Short stories

Scene from the movie

When they got there, they were pretty much exhausted. They walked more than 10 bus stops after their first bus got broken. And it was the last one going in that direction. Those stops were short but they were sticking to the story. Ten stops was ten stops, no matter how long. Johnny and Ellie had quite a night walk. It would be better if there were stars and a shinning moon over them, but clouds gave some kind of mystic atmosphere, too.

The very first thing Elizabeth noticed was his perfectly furnished modern apartment. Since there was a guy living in it, she expected a mess that big that she wouldn't be able to walk through it. And she also didn't expect all these modern stuff, perfectly put together. A TV and a bed would be enough. But, obviously, Johnny wasn't a regular guy.

Jonathan noticed a big smile and, what he thought was, a special shine in her eyes. He couldn't resist not to ask what's up. - Is everything OK? You look like you've seen a ghost. But a good one... You know, Casper or some of his friends... 

They both laughed to this one but her smile went beyond that. Ellie was truly amazed by the way he took care of his place. And everything was placed like he was expecting guests. Normally, her room is in a small chaos and she puts little bit more effort in cleaning it if she knows someone's coming over.

- Yes, of course. I'm just... Never mind. Nice place you have here.

- Oh, thanks. I like it, too. My own kingdom.

- Gosh it would be perfect to have something like this. - She whispered while she was looking around the place. - Can I look around?

- Sure, but there's not much to see. You know, walls, few doors... - He acted like he wanted to put her hopes down a bit, like it really isn't anything to be excited about. But for Ellie, having her own place was everything she wanted. To have her freedom, her queendom. Yes, that's what she called it. After all, she was the queen of her own mind.

After a long look around the whole flat, Ellie came back to the living room. He was already waiting for her with a hot cup of cocoa, since she wasn't drinking tea or coffee. He knew that. In those few weeks of talking to each other every day, he found out quite a few things about her. Nothing too personal, but information like this just came in handy.

- I made us cocoa. I have cookies if you wanna. We could eat something. I'm pretty sure we burned down every single calorie today. Are you hungry? - Now, he could feel that he's becoming nervous and Johnny desperately needed something to distract them from talking. At least, till it wouldn't be awkward anymore.

- Um... I guess we could eat. But it's 1 a.m. Are you sure? I noticed you're keeping youself in pretty good shape. This will ruin your four days of running.

- Ha-ha. Yes, I'm sure. I'm not a robot. I eat too. Sometimes past 10 p.m. Can you just believe that? - His smile and tone of voice made everything look so much easier, less awkward. - What do you want? I'll just tell the chef to make it.

- Oh, really? OK, than I'll have a lobster, Japanese rice, a bit of mixed salad, maybe a bit of strawberry cake or maybe apple pie, I can't really decide... Oh, a pudding, I definitely want a chocolate pudding.

- You're funny. And hungry apparently. How do eggs and ham sound? Homemade.

Smile on Ellie's face wasn't this big since... She couldn't remember since when. - Sounds great. Let me help you. I'm not really at home in the kitchen but I can't be that bad with this. I eat it every time I'm home alone. - She regretted saying this the same second she did. - Oh, gosh, he'll think I'm a looser, a girl who can't cook anything. - Ellie's mind immediately started making up bad scenarios.

- Welcome to my kitchen. I'm chef Jonathan and I will be your guide today. - Johnny was very amused by this situation, by her nervousness. - We'll start by cutting some ham. I think you'll handle it just right while I do the eggs. Fine?

- Works for me. And I'll set the table.

After about half an hour, their meal was delicious. - King of England would be proud to have us in the kitchen. - Said Johnny, and Ellie nodded her head as a sign of agreement.

They ate, sat there. Some moments were quiet, some were filled with honest laughter. You could say they really enjoyed spending time with one another. This was their first real face-to-face conversation. This long. Surprisingly, everything was going great. This is exactly what both of them have in mind when they think "friends". A perfect evening, filled with conversations and fun. There was no room for anything more right now. He couldn't look anyone besides his girlfriend and she couldn't ruin what she had there.

- Well, it's time for bed...

- Oh, yeah. The awkward part. - Ellie said it but it wasn't awkward at all. After few hours of talking and getting to know each other, nothing was awkward.

- Look, I have a big bed and a couch. Now, I'm gonna be a gentleman and I'm gonna let you take the bed.

- No, I can't do that. I already took your time, moved in for the night, ate your tomorrow's breakfast or whatever... I'll sleep on the couch. It's your bed.

- You're not listening to me. I'm not asking, I'm telling you, the bed is all yours. I'll just take some pillows and a blanket out of bedroom. And you'll have the privacy of it in few minutes.

- Thank you.

- Oh, you're welcome.

- No. Thank you for everything. For today and this night. Thank you. I really needed this.

- I said: "You're welcome." For everything. Any time. That's what friends are for, right?

- Exactly. So, this is "good night" then. 

- Sweet dreams. See you tomorr... today. - They didn't feel like it was past 4 a.m.

Bright morning sun rays came to the bedroom window first and Elizabeth got up. When she looked at the wall clock, it was showing 10 a.m. It was time to get up. - Maybe he's already awake and I'm bothering him by taking his room. - Yes, this kind of thoughts were getting through Ellie's head a lot. She would do anything for others to be happy and satisfied.

Elizabeth slightly put her head trough the doors and walked out. She was wearing his sweatpants and his oversized T-shirt. It was all nicely folded and freshly washed before he gave it to her few hours ago. Her make-up wasn't perfect as usually and her hair wasn't even combed but she was glowing. She was usually all about the natural look so this really wasn't any thing new for her. It was only important that she feels great. And she did.

Walking on her toes, she walked into the living room and found Jonathan still sleeping. His blanket fell on the floor, of course, and she put it back to cover him. It was a real scene from the movies. After making him more comfortable and warm, she headed into kitchen. She was determined to make him breakfast. - We have some toast, cheese, bacon... I can work with this. - Elizabeth decided to make hot sandwiches. She put cheese and bacon on the toast and put it all in the oven.

In meantime, Ellie made another tour around his apartment. Also went to the bathroom to improve her first after-sleep impression. While walking out of the bathroom, she noticed something she hadn't seen before. Suddenly, it hit her. She took a pen and a piece of paper and started writing:

"Thank you for everything once again. I really had a great time, and after a evening like that, this was all I needed. This was great but I'm afraid we won't repeat that anytime soon. Here's your breakfast. It's not as fancy as the meal your great chef made, but it will feed you."

She took out the sandwiches, put them on the table and stuck the note under the plate. Quietly, she changed her clothes, put on her boots and she was ready to go. In one flashing moment, she got the urge to kiss him on the forehead, like they do in movies. Before she knew it, Johnny was opening his eyes and she decided to run out.

Slamming doors woke him entirely up. Jonathan looked around, than moved quietly to his bedroom to see if everything's OK. He was pretty surprised when he saw the empty bed. Suddenly, his legs jumped like he's starting a race. Walking trough the apartment, a little piece of paper caught his eye.

- What has just happened? - Ellie left Johnny really confused.