HOME | DD

Description
The musical trill of glasses clinking rang out amid the hubbub of Louise and Louie’s, radiating from a two seat table near the center of the restaurant where a man and woman sat, laughing. The pair pulled their drinks away from the other’s and each took a sip. The woman stared at the man over the rim of her glass, scanning his face curiously. Her eyebrows pricked upwards as his grey eyes sparked with wry amusement at her analysing. She cleared her throat and lowered her drink.

“So…” she began. “You were born here?” The man took another sip before answering then set his wine on the table.

“Born and raised. My parents actually used to come here quite a lot. Of course as a child I didn’t exactly appreciate fine dining. That led to some...interesting incidents.” He tapped his finger against the base of his glass absentmindedly. She followed gaze as it wandered wistfully to the ceiling.

“Oh?” she questioned.

“Do you see the little brown spot up there?”

Her features twisted with suspicion, expecting the worst. “Yeah…”

“That is a dog sticker Ms. Anna.”

Anna burst out laughing. “Oh! A sticker? Really?”

“Yep.”

“And how exactly did you get it up there?”

“I climbed the chandelier.” The storyteller grinned widely. Anna shook her head in mock disbelief.

“I refuse to believe that.”

“It’s true!”

“Okay, okay. Well look, as long as you don’t do that tonight I’ll believe whatever you say.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

“It is,” she smiled coyly then added. “Mr. Peter.”

They shared a brief moment of silence together before their food was brought to the table. Peter poked at his plate lightly with a fork and cocked his head to the side.

“So what about you?” he asked. Anna gestured for him to continue. “Any wild shenanigans? Tomfoolery? Monkey business?”

“Oh sure,” she snorted. “Plenty. Life as a librarian is so exciting you know.”

Peter leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. “You know, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a librarian,” he remarked.

“What poor deduction skills you have.” She tutted and returned to the soup she was slowly nursing. The quiet returned to cover them sweetly and protect from a sudden chill that swept the room as their eyes locked onto one another’s. In those few seconds that stretched indefinitely within their memory the two could have sworn they’d stepped outside, that they could feel the breeze on their skin, and see the landscape fade to underwhelming gray all around them. A train droned on in the distance, travelling closer until the more miniscule, fragile ringing of bicycle bell mingled with it. Anna blinked.

When she regained her vision, Peter’s stare had turned elsewhere. He reached out hesitantly to touch the soft, white fabric of Anna’s gloves which had laid on the table since she arrived.

“Such expensive gloves,” he commented then murmured to himself. “For a librarian.”

“My mother’s. She gave them to me shortly before she passed away,” Anna explained calmly. Peter’s hand withdrew quickly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Anna waved him off. “Nothing taken by it,” she replied.

“But if I may be so bold…” he spoke quietly. “How did she pass?”

“She died of annoyance, caused by a pestering little man who was all too curious for his own good.”

“Aaah.” Peter nodded and lifted his glass. “Let’s hope you don’t suffer the same fate.”

“Let’s hope indeed,” she laughed and brought her glass to meet his.

After about another half hour of this back and forth Peter called for the check and the two parted ways, each leaving with something of the other’s. The woman contemplated this item she’d stolen thoughtfully, while the man was preoccupied with a piercing voice on the other side of his phone.

“This is unbelievable. How can you be so unreliable? This mission’s success was of the utmost importance,” the voice prattled on. Peter rolled his eyes and rested leisurely against a wall as he waited for the tyrant’s lecture to finish. Eventually it did end and with a sigh his superior closed briefly. “We’ll talk about the repercussions later. Just go home and get some sleep.”

Without bothering to reply, Peter hung up the phone and began trundling down his path once more.

Meanwhile, Anna had returned home and was gradually undoing the extravagant up-do her honey-colored tresses had been locked into. She kicked off her heels and strutted down a hallway to the locked door that led to the basement. She made her way down the stairs haltingly, taking time to further inspect the shining ring between her fingers. When she reached the bottom she flipped on the lightswitch and started violently, nearly dropping the precious jewelry.

Peter looked up from he was lounging on her sofa. He swung a pair of pristine gloves in his hands.

“It seems you forgot these,” he said. “And aah, I believe that’s my ring.”

Anna dropped the ring carelessly into his outreached hands then pulled the gloves out of his grasp. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at him, smirking. “Want a drink?”

“That would be delightful.”

Description
The musical trill of glasses clinking rang out amid the hubbub of Louise and Louie’s, radiating from a two seat table near the center of the restaurant where a man and woman sat, laughing. The pair pulled their drinks away from the other’s and each took a sip. The woman stared at the man over the rim of her glass, scanning his face curiously. Her eyebrows pricked upwards as his grey eyes sparked with wry amusement at her analysing. She cleared her throat and lowered her drink.

“So…” she began. “You were born here?” The man took another sip before answering then set his wine on the table.

“Born and raised. My parents actually used to come here quite a lot. Of course as a child I didn’t exactly appreciate fine dining. That led to some...interesting incidents.” He tapped his finger against the base of his glass absentmindedly. She followed gaze as it wandered wistfully to the ceiling.

“Oh?” she questioned.

“Do you see the little brown spot up there?”

Her features twisted with suspicion, expecting the worst. “Yeah…”

“That is a dog sticker Ms. Anna.”

Anna burst out laughing. “Oh! A sticker? Really?”

“Yep.”

“And how exactly did you get it up there?”

“I climbed the chandelier.” The storyteller grinned widely. Anna shook her head in mock disbelief.

“I refuse to believe that.”

“It’s true!”

“Okay, okay. Well look, as long as you don’t do that tonight I’ll believe whatever you say.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a promise?”

“It is,” she smiled coyly then added. “Mr. Peter.”

They shared a brief moment of silence together before their food was brought to the table. Peter poked at his plate lightly with a fork and cocked his head to the side.

“So what about you?” he asked. Anna gestured for him to continue. “Any wild shenanigans? Tomfoolery? Monkey business?”

“Oh sure,” she snorted. “Plenty. Life as a librarian is so exciting you know.”

Peter leaned back in his chair and crossed his hands behind his head. “You know, I wouldn’t have pegged you for a librarian,” he remarked.

“What poor deduction skills you have.” She tutted and returned to the soup she was slowly nursing. The quiet returned to cover them sweetly and protect from a sudden chill that swept the room as their eyes locked onto one another’s. In those few seconds that stretched indefinitely within their memory the two could have sworn they’d stepped outside, that they could feel the breeze on their skin, and see the landscape fade to underwhelming gray all around them. A train droned on in the distance, travelling closer until the more miniscule, fragile ringing of bicycle bell mingled with it. Anna blinked.

When she regained her vision, Peter’s stare had turned elsewhere. He reached out hesitantly to touch the soft, white fabric of Anna’s gloves which had laid on the table since she arrived.

“Such expensive gloves,” he commented then murmured to himself. “For a librarian.”

“My mother’s. She gave them to me shortly before she passed away,” Anna explained calmly. Peter’s hand withdrew quickly.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

Anna waved him off. “Nothing taken by it,” she replied.

“But if I may be so bold…” he spoke quietly. “How did she pass?”

“She died of annoyance, caused by a pestering little man who was all too curious for his own good.”

“Aaah.” Peter nodded and lifted his glass. “Let’s hope you don’t suffer the same fate.”

“Let’s hope indeed,” she laughed and brought her glass to meet his.

After about another half hour of this back and forth Peter called for the check and the two parted ways, each leaving with something of the other’s. The woman contemplated this item she’d stolen thoughtfully, while the man was preoccupied with a piercing voice on the other side of his phone.

“This is unbelievable. How can you be so unreliable? This mission’s success was of the utmost importance,” the voice prattled on. Peter rolled his eyes and rested leisurely against a wall as he waited for the tyrant’s lecture to finish. Eventually it did end and with a sigh his superior closed briefly. “We’ll talk about the repercussions later. Just go home and get some sleep.”

Without bothering to reply, Peter hung up the phone and began trundling down his path once more.

Meanwhile, Anna had returned home and was gradually undoing the extravagant up-do her honey-colored tresses had been locked into. She kicked off her heels and strutted down a hallway to the locked door that led to the basement. She made her way down the stairs haltingly, taking time to further inspect the shining ring between her fingers. When she reached the bottom she flipped on the lightswitch and started violently, nearly dropping the precious jewelry.

Peter looked up from he was lounging on her sofa. He swung a pair of pristine gloves in his hands.

“It seems you forgot these,” he said. “And aah, I believe that’s my ring.”

Anna dropped the ring carelessly into his outreached hands then pulled the gloves out of his grasp. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at him, smirking. “Want a drink?”

“That would be delightful.”