Just Like Heaven - Ethan Torchio

Cathy's café

Fired. Elaine sat on some stairs in front of a random apartment, her hands in her hair. She couldn't stop thinking. Pack your stuff, that's what her boss said. She got fired over being ten minutes late. They just kept her there, working way more hours than she should for only that little money, and then fired her over nothing. And honestly, she couldn't care less. She had been sitting here for a while though, thinking about what was coming next. She probably had been sitting there for an hour, at least. 

Elaine looked up. The sky began to get clouded, and the first drops of rain started falling on her face and messy hair. Shit, she thought, that too? She looked at the pavement next to her as it slowly started to get darker, spot by spot, raindrop by raindrop. As she took her bags, which were now filled with stuff from work, she got up. Where to go next? Elaine knew exactly where. 

She started walking down the grey street as it started raining harder. And it rained harder. And even harder. It started pouring, and Elaine started laughing. She might've not had an umbrella, but she did still have her music. With music blasting through her ears, full volume, she strolled over these streets. And she had never felt better. She just walked there, feeling euphoric, a mixture of rain and tears dripping down her face. Her music played on and on, and she listened to every single moment of it. Every note. Every beat. Every pause, too. Even though it was only for around four minutes, this moment felt like it lasted forever. 

Elaine saw the building she was going to, laying near the corner of the street she was on. Catherine's café, that's what the sign that was hanging above the window said. Elaine always thought it was an uncreative name, but since it was a nice café and vintage shop in one, she didn't care. She walked towards it and put her hand on the golden doorknob, opening an old-fashioned door. She stepped inside and was welcomed by a warm light and an open fire.

¨Oh Elle,¨ A few seconds later a middle-aged woman made her way towards Elaine. ¨You look like you just jumped in the ocean and a whale tried to consume you.¨ She looked her up and down with a pitiful look. ¨And then spit you out again.¨

¨A good morning to you too, Cathy,¨ Elaine laughed at the warm welcome she just received. ¨A mint tea please, I need it. I just got fired an hour ago.¨

¨Oh poor thing, that too?¨ Catherine looked at her, full of sympathy. ¨Im just going to leave you alone then, go pick out some nice clothes.¨ She gave Elaine her mint tea and walked over to a small table to talk to some other customers. Elaine took a sip of her tea, then walked to the back where the clothes were. The shop seemed small, but it was actually very large. There were lots of clothing racks, so lots of cute clothes. It was very cosy and personal inside, therefore it was one of Elaine's favourite shops. Lost in her thoughts, she bumped into someone and her bag fell. She bent down to grab her stuff when she heard a familiar voice speaking in a foreign accent. 

¨You really forget that people can be around you sometimes, don't you?¨ 

Elaine looked up to see the girl she met this morning in the park, smiling at her. She had changed her clothes, now wearing a black suit with a colourful top underneath, and black leather pants. The girls seemed to have a similar style. She reached out her hand to help Elaine get up. Elaine accepted the hand, and as the girl helped her get up, their rings met each other. 

¨I'm sorry, nice rings, by the way,¨ Elaine grinned and the girl studied the rings they were wearing, which were very similar.

¨Don't worry about it,¨ the girl laughed. ¨And thanks, I like your style.¨ She apparently too, had noticed they had a very similar style. 

¨I'm Elaine by the way, but you can just call me Elle like everyone does,¨ Elaine remembered she just ran away this morning without saying a word. ¨Forgot to introduce myself this morning.¨

¨Yeah, I know, you were kind of in a hurry,¨ The girl replied. Elaine thought about how rude it must've been to just run away. ¨I'm Victoria, but you can just call me Vic like my friends do. You had to be at work on time, right? When were you supposed to start?¨

¨Oh, I was supposed to start at nine, but I arrived ten minutes late.¨

¨Only ten minutes? What were you worrying about? Who cares that-¨

¨I got fired.¨

¨Oh.¨

A silence fell, and Victoria awkwardly shuffled her feet. ¨Well,¨ she began in an uncomfortable tone. ¨If you had a boss who fired you over being ten minutes late, that job must've sucked.¨ Another little silence fell.

¨Well,¨ Elaine raised her eyebrows while thinking about it. Victoria was still shuffling her feet, waiting to hear Elaine's opinion. ¨Youre not wrong,¨ Elaine then smiled while shrugging.

¨Oh by the way,¨ Victoria laughed at Elaine's response. ¨You might wanna check your pocket.¨

Elaine put her hand in the pocket of her coat looking confused. Fuck. She grabbed around, but her necklace was nowhere to be found. She panicked.

¨Relax,¨ Victoria said. ¨I saw it fall out of your pocket. You just didn't hear me when I shouted at you. I have it back at our house because I didn't think I would see you again today.¨

¨Oh thank god, you scared me there.¨ Elaine looked relieved. ¨By the way, where are you from?¨ She had noticed that Victoria had an accent immediately, but she now started to get curious about it.

¨Oh,¨ Victoria laughed. ¨I thought you wouldn't notice. But I'm Italian, me and some friends arrived here two days ago, we're going to live here for a couple of months for our job,¨ she explained.

¨Oh,¨ Elaine said surprised.  Victoria's English was pretty good for someone who just moved here a couple of days ago. ¨So you don't know this place yet?¨

¨Nope, we don't know any places, anyone, anything at all. One of my friends doesn't even know how to speak English correctly.¨ Victoria looked at Elaine and hesitated for a bit, but then she asked; ¨Do you think you could help us? You know, with spots we can shop, bars we can drink, maybe help us with a bit of English if we need it?¨ She looked nervous, even a bit shy waiting for the answer. ¨I mean, you don't have to of course,¨ she quickly laughed. ¨I understand if-¨

¨No, it's fine,¨ Elaine smiled. ¨I mean, it's not like I have a job to go to that will take up my day.¨ Victoria looked at her with big eyes for a bit, then swung her arms around Elaine.

¨Elle, you are amazing,¨ she squealed, and as she pulled back you could see her eyes twinkling. 

¨I know.¨