Aurélie

Chapter One

Through the open window she could hear the vibrant sounds of a city thrumming with life. London, in all its grey glory was still trying to reach out to her, to creep in under the windowsill and entice her outside to play. The squealing brakes of the Number 35 from Shoreditch pulling up outside made last night's gin and tonics rattle in her head. Groaning into her pillow, Aurelie pulled her duvet up around her shoulders and rolled over, tucking her legs up to her chest to optimize the warmth of her four-tog cocoon. It might be summer for the rest of the Northern Hemisphere but no-one had told that to SW4. Something tickled her nose and peeping through one eye she could see Colonel striding up and down the floorboards, parading with little modesty in front of her.

"Morning tyke," she flopped a hand out from under the duvet, clicking her fingers to get the tom cat's attention. Mildly interested he ambled over, with the sort of gait you might find perusing the deciduous seedlings, in corduroys at a garden centre. He pushed her hand up with the flat of his head, initiating affection and making her smile

"Why wasn't Cat a career option eh? I think you've got it pretty good here mister," She yawned and rolled over onto her back, stretching her legs out, hands dangling above her head. "I think I'd be an awesome cat." A dull weight landed rather too heavily on her abdomen. Colonel began kneading the duvet, a deep rumble emitting from his throat, his ginger tale swinging lazily from side to side, rear stuck firmly in the air. She rubbed under his chin and he closed his eyes in satisfaction, his broad furry face blissfully content.

Aurélie heard the door slam behind her flatmate and stared glumly out of the window as Colonel made himself comfortable. She hadn't heard back from Alex, the PR consultant she had flirted with at The Loft last Thursday- but then she didn't really put much faith in men who carried lip balm anyway.

She observed her chipped nails and decided that since it was quite clear that her and  Adam were finally over after a rather messy seven months of late-night hook-ups and break-ups, she had to get her life in order. First things first, she would make herself an espresso and then book a pedicure; her adoring male fans could wait for later.

Leaning against the granite breakfast bar she waited for the Nespresso machine to finish its heavenly work, twisting her long chestnut hair up into a bun and using a Barclays biro to secure it in place. Aurelie was the sort of girl who looked effortlessly chic at any given moment thanks to her flawless cheekbones and long-legged physique that at school had made her gangly but since college had turned her into an oh-so-natural beauty. This insufferable demure often caused much envy between her girlfriends, even more so when she was usually so utterly oblivious that her friends often joked that this rare talent was wasted on her.

The machine had just finished when she heard buzzing from the living room, grabbing her coffee she strolled across to the coffee table just in time to see her iPhone buzz off the edge of the table and startle a very drowsy Colonel.

"Bonjour Aurelie!" her mother Lucille trilled down the phone. Aurelie's eyebrows rose at the volume of her mother's voice, "Bonjour Mère, how is Barbados treating you?" Lucille was a hard-working, fast-talking saleswoman, who even on her three week holiday to Barbados with her third husband Malcolm had somehow managed to hear about Aurelie's disastrous start to her new job, thanks to her snoopy Aunt Michelle who kept her mother five steps ahead of her life. 

Oh, the joys of Facebook.

"Darling it's wonderful, such a shame you couldn't join us. Malcolm sends his love. Sorry if it seems I'm shouting, signal is awful and I can't stand mumbling on the phone," Lucille bellowed. 

"I wish I was there too. No idea what to do, the office is gross, the staff are absolute bores and the boss is a pervert," Aurelie could feel a whole month's worth of ranting about to spill out so she tried hard to summarize it for her mother.

"Well, Michelle gave me the gist, said it really wasn't your cup of tea and the agency had royally fucked up. So I've made some calls and I have a plan!" There was nothing Lucille le Mont liked better than suspense, she paused to wait for her daughter to respond, enjoying the warm sensation that precludes the announcement of a stroke of genius. Intrigued and desperate for alternative job prospects Aurelie took the bait. "Well spit it out, life guru!" she couldn't keep the smile from her face. Even though her mother was all those hundreds of miles away she was still as involved in her life as she used to be at the school gates.

"I was on the phone to your godmother the other day, she was telling me she's finally left that awful goat-farmer in Lauragais after she caught him in a predicament with her neighbour Agathe. Anyway she's relocated to Paris and is opening her own cookery school. She said that she's going to need help to get things up and running for the first few months. I obviously filled her in on your situation. She is your godmother Relie, and to be quite frank you should be keeping her up-to-date with your life, not just at Christmas and on your birthday. But that aside, what do you think?"

"What do I think of what Mum? The affair, the cookery school or keeping in touch with Lena?" Aurelie responded in mock naivety. She honestly thought her mother would know her better than that. She'd had her heart set on being a city worker, just like her mother, high-powered and ferocious. Sure, she'd been disheartened recently but did her mother really expect her to work for Lena when she had not seen her since her fifteenth birthday, seven years ago?

"What do you think of going over to Paris for a few months and living with Lena? You could help her with getting the kitchen up and running properly and be around when she first starts to take on students. I've already spoken to Malcolm about it and we can cover your rent on the flat in Clapham if you don't want to lose the space. If not we can arrange storage and you can take over what you need to Paris." 

There was a pause. 

"Lena has bought a townhouse just off from Gare de Lyon, she said the top floor is empty and you could move your things in there. She's on the first floor with the cookery school planned for the ground floor and basement. Just think Relie, you could have the summer months in Paris to get your head clear and reconnect with Lena. She'd really appreciate the help and you never know, a break might be just what you need to help you find what you really want to do."

"Wow, it really sounds like you have this all planned out Mum!" Aurelie was rolling the idea around in her head. The summer in Paris did sound very appealing. And Lena was always so cool, if a little eccentric at times. Her job at the moment really was dire and the thought of commuting in the muggy London heat just didn't appeal. 

"OK, I'm game!" Aurelie declared, feeling a wave of euphoria at the idea of a new project.

"Fabulous, I knew you'd say yes!"squealed Lucille. She really did get so overly excited at times, thought Aurelie, it was almost embarrassing. 

"MALCOLM, Malcolm! She said yes! She's going to Paris...What? No I don't think she will need the car. Sorry? Yes with Lena, oh how exciting!" 

"Mum!" Aurelie yelled, "I'm still on the phone and I'm sure the whole of your resort doesn't need to know what I'm up to. I'll call Lena tomorrow and arrange the details. I should probably also let the agency know I won't be returning to work. I'll chat to Bex tonight and see what she wants to do about the flat." 

"Alright darling, speak soon, je t'aime pétale" Lucille answered. 

"Love you too," Aurelie replied.