Heir of Dust and Wind

Chapter 1 - Desaster

This was the worst date ever. Truly and utterly disastrous.

Walking as fast as she could, Ava followed the young blond man through the late April drizzle. 

Her hair was damp and clinging to her forehead. Her coat did little to keep out the wet chill of the late evening. Somehow the spraying wetness even managed to swallow part of streetlamps' lights.

Alistair had hardly spoken to her in the lobby of the cinema where they'd had "pre-movie drinks", as he had called it. 

Very romantic indeed. 

Then he had, quite loudly, bristled at the couple seated in front of them who had continued their conversation during the commercials. Ava, being shy anyway, had not dared to start talking to him after that. And so, they had sat in silence for the entire movie - and the commercials.

As if that wasn't bad enough, the movie had taken longer than anticipated, so they now had to run to the station to catch the last tram back. Dressing for her first actual date in years, Ava had not prepared for sporty activities. Making an effort, she had chosen high-heeled ankle boots - the only pair of heeled shoes she owned - to make her a little taller than just 5'3. Sadly, they were hardly suited for walking comfortably, let alone running on a wet and slippery road in the dark.

"Hurry, will you? I'd hate to leave you here so late in the evening", Alistair said looking back to her over his shoulder.

He'd hate it, but he'd do it, Ava realized. Her disappointment made it even harder to keep up with him, her every step leaden with dread.

A decent date would have offered to share a cab back to the city centre. But not Alistair. He had intentionally chosen this particular cinema in the outskirts of the city - a place you really didn't want to be after nightfall - because it was cheaper.

Ava scowled at him. She felt something hot stir in her chest as the evening's disappointment turned into red hot anger.

Maybe he wouldn't even hate it given how little interest he had shown all evening. 

Bloody idiot. 

She should have stayed home with her novel instead of agreeing to this catastrophe. Better to be home alone with one of them than out here in the cold with a jerk like Alistair. He could drop dead right on the spot for all she cared.

Ava leapt into a jog, her feet positively killing her. But she ground her teeth and went on. The sooner she was home, the better. Then she could snuggle into her bed and finish the next chapter before she fell asleep and forget about this disaster.

Why had she even agreed to this in the first place?

Mrs Kosnetsky, the only other shop assistant in the little bookstore she worked at, had suggested it. Her nephew. She had claimed that Alistair was such a decent young man and he loved books too.

As if. The only thing he'd talked about before they had entered the cinema was his career at a large solicitor's office in the city centre.

But at Ava's age, Mrs Kosnetsky had added, she needed to make sure that she didn't end up all alone.

 At 23, Ava did not quite share the sentiment. So far, she had fended just fine. However, when the elderly lady had smiled encouragingly at her, she hadn't been able to say no. And after all, there was no denying that there were not many people in her life.

Mrs Kosnetsky and grumpy Mr Anderson - the owner of the bookstore - came probably the closest to what she could call her family. It was pathetic to think of them in that way, but after her mother's death, there had been no one else. She had spent the remainder of her childhood in a home for girls run by nuns.