I managed to eat the meringue before I had to get on the plane and it left my hands sticky and everything I touched then smelt of sweet bananas as I didn’t have a chance to wash my hands before boarding. The plane was small, and it felt like the seats were closer together than on a usual flight and I was sat beside an elderly man who leant over and took a long sniff in the air in my direction and then smiled.
“Ah. You’ve have a meringue,” he said in French and I smiled and nodded at him.
“Yes. It was rather messy,” I admitted and showed him my hands which now we’re covered with fuzz from my clothes that clung to the sugar.
“Did it taste good though?” he asked and got out a small bottle of antibac from his pocket and squirted some into my hands. I rubbed them together and was pleased to rid myself of that sticky feeling.
“Thank you,” I said and he placed the bottle back into his pocket.
“Do you like mints?” he asked and I nodded, so this time he produced a packed of glacier mints out of his pocket. He handed me one then popped another into his mouth. I put the mint to my lips and when it was in my mouth I raised my eyebrows at how strong it was. The man noticed and gave a chuckle. “They are good for your airways.”
“It’s taken my breath away actually,” I told him and he let out a hearty chuckle again.
“You are not French are you?” he smiled and I shook my head. “Where are you from?”
“England. Is my French really bad?”
“No, it is very good actually.” I was surprised at that and smiled proudly. “I can just tell. Are you on holiday?”
“No, I live here with my Aunt. I’m studying.”
“What do you study?”
“Art,” I told him and I didn’t think he could possibly smile more but he did.
“I teach art. Well, I used to when I was younger.”
“Wow, really?” I smiled and turned as much as I could in my seat to look at him more.
“Yes. Long time ago. Tell me. Who is your favourite artist? Whose work do you admire most?”
“At the moment, Schiele.” He nodded at my answer and popped another mint into his mouth.
“Fabulous. Which piece?”
“I don’t know what it is called. But there’s a sketch of a model posing naked in front of a mirror and Schiele is behind her sketching her. She’s wearing a hat.” I explained and he nodded again.
“I know the one. What do you like about it?”
“His expression. His eyes look so intense as he looks at her. As soon as I saw that picture I never forgot it. I also really like the hat, the little details on it.”
“It’s a sharp picture,” he commented, “very angled.”
“Yes. Her hip bones are incredible.”
“I must say young man, I am very happy I was seated beside you today. What is your name? It’s okay if you don’t want to tell a stranger,” he grinned and I laughed.
“Charlie. Charlie Ellis.”
“Well, Charlie Ellis, my name is Ian Ceriman, and it is an absolute pleasure to meet you.”
“You too.”
“Are you traveling back to college now Charlie?”
“Yes, I went to visit my family back in England. Well, I
had to go back for a funeral actually.”
“Oh, my condolences,” he said sincerely and placed his hand on my arm gently.
“It’s okay it was a very distant family member who I don’t think I ever met,” I explained, “but, thank you.”
“Are you looking forward to getting back now?” He started to fiddle with something else in his pocket and this time he got out a small notebook and pen and started to write something down.
“Yes, it was nice seeing my family but I can’t wait to get back,” I said as I watched him, “that’s a nice book.”
“My wife got it for me,” he said proudly and handed it to me. “Look through, it’s okay.” I took the book from him and opened it on a random page then started to flick through the pages. There was random words combined with what I think were poems and on other pages there was small sketches. They were so delicate and filled with detail, too good to be in such a small notebook really.
“These are beautiful,” I told him and ran my fingers over one ink drawing of a woman in a fine dress with elaborate hat. “You drew these?”
“Just little scribbles I do when I’m traveling. That woman there was on a train I was on, dressed up to the nines. I decided she was going to a grand ball.”
“And this one?” I asked and looked at another page that had a younger girl holding a basket of flowers on it.
“She was in Paris selling flowers by Notre Dame. She saw me drawing after a while and insisted I buy a flower from her so I did. She was a sweet little thing.”
“They are lovely,” I said and passed the book back to him.
“This is a short flight,” he said thoughtfully, “would you mind if I did a quick sketch of you?”
“No, not at all,” I smiled and he got straight to it.
He didn’t talk again until the air hostess announced that we would be landing and that’s when he nudged me and handed the note book back to me. The sketch was incredible and I was jealous that he was able to create something so intricate in such a small space of time on a tiny little piece of paper like that. I also can’t quite believe that that’s what he saw when he looked at me. The man in the picture looked happy, maybe a little on the thin side, but there was something so beautiful in what was supposed to be my face as well.
“This is how you see me?” I asked as I looked back at him and I think he thought that I was offended.
“Ah, well, you know, it’s just a quick sketch,” he explained and I smiled to put him at ease.
“I love it, I wish I could draw like this. I just, I guess it’s interesting to see myself from another persons eyes.”
“Oh, yes, it’s like hearing your voice on a recorder, it seems foreign when you hear it,” he chuckled and I had to agree with him there.
“Thank you for sketching me. I feel honoured Ian.”
“No, Charlie, thank you. You were a wonderful model.” He took his notebook back from me and put it back in his pocket. “My wife will like hearing about you.”
“What’s her name?”
“Illaria. But I call her Belle. My darling Belle.”
“Well, tell Belle I said hello and I think that her husband is a wonderful man.”
“You certainly know how to flatter an old man.”
“I try,” I hummed, “do you have any children Ian?”
“Six!” he exclaimed and rolled his eyes. “Belle and I could never keep our hands off of each other and that was the result.” He had a twinkle in his eye as he spoke and I got the impression that he must be a wonderful father.
“Six is a lot of kids,” I agreed, “how old are they?”
“I would say the youngest is probably about your age. How old are you? Nineteen, twenty?”
“Eighteen.”
“Ah, well, there you go. My youngest is nineteen, she still lives at home with us. Beautiful thing she is, her name is Lucy.” He spoke with admiration for her and I couldn’t wipe the smile off of my face. “You would make a very nice couple actually.”
“I’m sure she is lovely,” I said with a laugh, “but I’m taken.”
“That is a shame. Not for you of course, but for me. I would like to choose all my children’s partners in all honesty. You should see some of the people they have brought home,” he scoffed but he was being playful with his words. “None of them have brought home anyone remotely creative. It makes me question their tastes.”
“Well. Not everyone can be perfect.”
“This is true. See? You are so wise Charlie, perfect for Lucy,” he joked and I wished that we could have talked longer, and for once I was sad that my plane journey had come to an end.
I helped Ian to get his bag from the overhead compartment when we landed and we walked together through
the small airport until we reached the other side where several cars were waiting. I saw Andre sitting in his old beat up blue car and he waved to me and I felt happy that Hildie had sent him to pick me up, saving me from having to endure a taxi ride home. Ian nudged me and pointed to a red car opposite us and inside was a woman his age, looking out of the side window so she had yet to notice us.
“That’s my beauty,” he said fondly then pulled me into a hug and kissed both of my cheeks. “It was an absolute pleasure meeting you Charlie.”
“You too Ian.”
“Enjoy school,” he said finally and then practically skipped over to the red car opposite. I saw Belle notice him and she laughed then got out of the drivers seat and ran over to him. He wrapped her up in his arms and lifted her off the ground and twirled her around as she continued to laugh, then put her down and placed a kiss on her lips. I only stood and watched them for a minute before making my way over to Andre, knowing that I was now only an hour or so away from seeing Ezra again.
VICTOR
Aunt Hildie was thrilled to see me when I got back to the house, I could tell because she smiled for more than a couple of seconds when she saw me. She made me call my dad to let him know I was there, and he was much more chatty on the phone than he used to be, and informed me that they were going to come as a family for my last week at college to celebrate me finishing my course. Both my father and Daniel hadn’t been to my aunt’s since I was in primary school, and now them coming with their other halves seemed like a whole new chapter. Aunt Hildie was very interested to hear about Joe and questioned me for a good hour about her before I could even wash up and unpack my things. Her main concern was if dad was protecting his money. It was no secret that my dad was successful in his work and earned a pretty penny for it too, but I really didn’t think Joe saw my dad as some kind of sugar daddy. I told aunt Hildie this and although she seemed a bit suspicious still, she said she would let it go. It was nice to see her being so protective of her brother and it reminded me of how Daniel was with me. She then went on to inform me that she had planned a special dinner for me that night, she was making her ‘famous’ carbonara, which, I must say, was always delicious. She had even baked bread the previous day and melted garlic butter over it before letting it bake for a further ten minutes. It wasn’t traditional garlic bread, but it always tasted amazing and I loved it when she made the effort.
“I have also got us a bottle of red wine,” she said and I felt a little amused at how friendly she was being, not that she was a monster during a normal day, but she was never this laid back with me. “I have heard that you enjoy drinking red wine these days.”
“Who told you that?” I grinned.
“Well, no one has actually told me. But I noticed the empty wine bottle in your study. Does it help you get inspiration?”
“Oh,” I said and remembered that night with Ezra. “Yeah, it helps me relax from the day.”
“Eighteen and already needing wine to help you unwind.,” she rolled her eyes. “What on earth will you do when you get to my age?”
“Oh, I’m planning on being a full blown alcoholic by then.”
“Well, you’re making a good start if that is your life ambition. But, for now, please ask before helping yourself to my wine collection. And be careful taking it with your medication Charlie.”
“I will. Sorry.”
“Also. Monsieur Bardet will be joining us for dinner tonight.”
“Really? But…it is not a Friday,” I said and looked baffled.
“Well, myself and Monsieur Bardet have decided to see more of each other. Neither of us is getting any younger…he…actually moved in while you were away.”
“Oh!” I said, completely taken by surprise. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“We have been courting for quite a while now. We just needed to decide whose house we were going to live in. His is so dark and dreary, there was no competition really.”
“Now he is living with us do I get to know his first name?” I asked and was low key excited to get to know his name after all these months.
“His name is Victor. But, he would like it if you called him Monsieur Bardet.”
“Seriously?” I asked, completely unamused.
“Yes, Charlie, seriously,” she tutted and I felt like she was slipping back into her normal aunt Hildie ways.
“Okay. Well. What time will dinner be?”
“Six o’clock. On the dot,” she said and glanced to the clock that hung from the wall in the living room.
“Okay,” I said and looked at the clock as well, I had a good three hours before I needed to be there. “I’m going to
head in town for a bit. Can I take the car?”
“Yes. Just remember to put the handbrake on.” I frowned at her instruction and just gave her a nod.
“Thank you. I will be back for dinner.” I kissed her cheek and dumped my bag up in my bedroom and tried not to look to eager to get into town. I had already agreed with Ezra before I left that I would meet him at the cafe in the town square - the one that sat opposite Coco’s and was where the locals mainly gathered. He said he would be there all afternoon with me not knowing what time I would be getting back into town. It was a sweet gesture for him to wait, and I was beyond excited to see him. I was grateful for my aunt’s car as there was no way I would have wanted to walk into town, not when I wanted to get there as quickly as possible. I parked as close to the town square as possible, and then tried to look casual as I made my way to the cafe.
Ezra sat on the table nearest the door and he was looking down at a book and had a cup of coffee next to him on the table. I took a moment just to look at him without him knowing that I was there and then went over to him.
“Is this seat taken?” I asked as I pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down with a smile on my face. He looked up from his book and his face lightened when he looked at me.
“Hey, you,” he said with a warm tone and he placed the book on the table and reached for my hand. “I’ve missed you.” He gave my hand a squeeze before letting it go. I saw him hesitate slightly and I thought he was going to get up and give me a hug, but he didn’t and relaxed back in his chair more.
“I’ve missed you too. It’s felt like forever not being able to talk to you. I should have asked for Andre’s phone number so I could have called at least once.”
“I don’t think Andre has a phone actually,” he laughed, “but we can talk now. How was England? How is your family?”
“England is good. My family, well, they have been busy.”
“Busy? How?”
“My Dad introduced me to his girlfriend. They’ve been
together quite a while, but, yeah. Her name is Joe. She’s nice. Then there’s my brother. He is going to propose to his girlfriend soon. So, lot’s of romance while I’ve been away.”
“That’s nice though - are they all happy?”
“I think so,” I smiled, “I might have told them about you as well.”
“Might have?” he asked and raised his eyebrow.
“I did. I hope that it’s okay. I just…I want to tell the world about you, and I would, if I could.”
“What did they say?”
“They said that they want to meet you.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Really. They were happy for me.” As I spoke I couldn’t read his expression, he seemed happy for me but there was some sadness in his eyes too.
“I’m happy for you Charlie,” he smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Is your Father going to tell your Aunt?”
“No. But he suggested that I tell her. But I’m not going to do anything without you being okay with it first.”
“I kind of want to enjoy it just being us for a while longer,” he said and looked at his cup of coffee then picked it up to hold it, but didn’t take a sip.
“Yeah. Yeah, that’s fine.” I didn’t want him to think I was rushing into things, forcing him to start being someone
he wasn’t ready to be.
“I want us to both really know that this is it. I don’t have any doubts about us, but we need to just be together, just us, for a while.”
“I understand. I wasn’t trying to put any pressure on you Ez.”
“I know,” he said after taking a deep breath. “You want to get a coffee here, or should we go for a walk?”
“Let’s go for a walk.”
We actually decided to drive out of the town to where there were farming fields, not too far from my aunt’s house. Ezra hadn’t been out there before so it seemed like a nice time to show him some place new and get away from the familiarity of the square. We parked on a private dirt road and ended up making love in the back of the car instead of going for a walk. The back seat was just about big enough for him to lay there with me between his legs, head resting on his chest. I watched the rise and fall of his breathing and closed my eyes as I heard his heart beating underneath my ear. His skin felt warm and soft and I honestly could have spent every day with him like that. It was so quiet and the only sounds were our breathing and the birds bickering with each other across the fields.
“You said your brother is going to get married?” he asked, breaking the silence, and I felt his fingers playing with some wisps of my hair.
“Umm hmm,” I hummed in response, “if she says yes.”
“Have you ever thought about getting married?” His voice was serene as he spoke and I let out a soft sigh.
“Maybe.”
“Would you marry me?”
“Why? Are you asking?” Our voices were both so calm despite the subject matter.
“Not right now. But, I mean, one day.”
“One day. Yes,” I said and started to press soft kisses to his chest which made him laugh quietly.
“I want to buy you a nice house first,” he said, “is that weird? That I want to do that?”
“No. I like that you want to do that.”
“I’ve actually been looking at a place,” he said and I sat up to look at him.
“You have?”
“I was looking for somewhere anyway, I can’t stay with Andre forever,” he explained, “I have enough money to rent it. I was thinking…after college you might come back and visit. It could be your home away from home.” I looked at him, I hadn’t wanted to bring up the topic of me leaving in case it made me realise this was just a fling. But he had been planning. He had been thinking about what to do when I left and how to make it work when I came back.
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