A Flair For The Dramatic
Four
*Elle*
"Rose, I need you. Be at my place in 10?" I say and put the phone down when I get the answer I am so desperate to hear.
I am going out on a date today, and I have never been so nervous for something this significantly in my life. I don't know why, because I've been out on plenty of dates, it just feels like this one could actually lead to something more. First of all, because Jaime isn't a douchebag, but also because I actually like him and he seems to like me too.
I just have one minor problem.
As much as I like him, I don't want to push my problems on to him because they aren't his responsibilities. And I don't know whether he will be able to handle them anyway - not many people can. He barely knows a thing about me, and my guess is that today is going to be the day where he finds out more.
I am distracted from my thoughts when I hear my apartment buzzer ring and I walk over and press the intercom button, to see Rose stood there smoking at the entrance of the building. "You're gonna have to put that out if you wanna come in, doll."
She stubs out the cigarette coolly and because there is still more than half left, she slides it back into her packet and smiles sweetly at the camera above the door.
I buzz her in and open the door, ready for when she reaches my floor. A few moments later I hear her shutting the door behind her and relighting the cigarette she stubbed out to get through the doors just minutes ago.
I open the window to let out the smoke and she sits on the couch. "How may I be of assistance today?"
"I have a date with Jaime and I have no clue what to wear." I say, straight to the point, and her expression softens.
"Aw! No way, so Jaime is the guy you have been seeing all this time?" I nod in response and she squeals a little, causing me to smile shyly. "I guess I kinda knew, but anyway, let's get started on your outfit!"
"Yeah, good luck with that. I have no decent clothes at the moment."
"I will find something, trust me." She smiles. "Where are you going for your date?"
"To a café and then to the movies afterwards." I tell her.
"Okay, so you want something casual, of course." I sigh in exasperation and shrug my shoulders - I've never been the more fashionable one out of me and Rose and I usually rely on her to help me with my clothes shopping. "Come on, let's see what you've got hidden in your room."
When I come back out of my room, I am fully dressed and actually looking nice.
Rose picked out a white lace skater skirt teamed with a black cropped vest and a leather jacket, then matched with my black ankle converse. I have left my hair with its natural waves, clipping a piece up at the side and just straightened my fringe. I have to admit, I look good.
"What time are you meeting him?" Rose asks me, checking her phone whilst doing so.
"He's going to be here any moment now, actually." I see her laugh absentmindedly as she types on her phone. and I giggle. "Don't worry, Rose, you can go and see your lover-boy now."
She looks up at me and giggles, walking over to me and giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful, Elle. Have fun." I smile at her and she waves at me, walking towards the door.
"See you later." I say to her and walk towards the mirror, checking my hair and making sure I look okay.
"Oh, hello. Elle, your prince has arrived." I hear Rose say and Jaime laughs. I turn bright red and my cheeks are still burning when he walks into the lounge.
"Hey, Elle. You look lovely." He tells me and I smile shyly and look down at my feet.
"See ya later guys! Have fun!" Rose shouts and me and Jaime both shout our goodbyes to her at the same time.
"I like your hair natural." He says absentmindedly and toys with a piece of my hair softly.
"Thank you." I say and smile genuinely at him.
"Any time." He grins widely. "Ready?"
I nod. "Ready."
*Jaime*
"Holy crap!" I yell and almost fall out of my seat, squeezing on Elle's hand and getting a few laughs from around me, including from Elle. We are sat in the cinema watching what is probably one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen.
"Are you okay?" She whispers into my ear once everyone settles down again into silence, eyes glued to the screen.
"Yeah. Totally cool." I say in a strained tone, causing her to giggle cutely.
"We don't have to stay..." She says and I can feel her eyes on me. I turn around and look into her pretty eyes.
"Do you mind?" I ask her.
"Not at all." She smiles and takes my hand again gently, leading me out of the doors and bursting into a fit of laughter when we get outside of the screen room. "That was just too funny."
"I'm glad you find my fear amusing, Elle." I say sarcastically and then laugh with her.
"So... Where to now?" She asks me.
"Wanna get something to eat?" I offer and she smiles warmly at me and nods.
"Sure."
We walk out of the cinema hand in hand and I look at her subtly as we stroll towards the nearby cafè. She is stunning, and probably one of the kindest, most genuine girls I have ever met.
She catches me looking at her and blushes hard, a deep crimson filling her cheeks. It makes my stomach flip and an uncontrollable grin spreads across my face.
"What are you looking at?" She asks me shyly, looking down at the pavement.
"Nothing. You just amaze me." I say and she glances up at me in shock and slight disbelief. "You're beautiful."
Her expression softens towards me and I can tell that she is flattered by what I just said to her. "Not so bad yourself." She laughs jokingly and nudges me in the arm playfully.
We reach the cafè and I hold the door open for her and she smiles thankfully at me.
"So, what would you like?" I ask her when we reach the counter and pull out my wallet, willing to pay for her.
"What, no, Jaime. You don't have to pay for me, honestly."
"I don't have to. But I want to." I say and I notice the conflict in her expression. "Elle, it's just a drink and something to eat. I'm trying to be a gentlemen here." I laugh and she laughs too.
"Fine, okay. I'll have hot chocolate and a cinnamon swirl, if that's okay."
"Of course it's okay."
"Can I take your order?" The man behind the counter asks me cheerfully.
"Uh, yeah. Can I have a large hot chocolate, a large gingerbread latte, and two cinnamon swirls, please."
"No problem sir. Are you staying in or taking out?"
"Staying in." I answer.
"Okay. That will be $12.78 please." He tells me and I hand him a twenty. "Thank you sir. Here is your change. If you go and sit over there on table 18 we can bring your order over to you."
"Thanks, dude." I say and earn a smile from Elle as well as the guy behind the counter. We head over to table 18 and I pull out a chair for Elle and she sits down, smiling at me politely. I walk around the table and sit across from her.
"So, who are you, Elle?" I strike a conversation with her and hope that she can cure my constant curiosity about her.
"Uh... It's kinda hard to explain."
"I'm sure I'll catch on."
"No, really... It's not exactly interesting anyway..." She mumbles.
"I'll be interested as long as it's you talking." I tell her truthfully and she smiles warmly at me. "Tell me about you."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything at all. Where are you from? Any brothers or sisters..."
"I'm from New York originally, but I moved here to San Diego when I was 17. I had a brother but, uh, it doesn't matter."
I am curious about her brother but I decide not to push her into talking about it when I see the awkwardness and slight hint of emotional pain in her eyes. "So why'd you move from NY to sunny San Diego?" I say cheerfully to try and lighten the mood a little.
"Too much stress in the city, I needed somewhere that was completely different. And Rose had relatives over here at the time too."
"So you and Rose have always been friends then?"
"For years. We promised to never leave each other in school." She says and her mood improves just by talking about her best friend.
"And now look at the two of you, you work together and everything!"
"Yeah. The job is far from the best, but it pays well and at least I get to be with Rose." She looks slightly nervous talking about her profession and when I remember what it is properly I understand why.
"You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me you know." I tell her softly.
"I know, it's just something I never saw myself doing - not in a million years. I used to look down on people that worked jobs relating to what I do, but after what happened it's not as if anyone else would take me..." Her voice trails off and she looks afraid - as if she said something she wasn't supposed to say.
"After what happened?" I repeat and she looks at me, tears in her eyes.
"Shit, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, Jaime, I should go." She says and is about to stand up and leave. I grab her arm gently and stand up with her. She looks me in the eyes and I wipe away the tear that is about to fall down her cheek.
"Don't be sorry. And don't go. Please." She frowns at me and sighs, pulling out her seat again and getting ready to sit back down. I let go of her wrist and smile at her, taking a seat myself. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
She looks at me for a while and then the waitress comes over with our drinks and cinnamon swirls.
"Your order sir." She says and places down the tray. "If you have any issues or need someone, just ring the bell." She says and points to the bell on the tray, then walks away and through the door to the back of the cafè.
I hand over the hot chocolate and one of the cinnamon swirls to Elle and she takes them happily. "I think I want to talk about it." I take a sip of my latte and look at her, giving her silent consent that she can tell me what she feels like she should tell me. "If we're going to keep doing this then you should know what you're letting yourself in for."
I look at her in confusion and she avoids eye contact with me. "Well I definitely want to do this again, so go on."
"I, uh... I am an alcoholic stroke drug addict." She puts bluntly and I almost spit out my cinnamon swirl, although I'm not sure whether it's because I need to laugh about this or whether it's because I am shocked.
"You're a... Seriously?"
"Yes. I, um, I have been for about 18 months now. I-I tried to stop, but, but-" She interrupts herself and gets choked up.
"Hey, um, it's okay." I reassure her, but I'm not sure whether this is okay. I never expected this, and it really does change things.
"It's not though, is it?" She says seriously and looks at me. I have no words and I answer her with a silence. "Fuck. Okay, well, it was amazing to meet you, Jaime. You have been great and so has today, I should leave now. See you around." I can hear the tears thicken her voice and I feel like a dick for not saying anything to her.
"No, Elle, wait!" I shout, causing a few disturbed and annoyed glances from other customers, but it is too late. She has walked out of the door and is heading away down the street.
*Elle*
I wipe away the tears that are beginning to fall down my cheeks furiously, sniffling and taking my phone out of my purse in the process.
There's only one person that can make me feel better right now, and that's the only person that has always been there for me. The one that doesn't judge me or disregard me for who I am and what my problems are.
Rose.
"Rose, I need you. Be at my place in 10?" I say and put the phone down when I get the answer I am so desperate to hear.
I am going out on a date today, and I have never been so nervous for something this significantly in my life. I don't know why, because I've been out on plenty of dates, it just feels like this one could actually lead to something more. First of all, because Jaime isn't a douchebag, but also because I actually like him and he seems to like me too.
I just have one minor problem.
As much as I like him, I don't want to push my problems on to him because they aren't his responsibilities. And I don't know whether he will be able to handle them anyway - not many people can. He barely knows a thing about me, and my guess is that today is going to be the day where he finds out more.
I am distracted from my thoughts when I hear my apartment buzzer ring and I walk over and press the intercom button, to see Rose stood there smoking at the entrance of the building. "You're gonna have to put that out if you wanna come in, doll."
She stubs out the cigarette coolly and because there is still more than half left, she slides it back into her packet and smiles sweetly at the camera above the door.
I buzz her in and open the door, ready for when she reaches my floor. A few moments later I hear her shutting the door behind her and relighting the cigarette she stubbed out to get through the doors just minutes ago.
I open the window to let out the smoke and she sits on the couch. "How may I be of assistance today?"
"I have a date with Jaime and I have no clue what to wear." I say, straight to the point, and her expression softens.
"Aw! No way, so Jaime is the guy you have been seeing all this time?" I nod in response and she squeals a little, causing me to smile shyly. "I guess I kinda knew, but anyway, let's get started on your outfit!"
"Yeah, good luck with that. I have no decent clothes at the moment."
"I will find something, trust me." She smiles. "Where are you going for your date?"
"To a café and then to the movies afterwards." I tell her.
"Okay, so you want something casual, of course." I sigh in exasperation and shrug my shoulders - I've never been the more fashionable one out of me and Rose and I usually rely on her to help me with my clothes shopping. "Come on, let's see what you've got hidden in your room."
When I come back out of my room, I am fully dressed and actually looking nice.
Rose picked out a white lace skater skirt teamed with a black cropped vest and a leather jacket, then matched with my black ankle converse. I have left my hair with its natural waves, clipping a piece up at the side and just straightened my fringe. I have to admit, I look good.
"What time are you meeting him?" Rose asks me, checking her phone whilst doing so.
"He's going to be here any moment now, actually." I see her laugh absentmindedly as she types on her phone. and I giggle. "Don't worry, Rose, you can go and see your lover-boy now."
She looks up at me and giggles, walking over to me and giving me a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek. "You look beautiful, Elle. Have fun." I smile at her and she waves at me, walking towards the door.
"See you later." I say to her and walk towards the mirror, checking my hair and making sure I look okay.
"Oh, hello. Elle, your prince has arrived." I hear Rose say and Jaime laughs. I turn bright red and my cheeks are still burning when he walks into the lounge.
"Hey, Elle. You look lovely." He tells me and I smile shyly and look down at my feet.
"See ya later guys! Have fun!" Rose shouts and me and Jaime both shout our goodbyes to her at the same time.
"I like your hair natural." He says absentmindedly and toys with a piece of my hair softly.
"Thank you." I say and smile genuinely at him.
"Any time." He grins widely. "Ready?"
I nod. "Ready."
*Jaime*
"Holy crap!" I yell and almost fall out of my seat, squeezing on Elle's hand and getting a few laughs from around me, including from Elle. We are sat in the cinema watching what is probably one of the most terrifying movies I have ever seen.
"Are you okay?" She whispers into my ear once everyone settles down again into silence, eyes glued to the screen.
"Yeah. Totally cool." I say in a strained tone, causing her to giggle cutely.
"We don't have to stay..." She says and I can feel her eyes on me. I turn around and look into her pretty eyes.
"Do you mind?" I ask her.
"Not at all." She smiles and takes my hand again gently, leading me out of the doors and bursting into a fit of laughter when we get outside of the screen room. "That was just too funny."
"I'm glad you find my fear amusing, Elle." I say sarcastically and then laugh with her.
"So... Where to now?" She asks me.
"Wanna get something to eat?" I offer and she smiles warmly at me and nods.
"Sure."
We walk out of the cinema hand in hand and I look at her subtly as we stroll towards the nearby cafè. She is stunning, and probably one of the kindest, most genuine girls I have ever met.
She catches me looking at her and blushes hard, a deep crimson filling her cheeks. It makes my stomach flip and an uncontrollable grin spreads across my face.
"What are you looking at?" She asks me shyly, looking down at the pavement.
"Nothing. You just amaze me." I say and she glances up at me in shock and slight disbelief. "You're beautiful."
Her expression softens towards me and I can tell that she is flattered by what I just said to her. "Not so bad yourself." She laughs jokingly and nudges me in the arm playfully.
We reach the cafè and I hold the door open for her and she smiles thankfully at me.
"So, what would you like?" I ask her when we reach the counter and pull out my wallet, willing to pay for her.
"What, no, Jaime. You don't have to pay for me, honestly."
"I don't have to. But I want to." I say and I notice the conflict in her expression. "Elle, it's just a drink and something to eat. I'm trying to be a gentlemen here." I laugh and she laughs too.
"Fine, okay. I'll have hot chocolate and a cinnamon swirl, if that's okay."
"Of course it's okay."
"Can I take your order?" The man behind the counter asks me cheerfully.
"Uh, yeah. Can I have a large hot chocolate, a large gingerbread latte, and two cinnamon swirls, please."
"No problem sir. Are you staying in or taking out?"
"Staying in." I answer.
"Okay. That will be $12.78 please." He tells me and I hand him a twenty. "Thank you sir. Here is your change. If you go and sit over there on table 18 we can bring your order over to you."
"Thanks, dude." I say and earn a smile from Elle as well as the guy behind the counter. We head over to table 18 and I pull out a chair for Elle and she sits down, smiling at me politely. I walk around the table and sit across from her.
"So, who are you, Elle?" I strike a conversation with her and hope that she can cure my constant curiosity about her.
"Uh... It's kinda hard to explain."
"I'm sure I'll catch on."
"No, really... It's not exactly interesting anyway..." She mumbles.
"I'll be interested as long as it's you talking." I tell her truthfully and she smiles warmly at me. "Tell me about you."
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything at all. Where are you from? Any brothers or sisters..."
"I'm from New York originally, but I moved here to San Diego when I was 17. I had a brother but, uh, it doesn't matter."
I am curious about her brother but I decide not to push her into talking about it when I see the awkwardness and slight hint of emotional pain in her eyes. "So why'd you move from NY to sunny San Diego?" I say cheerfully to try and lighten the mood a little.
"Too much stress in the city, I needed somewhere that was completely different. And Rose had relatives over here at the time too."
"So you and Rose have always been friends then?"
"For years. We promised to never leave each other in school." She says and her mood improves just by talking about her best friend.
"And now look at the two of you, you work together and everything!"
"Yeah. The job is far from the best, but it pays well and at least I get to be with Rose." She looks slightly nervous talking about her profession and when I remember what it is properly I understand why.
"You don't have to be embarrassed in front of me you know." I tell her softly.
"I know, it's just something I never saw myself doing - not in a million years. I used to look down on people that worked jobs relating to what I do, but after what happened it's not as if anyone else would take me..." Her voice trails off and she looks afraid - as if she said something she wasn't supposed to say.
"After what happened?" I repeat and she looks at me, tears in her eyes.
"Shit, I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, Jaime, I should go." She says and is about to stand up and leave. I grab her arm gently and stand up with her. She looks me in the eyes and I wipe away the tear that is about to fall down her cheek.
"Don't be sorry. And don't go. Please." She frowns at me and sighs, pulling out her seat again and getting ready to sit back down. I let go of her wrist and smile at her, taking a seat myself. "We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."
She looks at me for a while and then the waitress comes over with our drinks and cinnamon swirls.
"Your order sir." She says and places down the tray. "If you have any issues or need someone, just ring the bell." She says and points to the bell on the tray, then walks away and through the door to the back of the cafè.
I hand over the hot chocolate and one of the cinnamon swirls to Elle and she takes them happily. "I think I want to talk about it." I take a sip of my latte and look at her, giving her silent consent that she can tell me what she feels like she should tell me. "If we're going to keep doing this then you should know what you're letting yourself in for."
I look at her in confusion and she avoids eye contact with me. "Well I definitely want to do this again, so go on."
"I, uh... I am an alcoholic stroke drug addict." She puts bluntly and I almost spit out my cinnamon swirl, although I'm not sure whether it's because I need to laugh about this or whether it's because I am shocked.
"You're a... Seriously?"
"Yes. I, um, I have been for about 18 months now. I-I tried to stop, but, but-" She interrupts herself and gets choked up.
"Hey, um, it's okay." I reassure her, but I'm not sure whether this is okay. I never expected this, and it really does change things.
"It's not though, is it?" She says seriously and looks at me. I have no words and I answer her with a silence. "Fuck. Okay, well, it was amazing to meet you, Jaime. You have been great and so has today, I should leave now. See you around." I can hear the tears thicken her voice and I feel like a dick for not saying anything to her.
"No, Elle, wait!" I shout, causing a few disturbed and annoyed glances from other customers, but it is too late. She has walked out of the door and is heading away down the street.
*Elle*
I wipe away the tears that are beginning to fall down my cheeks furiously, sniffling and taking my phone out of my purse in the process.
There's only one person that can make me feel better right now, and that's the only person that has always been there for me. The one that doesn't judge me or disregard me for who I am and what my problems are.
Rose.
Notes
Sorry I haven't been updating very often, I've been super busy, but here is a pretty long chapter for you all :)
Please don't forget to comment your opinions and rate etc because i'm really eager to know what you all think of this so far.
I know its only getting started so far but trust me - I have big plans for this one *evil laugh* muhahahahaha...
okay bye.
pleasepleaseplease update this soooon!
4/15/15