Acme Time Travel Incorporated - Volume 2

Clacton – Ginny’s flat

They had picked up Gabriel’s stuff from his mum’s flat. His mum had been out, so in what was possibly going to be the most momentous leaving that Gabriel ever made from his flat, he did it alone and with no one to say goodbye to.

Ginny took Gabriel’s small collection of clothes and stacked them on a spare shelf in her room. She had put his toothbrush along with hers in a small pink plastic mug on a shelf in the bathroom. Then she had put the kettle on.

“I was going to make some pasta, if that’s ok with you?” Ginny said.

Gabriel had sat down on one of the two kitchen chairs, and he was looking around as if unsure what to do or what to say.

“I’ll maybe put some cauliflower and chick peas in with it, and maybe some grated cheese,” she continued.

Gabriel looked over at Ginny. She thought he looked a bit fearful. She had been very moved on the way here when Gabriel had been talking about how long it takes to fall in love, and although he was very young, so very immature in many ways, she could see that he was very fond of her.

And she had been very truthful with Gabriel when she had told him that she thought he was very special. Although she had been out with many boys, she had never, in fact, felt quite as strongly about them as she did about Gabriel.

And certainly, she had never, ever, considered asking any of the others to move in with her. For her, she was moving into very new ground.

She stood behind Gabriel as he sat on the kitchen chair. She began to stroke his neck and shoulders. He felt so very tense. He looked like some small fledgling that had fallen out of its nest before it was ready to fly. She feared that she had taken a decision based on her own emotions, but without taking due regard for the other person. Maybe Gabriel really wasn’t ready for this step, and maybe she was putting him into a position in which he was not comfortable but was too shy to say no.

She found that she had stopped stroking his neck, just resting her hands on his shoulders.

Gabriel stood up and putting one hand on either side of her face, he kissed her tenderly.

“Thank you, Ginny,” he said, “for ... well, for being you, for being so lovely ... and for being so caring. But if you get fed up with me, please just let me know. Let me know clearly, so I don’t have to guess. I don’t want you to have to ...”

Ginny kissed Gabriel back, responding to him in a long, slow and very tender kiss.

She pulled away and murmured “Gabriel?” into his ear.

“Yes, Ginny.”

“Come on ... let’s go to bed. I think we can eat later.”

She gently pulled him towards the bedroom, clicking the lock on the door. She wasn’t expecting Moth back tonight, but she thought that Gabriel was looking very unsure about the implications of moving in with her. She didn’t want anything to unsettle him.

She wondered what Moth would think about Ginny having Gabriel staying with her after such a short time.