[Lou's Gallery] Body and Soul (Sam)

Louise got the impression that Sam was getting a little restless, even nervous. While she had no idea what he had on his mind right now, the woman was strangely torn herself. On the one hand she wanted to keep him at her gallery for as long as possible and on the other hand she was looking forward to the dinner date they would have at the Moroccan restaurant. The atmosphere would be quite different from now, Louise felt certain of that and she was really looking forward to have this arranged date as opposed to the coincidental encounter now. It was odd to be looking forward to the next meeting when they were still facing each other.

"Yeah, I suppose you should..." Louise agreed but her eyes gave a different response. A smile spread across her face as Sam said that he was not only looking forward to their dinner because of the food and the gallery owner wondered if she should simply take it as a compliment and return some kind words or if she should tease him a little.

"I suppose you like the atmosphere there too and the seating arrangements are comfortable?" she said, grinning a little.

After she had handed over the camera, Louise watched the Hogwarts professor as he examined it and tried to figure out how it worked. "Yes, indeed," she confirmed. "That's exactly what it is. Don't worry about the film. I have quite a few in reserve. There's really no need in replacing it."

Again a smile spread across Louise's face and this time it was even accompanied by a soft blush. "Me too," she whispered. "Hopefully we can make it a regular thing to see each other." The woman was surprised herself that she had voiced such a thing but it was nothing but the entire truth.

Merlin, but he didn't want to leave.

And yet, he knew he had to get back; he hadn't ever intended to be away for this long. How much time had passed since he'd walked past Louise's little gallery, since he'd been enticed in by the artworks and discovered something far more enticing? It seemed to be only minutes, but he knew it was much, much longer. And he'd had absolutely no idea that this was coming. That wasn't unusual, but as a teacher and practitioner of divination, Sam read his own tea leaves, cards and signs on a regular basis. Yet he had seen no sign of this, nothing to suggest there would be a meeting that meant anything.

But still it felt as though this very much did mean something. Oh well. Portents couldn't always be right - any centaur would tell you that much! He grinned. "Yeah, it's a great, um atmosphere and the chairs are...look, you don't really want to know about that, do you?" he teased "though they do often have authentic music on weekends; they've got a permanent portkey on site and they have bands come over from the region. I was only there on a saturday once before, but it's a great experience. Almost like you were really there..."

As he spoke, he found himself gazing into the woman's eyes, and he enjoyed the sensations that provoked a great deal. Unfortunately, it also made him forget what he was saying, so it was fortunate he was at the end of a sentence so didn't sound too confused. "I hope so. Well, see you next saturday" he said, then surprised himself by leaning forward and kissing her on the cheek. For a moment Sam looked as if he might say something more, then he smiled again and walked to the door, opened it, and with a final wave, stepped out into the street.

Louise smiled as Sam told her about the restaurant, teasing her that she probably didn't really want to hear about all that. It was true and yet it wasn't. She realised that she liked listening to him no matter what he said. His voice had such a comforting effect on her that she wished he'd tell her bedtime stories every night, no matter if those were about Moroccan restaurants, his classroom or whatever. The restaurant did sound very inviting though. Louise liked it when foreign restaurants managed to keep the charm of their origin.

"I'm very much looking forward to experiencing it all with you," Louise said softly, still smiling at the Hogwarts professor.

As they held eye contact it was strange that it felt well rather than making her uncomfortable. There was such a kindness in his gaze that made it a pleasure to look at him. When Sam voiced that they'd see each other on Saturday, the gallery owner suppressed a sigh. So he was really going to leave now... However, before she could dwell on that, he leaned forward and kissed her on her cheek. The touch of his lips resulted in a tickling feeling of warmth and Louise feared that she was blushing. Before she could do as much as return the gesture or even try to put her lips on his, Sam already stood and made his way towards the door.

Waving as well, she watched Sam walk over the threshold and watched him walk down the street until she couldn't see him anymore. The photographer felt like the image of him waving at her as he left would be something she'd remember for many years to come as it was the end of an unexpected encounter and the restart of a wonderful friendship.

[end]