Pleased To Meet You

Two minutes...it was at this point the value of the Sydney rail network received a tick in its favour. Safe, courteous and respectful would be a safe summation. There was no more than eighty seven steps or whatever it was that took this newly formed trio to make it from Lindfield Station to the second floor apartment the girls called home.

It was twenty five to one as the pins fell in the groove of the key inserted into the lock of the front door at Trent St. Lindfield. As they got in Kailey tried to relinquish the grip Squiddy had on her hand, he said "I'm not sure I want to leave you again after last time," ...joking but sort of serious.

In mock exasperation Kailey tutted "just going to the toilet. Elena will show you around."

Neither of them wanted to be the first to release and then it was like the obligatory letting hands go clutching to death finger separation drawn out quasi-drama type thing going on she tore herself away from his clingy grip and went for a piss. They both turned in different directions, Squiddy with Elena to the lounge that opened to their left, and Kailey to the toilets down the hall. Squiddy did the terminator at the police station thing with his eyes being a wierdo in the girls loungeroom, two minutes ago they got off the train at the station ands they were in some sort of a Nick Scaali'd paradise.

Their front room could have been an Ikea display room, laid out with a female eye for functional good taste meets a need for modern furnished lifestyle precision. They had a playstation! Elena tossed her hand bag on the couch and turned on the stereo.

"What kind of music do you like Squiddy", she asked. Squiddy turned his hands palms out and replied

"Your place your choice - I'm a guest thank you very much"

He would go on tell Kailey later that he felt like the spirit of Christian Slater enter him (Kailey said who?) for a second but it also may have been a strangled hiccup? Elena smiled and bluetoothed to the home stereo and lowered the volume, background noise really. Squiddy nodded his appreciation as the dulcet tones shimmered across the room to his ears. He gestured to the couch,

"May I ?" After Elena nodded he sat down and nodded his appreciation for slide as his bum hit the plush leather of the huge couch. It was huge, Genghis Khan, tiger skins huge, you know BIG!

Then the music filled subtly filled the room from a number of hidden speakers. The room was full of Talking Heads - Burning Down The House with noticeable lack of hiss or distortion, no crackling no nothing but music played as it should be, someone had put a nice sound system in - really nice, very nice, he thought to himself.

"Can I get you a drink Squiddy?", Elena asked as she headed int0 the kitchen

"Yes please, a beer if you have it," he said to her as she leaned into the open fridge door. The anticipation of being able to hold onto something and not have to repeatedly clench his own knuckles for a while would be sweet too! He had no idea what was going on but if they did want his organs HE wasn't going to fight them!

Kailey came back to the lounge and grabbed a seat on the couch, tucking a leg under herself and almost sat on Squid

"Now you have to tell me everything that happened after the lake," she went on "you made an impression on me that day. I'm still not sure what passed between but there was something. I felt when you took my hand. I felt it again at Hornsby, I feel it every time we touch!"

As if prove it she took both Squiddy's hands in hers and hugged them to her chest

"See....I felt that like a buzz inside a tingle, very subtle. It's like I can feel it just by being near you , you can feel it can't you?" She asked Squiddy and he answered dry mouthed, almost flustered

"Yes, I felt it at the lake, then the next day with the rock and earlier this evening. It hasn't stopped since then and if anything it's magnified with you practically sitting on me!" Squiddy was on his best behaviour, playing his cards close to his chest keeping his cool formidable and incumbent cringe to a minimum. This is her he thought and smiled, haven't seen her in nearly two years and here I am sitting on her leather Nick Scaali couch.

"Never thought you'd ask" said Kailey and with that she up and plonked herself right in the middle of Squids lap. "Look at us Elena," she said to her friend as she came back into the room with three stubbies "We're a relationship!"

Kailey had one hand in her belly and the other around Squiddy - determined not to let him go. Once again Squiddy found himself in the enviable position of being covered in beautiful girl and loving every minute of it if going by the dopey ear to ear grin he had on his face. He let go of Kailey's knee and took the beer offered by Elena who also gave one to Kailey.

"To new friends!" toasted Elena and old times "To new friends" Kailey and Squiddy repeat the toast. The room is filled with smiles and well wishes and bottles clinking. Then a mouth full of silence as they all took a swig. Elena joined them on the couch and started scratching the label of her beer. Squiddy and Kailey placed their bottles on the coffee table and Elena leaned on her shoulder, turned towards Squiddy and asked him

"Why were you at the lake that day Squiddy?" an innocent seeming enough question,

"I was there with a youth group from Wahroonga, but I was out on my own that afternoon, lucky huh," Squiddy said to Elena and then he looked at Kailey, she smiled , pulled a silly face, trying not blush and she almost blushed...almost...twice! "I was walking on the edge of the lake and Kailey came walking out of the lake like the most beautiful bizarre sexy day dream ever but I was awake - I think! When I touched her hand it tingled through to my very core and out the other side" Squiddy said excitedly, flushed with the memories of that day and they surprise him still to this day of their vividness and strength."

He took a breath and went on "Even now I'm here holding Kailey and it's still like a dream. But it's so tangible and real." He leaned forward and kissed Kailey on the cheek and sat back and said "See - so real..."

Only to be stopped by Kailey leaning in and kissing him full on the lips and still kissing and not letting go anytime soon! 'Please don't let me wake up yet' Squiddy thought to himself as he felt Kailey's tongue break the seal of his lips as they kissed.

You never interrupt two people kissing so we won't. But just imagine for a split second that this was you and armed with backstory and hopefully a bee's dick of imagination, you know exactly how they kissed, like lovers do, and you're a bit jealous and envious. Kailey and Squiddy have an idea forming now they don't know it ALL yet, but right now is where they will go on to say that they began to fall in love. Kailey perched on Squiddy like a nesting hen and Squiddy with one arm around Kailey's waist and his other cupping her thigh and not willing to relinquish either anytime soon. They will say that this right here, that we have this now moment, will be documented and I just hope that I'm up to the task of making it real enough for you.

The distant strains of "Making Flippy Floppy" are purely background noise that's trying to become foreground but denied so because of the position of the volume control knob. Elena sits into a more upright position and looks at Kailey, she nods, they both look at Squiddy. a strange look comes across Elena's face as she says to Squiddy

"You seem like a nice guy Squiddy, and Kailey is smitten," Kailey fake punches Elena from her nest in Squiddy's lap "so you have to promise me to look after her and treat her right ok!" She was deadly serious.

Squiddy nodded his acquiescence and replied

"Of course I will..." he looked both Kailey and Elena in the eyes and went on "I can't believe we found each other again. I know it sounds cheesy or trippy or even weird but the universe has seen fit to bring Kailey and I back together after that day at the lake so I've got to respect that, we have to, so all we can do is to see where we go - TOGETHER! I'm up for that how about you Kailey?" She smiled ever so sweetly, and nodded. You could almost see his words in their eyes.

"I've got goosebumps," said Kailey and shiver snuggled into Squiddy's lap even further "and you have too Elena M, I know!" Squiddy let go of Kailey's leg and put his arm tentatively around Elena shoulders - she was startled at first, but succumbed to the warmth and the good feeling that just seemed to ooze out of Squiddy. Both girls shivered, it was a comfortable goosebump fraught shiver, it looked right and it felt better.