Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
‘D amn!’
Leo heard the expletive from the other side of his bedroom door and immediately poked his head out. For the last twenty minutes he’d been trying to ignore the obvious sounds of Anna moving out but his conscience was pricking him. He ought to offer to help.
She’d left him a note in the kitchen on Monday, telling him she’d be moving out this weekend, which had eased the pressure on him. He’d stayed out as much as possible this week so she could have the flat to herself, but drinking on your own, pretending to watch football and scrolling through your phone soon got tedious. Also, he was knackered. Roll on this evening when he could actually enjoy a quiet night in.
A more strident swear word came from her bedroom, bringing him back to the present.
‘You okay?’ he asked, stepping into the hallway to find Anna hopping about on one foot, her arms bearing a pile of wooden posts, clearly trying to carry too much. The sunshine coming through the skylight caught the coppery lights in her hair, reminding him of the first time he’d seen her, slightly hesitant, in the doorway of the bar where they’d first worked. She’d been like a shy doe emerging from the forest.
‘Dropped the bedhead on my foot,’ she ground out.
‘Is the taxi here?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why didn’t you ask him to help?’
‘His English isn’t that good.’
‘Would you like a hand?’
‘No, I’ve got this.’
Pointing out that she clearly hadn’t would only put her back up but, damn it, why couldn’t she accept some help for once? ‘Don’t be daft, Anna. I really don’t mind helping you.’
She sighed as if his reasonableness was a pain in the neck. He almost smiled at her resigned expression when she grudgingly said, ‘Thanks. There’s not too much. Mainly the bed ,which I’ve dismantled.’
‘I’d have helped you with that.’ He bit back his exasperation. She’d always been so independent and determined to do everything without leaning on anyone else.
‘I’m perfectly capable of wielding a screwdriver,’ she said, arching an eyebrow, a quick dart of amusement flashing in her eyes. It was as if now she was leaving, she could afford to be herself again instead of holding herself so stiffly apart.
‘You don’t need to remind me,’ he said with a quick laugh. ‘You’re never going to let me live that shelf down, are you?’
‘That was a shelf?’ she asked, her eyes widening in amusement.
They both burst out laughing.
‘It wasn’t that bad,’ he said.
She sniggered. ‘Leo, it was the most temporary shelf in the history of shelves. It didn’t even last twenty-four hours.’
The bedroom shelf he’d put up while she was out one morning had been his attempt to impress her, because she was so very capable at everything around the house. Admittedly there was a slight slant to it but, pleased with his work, he’d placed a vase on it containing a pink rose, to welcome her home. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, the whole thing had collapsed with an almighty crash which had jerked them both awake, hearts racing with fright. After that, they’d rolled about laughing before falling into each other’s arms, their bodies softening into each other.
For a moment they looked at each other as the memory, like the tumblers of a safe, clicked into place. Leo’s lips quirked. It had been an unhurried, gentle interlude, if he remembered rightly, her warm body welcoming his in the dark, cocooned beneath the covers. For a moment he could almost feel that warmth, the slow slide… His pulse tripped a little and then that familiar sensation of panic placed its cold fingers on his heart.
‘If you’re going to help, you can start by bringing that.’ Pursing her lips, she pointed to the roll of bed slats and a bag of pillows and bedding in the centre of her bedroom.
‘No problem,’ he said, trying not to let his sudden fear show. He couldn’t go back there. Those memories were too painful.
‘Thanks,’ she said and walked out of the room.
‘My pleasure,’ he replied in a deliberately calm tone.
She gave him a sharp look over her shoulder, clearly unsure whether he was taking the piss. With laden arms, he followed her down the two flights of stairs.
The taxi driver was on his phone and having a cigarette, leaning against the driver’s-side door, and didn’t so much as look up when Anna put the first load in the boot of the car.
By the time she’d finished loading up, most of the back seat was full. She slammed the door and made her way round to the passenger seat at the front.
‘Right,’ she said, her body suddenly stiff with awkwardness.
Leo swallowed hard, regret twisting his gut. It was what she wanted and he had to respect her for that – but when would he see her again?
‘Are you going to be all right at the other end?’ he asked, looking at the packed car.
‘Yes,’ said Anna but he saw the quick flash of uncertainty in her eyes.
He knew that slightly shifty look. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her. ‘You’re on the top floor.’
Her mouth dropped open. ‘How did you know? Not the top but the twelfth.’
‘Good guess.’
She opened her mouth and he held up a hand to stop her, fuelled by determination. ‘I know you’re quite capable. But at least admit we can be friends and friends help each other.’
He could see the hesitation wavering in her face before she turned and looked at the back seat of the taxi. ‘There’s no room.’
‘Yeah, there is. Room for a little one. Come on, I’ll go in the back.’
* * *
From his squashed position in the back of the car, Leo surveyed the tall blocks of flats as they wound their way through the huge residential estate. It was very different from where they’d come from. Admittedly everything looked very clean and tidy but the uniform, functional square buildings felt a little austere and soulless. There were attractive green spaces and walkways but it felt to him like a university campus. They pulled up outside one of the more faded blocks. The taxi driver was keen to be off and this time willingly helped them unload, dumping everything on the pavement outside the front door. As soon as the last bag was out of the car, he jumped back in and drove off, leaving Anna surrounded by her belongings, and making Leo very glad he’d come.
‘Want me to wait here while you go and investigate?’ he asked.
‘Thanks,’ she said with a nod and went into the building.
A minute later she returned, her mouth turned down in the picture of disillusionment. ‘Guess what? The lift is out of action.’
‘Ouch,’ said Leo, wincing. That was a lot of stairs to climb.
‘Well done,’ she said with a touch of sarcasm.
Leo gave her a wary glance, instinctively knowing he was in trouble but not why. ‘What?’
‘For not saying, “I told you so.”’
‘I know.’ He beamed at her. ‘I’m rather proud of that.’
She rolled her eyes but he could see the slight curve of her lips.
‘Come on, let’s get this stuff off the pavement and inside. Then, Sherpa Tensing, we can make the first assault on our ascent.’
‘And how come you’re Sir Edmund Hillary.’
He grinned. ‘I just am.’
Her fledgling smile bloomed and, as if the starch had been removed, she softened and put out a hand to touch his arm. ‘Trust you to find the lighter side. Thanks, Leo.’
He looked upwards through the angles and planes of the stairwell. ‘Let’s do this.’ He slapped his legs. ‘May my thighs forgive me.’
Twelve stories was twenty-four flights of stairs. By the time they reached Flat 56, there was a faint sheen of sweat across his forehead and he was desperate to remove his sweatshirt. They were both a little out of breath.
‘Bloody hell,’ he said dropping the bag he carried by the door.
Anna nodded, clearly incapable of speech. They’d both overloaded themselves, trying to carry as much as possible in one trip. She slotted the key into the lock. Neither of them commented on the grimy window next to the battered front door.
As soon as the door opened they were assailed by a musty cabbage-soup smell.
‘They said it might need cleaning,’ said Anna.
‘Mm,’ said Leo, looking down at the dated flooring with its slight greasy sheen.
Inside the hallway it was dark and, when Anna flipped the light switch, a single bare bulb cast ominous shadows in the tiny space like some Cold War interrogation room. Several doors led off the hallway, which made Leo think of some macabre fairy tale and wonder what was behind each one. Anna had always said he was too fanciful.
‘Take your pick,’ he said, trying to sound cheerful. The dingy hallway was not filling him with confidence.
Anna opened the door straight ahead, which led into a large empty room. The walls were painted an industrial green that toned perfectly with the green scuffed flooring. Opposite, wide windows led outside to a high-sided concrete balcony. Another bare bulb hung above them. The chill in the air held a touch of damp and Leo could see suspicious darker patches in the corners of the room.
Anna walked over to the door to the balcony. ‘It’s spacious,’ she said, turning round. ‘And there’s a view.’
‘Anna, it’s a dump,’ said Leo flatly. ‘And depressing as hell.’
‘It needs a good clean. Besides, the other rooms might be okay,’ she said, but even he could see that she didn’t hold out much hope. Giving the room one last look, Anna strode back to the hallway and the blank doors.
As if she were confronting the enemy she grasped one of the door handles. The door opened onto a bathroom. It was tiny with a stained bath and a poorly mounted tap that sat like a wobbly tooth on the grimy ceramic sink. Leo gave it an experimental push and, as expected, it swayed on the spot. Anna shot him an impatient glance and he turned his attention to the walls. They sported the only colour in the room, the pinkish hue of the mouldy grout that outlined many of the white square tiles covering every surface, bar the ceiling.
Leo saw Anna’s chin lift as she stepped backwards out of the room – she wasn’t going to admit defeat. He admired her for it, but he was also exasperated. He watched as she opened the door to a double bedroom. Again, it was a good size but the dull magnolia walls were splotched with tiny black spores of mould that coated the seam between ceiling and wall around the window.
‘This is the flat that the seventies forgot,’ said Leo, nodding towards the old-fashioned built-in wardrobes, which sagged in the middle.
‘It just needs some work. A good clean, a few coats of paint.’
‘It’s more than that. It needs gutting and starting again.’
Anna didn’t say anything. Instead she turned and crossed the hallway to the kitchen, a narrow galley with a mix of mismatched cabinets, and doors, where they were still intact, in varying shades of grey. For some reason the ancient electric cooker, which squatted in the centre of the room, pulled away from the wall, leaving a square patch in the faded brown lino, encircled with a lifetime of crumbs and grease.
Anna surveyed each room in complete silence, her shoulders hunching higher and higher with every minute.
Leo stayed in the kitchen looking out of the window, his fists clenched impotently as she opened the final door to what was likely a second bedroom. The more he said, the more her stubbornness would set in. In the silence of the apartment, he heard the quick intake of breath of a suppressed sob and immediately strode after her. He couldn’t do it. There was no way he was going to let her stay here. Not just because it was Anna. He’d have insisted with anyone. He wouldn’t leave his worst enemy here.
She stood with her back to the door and he could see the tension in her shoulders. She turned and he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. Unable to help himself he drew her into his arms, her forehead resting on his chest. ‘There’s no way on earth I’m leaving you here.’
For a moment she was stiff and then he heard her suck in a long, slow breath. ‘I’m not even going to pretend I can do something with this place. It’s like it’s had the very soul of it sucked out.’
Leo was slightly surprised by her choice of words as her body softened into his embrace. Normally Anna was the pragmatic one.
‘Anna, you can’t stay here,’ he said gently. ‘You know you can’t. Come back to the apartment. We can work things out.’
As he gave in to the indulgence of holding her, something shifted inside him, triggered by the familiar scent of her and the comfortable way she fitted against him. Muscle memory, he told himself, that’s all. When she lifted her head and looked up at him, her lips slightly parted, he felt his pulse quicken and he had to fight the urge to lower his mouth to hers.
‘Come on, let’s get out of here,’ he said abruptly, deliberately shifting his gaze to the tattered curtains on either side of the grimy windows.
‘What am I going to say to Ji?í?’ Her teeth caught her lip.
‘I’d have a lot to say to him. First of all, how dare he send you to a complete and utter shithole like this.’ Leo gritted his teeth as a wave of anger on Anna’s behalf swept over him.
Anna touched one of his clenched fists, a quick, reassuring, I’m-okay gesture.
‘To be fair to him, he came up with this very quickly. He did tell me it had been empty and he hadn’t been able to view it himself.’
‘Well, he can shove it equally quickly.’ Leo paused and looked down into her soft brown eyes. ‘Seriously, Anna. We can share the apartment. We’re both grown-ups, we can make it work. We can draw up rotas so we can minimise contact if that helps – agree to stay out of each other’s way at certain times. I don’t know … Saturdays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, you have the lounge, I stay in my room. Something like that, if that works. Right now, you’re going to order another Uber and we’ll start our descent.’
‘Thanks, Leo,’ said Anna, opening her phone app.
‘And you can take me out for a large beer later today.’
‘Deal.’