Chapter 1A Chapter by Paige HMy fingers strummed in
sequences of three, tapping their repetitive rhythm on the lid of my paper
coffee cup. The hollow echo quietly resonated through the steaming liquid. I
was a fidgeter, and in times of impatience my constant need for motion increased
in severity. The sun was beginning to peek through the clouds and I could feel
the slight warmth as a few rays managed to penetrate the cloud cover that had
cloaked the sky since I had awoken that morning. The light softly fell through
the thick, pitted glass casting shadows across my closed eyelids as the lead
separating the panes blocked strips of the glow. The bell on the door quietly
twinkled and I gazed up from my table, tucked in the far corner, glancing to
see if Molly had finally arrived. We were scheduled to meet here for our weekly
“conversation,” but she was running uncharacteristically late. An older
gentleman exited the coffee shop slowly, nodding his head at someone holding
the door. I watched as a young, imposing man swiftly entered the shop, easily
pushing aside the heavy, antiquated door. I watched him from my secluded spot
in the corner. He was tall, quite so, and lanky; his long fingers pushed back
the dark curls that framed his face. He wore all black; skinny jeans, t-shirt,
and loosely woven sweater. It hung from his shoulders and accentuated his thin
frame. He was attractive, and I suppose I was staring, for I found myself meeting
his piercing eyes, unable to look away. I
have written you down now you wi- “Hello?”
The ringing of my mobile abruptly ended the intense moment of eye contact. “Piper.
Flynn. Collins.” F**k. I’d forgotten to check the caller ID. “Hello
Mother.” “I
received a very interesting phone call from your brother yesterday. He seemed
to think that you were not coming home for the summer. I told him he must by
incorrect in that assertion, for surely that couldn’t be the case, now could
it?” “Well
s**t Mum. I guess I forgot to mention that Molly and I rented a flat in London
and I got a job so I have to stay on this side of the pond for the summer. Did
I really forget to mention that? How absolutely silly of me! I am such a space
sometimes.” I retorted, my words dripping with sarcasm. I looked up from the
table. The boy was standing waiting for his drink. He looked at me quizzically
as I continued on my rant. “Anyways Mother, if you have no further inquisitions
for me, I really must be getting back to the important business that it is
imperative I attend to. Have a wonderful summer and perhaps we can get together
sometime next year.” “PIPE-”
I tapped the screen, ending the call abruptly before my mother could berate me. The
boy, opened his mouth to say something when Molly came bursting through the
door, frantically waving in my general direction as she called out my name. As
she approached, the tall stranger shook his head, pushed his curls from his
forehead and left with his beverage, swiftly cutting through the people waiting
in line to order. I followed his movements with my eyes as Molly began to
speak. “I
am so absolutely sorry I’m late, Piper. I feel awful, but you will never
believe what just happened.” Molly
was my best friend from University. We’d met on the third day of school, just
as I had been beginning to wonder if I’d made a huge mistake in moving to a
foreign country to attend university. My brother had dropped me off at St.
Andrews on the day of freshman orientation. My parents, as per usual, were
absent. My father had said that he had a “very important international
businessmen’s” meeting with his “very important international businessmen”
colleagues and was therefore unable to attend this turning point in my life. Big
surprise there. My mother, on the other hand, had decided it was more important
that she and my sister squeeze in an adequate amount of shopping time before my
sister started her senior year of high school (so that she could make the “best
impressions for her final year at Middleburg”), than it was for her to help me
move to another country. My brother, being the
only individual in my family who actually gave a s**t, after helping me set up
my dorm, hugged me and left to return to New York. So went the only person on
the entire European continent with whom I had any ties. I was completely alone.
Two days later while hurrying across the grassy common area, having not made a
single friend in the entirety of that time, I dropped my raincoat that had been
slung over the top of my wool messenger bag. Molly had called out for me to
stop and had handed it back to me. Upon hearing my American accent, she had
excitedly suggested that we go get a beer after classes. Following my final
lecture of the day, Molly and I had met up at an old bar in town and spent the
rest of the night talking. The majority of that time was spent with us trading
off, requesting various words for the other to say, and laughing at our
differences in dialect; becoming increasingly uninhibited the more inebriated
we became. As the semester wore
on, we both branched out a bit, but Molly was always there to hold my hair when
I was puking my guts out after drinking too much, to help me calm down when
school caused me to stress uncontrollably, and to listen as I mumbled about my frustrations
and emotional reservations. She had quickly become my best friend, closest
confidant, and finally flat mate. “What
just happened, Molly?” I asked, snapping back to the present and quickly
forgiving her lack of punctuality. “Well,
as I was walking here, I went to cross the street when, and this going to sound
so completely cliché, but whatever, when this… guy, f*****g spills his f*****g
coffee all over my shirt. He was all like flustered and offered to buy me a new
one, so long story short… I have a date tomorrow night!” Molly gushed
excitedly. “OHMYGOD.
That’s actually very exciting and a completely legitimate excuse for nearly
standing up your best friend at our bestie conference” I said teasingly. “I’m
sorry!” She exclaimed again, “Are you going to be able to fend without me for
the night? I know how much you absolutely adore me” she said with a grin. “I’m
sure I will be able to think of something to do” I replied, sticking my tongue
out. We
talked for a while about the guy she had just run into. Molly was very excited
because, as pretty as she was, most of the guys we ran into at clubs and bars
were absolute jerks, and Molly did not handle rejection or her emotions very
well. We were polar opposites in that respect. She had told me many times
during her heartbroken tearfests, as I liked to call them, that she wished she
could keep her emotions in check as well as I could; she wished that she was
able to shut people out as thoroughly as I did. What she didn’t realize was how
lonely it could be when you don’t let anyone in and how difficult it is to
suffer through self-imposed isolation. I suppose that disparity was an integral
part in why our friendship coalesced as well as it did. After
a while, I remembered the young man I’d seen earlier. He intrigued me and,
seeing as Molly was a London native unlike myself, I wondered if she’d run into
him before. “Hey
Molly.” “Mmmyessss?”
She responded giggling. “I
saw this guy in here earlier while I was waiting for you and-” “OOOH!
Was he fit? He was fit. Did you get his number? Has my little Piper finally
found a guy worthy of her attention?” She asked animatedly with a touch of sarcasm.
Molly believed I was a bit too picky when it came to men. “No,
I was wondering if you’d ever seen him before. He just seemed like an
interesting person to talk to and my mother called before I could go speak with
him.” “Wait,
your mum called? Does she know that you’re staying here yet?” “Yup”
I said, popping the ‘p,’ “apparently, Colton doesn’t know how to keep a secret.” “S**t.
Well what did she say?” “Does
it matter? I’m going to stay anyways. It’s not like they’ll miss me.” I
responded. “I’m
sorry Piper. That whole situation is just… it really sucks.” Molly said
empathetically. “It’s
all right. I’m used to it by this point.” I
dropped the subject of the boy. I didn’t know who he was, or what was so
intriguing about him, but I knew it wouldn’t go anywhere. It would be in my
best interest to just drop the idea all together. Molly left then, she had a
shift starting at 2:30 and I headed back to the flat. I walked the three blocks
back to the building and cut into the alley that ran along the back side. The
temperature dropped a bit as I stepped into the shadows cast by the two
buildings. I ran my fingers along the wall, feeling the rough, grainy texture
of the brick against my fingertips. I stopped in front of a portrait glued to
the slightly crumbling wall. A small girl was depicted, reaching out for a
heart-shaped balloon as it drifted out of her grasp on the tails of the wind.
Something about the picture tugged at my heartstrings. There was something in
the girl’s helplessness, her want for the balloon, squelched as it floated to
unattainable heights that stirred something in me. I pulled out my keys
and turned away from the affective piece, twisting the metal in the stubborn
lock. I thrust my weight against the door, forcing it inwards after slamming my
hip into it repeatedly. I shut it behind me leaning, back to the wood, jamming the
door closed. I flipped the deadbolt and proceeded up the creaky stairs to
Molly’s and my flat on the fourth floor. I proceeded down the hallway and
stopped in front of our door. I entered the flat and tossed my keys in the bowl
on the ledge by the entrance. Stepping around the ledge, I entered the kitchen
and flipped on a light. The kitchen was relatively clean; a few dishes were
stacked in the sink, but not overly messy by our standards. My stomach grumbled
loudly and I opened the fridge only to find it empty with the exception of a
stalk of sad looking celery and some almond milk. To the store I go I suppose.
My stomach grumbled in agreement. I turned and proceeded back the way I’d come,
running down the stairs, out on to the street, driven by my hunger. Arriving at the store
about 5 minutes later, I grabbed a basket and began throwing various items in
as briskly strolled along each aisle; quinoa, apples, peanut butter, yogurt,
tofu. The basket quickly became increasingly heavy and I remembered that Molly
wasn’t there to aid me in carrying all of these items home. I proceeded to the
checkout counter and began to place my items on the conveyer. What was I going
to do with myself tomorrow night? I could always stay home, but that just
seemed a bit boring. It always felt strange going out without Molly, but alas,
I didn’t want to end up being pathetic and boring as she went out and had great
time. I handed the cashier my
card and grabbed the bags of groceries. They were a bit cumbersome, but I figured
I could manage well enough. The automated doors slid open as I exited the
market and stumbled my way back to the flat garnering a few sympathetic looks
and chuckles from various passerbies. Upon entering the flat, I slid the bags
onto the counter and pulled out an apple. It was about four o’clock, a bit
early for dinner and too late for lunch, but I was starving. I scarfed down the
apple partially satiating my now voracious appetite and began to place the rest
of the groceries in their respective places. I slid onto the sofa and flipped
on the television, choosing some plot-less show that barely held my attention.
My mind began to wander to the man I’d seen earlier. He was so intense, and
this intrigued me. I didn’t get involved with people very often; they usually
just ended up disappointing me, so this interest was a strange feeling for me. I
drifted off with thoughts of this intriguing man infiltrating their way into my
semi-conscious thoughts. I was abruptly shaken
from my dream by the thud of the front door. I looked over at the clock. It was
7:30 already? I guess I’d fallen asleep. “Hey bed-head. How was
the rest of your day?” Molly inquired. “Fine.
I went to the grocery and got some food, but I couldn’t really carry that much
so we’ll have to go again tomorrow or something” I responded, running my
fingers through my tangled waves. “Alrighty!
Well, what do you want to eat? I believe it’s my night to cook, yes?” “Yeah.
Tofu and quinoa sound good?” “Sounds
lovely!” Molly replied cheerfully. She made her way into the kitchen and began
preparing our dinner. I continued watching the mindless program until Molly
brought over a steaming plate for me. We ate in companionable silence and
watched the television until our eyelids became heavy. I stood up, stacking her
empty plate on mine and went to set the stack in the sink. I blew Molly a kiss;
she “caught it” with a smile and returned one, bidding me goodnight. Padding
down the hallway to my room, I slipped my worn tie-dyed shirt over my head and
pulled my long hair up into a messy bun. I brushed my teeth and clambered
beneath the chilly sheets, shuddering slightly as my body attempted to warm
them. Flipping the light switch, I was plunged into darkness; my curtains drawn
shut so the light from the streetlamps couldn’t penetrate the black. My eyelids
fluttered shut and the dark haired boy began to creep into the edges of my mind;
his piercing eyes met mine as I drifted softly into unconsciousness in the
overwhelming darkness of my room. © 2013 Paige HAuthor's Note
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5 Reviews  Last Updated on June 6, 2013 Tags: love, teens, scotland, london, university, family, disappointment Author |
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