Common Interests.

Chapter one.

The day we met, I was walking through the incredibly dull town centre, past every shop front that would appear in any town, and I came across an alley I had never seen in all my trips here. I turned the corner, and it was as if I had walked into a time machine. All of the shops were obscure, filled with interesting bits of tat that no one in their right mind would want.

I was about to turn and leave the alley, when I saw her. She stood at the end of the cul-de-sac, staring longingly at a polka dot dress in the window of a shop that seemed to specialise in vintage fashion. She herself looked like she had stepped out of the 1950s, her dyed red hair was twisted into an elegant roll on the top of her head, and she wore a turquoise blue dress with a flared skirt, covered in a cherry pattern, complimented with red heels. She turned around, and I saw her for the first time. To put it simply, she was the most beautifully elegant creature I had ever seen. If you wanted it in more detail, I still remember every little thing of how she looked that day.

Her skin was as pale as snow, she had black winged eyeliner encasing her sea green eyes, and a bright red lipstick that highlighted the gentle curve of her mouth. To be honest with you, this wasn't the day she met me, as I darted into the nearest shop before she got anywhere near me, but I still remember that day.

In the days to follow, I became a regular on that little dingy alley. Every day I stood outside the shop front where she had stood, almost willing her to appear, but not quite sure what I intended to do should she appear. Every day, I told myself it was the last day of standing in the cold waiting for something that wouldn't come back, and every day I meant it. I couldn't even understand why I was waiting for this girl. I didn't know why I had to see her again, I just knew I had to. Was I waiting for nothing? Probably. But at the end of each day, all I knew was, I would be back again tomorrow.

About a week after the first sighting, I stood in my usual place, umbrella in hand, studying the dress she was looking at that day. Up close, I could see every detail. It definitely seemed to suit her style, and had the same structure as the dress she was wearing (tight bodice, cinched waist, and a flared skirt). It was a blue so dark it was almost black, with bright white polka dots scattered across it. It had elegant vintage lace around the neck, hem, sleeves and belt, and seemed to be designed especially for her.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a sing-song voice behind me asked so gently, it was almost a whisper. I turned around to see her there, and began to panic. "Erm...it's er not really my thing," I managed to get out after approximately a whole minute of stuttering, as I glanced at my own clothes, tatty jeans and an ancient t-shirt. I suddenly felt immensely anxious. I had waited about a week for this moment, but now it was here I had no idea what to say. "Ava," she said "my name is Ava." "I'm Cameron," I replied, glad to finally have something to say.

We chatted for a while, and I slowly grew more comfortable as the conversation went on. After a long time of talking about god knows what, the conversation reached a natural lull. However, just as I was about to make my excuses and leave, she asked me a most unexpected question, "Did you... want to get coffee or something?" she asked, almost nervously. I, of course, eagerly nodded in reply, and followed this pretty much stranger to the nearest coffee shop.

I can say with absolute certainty, that this was the best cup of coffee I had ever had in my life. Not because of the beverage (that was sub-par at best), but because of her. She was the most intelligent, the kindest, the most interesting and the most humble person I had ever met, all at the same time. I'm not sure how long precisely we were there, but it seemed like forever. But, like all good things, this too came to an end. It was dark outside when I noticed what time it was, and I scribbled my name and number on a piece of paper, thanked her, and ran out of there, praying my mum wouldn't notice my lateness.

When I got home, my mom was slightly peeved at me for missing dinner, so I feigned sickness and excused myself to my bedroom. Despite my early night, I hardly slept at all that night. I tossed and turned, a pit of anxiety in my stomach, and an endless stream of questions in my head. I knew her first name, and I knew her address (she had given it to me as I had agreed to pick her up tomorrow night at seven for dinner), but this was all I knew. But the most pressing issue was of course, why on earth had I just asked out this strange girl I had only just met? I had no idea what I was doing.

The following day, I woke early, put on the only vaguely nice clothes I owned, and set off for town. I could not explain for the life of me what made me do this, but armed with money in my pocket and a vague idea of what I wanted, I walked to the place we first met. But, instead of waiting outside, I went in the shop. A few hours later, I left the shop with the polka dot dress that had magically orchestrated our meeting, a matching pair of shoes, and a weird clutch bag thing the woman had assured me was necessary.

From there, I got on the bus and made my way to the address she had given me. When I got there, I was certain she had given me the wrong address. Above the door, in bold letters, read the sign 'Lady Elizabeth's Home for Children'. I was about to leave when I saw her waiting on the door step. Bewildered, but none the less intrigued, I made my way to the door. To her.

----hi guys, first thing I've written, please leave comments to help me get better!----