It Takes Time

Cameron Thomas sat at the window of his 23rd floor apartment, reading. The day was a grey one, with the threat of a storm. He looked up from his book and stretched. He’d been engrossed in the book for the majority of the day. It was approaching 4 o’clock in the afternoon and due to the clouds, the light was starting to fail. He looked out the window and down at the beach. There was a solitary figure sitting on the sand in front of a partially built sandcastle. Her shoulder length, caramel blonde hair was whipped around her head by the wind as she stared out at the ocean. It was the fifth day he’d seen her sitting there and she was always alone, and she always looked so heartbreakingly sad. Her shoulders were bent and she had her head down.
He pulled out a pair of binoculars and studied the stranger. Today she was wearing a pink singlet and a pair of pale blue shorts. He could see no jewellery on her, and a pair of white thongs lay on the sand beside her. As he watched, she raised a hand to her hair and tied it back in a messy ponytail. In profile, she had a smooth jawline and beautifully defined cheekbones. Her ears and nose were delicate, her eyelashes long and curling.
Her tears began a second before the rain, so Cameron wasn’t completely sure he had actually seen her cry. The rain started suddenly, a torrential downpour. The girl was immediately soaked, and yet she didn’t move. He put down the binoculars and called for Clinka, his long haired golden retriever. Clinka was three and still had the temperament of a puppy.
As they left the apartment, Cameron pulled a leash from a hook by the door and fastened it to Clinka’s collar. The dog grinned his canine grin, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth, and pulled to hurry his master up. They took the elevator down to the lobby, greeted the doorman, and walked into the rain.
They walked up the beach and Cameron let Clinka off. The dog tore up the beach and down to the water. He darted amongst the waves and snapped playfully at the foam. Cameron continued up the beach, focussed on the remote form he had seen from his window. She was still sitting there, despite the abundance of rain. By now, he was soaked, and wondered why the girl was still sitting on the beach.
As he drew closer to her, Clinka saw her and pelted up the beach. The girl didn’t see him coming and was almost knocked over by his exuberance. He called to the dog in alarm, not wanting him to alarm the girl, and ran up the beach after him. When he reached them, the dog was lying on his back delightedly, with the stranger scratching his stomach. She looked up at him as he approached and he lost his breath as he looked into her tumultuous grey eyes.
“I assume this guy is yours?” she asked, indicating the dog. He crouched down beside her and nodded apologetically.
“Yeah, his name’s Clinka. Sorry if he scared you.” The girl smiled.
“He’s beautiful.” She stood up and brushed off the back of her shorts. She was about 5’5”, and despite the fact that she was drenched, she was remarkably beautiful. She extended a hand and smiled again.
“I’m Rebecca.” He shook her hand.
“Cameron.” She had tanned, honey skin and a firm, toned body. The wet singlet she was wearing clung alluringly to the shape of her breasts and showed off the flatness of her stomach. She exuded feminine sexuality, and yet seemed oblivious to it. Her legs were long and slim, with petite feet and toenails painted a pearly white. He finally released her hand and shoved one hand in his pocket, the other pushed his hair back from his face. Rebecca looked back at him and smiled.
***
As she smiled at Cameron, Rebecca was startled by how good looking the stranger was. He had thick, dark brown hair that was made even darker by the rain, and electrifying blue eyes. He had a strong jaw and an excellent body, judging by the way his dark blue shirt was stuck to him by the rain. He had the deeply tanned skin of someone who spends a lot of time outdoors. He had a silver chain around his neck and a watch on his left wrist. As she studied him she realised he was speaking to her.
“How come you’ve been here every afternoon this week?” She was surprised he had been watching her, but decided that she really didn’t mind.
She shrugged. “I like this part of the beach. There aren’t many people.” He misunderstood the last comment and called the dog.
“Oh. Sorry to disturb you then.” She grabbed his arm as he turned away and shook her head.
“No, no. I didn’t mean it like that. Sorry.” A peal of thunder resounded overhead and they both looked up. Clinka growled.
“Where do you live?” Cameron asked her.
“A fair way up the beach. Why?” He suddenly looked diffident.
“Well, it’s about to pour down even harder and I only live two seconds away, so you can come back to my place and wait the rain out if you’d like.” She raised an eyebrow at him and was amused by the way he struggled to explain himself.
“I was just thinking that, well, it would be drier, and probably warmer. . .” Rebecca saved him further embarrassment by smiling at him.
“That’d be great. Thanks.” He gestured back down the beach.
“My apartment is this way.” They walked down the beach and ran the last little bit as the rain unleashed its fury on the ground below.
They stood, dripping, in the foyer of Cameron’s apartment building. Fergun, the doorman, approached them with two fluffy white towels.
“I thought you might get wet, sir, so I took the liberty of ordering up some towels from the laundry.” He handed both of them a towel.
“Thanks Fergun, but my name’s Cameron.”
“Yes, sir,” Fergun said, unaffectedly. Cameron laughed and they got into the elevator.
“What floor do you live on?” Rebecca asked.
“Twenty three,” he told her. “That’s how I saw you on the beach. I read at my window and I saw you each afternoon. Decided to come down and say hello.”
“So your dog attacking me was on purpose?” she asked, ruffling his ears affectionately. His tail thumped on the floor of the elevator. The bell chimed as they reached his floor and they got out. Rebecca’s eyes widened as she surveyed his apartment.
The walls of the large living and kitchen area were dark blue with cream trim, except the feature wall which was made up predominantly of a large aquarium set into the wall. The carpet was cream as well, and the whole room was filled with white furniture and plush, dark blue scatter cushions. There was a matching blue rug on the floor as well. They walked into the apartment and Cameron hung the leash back on the hook. He went into the kitchen to make them hot chocolate. She wandered over to a large bookcase and started looking at the titles he had shelved there. He finished the drinks and carried them over and set them down on the coffee table. They started talking and kept on until late that night.
***
Over the next couple of weeks, Cameron and Rebecca visited each other on an almost daily basis. They quickly grew to appreciate one another and both were surprised at the speed at which they became close. One night, in Cameron’s apartment, the conversation turned to relationships. They were both drinking alcohol and were less apprehensive about the subject that they’d both been dancing around.
“So you don’t have a boyfriend?” Cameron asked, sitting on the floor and leaning against the couch with his legs out in front of him. “How come? I mean, look at you! You must have had heaps of guys ask you for a date.” She was sitting next to him and sighed.
“That’s just it. They ask me out, based on what they see. They don’t actually get to know me to see if they even like me. It’s all about appearances, and it’s really annoying. That’s why I like this,” she told him, gesturing to them sitting on the floor. “You like me because you know who I am, not just because you think I’m hot.” He grinned at her.
“But I do think you’re hot.” She laughed.
That’s not the point and you know it.” She stopped and looked into the flames in the fireplace. She sighed again and res
ted her head on Cameron’s shoulder. He looked down at her and noticed the
way the flames highlighted the gold in her hair. Her eyes were closed and her dark lashes gently lay on her cheek. He hesitantly ran a finger down the side of her face and under her chin. When she didn’t protest to his touch, he gently tipped her face to his and kissed her gently on the mouth.
Her eyes flew open and she stared at him. He froze, afraid he’d made a terrible mistake. Then she relaxed and kissed him back. His tongue hesitantly sought hers out and she reciprocated, their tongues entertwining. He slipped a hand behind her hand and in her hair, pulling her closer to him. He gently laid a hand on her breast and felt, to his surprise, that she had no bra on underneath. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him even more passionately. His hand slipped beneath her shirt and he took her breast in his hand, the fullness of it overflowing his grasp. He gently teased the nipple with his thumb. Feeling it harden, he lowered his head to it. Rebecca gently pushed his head away. Feeling as though he had pushed too hard, Cameron sat back, but she was smiling at him. She got to her feet and took his hand, leading him to the bedroom. . .