Summer Storms (closed)

It was a hot and muggy midsummer night. A light rain was falling, but it did little to cool things off. If anything, it caused a fog to envelop the city. Walking through the streets was like walking in a sauna. Neon cut through the haze and the windows of the buildings created bright halos in the darkness. It was half an hour until midnight and at a small diner the late crowd was filing and out. It wasn't packed, but buzzed with small talk as half the tables were filled.

Sam sat by himself, sipping on a mug of tea. He had come in for something to eat, but found he wasn't all that hungry for some reason and nibbled on a basket of fries for a while. He only got half-way through before he lost his appetite all together. He was in a bad rut, arguably the worst in his life. And he really had no idea what to do anymore.

He glanced up at the counter for the who-knows-how-many time that night. She was still sitting there. A beautiful young woman dressed stylishly. Expensively. She looked like she had stepped out of the pages of a fashion magazine save for one thing: she looked like she had a severe case of the blues. Sam had been glancing at her ever since she came in almost an hour ago. She just sat by herself at the counter and to his knowledge didn't make eye contact with anyone. She looked as lonely as he felt.

He noticed other patrons were also looking at her. Among the crowd of students, punks, bohemians, and goths, she stood out like a single flower in an open field. Yet no one dared to approach her. It was almost like they were afraid to disrupt this curious little scene. This gorgeous but sad young woman sitting all by herself in a greasy diner in the middle of a rainy night.

Sam wasn't really sure how he came to the decision. It seemed to be almost automatic. He left the change from his tab as a tip and walked over to the counter. His legs felt like lead as he walked up, but he finally sat in the stool next to the woman. There were a lot of other stools at the counter. She would know immediately that it was no coincidence that he picked the one next to her. She looked at him and he offered a small smile and said softly, "Hi."

She had no idea what she was doing there in that diner on the rainy summer night. She was all dressed up with nowhere to go and completely out of place in the middle of the night time crowd that were filtering in and out. A mug of coffee in front of her steamed lazily as the cherry pie slice on the place beside her glistened under the low lights of the diner. Both were untouched as her chin rested against her clenched fist, her gaze lost in the menu that was before her.

Her long blonde hair was pulled back in a smooth twist, pinned up against the humidity that was threatening to turn it into a ball of frizz. She wore no jewelry, her blue eyes highlighted by the barest of makeup. It all complimented her blue cocktail dress, pressed and cleaned until it looked crisp and new. The black pumps she wore added three inches to her petite height, one of the shoes hanging off the tips of her toes lazily.

She had been ready to go on a date that night with a guy that she had met up with a few times in the past. She felt that there was something developing with him. The sex was fantastic. The conversation was definitely fulfilling. Unfortunately she had walked into the restaurant to find him already there with another woman. It wasn't how she saw her night unfolding.

She let out a long sigh as someone sat next to her. Her blue gaze finally moved, looking at the man as he sat down on the stool next to her with a small smile and a simple hello. "Hi." She said back.

She was gorgeous up close. It made Sam feel a little out of his depth. He was certainly good-looking. His sandy hair was grown out enough to give him an aloof "poet" sort of look and his chiseled features meant he would probably age very gracefully. Though an ex of his had done everything she could to ruin his self-esteem when she left him. She even told him his hands were ugly more than once. That was all in the past, but it had caused a lot of damage at the time and every now and again echoes of those doubts and bad feelings rang in his head.

"Were you expecting someone?" he asked. He was naturally soft-spoken. The ex had told him that it made him sound like a pussy, though other women thought it was sexy.

.....

Ava hadn't been expecting the man to stay close or even to talk again, but when he asked if she were expecting someone, she couldn't help the slight smirk that took over her lips. She had found her chances at love to be very dower. Perhaps she were best off alone instead of chasing an image of the perfect man that she so wanted. This man sitting beside her, he was handsome, but he wasn't what she typically went after.

"No." She responded in her slightly husky tone. "I'm not expecting anyone."

She pushed her stool until it swiveled towards him. She extended a slender hand, waiting for him to take it as she introduced herself. "I'm Ava. Ava Kotova."

Her voice held a slight accent, hard to place, but still reflecting her Russian birth. She had been raised outside Moscow for the first six years of her life, until her mother had sent her to live with her father and his family in America. She had never seen her mother again and her father had little use for a little girl and an extra mouth to feed. Perhaps that's why she enjoyed the finer things that life had to offer. Growing up had been hard and she was very proud of the little life that she had made for herself with nothing but blood, sweat and tears.

Sam noted her accent as he took her hand. "Sam Crane." A silence settled in after the introduction and for a while he wasn't sure what more to say. In the end he decided to settle on just telling the truth. He had nothing to lose by doing so. "The reason I ask... You're dressed like you have somewhere to be. Instead you're here by yourself... I wanted to know why. You looked... lonely." He was reticent, but there was nothing but sincerity in his voice. He worried a little about sounding presumptuous but if he hadn't worked up the courage to come talk to her, he would have beaten himself up over it for days.

Ava arched a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the man that was asking her such a personal question. Why would he care why she was dressed the way that she was? He had a disarming way about him, she thought to herself as she thought about what she was going to tell him.

"Well, I had a date." She said simply with a slight shrug of her shoulders. "He was with another woman. So, I came here."

That was it. End of story. There was nothing more to say as she finally reached out and picked up her now lukewarm cup of coffee, taking a sip of the bitter brew. She would shed no tears for the man that she felt like she was connecting with. It was all part of life. There could be no happiness and pleasure without sadness and pain.

"And you? Why are you here talking to me?" She asked Sam, turning the tables on him.

She told him why and he though to say something empathetic but it was hard to articulate anything. That's when she turned and asked him why he came up to her. So far the truth had worked so he decided to continue with it. After considering how to say it he ran a hand back through his hair. "Because I was curious. And more than that... You looked lonely. I know what that's like."

Ava was still talking to him, which was a good sign. Sam wasn't really sure where to go next though. He gave her his reason. Now he decided to take a chance. "How were you planning to get home tonight?"

How was she planning to get home? That was the million dollar question. She had about $15 left in her purse once she paid her tab. That would get her close to home and then she would walk for about 15 blocks until she reached her apartment.

"I was going to see how far $15 would get me and then walk the rest of the way. It's foggy, but at least the rain is letting up." She told him with a slight smile on her features. "It shouldn't be a very long walk."

Her answer got him thinking that it would be rough for her. He didn't live too far away and had in fact walked here himself. "If you want, I could walk you home." He was motivated in part by the fact that he genuinely wanted to do something nice for a stranger. He was always the generous sort. But he also just wanted a little more time to talk to her. Maybe it was crazy but he figured he'd never break out of his rut if he didn't start trying a little harder to reach out to people.

Ava looked at him and cocked her head to the side slightly. He wanted to walk her home. From the look of his sensible shoes, he had walked here that evening. He certainly couldn't walk her home and then walk all the way back, which meant that he would have to spend money on that cab as well.

"I live all the way across town. You sure you really want to do that?" She asked him, looking him up and down. "It would be a long walk back for you."

Sam shrugged. "I'm a night owl anyway. A little walk won't kill me." There were nights where he would wander around town if the weather was right. Just taking the time to soak in the peaceful air by himself and put his thoughts in order. "And really... it would just be nice to... walk you home." There again was his boyish sincerity.

Again, she was quiet as she picked up her clutch and pulled out the money for her meal. The untouched cherry pie was placed into a container for later and she paid her tab. Once that was done, she placed her clutch back under her arm, stepped off her stool and picked up the container. Turning back towards Sam, she gave him a little grin.

"Well, shall we get to walking then?" She asked him, an amused smile on her face as she walked towards the door, her hips swinging as she waited for him to follow.

He was a little surprised she took him up on the offer. He picked up his umbrella and headed for the door. Once they were outside, he soon opened up the umbrella and moved closer to her so she was covered. He offered her a smile and followed her down the sidewalk. "If you don't mind me asking... Your accent. Russian, right?"

"Most people don't even notice my accent anymore." Ava said as she stood under the umbrella with him, her heels clicking on the wet pavement as they walked. "I was born outside of Moscow and lived there until I was 6. My family speaks Russian exclusively when we are at home."

"Your English is really good," Sam offered. He was a native English speaker, but communicating with his extended family he had learned Polish as well. The rain continued to fall, too fine to be a drizzle, too heavy to be a mist. The air practically cooked with fog and neon. "Do you ever visit Moscow?" He hadn't gotten to travel in years. The last time he had been to see his relatives in Wroclaw was the summer after graduation.

"Sometimes. I was there six months ago. My family there doesn't want much to do with me, so when I go, it is for work or for pleasure." She murmured, thinking about her mother's family who saw her as a runaway even though her mother had been the one to send her to America. "I travel a lot for my work so I have been to all manner of places."

"I envy you," Sam said. "I don't get out of the house nearly as often as I should. And it's been a while since I had the chance to travel. Maybe your family there are cold, but seeing the world would be worth it." He could relate that to being distant from relatives. His own parents clearly weren't ready to have a child when he arrived. After the divorce, he got bounced around a lot. It was hard making friends in those days. "Maybe I should think about seeing the Old Country again."

"Which old country?" Ava asked as he mentioned going to visit somewhere in Europe. "There are many all over Europe. Some more ancient than others."

She couldn't help but smile as the fog around them seemed to thicken, the steamy heat peppering her skin with sweat. It was the kind of sticky night that would be best spent in front of a fan with a glass of iced tea in one hand.

"Poland. At least, that's where most of my cousins live." Sam was something of a history buff. Especially when it came to his ancestry. It made his life and the world seem more impressive and exciting, though given the current reality of things that was a very low bar.

He looked over at Ava and noticed her smile. One of his own soon curled his lips. "Where did you say you lived again?"

"Branton Heights." She said as he posed his question. "Told you it was all the way across town."

Branton Heights was an exclusive address that was up and coming among the hipster crowds and the uber rich. She had been living there since the time it was a seedy slum and her little apartment had been bought at a dirt cheep price before everything around her had skyrocketed.

"Sure you don't want to turn around and go home yet? I could flag down a cab at the movie theater up at the end of the block." Ava offered him, not wanting to put him into a bind.

Sam shook his head and waved off the offer. "I was going to be up all night anyway. I sometimes take long walks to clear my head anyway." That and he just wanted a little longer to talk to her. "Granted, I usually wait for nicer weather than this..." He offered her a small smile. He wanted her to know that he wasn't bothered at all. He had said earlier it would just be nice to walk her home. And he had meant that.

"I like evenings like tonight. Rainy, foggy, although I do enjoy it a bit cooler." Ava said, smiling at Sam as they continued their walk towards her apartment.

She felt comfortable talking to him and it seemed to while away the time. It was easy to keep up the conversation and there was never really a chance for it to reach a lull. He had mentioned being a night owl. She was very much one too. Her job as a photographer was sporadic and would take her to all parts of the world, but when she was at home between jobs, she enjoyed staying up as late as possible.

As they finally made it to Branton Heights, Ava glanced towards him and found herself asking him a question. "Would you like to come up to my apartment and help me split this cherry pie? I can put on a fresh pot of coffee."

When they reached the apartment, Sam lamented inwardly that they were about to part ways for the night. He was just working up the courage to ask Ava for her phone number when she extended him an invitation to come in with her. He hesitated for only a second. "Yeah... I'd like that." It had been a while since he felt so at ease in another person's presence. He spent so much time in his own thoughts that sometimes he wondered if he just couldn't relate to most other people. He had never really thought to ask anyone, either. It just... wasn't a priority.

Ava's building had just been renovated. The exterior was new and sleek, modern to appease the most recent owners who had more money than they did sense. She opened the front door and led him up three flights of stairs until they came to her apartment door. 3C. It was a small apartment compared to come of the penthouses in the same building. It was cozy to her though. Two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living room and a kitchen were all that she needed.

It was tastefully decorated with antique pieces, her photography of foreign places hanging on the walls. "Feel free to make yourself at home." She said as she entered the kitchen to slice up the pie into two pieces and get the coffee started.