Inflammable

They reminisce. She, on her bed with a tear and a smile, playing with a loose thread on her nightie, He, reclined on his lounger in his robe clasping his mug for warmth.

They have been talking for at least an hour. A sense of finality overcomes them both, but not in regards to their phone conversation. They are friends, more than, and despite time and distance, this has been the case for a several months. Their desire is for this friendship to continue, grow even, for many years to come. But this cannot be, for their friendship puts them and others at risk.

They rarely speak on the phone, but the desire to see each other has been limited to hearing each other’s voices. And as they talked to catch up on their weeks events, their thoughts turn to the past, specifically their first meeting.

Jacob, a tall average looking male had recently been kicked out of his home for mistakes he admitted responsibility for. But he was a survivor, and his friends watched, ready to jump in, as he struggled to his feet. His struggle was not complete, but he had reached a sense of calm and peace, for there was nowhere lower that he could go, and his only way was up.

On his journey to the middle of his rise, he noticed a statuesque figure walk by him in a crowded place full of friends, family, and acquaintances. He stared in awe at this young woman of dual heritage as she passed him by, oblivious to his existence. There were many beautiful women around, so why this one caught his attention, he has never been sure, maybe it was her height, maybe he recognised something familiar in her spirit, he didn't know, but just as quickly as she passed by, she was forgotten. Or so he thought.

Some hours later, while talking to an old friend, Jacob learnt that this friend knew the girl who had earlier caught his eye. Not only that, but they were close friends. This made him nervous, as she was about to introduce him to her...

Karla, to any woman, just an average girl. But in the eyes of men she is something quite special. She knew this, but had no idea as to the extent. As Jacob looked at her, his heart stopped for what seems like minutes, but soon adrenaline kicked him into overdrive. They spoke, he showed mild interest in her, hiding the overwhelming desire to throw himself at her. And as he held back the sweat, he poured on all the tempered charm he could without overdoing it. But a lapse in control caused him to risk asking for her details. "What am I doing?!" he thought to himself "I've come on too strong." But to his surprise she gave him the details he requested. This left him speechless, which briefly made him panic, but he was saved by another girl who took her away from him. A huge sigh of relief left him as he quickly checked his phone for the girls number, and there it was, digital gold. But little did he know how much this would change his life.

Some weeks past, and life continued. Jacob had all but forgotten about the dream of a woman that graced his senses, leaving her mark on his phone. Then, one Sunday, in the middle of his chores, the phone rang. It was Karla. Jacob smiled and answered his phone "Hello?"

"Hey".

His knees weakened and his heart skipped a beat.

"How are you?" She asked.

He was smiling, his palms starting to sweat. "I'm good thank you. And how are you?"

"Good. I'm good thank you".

As they were talking, she was taking her sister to the park, glad to be out of the house after some recent trouble left her housebound. They talked about their day so far, their week, and their life to that point. In their first phone conversation they went deep into their own lives, and though filled with tragedy, still managed to keep things light. Jacob felt a strong connection to Karla, and what's more, despite the obvious attention she was getting from other guys at the park while she was on the phone to him, he felt she might like him. He then spent the rest of the day dreaming about her, regardless of the unwanted heat of the day.

As the months passed, more phone conversations were had, and many texts were sent, ‘til eventually they planned to meet. They knew they would be near the same area at the same time, so they organised their travel plans to see each other briefly. Jacob took a slow walk to the agreed location outside the library and waited patiently in the snow with his hot chocolate, then once again his attention was drawn to the tall, curvaceous figure that was the woman who's level of beauty he had all but forgotten.

"Hey", she greeted him with a smirk.

"Hi", he replied nervously, once again feeling a lack of control over the situation, but somehow managing to remain cool. They made small talk both in and out of the library. As they talked, she walked around him, circling him, letting him feel like prey to her. His nervousness increased slightly, but this also cause him to flirt back more aggressively. But time flies, and their short meet had to come to an abrupt end as they both had places to be.

Over the next few weeks they continued to meet briefly where possible. These meets became more intimate, starting with sharing drinks, then meals from fast food venues, and even travelling together when this was a possibility. Their relationship continued to grow despite the many obstacles that constantly threw themselves in their path. But one event marked the beginning of the end for their already intermittent relationship.

Jacob and Karla had many differences, one of these were their sensitivity to heat, Jacob was always warm, whereas Karla was always cool. But Karla had always stated that she felt warm when speaking to Jacob. This worked out well for him, as he would take any excuse or reason to see Karla. One day came where they were able to spend more than 4 hours together, this was the first time. The took the chance to embrace each other, she at first taking comfort in his arms, but then giving in to his overwhelming desire for her. As their passion grew, they noticed smoke forming in the area surrounding them. They quickly checked their surroundings, gathered their things and left the area. They later learnt that a fire had been stated in that area, but was quickly controlled causing very little damage. The cause of the fire was not found, and as it was winter, it was being treated as suspicious. But this was not the only occurrence. Two weeks later, Jacob and Karla once again found themselves evacuating an area where a fire was reported soon after. After the fourth occurrence Karla started to worry. She had already told Jacob of her troubled past, and how she was falsely charged with arson. Jacob assured her there should be nothing to worry about, as he was with her and knew she hadn't caused any, but this didn't comfort her, as she was forbidden from ever seeing him at all, and so either way she could be facing trouble. Then something in the moment struck a chord with Jacob, and memories came flooding back to him, things that he hadn't even noticed before appeared in his memory. There had been earlier instances of extreme heat in his past. He could recall no instances of smoke, but there had been warped items, objects melted regardless of the weather, and red marks left after physical contact. The two were bewildered by the concept that heat might follow them, but soon the true nature of these incidents would make itself known.

They continued to meet, but were more cautious this time, place with plastic or wood nearby were avoided where possible, and time spent together was limited. But this was hard for Jacob, as all he ever wanted was to be with this girl that sets him on fire. And she too, though more cautious than he, made him aware that she burned for him.

Time and circumstances kept them away from each other for a while, but Jacob could take no more of the distance between him and the woman he had fallen in love with, and so he had organised meeting with her once again, but this time he had taken steps to ensure their safety. he had found some ruins midway between them, somewhere they could both get to, somewhere very low of flammable materials, all that was left was to organise a time. Eventually, after weeks of discussion, Karla finally let him know when she could escape the confines of her home for an extended period of time. They met up, kissed, and made their way to Jacobs discovered location. He had come prepared. The found somewhere to eat and drink before setting off, but Jacob had also brought food with him, and had anticipated everything the two of them might need. Though the chosen spot was no great distance away, it was away from where anyone would see them, and though the area was open, Jacob had prepared for any eventuality in regards to any elemental effects.

He took Karla’s hand and lead her to the area where he then set everything up for them to enjoy their time together. She watched shaking her head in awe as he unpacked chairs, sleeping bags, blankets, and other various equipment from his seemingly small back pack.

"Would Madame like a drink?" Jacob pulled out two cocktail glasses, and proceeded to pour her a chilled drink. She took the glass, wide-eyed, and took a seat. "How are you doing this?" she asked. He simply smiled, he wasn't going to share his secret. He pulled out a cheap mobile and tablet, switched them on and played with them a little, then handed the tablet to Karla. "Would Madame like to pick movie?"

She took the device from him with a somewhat puzzled expression, but then realised he had setup a movie streaming service for her to choose from. She looked through while he produced the option on speakers or earphones, of which she chose the former. And with the movie chosen, and drinks in their hands, Jacob sat down next to Karla, who was now grinning from ear to ear, despite the cold weather, and planted a kiss on her cheek.

He leaned in and put an arm around her, and they watched a movie together, but they barely made it to the end before they were locked in a passionate embrace. Coats and chairs were discarded as they blindly fumbled their way to the blanket covered sleeping bags, as their passion grew hotter. Soon they were unstoppable. They had the time and space that they needed, and soon all items of clothing were removed, and they became oblivious to their surroundings. It soon began to rain, but they didn't care, as all that they could feel was the sweat from their bodies, now moulded together. Not a drop of rain had hit them. In fact their heat had caused the area to steam up. As the rain started to let up, the mist around them disappeared, but instead was replaced by a heat haze. Items near to them had started to warp, and soon enough, certain items had started to burn. With every grunt and moan from Karla’s mouth, cracks began to form in surrounding walls. Still, they had not noticed a thing, as they were fully engrossed in each other’s company, lavishing as much attention on each other as they could give. And they had yet to noticed that day had turned to night, as a fire had now formed around them, burning the ground and various items in close proximity to them. But the only flame they could see was in each other’s eyes. And finally, towards the end of their session, Karla let out a scream, shattering any glass in their vicinity, and caused one wall to crumble completely. The two then collapsed together, with nothing but the fire surrounding them and their bodies to keep each other warm.

They stared into space for a while, recovering from their rigorous activity. And as they lay together in each other’s arms, they gradually notice the fire around them. Suddenly it's clear to them what's been going on.

"This isn't good, is it?" Karla quietly asks.

"No," Jacob sighs, "not at all."

The look at the trail of the flames.

"My clothes!" Karla panics.

"They're fine, Jacobs assures her, "and your coat too, plus I brought spares." Karla squeezes him in a sign of relief and appreciation. "My tablet is ruined though," he continues. "Don't worry, your phone is in the flask."

"How? When? How?" Karla Struggles to comprehend how Jacob was able to take care of these things.

"Don't you worry about that," he replies, "I said I'd take care of it, so I did."

The two continue to lie silently for a while, until the flames start to die down. Then Jacob forces his self to his feet, and jumps the flame to collect their clothes, he throws Karla her things, and dresses himself as he collects the rest of whatever is salvageable and put them in his back pack, which somehow now seems fuller than it was before. Once packed, he checks on Karla, who is checking her phone after extracting it from the half melted flask. The phone is fine, just a little warm, and full of messages. She scans through a few, and saves the rest for their journey home.

"Jake," Karla quietly calls out looking at the flame, "do you have anything to put this out with?"

"Hang on." He responds. He gathers and organises the rest of the items, the simply walks through the flame, picks Karla up, and carries her out.

"You mad man." she giggles, then plants a kiss on his cheek.

They take one quick look around at the area. The sleeping bag and blanket are singed beyond recognition, and there are bit of broken and burnt glass and rubble, especially in the direction where Karla has screamed. The rest of the rubbish Jacob has packed into a bin liner he brought with him.

"Are you ready?" He asks, holding his hand out for hers. She briefly looks up from her phone, smiles, nods, and grabs his hand, and they vacate the area and head for home.

They're quiet while waiting for the train and during the ride home. Jacob could see her deep in thought. "Are you ok?" He asks, "What are you thinking?" knowing both the answer, and the truth.

She lifts her head and forces a smile, "Yeah." She answers. He decides not to push further, but as the near her stop, he chooses to part on a high.

"I've enjoyed spending time with you," he tells her, hoping to get a positive response back.

"Me too." She smiles back.

He stands with her as they approach her stop, and he holds her, planting another passionate kiss on her lips. Again, she smiles as she gets off the train, and nods when he requests she inform him when he's home. Jacob falls asleep for the rest of his train journey.

As soon as Jacob steps off the train, he receives a message from Karla, she has arrived home. She then requests he call her when he gets home. So he picks up the pace, and walks home a little quicker, changes into emerging more comfortable, puts his sim card into his regular phone, and lets Karla know that he is about to call her.

"Hey," She answers.

"Hi," He greets her back.

"What happened today?" She asks with concern in her voice.

"The short version is I don't know." He responds. He goes on to give his theory that our passion takes on a more literal physical form, which she accepts regardless of not understanding.

"What does this mean?" She asks, already knowing both the answer, and the truth.

"I don't know." He responds, not wanting to accept the facts or the truth of the matter.

There is a moment of silence.

"I love you." She quietly professes. This is not the first time she has said these words to him, but for the first time, he could feel heir as she said it.

"I love you too." He choked. He could hear her tearing up, he didn't like that. He tried to lighten her mood. "Did you know that you can't get rid of me?" She laughed in response as he tried to get her to smile.

They talked about the implications of their relationship, trying to look for answers and solutions to their unique problem, but they could find none.

Again, there was silence.

"Do you regret giving me your number?" Jacob asks, breaking the silence.

"No, don't be silly," she answers, "And I thought it was you that gave me your number."

"I don't recall."

They reminisce about their first meeting, and good times they have had together, and how they have made each other feel. Eventually their call has to come to an end. " I have to be up early for my interview tomorrow." Karla states.

"I know." Jacob responds, "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too." She replies, "Goodbye, Goodnight, Sweet dreams, and Take care."

"Thank you. You too. Until next time."