Chasing Memories

[2] Meetup

    Every bend in Bosmouth spoke to its storied past. Narrow streets wove cobblestone paths between unmarked alleyways, leading curious walkers into a web that whispered of commerce and criminality long committed to history. Elise had tracked these trails many times, sometimes purchasing Robin's company with promises of drinks in sight of the town's clear, calm coastline. However much they differed on local history, both she and Robin ventured over the pale sands to take in the flaring red sky and shadow-blanketed sea from the water's edge. It was their cherished drop of peace when the waves of stress threatened to crest over their faces.

    Located a few steps from the same sands, Books by the Sea offered Elise a safe bower away from the university's crowded campus. It sat tucked in the centre of a short Georgian red-brick terrace, the sun's broad beams bouncing off its crystal-clear window panes to catch the eye from anywhere along the bay. Cool sea spray pricked against her summer-bright skin as she reached the shopfront, and the water's salty scent tingled the length of her nose. Passing under the bookshop's old black sign relaxed Elise's nerves better than any drink ever did.

    At least that was usually the case. "Oi!" a voice cried as Elise stepped inside. The speaker's booming bassy tone disguised the voice's origin, and Elise fell into the closing door behind her as she locked eyes with a strawberry-hued face of the burly bald man. "Look where you're going, would you?"

    "Sorry," Elise said through a feeble laugh, clutching her fabric messenger bag. "My head was in the clouds just now. Are you alright?"

    "I'll be alright when you get out of my way." With a huff, the man waved Elise to the side and barged through the door, the entrance's jingling bell vanishing beneath the stomp of his walking boots.

    Elise's eyes followed the stranger's silhouette across the front of the bookshop, a frown taking hold of her brow. As she lost sight of the man, her gaze landed on a girl about her own age studying the scene behind the window glass. She replaced a volume on the wall of books in front of her and shook her head, muttering to herself just sharply enough to cut through the settling shop air. "Prick."

    The frown on Elise's face unfurled into a warm smile. "You can say that again," she said, hiding her giggle behind her hand.

    Starting like a stray cat, the girl glanced at Elise before retreating further into the store, the electric purple streak through her dark hair leaving the air fizzling behind her. A tang of disappointment soured Elise's tongue, and she swallowed it down before slipping her sunglasses into her bag's side pocket and walking into the shop.

    Though the bookshop's central section was as calm and cosy as ever, a chorus of creaking floorboards betrayed the event kicking off further inside. Breathing in the rich, cool air around the leafy indoor plants, Elise ran her fingertips over the polished oak display tables and straightened any skewed stacks of books. A hum of voices swelled behind the arch of fairy lights that announced the shop's event space, and Elise took one last look around the shelves. The girl was out of sight, though a nagging familiarity remained rooted at the back of Elise's mind as she entered the event space.

    Dozens of people filled the room that greeted Elise. They flocked between the rows of plastic seating and the refreshment table along the wall, thick clouds of perfume choking tears from her eyes as they passed. Round lamps overflowed with yellow-hued light, and their bulbs buzzed and burned with enough power to stick Elise's white vest top to her sweating back. Every step off the thin square rug beneath the seats added another snap to the creaking symphony that ruled the room.

    "Ellen! You made it," someone called through the noise, and a hand landed on the back of Elise's sleeveless jumper. She turned to see Tegan's shocking blue eyes flashing at her, their stare potent enough to burrow holes through Elise's face into the wall behind her. "We were worried something had happened to you."