by Sue Allerton
“Would you like to dap yourself?” she asked sweetly, her melodic voice cooled him, his temperature eased off. He took the napkin and dabbed his head before shoving it into his apron pocket.
“I’ll bring you another” he muttered quietly as he tried to pull himself together.
“It’s fine, I’ve got this one” she exclaimed as she grabbed the napkin from the empty space in front of her. He nodded once and was almost glad she didn’t make him go and get another napkin, he wasn’t sure if he could walk without collapsing.
“What can I get for you?” he asked and she glanced over the menu quickly, she sighed lightly and looked back up at him through long lashes.
“Can I have a whiskey, please?” she answered sweetly, her eyes danced mischievously.
“Of course, I’m afraid we have finished serving food now though” he told her with a nervous voice and her grin widened.
“That’s fine, I’m not hungry” she shook her head as she dug around in her bag, she pulled out her purse and handed him a fifty pound note.
“Umm…miss?” he stuttered, not sure what to say.
“That’s for the whiskey, I know it’s a bit much, I don’t have anything smaller, please, keep the rest for yourself” she smiled kindly, her eyes warming slightly.
“I couldn’t accept such a large tip…” he trailed off as he held the money between his fingers, it could warm his apartment all winter.
“You can, I want you to have it; you look like you need it more than I do” she muttered, not in a mean way as he expected. He didn’t know what else to say, he simply thanked her and rushed to get the woman her drink. By the time he turned around, she was gone. He wondered who she was, why she gave him such a big tip. He wanted to think that she was just a nice person, but maybe it was pity. She was obviously rich and maybe she was just pitying the poor and squandering her wealth, or maybe her parent’s wealth.
The following week the woman came to the restaurant at the same time each night, after they had finished serving food. She would order a whiskey and pay with a fifty pounds note, tell him to keep the rest and leave before he returned with her drink. He wanted to ask her why she always ordered a drink but never stuck around to enjoy it. She was gone before he ever had the chance. Each time she would ask him how he is and if he was feeling better. That night he was working again and he found himself looking forward to seeing the woman with the red hair. He wasn’t sure if it were because he thought she was pretty or liked that she always asked how he was, or whether it was because she always give him a big tip. He didn’t think it was because she liked him, he had been single for quite a while and had only ever had one other girlfriend in the past. He was good looking, thick brown hair with chocolate brown eyes, slight stubble lining his jaw bone and broad shoulders and a small waist; he wasn’t very muscular, he didn’t need to be.
Only tonight, when it was getting close to closing time, she didn’t come. He waited for the chime of the bell as he checked the receipts behind the counter. He kept looking up at the door and the clock. The last two people left the building and the doors were locked. She must have gotten bored with giving away money or ordering drinks she was never going to drink. Everyone left not long after the last customers did. Axel wondered around the restaurant aimlessly for a while. He gathered his stuff together and changed into his normal clothes, jeans and a band T-shirt with a pair of converse and a jacket.
He locked the doors and pulled the shutters down before beginning to make his way home. He noticed a thin figure leaning up against the wall, as he got closer the person turned to him and walked casually toward him. They met under the dim yellow glow of a street lamp. It was her, the girl with the fiery red hair and his heart fluttered slightly.
“Hi” he spoke first, she smiled a little but her eyes seemed angry in all their blackness.
“Hey, you look better” she answers with a slight edge to her voice; that could just be because of the cold.
“Thanks, I feel better. Were you on your way to the restaurant?” he asked her and her eyes seem to blaze, but it disappeared as soon as it flashed up.
“Uh no, actually I was waiting for you” she beams, so full of confidence. This took Axel by surprise, he wasn’t expecting her to be so forward, maybe she did like him?
“How come?” he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
“Have you ever been to Bodleys?” she asked raising an eyebrow, he knew of the place, a biker bar with rock music. The kind of thing he would enjoy if he ever had the time.
“No, actually” he answered a bit blunter that he wanted to.
“Want to come check it out?” she smirked cheekily, he wanted to say no. he was exhausted and he wanted to go to sleep. But he wanted to know why this girl gave him so much money. He agreed and they walked side by side to the pub. Outside were rows of motorcycles in all different shapes and sizes, he had always wanted to learn but his mum would lose her head if he ever got his leg over one. Men outside stared at the girl walking in front of him. He realized he didn’t even know her name. She wore tight black jeans with rips in the knees and flat leather boots that finished halfway up her calves with buckles on the outside, a leather jacket and a plain white T-shirt. Inside the music was loud but not too loud, it thumped through the speakers to the point he could feel the music vibrating through his shoes. They pulled up two stools at the bar and sat next to each other.
“What do you want?” he asked her she grinned and said she wanted the usual. “Are you going to drink it this time?” he continued and she laughed a little.
“Definitely” the bartender, a tall fat man with long black hair came over and eyed the girl. Axel asked for two whiskeys’, the man filled hers up a bit more. He paid for the drinks and they both took a sip.
“So, what’s your name?” he asked her as she took another large sip.
“Elise Hader, yours?” she replied fluttering her lashes at him.
“Axel” he answered, she held out her hand and he shook it.
“Nice to meet you” she beamed. He couldn’t believe how confident she was, he had never had such confidence, but wondered what it would be like to be so comfortable in his own skin.
“Why did you leave me such a big tip?” he asked her and she eyed him with narrow Onyx slits.
“Straight to business huh? I told you, you look like you need it more than I do” she shrugged her narrow shoulders and shook out of her jacket.
“Okay, so why did you never stick around for the drink you ordered?” he asked, he knew how he sounded, but these are the questions he’s been dying to get answers to for over a week now.
“Well, when you left I wasn’t thirsty anymore. I assumed it would be kinder than telling you ‘actually I changed my mind take it back’” she said with a sudden serious note in her voice. “Anyway! Now that’s all out of the way, can we have fun please?” she smirked as she necked back the rest of the whiskey. Axel copied her and ordered some more drinks. And then some more, and more and more until he was slurring his words. She seemed fine, poised and every bit as sober as Axel wished he had been. The bar got busier, it must have been two in the morning by now.
“Come on, play pool with me?” she begged
“I should rearry be getting ham” he slurred clumsily, she giggled and asked the bartender for a pint of water. He downed it quickly and then another. After a few minutes he was feeling better and a little embarrassed. The two of them played pool and laughed for a while before Axel decided it was late enough. He had class the following morning. She frowned mockingly and took hold of his arm as they walked down the street. They crossed the road and on the other side, a group of teenagers were setting fire to a car. Axel had never seen a crime being committed before and was shocked at the severity of it. Things like that didn’t happen in this town. The flames danced around the car and the tires popped with a deafening bang.
“We should call the fire brigade” he said as he tried to dig his phone out of his pock
et.
“No” Elise protested and began dragging him in the other direction.
“What?” he asked surprised, planting his feet.
“If we call someone the police are going to turn up, they’ll ask questions and you’ll be an automatic suspect, it’s better if we just leave” she explains urgently trying to pull him along. He ponders that for a moment, he agrees it makes sense but everything inside him is screaming at him that he needs to call someone. In the distance he hears sirens, glass breaks on the car and another tire pops.
“Axel, we have to go! That car is going to explode any minute and we’re too close for that!” she shouted urgently, he was frozen with shock and let her pull him away from the burning car. At the end of the road he saw the three teenagers who torched the car. Standing there looking confused and scared. One of them pushed the other, they began to fight.
The next morning, he woke to sunlight streaming in through the window. His head was heavy and his stomach uneasy. He crawled to the toilet and threw up. He waited until he could stand up without feeling dizzy. He drank more than he thought. He was alone, where did Elise go? Did she go home? There’s a note on the counter from her ‘I had fun, here’s my number 07589256845, text me’ Axel let the note float to the surface and checked his watch. He was twenty minutes late for class. He had never been late for class. He dressed at lightning speed, still buttoning up his jeans as he stumbled out the door and putting his shoes on as he staggered out of the building. He fell through the door to the class room and his books scattered over the floor. Professor Golvin stopped speaking and helped him with his things.
“Late Mr Pace?” he asked quietly, not wanting to draw any more attention to the embarrassed boy.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have a good excuse” he answered
“It happens, don’t let it happen again though” Golvin replied kindly as he stood Axel up and sent him to sit down. Everyone in the room watched him, some of the girls’ giggle and snigger and the boys just look bored. Even though he missed the first forty minutes he still understood every word the professor said. The door swung open again, the professor stopped with a loud, exasperated sigh; Axel continued to read through the chapter.
“And you are?” Professor Golvin asked in a stern voice
“A transfer, Elise Hader” the girl replied with an easy, confident smile; Axel lifted his head slowly to see the red haired girl standing opposite the professor with a wide smile. He took the piece of paper she offered him and told her to sit down. She doesn’t look for him, she just sauntered straight to where he was sitting and sat next to him.
“You didn’t tell me you were a history student” he muttered quietly as Golvin continued his lesson.
“It didn’t come up” she replied as she took out her book and flicks to the correct page. He notices she has lots of sticky notes popping out of the pages and highlighted sentences for importance.
“So, you’re into history?” she asked as he tried to note what the professor is saying, he nods but doesn’t answer. She takes the hint and begins reading her own book.
When the class finishes they walk out of the room together.
“Greek Mythology sucks” she sighs heavily as they cross the road. Axel narrowed his eyes and wondered how she could possibly think Greek mythology ‘sucks’? He thought it was the most interesting part of history.
“What makes you say that?” he asked her and she giggled to herself a bit.
“It’s just so farfetched ya’ know?” she cringed
“They’re Gods?” he replied sarcastically and she smacked him in the arm playfully.
“You know what I mean, like they make out the Gods are so amazing and great, but really they were tyrants” she explained with a roll of her eyes
“Tyrants? Why’s that?”
“Zeus tricked his brother Hades so he could rule and anyone who crossed him got pushed over, Zeus wasn’t a nice person” she scoffed.
“You talk about him like he was an actual person” he muttered, he didn’t notice the sideways glance Elise gave him.
“How do you know they weren’t? You’re a historian, or one in training at least, aren’t you supposed to believe in all that?” she continued
“I like history, not religion. I think the whole Greek mythology thing is amazing and to me, what a God should be.” He answered back almost snapping. She was quiet for a moment. He hoped he hadn’t upset her.
“I should be going” she smiled, changing the subject. He wanted to say no, don’t go. But he needed to sleep before his shift later on tonight.
“See you later” he said, surprised by how much he did want to see again.
***
She didn’t want to admit it. She had feelings for this boy. She wasn’t supposed to get feelings and it wasn’t a part of her plan. But something fluttered inside her when she thought about him. When she met him she felt as if everything she believed was crumbling around her. She noticed his clothes, how run down he looked. She wanted to help him, not because she felt pity for him. She wanted to look after him, just like how she wanted to be looked after. Her whole life she had been shunned from her family, never looked at the same way as her siblings. Her parents were looked up to and admired by many, it made her sick to think people respected them so much. If they really knew them, they would hate them. The same way she hated them. She wasn’t the kind of woman to be taken in by a man. She wasn’t the kind to get giddy over a crush and she certainly wasn’t the kind to go out of her way to make sure someone was well looked after. She found herself feeling conflicted. She had promised herself she would never love again. Not that she loved Axel, but she could feel her heart skip a beat whenever she saw him and she knew it was an omen. Still, she couldn’t pull herself away. Couldn’t bring it in her to say goodbye. Even now, walking away from him, she wanted to go back and wrap her arms around him. She wished it would be easy, it always has been. The things she’s done she’s done with no regret, no guilt, no heartache and no sleepless nights. She enjoyed what she did and she did it because nobody could stop her. She did it because it’s what she wanted to do and she wanted to test herself. She failed once before. Because of a man. He ruined her plans and broke her heart. She sore it would never happen again, and now, because of some poor boy, she finds herself wishing she’d never laid eyes on him.
Elise went to Bodleys alone that night. She drank whiskey on her own and watched the people around her drink more and more, they got louder and louder. She relished in it. She watched as fights broke out throughout the bar and smiled when one of them bled or lost a tooth. She laughed at the madness. She was getting sick of the leering gazes from some of the men in the bar. Eventually an angry black haired woman with thick black eyeliner stormed over to her and pulled her off her stool, the same stool she sat on when she went there with Axel. The woman screamed drunkenly at Elise and the man she was with tried to pull her away. Elise laughed, she wasn’t scared or nervous. The woman’s eyes blazed with anger and she pulled her arm back to punch the red haired girl. Elise caught the woman’s hand and pushed it out of the way with effortless ease. The woman tried again, Elise blocked it again. The woman screamed loudly and threw her head forward trying to head butt Elise, she moved and the woman hit the edge of the bar. She crashed the ground and stayed there. Elise left, leaving the shouting and chaos behind her. She liked the chaos. But she knew Axel wouldn’t. She knew he would never follow in her lifestyle and she knew he would never accept her the way she is. She made her mind up, she was never going to see him again, never going to think of him again. She was going to cut him out and leave him behind. As she stood in the cold, her phone buzzed in her pocket. ‘Hey, it’s Axel. Want to meet me after work?” the text read, she didn’t even think about it. She was already walking toward the restaurant.
When she got to the restaurant everything was shut. The alley down the side of the restaurant had a few people in it, men to be exact. She waited outside, he had probably just locked up. As
she paced back and forth, the men from the alley started calling to her. Whistling at her like a dog. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. They started to walk over to her, she hoped Axel didn’t come out at this point. What would he think of her if he saw her beating the crap out of three guys?
“Bit late to be out of your own isn’t it, cutie?” one of them asked as he leered over her, brushing up against her shoulder as he tried to pass her. She said nothing but stood her ground. One of them put their hand on her shoulder. She grabbed his fingers and bent them back, causing him to drop to his knees as he cried out in pain. The other two grabbed her then, she kicked out and caught one of them in the crotch. He doubled over throwing blind punches. She heard the back door slam shut and the sound of footsteps running toward them. She started crying for help and willed tears to run down her cheeks. She let them push her to the ground and kick her a bit. Axel pushed his way through them and stood between her and the men. He couldn’t take all of them on his own. Everyone there knew that. The men relaxed out of their defensive stance and huffed as they walked away.
“What the…?” Axel trailed off not understanding what just happened. He turned to her and helped her to her feet. She let the tears continue to drip down her face and played the distressed damsel.
“Are you okay?” he asked her as he hugged her tight. She buried his face into his jacket and continued to put on a fake sob. She pulled away and wiped her face, she apologized for being such a mess and he laughed a little.
“Don’t be daft” he muttered stroking her back up and down, she found it ironic how much he was trying to comfort her, the girl he barely knew. She wanted to mock him but she remembered she’s supposed to be in distress and he was only being a decent person after all. They eventually pulled away and he asked her what she wanted to do. She didn’t know, she had never been asked that before and when the question was finally asked, her mind went blank. What the hell was she supposed to say? Take her home? Take her out for dinner? Everything she could think of sounded too spoilt.
