In the Placa De George Orwell

Chp. 3 In The Placa de George Orwell

Claudia spent the night with Susana for the first time in six years and, as usual, they both drank themselves to sleep. The two recalled past memories of their time in art school; sneaking into the art studios to draw each other naked, and their time together writing poems. Elliot on the other hand was alone, yet glad to have the evening to himself. A sustained gentle warmth and a purple sky were made possible by the Mediterranean sea and its vast swaths of blue. There were fantastic characters passing by fifty feet below his balcony and Barcelona, with its many narrow streets made of stone maintained a peculiar echo that racketed the chatter and laughter coming from the bars below. Elliot sat out on the balcony, enjoyed a tea with honey, and did nothing but observe the skyline and soak in the ambiance. Elliot closed his eyes. Giufre popped into his mind and softened the noise around him. He focused in. There had not been anyone that captured Elliot's mind in this way for a while and the boy was surprised to be as interested as he was. He thought back on their interactions and the strange coincidence of seeing the fellow twice in two days.

Elliot's stomach turned as he thought that maybe, for Giufre, these interactions weren't coincidental. Soon the boy grew tired and took himself to bed, still, thinking of Giufre.

"Amore!" Claudia called out from the front door.

Elliot awoke, rubbed his eyes, and attempted to bring himself to his surroundings. Eventually, the boy walked down the hallway half awake. It was just after 7:00 a.m. which was much too early for Elliot.

"Ciao Claudia."

The two kissed each other warmly on the cheek.

There was a pause.

"You're glowing Claudia."

Her face slightly dimmed.

"Can't I?"

Elliot smirked.

"So what did you two do?"

"Just dinner."

"Oh? At her place?"

"No, we went into Gracia for dinner."

"Oh that's nice, I'm glad you two got some alone time."

"Yea, me too," Claudia said strangely and with a blush coming on.

Elliot widened his eyes and cocked his head.

"Actually, we had the whole night to ourselves... Andrew was away."

"Oh my god Claudia!"

"What?!"

"You slept together?"

Claudia shrugged.

"Claudia, she's married! Has a baby!"

"Elliot stop you don't get it."

"Claudia," he grabbed her, "both of our parents are coming in two weeks. This is not the time."

She pulled back.

"Says you!"

"Me?"

"Yes you!"

He glared at her.

"Elliot, I know you. I can see you."

After a moment he walked away and moved out towards the balcony. His roommate followed. Sitting down together Elliot opened his tin tray and pulled out a joint and held it out to Claudia. She grabbed it, smelt it, and put the paper between her lips. Elliot reached out with a lighter and ignited it. Breathing in, a harsh feeling hit the back of her throat so she pulled the joint away from her lips and took a deep breath.