Chasing Clouds

by Annabelle Knight

  “This has been really, really nice, Elodie,’ he said, smiling. “We should do it again sometime.”

  “I’d like that,” Elodie said, rather meekly. She suddenly felt self- conscious again. Why was it he was able to make her feel like this at the drop of a hat?

  Chase gave her a warm smile, a wave and turned on his heel to leave. Elodie watched him go and wondered if he too felt her eyes on him just as she had felt his on her.

  After a morning of sightseeing, Elodie made her way to Carnegie Deli and picked up one of their hefty Reuben sandwiches before heading over to Central Park. She had planned a one- woman picnic for lunch and was determined to stick to her schedule as much as possible. She couldn’t quite believe she was strolling through New York City: it just all seemed so incredible and so far away from her old life that she had to pinch her arm to convince herself she wasn’t dreaming. The weather was positively glorious; the sun beat down on Elodie’s skin and felt heavenly as she settled herself in a secluded spot within the park. She sat there, legs crossed, and ate her sandwich. It was absolutely delicious and most certainly enough for two people. She wished that Chase hadn’t left her. Despite her initial reservations, she had had a great time with him and by the time he had gone she had completely warmed to the idea of spending more time with him. She pulled out her phone, plugged in her headphones and tapped play. Maybe it was the jet lag, or perhaps it was the fact that if she closed her eyes she could still smell Chase… Either way, she found herself drifting into a sun- soaked sleep; her last thought before she drifted off was just how perfect the day had been.

  “Ow!” Elodie exclaimed. “What the fu…”

  “Sorry!” A young- looking American guy came running over to her; Elodie found him strangely familiar. The frisbee he and his friends had been throwing had gone somewhat awry and had struck Elodie clean in the face. Since she had had her eyes closed this had come as a complete and utter shock. The guy, whom Elodie placed at around twenty- one, was apologetic, to say the least. Elodie shrugged it off, despite the hot feeling she felt beginning to kiss her brow. She just knew that she would have one pretty hefty bruise to deal with later.

  “It’s alright,” Elodie said, wishing the ground would swallow her up. Trust her to be the only person in this massive park to get hit in the face with a frisbee.

  “Ahhh, you’re British, you live here?” the guy said, smiling. Elodie nodded; he hadn’t been the first to clock her accent. It was almost as if an accent here was a golden pass to conversation.

  “I am indeed, but I don’t live here though. I’m staying in The Washington Hotel. Just for a few days,” she answered, rubbing her forehead with the back of her hand. She looked the guy up and down. He was young, good- looking and had the kind of casual air about him that made her feel instantly at ease.

  “I’m Trent,” he said, sticking out his hand in a rather business- like fashion. Elodie shook it, knowing full well that he had only done this because he was under the impression that this was the adult thing to do.

  “Elodie,” she replied coquettishly, taking his hand and wringing it once.

  “Pretty,” Trent said confidently. His blue eyes glinted in the sunlight. “The name and you.”

  Elodie’s mouth fell open. People didn’t talk like this in real life, did they?

  “Ha, thanks,” she replied, completely caught off- guard. ‘Maybe it’s different over here,’ she thought to herself.

  Trent continued to kneel next to her, he had a relaxed manner about him, a confidence that could only come with youth. Regardless of this, it was a confidence that was definitely attractive. Trent seemed to understand that the appropriate amount of time to invade a stranger’s space had come to an end and stood up to leave, picking up the frisbee and spinning it in his hands as he went.

  “Sorry again,” he said genuinely before setting off to rejoin his friends. Before he had made too much headway, he turned around and added, “You don’t feel like coming for a drink tonight, do you?”

  Elodie found herself caught off- guard for the second time in as many minutes.

  “I err…” she stammered.

  “… Have a boyfriend?” he surmised, nodding his head. “I figured as much.”

  “No, no, nothing like that. It’s just that we only just met and we kind of started out with assault, and I don’t know you, so…” Elodie shifted her weight and chewed the edge of her thumbnail. Who was this guy? Was he some kind of hybrid, super- confident breed of male that you could only find in America?

  “It’s alright, thought it was a long shot,” Trent said. He gave her a carefree, cheeky smile and turned once more to leave.

  “I’d love to,” Elodie blurted out, not knowing where the words had come from.

  Trent turned back around and was grinning, as if he had expected this from her the entire time. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out his phone and took her details.

  “I’ll pick you up at eight tonight,” he said.

  Elodie had to admit, Trent’s confidence had piqued her interest but she couldn’t shake the idea that perhaps she was being a little irresponsible. The feeling of uncertainty seemed strangely liberating. Elodie had always done everything by the book; maybe it was time to start living on the edge a little. She had literally never done something like this before, so perhaps it was only natural to be apprehensive. She had well and truly rounded the corner from Tom and she felt extremely happy about it. Aaron had been a welcome distraction; Chase an unobtainable fleeting fancy, and this guy, a proper date. The best thing about it was that it was basically practice for the real thing; no one need ever know about her evening with a younger man. Nothing serious could happen between her and an overgrown teenager who lived on the other side of the world.

  Elodie picked up the phone on her hotel bedside table and answered it; the voice down the line told her that there was a gentleman waiting in reception for her. Elodie thanked the receptionist and in a voice as smooth as butter said that she would be down momentarily, before hanging up. ‘Thank God that was a phone call and not Facetime,’ she thought as she pulled the towel from the top of her head, letting her damp hair hang messily around her face. Elodie had fallen asleep once she had arrived back to the hotel and hadn’t woken up until thirty minutes before she had arranged for Trent to pick her up. The bruise she had feared had never actually materialised; she was, however, sporting a nice red mark, although it was nothing that a bit of concealer and a touch of bronzer wouldn’t fix. She readied herself as quickly as she could. The dress she had chosen to wear was a little black number that she had borrowed from Carla; it was low cut and backless. She pulled it on and hoped that it was understated and sexy and not over the top and slutty. She really could have done with Carla’s expert style advice. First date outfits were not something she had lots of experience with. For some Dutch courage, Elodie knocked back one of the miniatures from the hotel’s mini- bar and, with one last look in the mirror, said goodbye to her room for the evening.

  Elodie rounded the corner and tumbled into the reception area almost twenty minutes late, which wasn’t bad going when you considered the state of undress a little while before.

  “Thought you’d changed your mind,” Trent said jokingly.

  Elodie shook her head and made a vague excuse about jetlag. He was dressed smartly in a button- down shirt and tan trousers. He looked somehow younger now; maybe it was that he no longer wore sports gear and that his adult clothes only served to highlight his youthful features. “You look positively splendid, ma’am,” Trent said in a bad British accent and gave her an overly dramatic bow.

  Elodie managed a smile but not a laugh. It had suddenly struck her that he reminded her of Aaron, only in reverse. She couldn’t believe she hadn’t seen it until now. She had thought he was familiar but what with being so far away from home and him so far out of context she hadn’t been able to place the resemblance. T
his realisation made her take a step back, as though it had been some kind of force able to affect her balance.

  “Woah! Are we all right here? Have you been at the mini- bar already?” Trent said, laughing. Elodie couldn’t see the funny side. She suddenly didn’t feel like going out and couldn’t for the life of her work out why she’d agreed to it.

  “I’m fine. It’s just like I said, I’m a little jetlagged,” Elodie explained.

  Trent took her hand and, looking her square in the eyes, told her that what she needed was one good meal and a few good drinks. Elodie nodded and thought that maybe this evening wouldn’t be a waste after all.

  They were just leaving the hotel when Elodie heard a voice she had been hoping to avoid. Chase was on the phone, strolling through the reception area. Elodie looked around for a place to conceal herself but found none.

  “I’ll call you back,” Elodie heard him say as his footsteps grew closer. “What’s this, then?” he asked nonchalantly, a casual tone in his manner. Elodie opened her mouth to answer but only managed to say his name before Trent cut her off.

  “Name’s Trent, and you are?” he asked smiling broadly, raising one eyebrow in a quizzical fashion and holding out his hand in the same business- like manner Elodie had witnessed earlier.

  “Pleasure,” Chase answered, coolly ignoring the question completely. He glanced down at Trent’s outstretched palm and after a long pause shook it briefly. Elodie didn’t know where to look, unlike Chase who seemed unable to take his eyes off her.

  “We’re just…” she began.

  “On a date,” Chase surmised. “I can see that.” He moved his gaze now and Elodie felt the blood drain from her face as he inspected Trent. She felt like a schoolkid caught doing something she shouldn’t behind the bike sheds.

  “Is there a problem?” Trent asked, ignoring Chase entirely and turning to Elodie. His lips remained upturned but the smile had gone from his eyes. Elodie shook her head; she stole a glance at Chase who was looking almost puzzled, as though he couldn’t quite believe what was in front of him.

  “Not at all,” Chase said, once again leaving a little too much time between question and answer. “Have fun… kids.”

  It was Elodie’s turn to wince now; she gave Chase an awkward smile and followed Trent out of the door, feeling completely mortified by what had just occurred.

  “Jeez, what was that guy’s deal?” Trent asked, snorting with disgust as they climbed inside the cab. “What an absolute douchebag.” Elodie didn’t respond, she had only half- heard him. Her thoughts had been left behind, back in the reception area, back with Chase.

  Trent took Elodie to a bar across town. He had ordered a cab from the hotel reception and when it arrived he’d opened the door for her, like a proper gent. They soon forgot the awkward start their date had gotten off to and within minutes were chatting amiably. Elodie was fascinated by Trent; she had never hung out with someone from America before and found all of his little nuances completely charming. She still couldn’t shake the occasional feeling that he was a little too much like Aaron, though. Trent wouldn’t let her pay for a drink all night and insisted on going to the bar himself for every single round.

  “Want to try some of my whisky and ginger?” he asked once he had re- seated himself opposite her. He held the glass out to her and swirled its contents invitingly. Elodie wrinkled her nose and shook her head vehemently.

  “No thanks,” she answered, pushing the glass way. “I hate the stuff.”

  This was only partly accurate. It was true that she didn’t care for whisky, but the real, more predominant reason was that she was already pretty inebriated without the addition of hard liquor. Elodie put it down to the change in time zone and the fact that she was still pretty tired because normally a few drinks would have had her tipsy but nowhere near this drunk.

  “Suit yourself,” he said, taking a deep drink. “So, go on then, the guy at the hotel. Ex- boyfriend, right, or should I say ‘man- friend’? That guy was old!”

  Elodie began to explain but Trent waved her words away. “I’m kidding, I’m not worried about a relic like that. Want another?”

  Trent got up to head to the bar but Elodie shook her head. She had had enough already and, if she were honest with herself she wasn’t exactly having the best time. Trent was nice enough but he was basically a child. He had been asked for his ID when they had first arrived at the bar and had made such a fuss that Elodie had felt embarrassed to be seen with him. This, coupled with the fact that he really didn’t understand the idea of pacing yourself, made Elodie feel a little on edge. What Elodie had thought to be confidence earlier on was actually just arrogance in disguise. She suddenly realised that she was in an alien city, with someone she hardly knew and she was pretty drunk. She glanced up at the bar and saw the bartender pouring Trent a straight Ginger ale, not a drop of whisky in sight; she then saw Trent point to the gin and hold up two fingers. Elodie watched as the barman poured two healthy measures of gin into a glass before topping it up with tonic.

  ‘That’s not right, I said I didn’t want one,’ Elodie thought to herself. She stole another glance at the bar. Trent was handing his card over to pay. She grabbed his glass from across the table and downed the dregs. It was watered down from the leftover ice but there was no mistaking it. Trent had been drinking nothing but ginger ale all night.

  ‘No wonder he can hold his drinks,’ Elodie thought angrily. She didn’t want to jump to conclusions but the evidence was right there in front of her. Her head was swimming now, why was he plying her with so much alcohol and not drinking himself? Maybe he had a health problem and didn’t want to confide in her, or perhaps he was a real lightweight and wanted to save face? Elodie wasn’t sure what the reason was; all she knew was that she didn’t feel comfortable anymore, and what was it Carla used to say? “If it doesn’t feel one hundred per cent right, then it’s one hundred per cent wrong.” Granted, Carla had been speaking about things being right emotionally, but Elodie figured that the sentiment extended itself to the safety aspect of dating too. Trent was now making his way back to their table and Elodie felt a sudden wave of panic settle over her. She had no idea what to do. What if he turned out to be a serial killer? Elodie smiled a wry smile to herself: she had gone from feeling absolute panic to absolutely stupid in one flat minute. This wasn’t a soap opera, this was more than likely just a young guy trying to impress a girl he’d only just met.

  “I know you said you didn’t want one and you don’t have to drink it but I thought I’d get you one just in case.”

  Elodie thanked him and took a sip.

  “Tastes strong,” she said, wanting to give Trent the opportunity to confess. “Is it a double?”

  “’Course not, darling. It’s just good ol’ USA measures for ya right there.” Trent smiled. “Now come on, drink up.”

  Elodie studied him for a moment: Trent’s smile never wavered. He picked up his glass, drank deeply and pulled a face.

  “Ugh, shouldn’t have ordered myself a double, though, now that’s a strong drink.” Suddenly his eyes seemed to take on a whole other nature. Elodie could have sworn they were electric blue in colour before, but now they seemed cold and grey.

  “Excuse me for a moment, would you? Ladies’ room,” Elodie said, getting up from her chair, the room swayed slightly and she gripped the table for balance. Trent glanced down at her delicate fingers. Her knuckles began to turn pale as her grip tightened, which for some reason caused Trent to smile. She let go and began to walk off, careful to place one foot firmly in front of the other to avoid stumbling over. She breathed a sigh of relief as she put some distance between herself and Trent and cursed herself for being so reckless with her own safety. How many times had she and Steph remonstrated Carla for the very same behaviour? Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder.

  “The bathroom’s this way, darling,” Trent whispered in her ear
and with one effortless movement turned her a complete one- eighty and began walking her back across the bar to the far corner where Elodie could just about make out a sign for the ladies’ bathroom.

  “Of course,” Elodie said, hoping her voice came off far more relaxed than she felt.

  Trent walked her all the way to the bathroom and pushed the door open for her. She walked in and felt his eyes on the back of her. His gaze didn’t provoke the same feelings she felt when Chase looked at her: this didn’t feel nice at all. She felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention and heard the door close behind her. Elodie let out a small, shallow breath and in that moment knew that she needed to get back to the hotel. Uneasiness settled over her: she didn’t want to annoy him, and couldn’t for the life of her see how she was going to give him the slip.

  Elodie steadied her breath: was she being ridiculous? She thought about what she would say to Carla or Steph if there were in her shoes and she knew in that instant that ridiculous or not, it was far better to err on the side of caution. She would simply tell Trent she’d had a few too many and leave. He couldn’t stop her, and to top it off they were in a bar in one of the busiest cities in the world: there were plenty of people about if she needed help.

  Elodie emerged from the bathroom and was pleased to see that Trent was no longer outside the door. She let out a low sigh of relief. He was back at their table and furiously tapping the screen of his phone. Pushing her shoulders back and taking a deep, calming breath she ventured forward, hoping that this was all in her head and Trent wouldn’t make a scene.

  “Hey Trent, I’m not feeling great,” she started. Trent looked up from his phone, a large smile on his thin face.

  “How about we head back to mine then? Got the place to myself. We can chill there until you’re feeling better?” Trent said without a hint of suggestion in his voice. Elodie was quite sure that this wasn’t a question, it was a command.