Tea - Chapter Four

Chapter 4

It was late night, in the middle of the fleeting three hours Miles and Sophie spent together at the end of each day they worked. They were in a usual state of affairs sitting on Miles= bed with arms wrapped around one another, nothing else going on and neither caring that it didn’t=t.

AHow did your day go?@ Miles asked. He spoke in a soft tone from directly behind her ear. Sophie nuzzled higher so that his lips brushed that ear.

AArduous. I had some real brats today. I couldn’t=t keep their attention for the life of me.@

AWell, two more days and we=ll be trotting in a carriage through New York City sharing a bottle of wine without a care in the world.@ The next stretch of days the group had free marked one month that they had been together. Everyone had separated to do their own things on the past few vacations but the very nature of their work environment kept them tightly knit. New York had become a reality thanks mostly to Scott and Kyra, once again. The situation was nearly the same as it had been in Boston but there was a different feeling about it at least as far as Miles and Sophie were concerned. Especially Sophie. They had spent their free time almost exclusively with one another, doing nothing extravagant but growing more deeply entwined with one another by the day.

The gravity of their relationship had hit Sophie the hardest, who was ironically the less grounded of the two at the onset. She visibly relished every moment they spent together. It was the reason why, even though everyone else was sleeping to rally for the next fourteen hour day, Miles and Sophie stayed as conscious as they could. The novelty of their jobs had worn off by then and real personalities had begun to show. Most everyone enjoyed what they were doing, but the times of excessive niceties had passed and everyone had begun to slip into regular patterns.

The two lovers realized what was unfolding and reveled in the fact that even though every one of the people they worked with, themselves included, were done putting on a show they grew more attached to one another by the day. And the days were long. Miles and Sophie stayed awake far longer than anyone else and had on several occasions seen the sun come up twice in a row without nodding off. Miles envied Scott and Kyra sometimes in the fact that their relationship seemed solid; something those two were used to and seemed to make no special effort at keeping up.

At the same time, the newness and intensity of Miles’ and Sophie’s relationship was something few couples had ever experienced and Miles was glad to have such an experience. He quieted the warring feelings by wrapping himself closer to Sophie, who sighed in return. Miles could sense she was almost asleep. The toils, both physical and mental, of the long days were catching up to her. Miles had worked in every trade from roofing to administration and was used to demands being made on his body. Sophie was not. Knowing that they both needed to sleep, he let himself slide onto the mattress, carrying Sophie with him. They were asleep before another word could be said.

After a month of intense work everyone at the camp realized the value of even a single day of sleeping in and decided not to leave for New York before noon on the first day off. Naturally everyone was bright-eyed by ten in the morning, because even that was four-hour hour extension from what they were used to. Miles was packing for the usual cargo of himself, Sophie, and Emma. It was cold, but not bitter, and had not snowed in several days. The white carpet surrounding their cabins had become littered with ever-falling pine needles that created a soft contrast to the harsh white glare.

Miles watched Sophie bound down the steps of her cabin and almost run to his Jeep. They had often fantasized about leaving the camp entirely and spending the remainder of their time together far away from everything else but three day excursions were the closest things they had, realistically. Sophie cared nothing for formalities when she was on her own time and greeted Miles with a flourishing kiss and did not loosen her grip around his waist as she withdrew.

ASleep well?@ Miles chuckled. He took one last look at the humble cabin he lived in with its peeling brown paint and charmingly sagged steps to try to remember any loose ends. Satisfied after that quick glance he latched the hatch of his Jeep and kissed Sophie again for good measure. They saw four other vehicles rearing to go and joined them in a caravan to the Big Apple.

AYou promised me romance, Miles Drake.@ Sophie chided. They had just arrived at their hotel room and had not as yet unpacked.

AAnticipation is a killer, isn=t it?@ He snickered in reply. Everyone else was scattered throughout the two connected rooms but Miles and Sophie had their conversation oblivious to the others. John Mayer was playing unobtrusively in the background to provide a soundtrack for the circumstances. The scene was completely different from the one a month before. The excitable bunch of new friends that plunged into the Boston club scene was now a reserved group taking their time in everything; lounging in the extravagance of three days of nothing. Miles and Sophie had been initially worried about being able to slip away but they saw in everyone=s nonchalant attitude that it would not be a problem.

AMy darling, a romantic weekend I promised you and a romantic weekend you shall have. As soon as I have a drink.@ He mixed three gin and tonics in cheap clear plastic hotel cups for himself, Sophie, and Jabari. There was no hot tub this time around, and even though Jabari insisted it was a must for the next time he was making himself comfortable with Emma on one of the couches. Jabari and Emma=s was a plutonic affair; akin to a brother-sister relationship. Who knew how a jock from Lansing and a clubbing English girl got together, but they did. There was a small bar down at the pool and hot tub area on the first floor that some people said they wouldn’t mind checking out.

Miles and Sophie took their time with their drinks like everyone else was doing while Scott and Paul planned the best attack route. They were in New York City, after all.

AWe=ve hardly said a word to one another in the past week, you know.@ She commented between sips.

AI know. I hate that it=s happening.@

AGetting used to the long hours has been better, though. I=m starting to be able to keep up with you.@ Sophie smiled a sad little smile and finally looked at him. AI just don=t want to drift apart like other people seem to be.@

AWell, we=re our own clique. I would tell you not to worry but I know it wouldn’t=t do any good.@

AHhmm.@

ALet=s finish these and go for a walk.@

ALet=s take them with us.@ Miles nodded and followed her. No one said anything as they walked out the door together; it was becoming an expected practice with them. That was another thing that was also causing a bit of tension between Miles, Sophie, and the rest of the group. They didn’t=t want to be seen as ditching everyone else but desperate times called for... It was hardly worth contending the necessity, anyways.

So the two lovers walked through the red-hued hotel and out into the street absently swirling half-empty cups of gin. They had become so accustomed to silence after work days that they didn’t=t start a conversation until they were a block from the hotel.

AFive months.@ Sophie finally said.

AYour visa=s for nine. Come back to Chicago with me.@

AOf course. I want to travel, though, too. Who knows when I=ll be back here again?@ Miles shook his head. Sophie had a none-too subtle way of letting him know what she was driving at.

AWe can do anything you want, Sophie. Do you think I=m just going to forget about you or let you go after all this? Look at how far one month has brought us.@

ATrue, our situation is pretty intense.@

AIn a round-about way we spend more time together that most any couples.@ Miles finished his drink and discarded it as he passed a waste basket. He put his newly freed arm around Sophie=s waist without losing stride. ASometimes I wish things weren’t like they were. But sometimes I=m really glad for it too. Who knows if all this would have happened if you were a foreign exchange student at my school or something?@ She nodded. AWe don=t know what=s going to happen, so why worry about it? It doesn’t=t mean I don=t think about it. I have, from every possible angle, but don=t stress over it. That=ll just cast a shadow over what we have left.@

AEvery possible angle?@ Miles knew exactly what Sophie meant but wouldn’t indulge her. They had done everything but openly discuss the most cementing solution and Miles wasn=t open to it then. He simply nodded and continued. AThe bottom line is that we don=t have to think about anything so involved for at least five months. So let=s pretend nothing is going on for at least a couple and act like two people who arecrazy in love and have it be enough to go on.@

AIt=s hard to do, though, Miles. I wish it weren’t, but... I think about it all the time. Sometimes it gets to a point that I don=t even want to see you because I don=t want to think about it. It=s no way to be, darling.@

AI wish I could say something to make it all go away. All I can tell you is that I think about all the same things. I=m not ignoring it or leaving you in the cold to fend for yourself. But I want you more than a plan of action or a headache. I want every memory I have of you to bring a tear to my eye. And I want you to be there when I remember those moments. But right now I need the moments more than a long range goal. Means to the end, or whatever.@

AI know what you mean. I like the moments, too. They make it all worth it.@ Sophie clung to him a bit tighter, both of them realizing they were stuck in a moment. They walked in silence, thinking more than they needed to or should have been.

By the time they made it back to the hotel they were much more relaxed and ready to tackle the city with the rest of the crew. They caught up quickly with everyone who had been sitting around drinking before hitting the streets once again to soak in the nightlife.

New York, above all other cities, is a city in which night life was in no short supply. The streets themselves seemed to be a party with so many different and sometimes unique individuals. The group stayed together that night and stuck to the sidewalks that seemed to be thoroughfares. Even on those most used patches of cement there was enough happening to keep a group of kids who had spent a month in the woods excited.

Miles made a conscious effort, once they found the first club, to not stay moored to a table with Sophie. Outside of Scott and Kyra he got on best with Jabari. The two put an arm around one another’s shoulder and put down a shot of tequila before anything got started. Miles saw Sophie shake her head with the smile of a person who has give up on training their puppy. On the way to the dance floor he grabbed her for a spin.

“Don’t worry, love. Won’t get too crazy tonight. Have to start things off, right?”

“Oh, you do whatever you want, hon.” Miles saw through that ruse better than a scuba diver in an inflatable backyard pool. He kissed her cheek and pretended to pout. They dance for a bit longer than Miles and his new mantra of socialization had intended but that was all right.

Soon enough (When Sophie and Emma made for the lady’s room) he found himself at the bar with Jabari and Paul.

“She not letting you drink tonight, chief?” Sometimes Paul got on Miles’ nerves.

“No, man, It’s not like that, come on, now.” When Miles saw the usually neutral Jabari rolling his eyes to the ceiling, however, he started thinking. Thinking and tequila do not mix. “All right, fuck it. We’re in New York City, right? Let’s do a double tequila. You guys all right with that?”

“There he is!” Jabari turned his back to the bar and yelled the phrase again in the general direction of the most Ontanogan folks. By the time he turned back around Miles had procured the shots and was lining them up. The trio clinked glasses and Miles found himself very happy he had ordered top-shelf tequila.

“There you go. Now, I’m going to go dance with my girl so she doesn’t start associating me with schlubs like you, eh?” Jabari patted him on the back and pushed him toward the group table.

“Having fun?” Sophie asked once Miles made it back.

“Yes, yes. Just reasserting my Alpha status.

“Yeah, I think that’s the same way all those indigenous tribes do it on the Discovery channel.”

“Oh, you saw that, huh?” She nodded.

“Well, three shots of tequila in one night are quite enough for me. Just don’t tell them that.” He motioned toward the bar where Jabari and Paul were working on fresh beers.

“Don’t worry,” Sophie said, kissing his cheek, “I’ll keep letting them think you’re all man.”

“Thanks.”

“Sure. I definitely will not tell them about those flowers you picked for me and left on my pillow last Wednesday. Or the sweet poem you left in my jacket at lunch last Saturday.”

Miles’ face turned Kool-Aid red. He wanted to blame it on tequila. “I swear. You always get me confused with your other boyfriends.”

“Dance with me.”

“Ok. But I’m considering this blackmail.”

“What? I didn’t even mention your nickname for me.” The tropical punch splashed back across Miles’ face for a moment.

“Well, I could get in a good story with the guys about that thing you do with your tongue.”

“Hmm Hmm,” she smiled, “You tell them that story and you’ll never feel me do that with my tongue again.” Sophie hadn’t missed a beat. Miles knew he had been upped and followed Sophie to the dance floor in silence.

AI want you to tell me that everything=s going to be fine.@ Sophie said, sitting against the headboard of the bed she and Miles shared while everyone slept off the night. The booze had long since worn off and delirious fatigue was setting in.

AI can tell you that I=ll do whatever it takes. It seems so pretentious to say something like that after one month, but fuck it. I=m saying it. I love you. That=s really all I need right now.@

ANeed right now? We=re not sweet sixteen anymore, Miles. I love you, too. But love isn=t going to change the fact that we=re going to have to do something about it. I want to know if you=re willing to deal with the situation.@

AI told you I=d do whatever it takes. But right now what we have takes nothing. That=s what=s so great about it. It=s a natural, comfortable thing. It just happened. Until it becomes something else I=d rather give myself to that ease. I want you not to worry about it because you=re starting to make it all about the future instead of the present. There would be no future without the present.@

AYou=re getting too philosophical, Miles. Just... Just be my lover tonight.@ Though her tone was one of resignment Sophie slid from the headboard to the pillows drawing Miles into the nest.

AThat=s perfect, Sophie. You=re...You=re perfect.@

ABollocks.@

Morning grey crept into the crowded room to reach Sophie=s face and then Miles=, waking the pair up before anyone else stirred. They looked at one another in unexpected alertness and tiptoed out of the room. They knew from past experience that they had a good three hours before anyone else even thought about greeting the day and wanted to take full advantage of that grace. The two didn’t=t even pretend at conversation as they walked hand in hand down the street. They had no destination; no plan. Simply walking together, where no one knew them or cared to know them was enough. They were like anyone else in the crowded streets of New York. There were no raised eyebrows, no knowing glances, no obvious efforts of courteous avoidance. They were as they should be. Miles smiled at the sense of purpose Sophie exuded because he knew that a lack of it was the only purpose they had. The two wanted nothing and in the early morning among thousands of strangers they found it.

The first words Sophie spoke were in sight of a coffee shop. ALet=s get a drink.@ They didn’t=t stay in the shop; what was happening for them outside was too needed to be ignored and so with coffee in tow they continued.

The rest of the morning continued without a word. The air warmed and more people crowded the sidewalks as New York came alive around Miles and Sophie. It was almost disheartening to see their hotel looming in their sight once again. Miles looked at his watch just to make sure, but it read eleven o=clock.

ASophie, Wait.@ She turned, halfway up the steps of the hotel. She cocked her head in perplexion . Miles stepped up to her and kissed her with all the gusto of a sailor returning home from sea. AI love you.@

>No matter what.@

Miles nodded. ANo matter what.@ They drifted up the stairs and through the lobby and elevator to their room. Everyone was still asleep and it left them wondering how much longer they might have had together out in the city. That question was answered when Emma and Paul stirred ten minutes later just as Miles and Sophie were finishing their coffee.

ADid you guys make that?@ A voice asked weakly from a sleeping bag on the worn floor.

ANo, but there=s a coffee pot in the bathroom.@

AExcellent.@ A nappy haired Paul rolled out of his makeshift bed and clomped into the bathroom. Sophie sighed and moved her chair at the corner tiny table closer so that she could lean against Miles= propped up knees. He smiled a knowing smile and left it at that. The day had begun.

When everyone got up they went to breakfast to spend more time reliving events from the previous night than eating. Miles tried not to stare at Sophie throughout the meal but something in her eyes made him smile. Sophie knew it and wouldn’t=t let him by with only a fleeting glance. Something in the honesty and intensity of those subtle looks made her blush as though they=d never even spoken to one another. It was a feeling of newness mingled with familiarity that she found exhilarating.

They spent the rest of the morning in the museum of natural history breezing past skeletons and elaborate interpretive displays. Sophie loved museums and could have easily spent the duration of their trip in them. Miles hovered beside her as she went gracefully from room to room soaking everything in.

AI=m in the greatest city in America, and all I can do is think of you.@ She sighed, pulling his arm across her stomach as they stared at a Georgia O= Keefe painting.

AI=ll take that as a compliment.@ Miles kissed her collarbone and she answered with a sigh. They continued walking around the rooms like something out of a movie until they realized that they were not running into anyone else.

The others were waiting for them in the little café on the main floor of the museum. It looked as though everyone had intended to eat something but found the fare to be on the expensive side.

AYou guys should have come and got us,@ Miles tried. Paul shrugged and Miles realized everyone was so happy to be out of camp that it almost didn’t=t matter what they did.

The group ousted themselves from the wrought-iron chairs and walked along until they found a more wallet-friendly Subway where they planned a strategy for the rest of their only full day in New York City.

AThe tourist thing is always a good option. Times Square, The Statue of Liberty, Twin Towers, all that,@ Scott suggested.

ASome of that can get pretty pricey, though, Paul countered. AI heard they charge a bunch to get to the top of that statue.” Camp salaries made pre-planning luxuries a necessity.

AWe could kill a lot of time wandering around Times Square,@ Miles added. The foreigners simply watched the day unfold for them, happy to be seeing anything, let alone in the greatest city the country had to offer.

In the end smaller groups were formed because most everyone wanted to do something that would cost some money but it wouldn’t have been fair to drag everyone to an art museum when only three people really wanted to go.

As a matter of course Sophie and Miles made the beginnings of a group that also included Scott and Kyra since they were all interested in seeing things that weren’t in the top ten tourist suggestions whereas most of the foreigners were. Jabari and Paul took the rest of the carless into their custody to see Ellis Island and Yankee Stadium and the like. With everybody satisfied the hotel room was evacuated for the day.

The double-dating group’s day consisted of stops at The Smithsonian and Fifth Avenue among others all taken in at a leisurely pace. They knew that there were things that would be missed but most of their day to day activities were so prone to bustle that laxness was as important a draw as anything. The quartet purposely made no plans and in doing so had no deadlines. They decided their day was done after a semi-romantic dinner and ended up back at their room well before dark and the other group.

“We should watch a movie,” Scott suggested. It was yet another activity that none of them had found the time for in weeks and it was agreed upon. For $9.95 a new-to-them film was ordered up and they stretched out at a pair to a bed to continue the theme of their vacation.

“Oh, that was so much fun,” Sophie cooed, stealing another moment from the sleep that wanted to claim them both after the drive back from New York City.

“Doing nothing was perfect,” Miles agreed.

“I don’t think I want to do anything like that for a little while. In a lot of ways it’s more tiring than work with the travel and the excitement and all.” Miles nodded agreement.

“Well, we don’t have to if you don’t want to. We’ve got a lot of time to do with what we will yet.”

It was the truth. February was barely making itself known then and there were four months of the same circumstances after the shortest dance of the calendar. Wandering the streets of New York was nice in a Freewheeling Bob Dylan sort of a way which Miles supposed was the main reason anybody went on those sorts of adventures in the first place. Staying home watching rented movies with nothing else on the horizon was also nice, though not in any blatantly romantic way as far as Miles knew.

Eventually the uncoupleable couple fell asleep. It did not happen in one another’s arms as an ignorant romantic would have you believe from the books and movies but unmistakable as love just the same. The two had grown used to sharing a rickety twin bed with another pair doing the same barely two yards away and had grown quite adept at finding the cool part of the sheets.