I named her Africa #Wattys2015

[thirty nine]

Her

"Of course not!"I chirped, erupting in laughter, "You're the one giving the orders around here, Declan! You're not suppossed to let girls have free breakfasts when they flirt with you. God, you're too ridiculous, wait till Faust hears about this and-"

"Till I hear about what?" Faust said, cutting me off, "About that time he fed a girl with strawberry pie and the poor girl was allergic to strawberries?" he added, sliding on the seat beside Declan and nudging him playfully.

"Oh no, please tell me you did not!" I yelled, filling the cafe with loud cackles, "You should have told me about that one!"

"That's his best so far," Faust insisted, messing his hair slightly. "How long have you been here for? It's only 9.am. I'll make myself a cup of coffee, be right back."

"Oh suit yourself, it's not like you're at work," Declan said, ironically.

"So, do you have any plans for tonight, Chiara?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me and stealing glances in Faust's direction.

"Not really. I'm still a bit drowsy from yesterday. Went to see 'The Swan's Lake' at the Ballet Academy," I said, dragging my words like they almost didn't want to leave my lips.

"The Swan's Lake?" he asked, in deep thought, "I think I went to see that once. Can't remember when, though."

And then I was off.
Like somebody had switched a flashlight
o n
right in front of my eyes,
the f l a s h e s of
gold and sunshine lightstreams
from the theatre blinded my vision,
and the c a s c a d i n g skyblue
from the dancers' dresses only felt
like the seawaves sucking me
i n
by the shoreline- and me
clasping my nails
in the f l o o d e d sand.

They're circling-
and spreading.
Like an overwhelming hurricane
and I was so dazzled
by it all
so scrunched up-

so crashed-

so grasped by it all.

"Hey." A familiar voice sweeped into my ears.
"Hey, don't shut your eyes, are you okay?" Declan whispered, taking my hand in his.

I lifted my eyelids and held his sweet gaze, full of concern.

"Yeah, it was nothing." I blinked repeatedly. "So... you were asking me about tonight's plans...?"

"Oh. Right. Well," he said, clearing his throat, "I'm throwing a party tonight, something of the sort, you know, the typical," he stammered, "Would you come?"

I froze. "Uh, sure."

Thankfully, Faust arrived back at our table, interrupting our conversation.

"Well, I'm back. This mug is too damn hot, I'll probably have blisters on my fingertips by tomorrow. Fuck," Faust grunted, cringing when coffee drops landed on his hand as he lay the cup on the table.
"Did I miss anything?" he muttered, his burnt hand against his lips.

"Chiara was just telling me she's coming to my party tonight," Declan boasted.

Faust frowned, putting his hand down.

"Are you, now?" he said, annoyance clear in his tone.

"Yes. Aren't you?" I answered, interiorly shaking.

"Can't," he bit back coldly, breaking eye contact. "I wouldn't have thought of you like the party type."

"That doesn't mean I can't go out once," I shrugged, pretending I didn't want to curl myself into a fetus position.

"Right. Have fun," he spat, standing up and leaving the table.

"Forgot your coffee," I said to his back.

He didn't turn around.

"I'm sure Declan would appreciate it."