Chasing Clouds

by Annabelle Knight

  “I can be,” Elodie said, trying to give the impression that she may have something she’d need to move around in order to accommodate him. He didn’t need to know that Tuesday for her would largely consist of cleaning the bathroom, watching daytime telly and maybe, if she felt like it, changing into something other than pyjamas.

  “OK, great,” Aaron said enthusiastically. “I’ll text you the details when I’ve figured it out. Gotta go now, see you soon.”

  Elodie said goodbye and Aaron hung up. The phone went dead and she went back to the washing with a smile on her face. For some reason, these menial tasks seemed far more enjoyable now.

  Elodie had told Carla about the date the second she saw her. Carla seemed really pleased that Elodie was beginning to put herself out there and in the days that followed promised to help her look her best.

  “OK, let’s do your hair first,” Carla said when the day of the date arrived

  “I’m going to a coffee shop, not the opera,” Elodie said. “Besides, I don’t want to go all glammed up, he’s only ever seen me after work when I’m all sweaty and tired, he won’t recognise me.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. If you don’t make any effort he’ll think you’re not interested,” Carla admonished, ignoring Elodie’s protestation as she rummaged in her dressing table drawer.

  “Well, to be honest, I’m not sure I am. I’m not ready…”

  “To start dating yet, blah, blah, blah. You’re totally ready, you’re just nervous,” Carla said, producing a curling wand, firm hold hairspray and a backcombing brush. She brandished them at Elodie as if they were items of great value. “Don’t be so dramatic, it’s a date El. You’re not marrying the guy.”

  “Okay fine, but nothing too OTT. Like you said, I’m not getting married. Just nice and relaxed,” Elodie instructed as she let Carla loose on her locks.

  Carla twisted Elodie’s hair around the curling wand and backcombed the roots for a bit of extra lift. She then ran her fingers through the lengths and brought it forward over one shoulder.

  “Voilà! I have officially worked my magic again, I’ve pulled a phoenix out of these ashes, Elodie,” she said triumphantly. “Look: beautiful, natural, relaxed waves.”

  Elodie thanked Carla and made to stand; she had only twenty minutes to put on some makeup and choose an outfit. She hadn’t done this in such a long time and marvelled at how much effort it took to achieve the ‘natural’ look. She quickly applied some makeup and dressed herself in black jeans, a pair of heeled boots and a white top. She felt exhausted after all the preening and the date hadn’t even started yet.

  Elodie arrived at the coffee shop a few minutes late. The tube had been suffering from minor delays and, despite Aaron texting her very specific instructions as to how to find the place they were meeting at, Elodie had still managed to get lost. She pushed the door of the café open and immediately felt at home. The warm atmosphere, welcoming smells and tinkle of the bell above the door all reminded her of Betty’s. She glanced around: no sign of Aaron yet. She pulled out her phone and checked for messages. Still nothing. Deciding to settle herself, she picked out a small table in the corner of the room. The lighting was dimmer over there and she’d read something about low lighting making you appear more attractive. Not that she wanted to appear attractive; she kept telling herself over and over again that she wasn’t going to rush into anything. She didn’t even really know if she wanted to start dating at all. A little voice inside her piped up, telling her that it was a touch late for that, seeing as she was already on a date, or at least she would be when Aaron eventually turned up. She checked the time again: he was fifteen minutes late.

  One of the waiting staff sidled up next to her and asked what she would like to drink. Elodie wasn’t sure whether she should order now or wait for Aaron. She decided to wait and told the waitress she was waiting for someone. The waitress nodded, spun around, her ponytail swishing, and began clearing some mugs from a nearby table. Elodie hadn’t brought a book, or any form of entertainment; she honestly didn’t think she would need it.

  Aaron arrived almost half an hour late, at this point Elodie was getting ready to leave. He sat down blinking heavily at her.

  “You’re early,” he said, checking his watch.

  “No, you’re late,” she said frostily. If this was what the world of dating was nowadays, then she wasn’t interested.

  “I am?” Aaron said, looking puzzled and pulling out his phone. “No, I’m not, see…? It’s not even half past yet.”

  “You said three pm. Myro’s Coffeehouse, three pm, thirty High Street.” Elodie said with hesitation, a little confused herself now.

  “No, I said Myro’s Coffeehouse 3:30 pm, on the High street.”

  Elodie pulled out her phone to prove him wrong, loaded his message and then stopped in her tracks. He was right. No wonder she’d gotten so lost. She felt foolish and despite her best efforts couldn’t help but blush furiously. Aaron simply chuckled and flagged down the waitress.

  “I take it you know what you want?” he asked jovially. “After all, you’ve had plenty of time to check the menu.”

  Elodie felt herself turn a deeper shade of pink and mumbled her order. Aaron said that he would have the same and added a piece of cake to their order. “With two forks,” he added, gesturing to Elodie.

  The pair of them chatted warmly whilst they waited for their drinks. Aaron was sincere, welcoming and really quite sweet. Elodie found herself confiding in him. She told him about the demise of her career with Zip Air and in return, he confided his own life. It soon transpired that neither of them were where they wanted to be career- wise just yet. Aaron had such a positive take on life and Elodie found it hard to have any negative thoughts whilst she was in his company.

  They ordered a second round of coffee and when their fingers accidentally brushed over the same packet of sugar Elodie felt a pang of desire grab hold of her so strong that she had to catch herself. She pulled her hand away from his as if it had burnt her; she ran those same fingers through the ends of her hair and wondered if Aaron had noticed her imprudent reaction.

  “So do you want to move on to the second part of this afternoon’s delights?” Aaron asked, raising one eyebrow and stroking his chin in a comical, question- master- type manner.

  “Second part?” Elodie probed. She thought that this was their date. It was a coffee date; they’d had coffee, so therefore hadn’t they had their date?

  ‘Damn,’ she thought, ‘I’m so rusty at this.’

  “OK, so you know how I told you that I’m into photography? Well, there’s a little exhibition on just down the road, I thought we might check it out? That’s if you think you’ll like it? We don’t have to, but it is meant to be really good.”

  Elodie checked her watch. They’d been chatting over coffee for well over an hour. She thought that maybe she should leave now and end things on a high note. However, what she thought and what she did were completely at odds: before she knew it she had agreed to go and was walking happily alongside Aaron, down the high street and towards the gallery.

  They walked through the reception area and into the lofty bright space that Elodie now knew as the Eason Art Space. Several well- lit corridors led to individual spaces housing different works from a number of artists. The heels of Elodie’s boots clacked against the wooden floor and she found herself altering her gait in an effort to muffle the sound.

  “So what I want to show you is down this way, I think,” Aaron said, beckoning her to follow him down one of the many hallways. They walked almost the entire length of the corridor and just when Elodie thought that they’d never reach the end they rounded a corner. The room that had opened up before them was a vast, expansive and almost silent space. Classical music played very quietly in the background and Elodie found that she couldn’t raise her voice above the smallest of whispers. Beautiful images of landscapes
hung from the ceiling; they were suspended by sturdy- looking cords and arranged in a maze- like display.

  “What is this?” she asked, leaning in towards Aaron so that he could hear her properly. She caught his scent and felt her stomach tighten: did he always smell this good? Elodie couldn’t put her finger on it; it wasn’t cologne as such, it was an earthy, musky scent that she seemed to notice at the most inopportune of times. She was meant to be concentrating on the art and now all she could think about was how good it might be to kiss him.

  “It’s an exhibition by one of my favourite photographers. See those red dots by the pieces? That means they’re sold. There’s not one single piece up for grabs, not that I could afford one, even if there were. One day I hope to follow in her footsteps, all the greats display their work here. Showcasing mine at the Eason is sort of a dream of mine.” He blushed slightly and Elodie thought that perhaps he hadn’t meant to share that particular fact about himself. “She’s showing here this week only. She’s amazing; her eye, her skill and not to mention the lengths she goes to capture an image. Honestly, her work is just incredible, look…”

  He pointed to one of the photographs suspended from the ceiling. It stood at well over a metre tall and probably close to two in width. Elodie took a step back so that she could take it all in. It was a dramatic, moody scene depicting a scorched forest. The photo had been taken at sunset; the shadows of the remaining blackened trees stretched along the floor and disappeared into the charred and barren ground. The photograph certainly was breathtakingly beautiful, but it made Elodie feel loss and sadness. She felt Aaron’s strong hand clasp around hers and found that she did not pull away this time. She loosened her fist and allowed him to entwine his fingers within hers; he held her with a gentle pressure that felt both comforting and secure.

  “So what do you make of it?” Aaron asked.

  “It’s beautiful,” Elodie replied quietly. “It’s making me think of someone grieving, I get a real sadness from it, do you know what I mean?” Elodie wasn’t sure if she sounded silly or not, she was certainly no art critic.

  “I know exactly what you mean,” Aaron said, squeezing her hand.

  Elodie felt the warmth of his palm against hers and the feelings of sorrow melted away. It was in that moment that Elodie decided that she liked art galleries very much.

  They paced the rest of the exhibition slowly, Aaron talked animatedly about each photograph and Elodie listened intently. His passion and enthusiasm made him seem more attractive.

  They left the gallery hand in hand. Elodie’s heart still fluttered whenever he gave it a little squeeze. She was surprised to find that dusk was upon them; the tawny July sun had almost dipped out of the sky completely and there was very little natural light left to see by.

  “Are you getting the tube back?” Aaron asked innocently.

  Elodie nodded and Aaron said that he would walk her back to the station. She made to protest but he just laughed and asked her if she never let anyone do anything nice for her, or whether it was just him.

  “It’s not that…” Elodie began but trailed off. Maybe it was that. Maybe she had become so used to it with Tom that, now, the mere idea of someone going out of their way for her felt wrong.

  “Elodie, I’m not your ex,” Aaron said softly, seeming to hear her thoughts. “Come on, I know a nice walk.” He took her by the hand and Elodie felt a jolt electricity spark between them.

  He took her past a cosy- looking bar called The Cocktail Club that he reliably informed her did the best Whisky Sours in town and after a short while arrived at a pair of tall, wrought iron gates that guarded the entrance to a concealed park.

  “We can’t go in there,” Elodie said pointing to a sign that read ‘RESIDENTS ONLY’ in bold red letters.

  “Don’t be daft, no one’s around, and besides, it’s so beautiful in there. Come on, I really want you to see it,” Aaron said as he pushed one side of the gate back and pulled the other forward, creating a small gap for them to squeeze through.

  Elodie was surprised by the very existence of the park: it was barely a stone’s throw from her house and she’d never even known it was there. The streetlights above illuminated the winding path in front of them, which was lined by with old- fashioned- looking benches. It was tranquil: the sounds of the city seemed to be miles away, silenced by dense trees that lined the perimeter, protecting them from the intrusion of the outside world. At that moment in time, Elodie felt like they were the only two people on the planet: a feeling that she rather enjoyed.

  “Elodie?” Aaron asked gently.

  She turned to him. His eyes were wide in the dimly- lit park. He leaned in toward her and placed his strong hands around her waist. Under their attention, she felt so small. He pulled her nearer to him and without warning or caution she found that his lips had met hers. Elodie soared: the kiss was so soft, yet so powerful and she felt herself melt into him, completely defenceless and more than willing. He parted her lips with the tip of his tongue, searching for the wetness within. Elodie felt herself fall deeper, their tongues gently probing one another’s, eager to explore more. Elodie understood in that moment that every other kiss she had ever had before now had been wrong. What was happening now was so much more: it felt like the beginning of something, something wonderful. After a long moment where the world seemed to stop and time stood still, they parted.

  “I’ve wanted to do that since the moment I first saw you,” Aaron said huskily.

  Elodie could manage no words, her lips still burned with the residue of him. He raised his hand to her face and gently tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

  “Come on,” he said, taking her by the hand, “let’s get you home.”

  Chapter 12

  “Still nothing?” Carla asked as Elodie stalked into the living room. Elodie’s hair was dishevelled and she wore the remnants of yesterday’s makeup under her eyes in dark circles that reminded Carla of a zombie film she’d once watched.

  “I just don’t understand it, we had such a good time. Why wouldn’t he text? It’s been two days. Do you think I should text him? I’ve messaged him a couple of times already, though…”

  Carla shook her head vehemently and took a sip of coffee. She placed the mug down on the kitchen table and walked over to her friend.

  “Do not text him again, Elodie. Are you listening to me?” Carla said fiercely. Elodie was listening, but she was also thinking.

  “What if he’s working? He might be doing something really important. Or, what if something terrible has happened? He could be ill, or worse…” Elodie rambled hopefully.

  “Unless he’s dead, there’s no excuse. It takes thirty seconds to send a text,” Carla said stonily. “Chris texts me every day and if he’s on a shoot or busy or whatever then he texts me to say that. I don’t ask him to, it’s just common courtesy, isn’t it?”

  Elodie’s mood nosedived. Carla and Chris had become somewhat of an item; they weren’t official yet by any means but they may as well have been. Elodie had never seen Carla into a guy before; it was definitely a bit strange – but in a nice way.

  “I suppose you’re right. Maybe he just was acting like he had a good time. Maybe I’m just crap at dating?” Elodie let out an exasperated moan and got up to pour herself some coffee. She drank it in one. It was barely lukewarm; the pot had been stood on the side for a while now and the addition of plenty of milk hadn’t helped matters.

  “Why don’t you come out with me and Steph tonight? We’re going to that new place in town, you know, The Clifton? That’ll cheer you up.”

  Elodie was puzzled; Just Carla and Steph? She wondered why hadn’t they mentioned this before.

  “Just you and Steph?” she asked, a note of suspicion in her voice.

  “Well… and Chris and Andy, but it’s more of a group thing anyway.” Elodie definitely did not want to play third, or in this cas
e fifth wheel, but what else was she going to do? Sit at home and mope?

  “I’m not sure, it sounds a lot like a double date to me,” Elodie said uncertainly.

  “Don’t be a dick, you’re coming. Our treat and it’ll give you a chance to get to know Chris properly. You’re gonna love him! Right, what are you doing today?”

  “Nothing. Job hunting, I guess,” Elodie answered.

  “You can take a day off from that, let’s go out. I’m free all day and it’s so nice outside, let’s do lunch.” Carla checked the time and saw that it was barely ten in the morning. “OK, brunch then. Go get a shower, you definitely need it.” Carla said, drawing imaginary circles around her eyes with the tip of her finger.

  Elodie got up, handed her used mug to Carla who put it in the sink, and headed into the bathroom, understanding at once what Carla had meant the second she saw her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

  The day passed in a bit of a blur, peppered with moments of disappointment each and every time Elodie checked her phone. She had heard from Aaron only once since their date: to his credit, he had thanked her for a lovely evening and asked if she had gotten home OK. Elodie had replied with words to much the same effect, but since then had heard nothing back.

  “What’s his surname?” Carla asked as they took a break from window- shopping.

  “It’s…” Elodie racked her brain for his surname. “Do you know, I’ve got no idea.”

  “OK, not a problem, so we know his name’s Aaron, he’s based here and he’s a wannabe photographer, but not just any photography, nature and landscapes only, right?” Elodie nodded, “OK, give me five minutes.” Carla pulled out her phone and began tapping away furiously.

  “What are you doing?” Elodie asked, panic rising in her voice. “Carla, please don’t message him or anything!”

  “Message him? What do you take me for? I’m just doing a bit of social stalking. Nothing wrong with that El.” Carla cast her friend a rebellious look. “Jesus, unclench Elodie, there’s nothing wrong with that, everyone does it.”