kissed her softly, Lucas had never felt so loved. It was almost as if she'd always known him. He pulled away and stared deeply into her pale green eyes, brushing her hair away from her face and tucking it behind her ears. "I love you," he whispered as he leant forward to kiss the tip of her nose.
Hannah smiled and repeated the words back to him making his heart swell, and for a while he lost himself in her embrace, thinking of nothing but her kisses and the feel of her body pressed up against his. Before losing himself completely he pulled away and gestured towards the bathroom. "How about I run you a bath then you can soak the day away while I cook you dinner?"
Hannah smiled at him, "You cook? I should have guessed seeing that kitchen."
"I try...food has become more important to me than it was before...Russia." He surprised himself with that little revelation. He'd never thought about it like that. The truth was that when he wasn't working or running off his nightmares he frequently found himself buried in cook books trying out new recipes. Before Russia he'd taken food for granted eating mainly ready meals and takeaways. Since he'd been back he'd unconsciously turned his nose up at the easy option and, when he had the time, took pleasure in good home-cooked food. He was however, still rather partial to a jam doughnut.
Hannah broke through his thoughts, "A bath sounds like heaven."
"What are you going to cook then?" Hannah was watching him inquisitively as he turned the taps on, poured bubble bath under the running water, and lit some candles.
"Thought I might surprise you."
"Beans on toast then?" she giggled.
"That could be arranged," he smirked and flicked some bubbles at her.
--
While Hannah languished in scented bubbles, Lucas set about preparing dinner. He'd decided whilst walking round the supermarket, to cook a Thai green curry with jasmine rice. It was one of his favourite things and he always found the flavours rather intoxicating. It was comfort food without being stodgy. He opened a bottle of Malborough Sauvignon Blanc and before he started cooking, poured a glass for Hannah and took it through to her, allowing himself to linger in the doorway for a few moments and watch her lying in the water with her head back and eyes closed. She looked so beautiful and peaceful. He coughed discreetly so as not to make her jump and when she opened her eyes he leant over and brushed his lips over hers. "Hey gorgeous, thought you might like this," he handed her the glass.
She smiled at him, a faint blush spreading across her cheeks. "Thanks. You're really spoiling me."
"You're not complaining are you?" He laughed as she shook her head vigorously. "Well enjoy it." He left her to her soak.
Back in the kitchen, he busiest himself chopping shallots, trying hard and failing not to succumb to the tears their potent smell sent running down his cheeks. He smiled to himself. He couldn't remember the last time he'd cooked for someone else and cooking for Hannah made him realise just how much pleasure he got from it...even if it did make him cry. Thoughts of what had transpired earlier in the day couldn't have been further from his mind as he prepared all the ingredients and set about making the sauce.
--
Hannah was starting to feel properly relaxed. The day had been hellish and although what had happened wasn't at the forefront of her mind it was still there. The bath, the candles and the delicious wine were gradually lessening the worry and although she still wasn't sure exactly what had happened earlier, she was determined to enjoy the evening with Lucas. There were some delicious smells coming from the kitchen...spicy and fragrant...making her mouth water.
Getting out of the bath before the water wrinkled her skin too much; she towelled herself dry and padded into the bedroom, rummaging through her bag for a pair of silk pyjamas.
Wandering into the kitchen area a few minutes later she found Lucas standing at the cooker stirring something that smelt amazing and humming to some music he had quietly playing. Hannah pulled out a stool from the breakfast bar and sat down watching him. He turned at the noise and grinned approvingly. "Nice PJs!"
"You're a Sinatra fan?" She smiled at him over her glass.
"You can't beat a bit of Frank...and this song...well..." he shrugged and looked a little embarrassed.
Hannah nodded knowingly, "For Once in My Life...one of my favourites." She put her glass down and slipping off the stool she walked over to him and slid her arms around his waist. "Dance with me?"
Lucas silently took the pan he'd been stirring off the heat and pulled her close and together they swayed gently to the music, listening to the words.
"For once in my life I won't let sorrow hurt me,
Not like it's hurt me before.
For once I have something I know won't desert me,
And I'm not alone anymore.
For once I can say this is mine you won't take it.
As long as I know I have love I can make it.
For once in my life I have someone who needs me."
--
The food, the wine, the music and, Lucas thought to himself with a hint of a smirk, those fantastically sexy pyjamas Hannah had put on, had combined to make the perfect evening. After he'd rescued the dinner following their impromptu smooch around the kitchen floor, they'd made short work of the food, with Hannah greedily scraping every last bit of the sauce from her plate and asking if there was more. He blushed as he remembered how she'd enthused over his cooking skills, although he'd enjoyed it too. The heady cocktail of garlic, lemon grass, coriander, chillies, ginger and basil mixed with the ice cold wine had risen their temperatures sufficiently to make dessert a somewhat messy affair. Moving to the sofa, Lucas had found his hands unable to resist the feel of the silk covering Hannah's body and then, once he'd found his way under it, he found that the chocolate ice cream he'd bought for pudding tasted so much better when licked off her skin.
He looked down at her lying sleepily in his arms and wondered how he'd ever gotten through a day without her in it. He knew things were not necessarily going to be easy, especially after what had happened today, but he felt stronger than he'd felt in a long time. The words of the song they'd danced to earlier played through his mind. "As long as I know I have love I can make it." He ran his fingers through Hannah's hair, brushing her curls away from her face as she lay with her head against his chest. She opened her eyes and smiled at him. Without saying a word he lifted her in his arms and carried her through to the bedroom and in the moonlight that shone through the skylight above the bed, they made slow and languorous love before falling asleep in each other's arms.