Summer Rain

VI ~ The Cabin

{Someone Told Me - Jake Bugg}

...Someone loves me, but not today, will you show me? Show me a way how to love...

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May 25th

     I stood in the doorway of the staff communal room, a large group of employees gathered around a battered TV set as they all caught up on their fix of TV shows, fighting over custody of the remote like possessive parents in a court battle. I had no idea what to say or do or why I really wanted to find Elliot. All I knew was that I was there with him, and for once, that was all I wanted. I stumbled through the threshold, my drive and determination that had pushed me thus far dissipating with the confused stares of the other employees. I felt like Lady when she was locked in the pound. I looked like I didn't belong there, and every one of those employees knew it as well as I did.

   "Hey Ava, what are you doing back here?" Elliot smiled, surprise lighting up his face. 

    "I- I must have taken a wrong turn," I lied, beginning to turn around, regret pulling me back to the familiar hallways and paths of the club.

        Before I could back away and make my swift exit, Elliot stood from his seat near the door and made his way over to me as I lingered in the doorway. His shirt was crisp and clean as he leaned against the doorway, and his ever-present smirk made my palms sweat as he searched my face, his eyes darting over my features until they rested at my eyes. 

    "Well, you know..." His voice had a playful edge to his usual gravelly tone. "Since you're here, do you wanna get a drink? Maybe chill?" He asked. 

      And the anxiety started to melt, like ice in a glass, slowly but with the assurance that it would continue. My mouth spread into a smile, and off we went with me following him down the hallway, passing maids, chefs, and waiters all relaxing after their long day in the heatwave that May. The hallway was long, and narrow, not decorated or pristine like the rest of the hallways I had walked down. It was a stark difference that I couldn't help but notice. There were rooms off the hallway of beds and living quarters with people cramped in the small rooms as the doors were wide open and people wandered in and out. Their eyes caught on to me as Elliot lead me through, their backs straightening and a smile suddenly appearing. I tried to smile at them, to shyly speak a silent hello, but I could see the divide more than I ever had before. And I hated it. 

    "Where are we going? The bar is that way..." I asked, my voice struggling to make its way out of my throat. 

    "Bar's closed. But I've got some colas and stuff in my cabin. We could hang out there?" 

     "Oh, okay." I nodded. 

         As we walked, my mind began to race. I had lied to my family about where I was, roamed through the inner halls of the club to find Elliot who was someone my parents would never approve of me spending time with, and was at that moment headed to his cabin.

       There was an exit door at the end of the corridor, leading outside to a row of small wooden cabins at the furthest point of the back of the land. I had never ventured this far before. The trees were adorned with lights, and stepping stones led the way along the route of wooden shacks. Elliot stopped ahead of me outside of a cabin, covered in paper lanterns that glowed calmly in the night light, the shimmer of the light hitting off of the lake near us. Fireflies were all around, buzzing contentedly in the gentle air around us.

     "Welcome to the humble abode." Elliot chuckled as he opened the door, welcoming me in.

        I took a step over the threshold, and into a small, dimly lit room with nothing but a bed, a chair and some candles half-melted on the floor. Still, it felt cosy.