The airport was crowded, filled with kids in winter jackets running around, harassed looking parents, lovey-dovey couples, and the occasional preacher claiming that the world was going to end tomorrow. But Elle Kayla Thomas wasn't really paying attention to all the fuss around her. Barely even sparing a glance at the twin babies clad in matching blue outfits, she strode towards the entrance of the Paris-Orly Airport, her hand-carry luggage swinging from her arms. Two teenage guys ogled her as she waltzed by, a blur of brown hair and white trench coat, but Kayla was either ignoring them, or just couldn't be bothered to return the favour.
Slightly out of breath, Kayla hailed an airport taxi and gracefully climbed in the back seat, exhaling in relief.
"Tu travailles avec qui?" the balding taxi driver asked, raising his eyebrows at the pretty young lady's reflection on his rear view mirror.
Kayla hesitated- it was the first time she was suddenly unsure since she had left Warwick this morning. Then, clearing her throat, she braced herself.
"The Novotel Hotel, please."
The taxi driver raised his eyebrows again.
"American?" he asked, in a French accent.
Kayla bit her lip.
"Something like that," she whispered.
---
"Good afternoon, Mr. Cafferty. Here is the key to your suite. Have a wonderful day," the receptionist smiled, as he handed over the access card to a man with blond hair, who's delicate facial structures betrayed him to be a son of some old, aristocratic family.
Mr. Cafferty's lips turned upwards, although his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Taking the keys, he headed to the elevator, exhaling loudly when the doors closed, leaving him alone in the moving box. Closing his eyes, he massaged his temples with his fingers, trying to rid himself of the throbbing headache he was having. The moment the doors slid open, he turned right, stopping in front of the Eiffel Suite, before inserting his key card into the door.
He didn't even glance at the luxurious surroundings, having probably being accustomed to staying in suites all his life. Throwing the first door open, he headed straight to the centre of the room and crashed on the King-sized bed, his eyes fluttering close.
---
Elle Kayla Thomas paced the length of her hotel room, occasionally casting nervous glances at the Eiffel Tower standing in front of her hotel room, some blocks away. All the confidence she had had this afternoon seemed to have dissipated, and she now had the air of someone uncertain about life. For the umpteenth time, Kayla straightened a low-cut red dress that she had paired with black leggings for some reason. Her shoulder-length hair was wavy- the product of a whole evening with a curling iron, and her eyes were smoldered with dark eyeshadow.
"An unexpected hail in Conneticut, United States, has forced hundreds of flights leaving the state to be-"
Huffing, Kayla rolled her eyes and pressed the remote control, effectively turning off the television. Then, she started muttering to herself, her iPhone 5 tight in her grasp.
"What if he'd forgotten? What if he doesn't like me anymore? What if he's not the same Cal I once knew?"
Kayla sunk in front of her dressing table, her fingers running through her hair. Exhaling another breath, she glanced at her Cartier, a graduation gift from her parents. Then, she turned back to the window, observing the city of Paris in full swing. Light snow was just starting to fall, and its streets were adorned with hanging coloured lights. In a few short hours, the Champs-Elysees would be flowing with families and couples wishing to usher in the new year, and with any luck, a Callum Aiden Cafferty would also be there, looking for her. At the thought of him, Kayla's heart beat faster, and she fingered the ring on her finger.
---
In the Eiffel Suite, on the fifth floor of the Le Meurice Hotel, Mr. Cafferty had woken up. Bleary eyed, he reached for his haphazardly packed bag and started to unpack. Carelessly chucking his clothes into the wardrobe, he then took his toiletries to the toilet.
His phone rang, but he ignored it, knowing that he shouldn't be taking any calls. Instead, he just glanced at its display: It was already 7pm. In two hours, he would be meeting a certain special someone, and he knew he had to get ready. Stepping into the shower, he tried not to wince as the hot water stung his wounds, and using his fingers, he gently patted his face, being extra careful around the nose area. The doctor had said that he needed to be careful, and he did not want the stitches to open up again- especially not tonight.
After a few minutes, Mr. Cafferty stepped out of the shower room and faced the sink, studying his reflection carefully. He had to look perfect- tonight was the night of all nights; the night he had been dreaming about. As he carefully checked his hair, making sure that there were no stray dark-coloured hairs, he smiled, congratulating himself. All those years of studying and research and asking around- it had finally led to this. Granted, he might have had some help from his friends, who in turn knew other friends and so forth, but all in all, it had been his pure genius that had led to this. Tonight.
The blond haired guy straightened his back, satisfied with his appearance. Then, he reached out for his contact lens casing and popped in a grey tinted contact lens in each of his eye.
---
The joint was hopping. Literally. There were two hours left to 2014, but apparently, people here did not waste any time. Everywhere Kayla looked, she was greeted by the same scene. Couples making out. Toasting each other champagne that they had brought along. Friends hugging each other.
But there was no sign of Cal.
Kayla sighed, pulling her coat over her tightly. It had already been a full hour, but she had yet to stumble upon the person she was dying to see. She kept her eyes peeled open for a 6 feet blond haired guy, and although she saw many that fit her description, none of them was the guy she was looking for.
"He has to be here! He has to! I'll just... have to keep looking," Kayla muttered determinedly, avoiding a group of guys who already looked as if they had too much to drink. As she walked and pushed through the crowd, it struck her how silly they had been- Cal and herself. They should have agreed to meet at a quiter place, did they really expect it would be that easy to just go running around, looking for each other? Not only that, they should at least have promised to use their old mobile numbers over here- at least, that way, they could have some means of communication.
As chance would have had it, however, the crowd started to part, as if there was an invisible body pushing through. All of a sudden, Kayla found herself face-to-face with a very familiar looking face.
---
HIM:
"Cal!" she breathed, her eyes wide. I stammered, suddenly feeling as if I had the wind knocked out of me. Standing in front of me was Kayla, who looked exactly the way she looked the last time I had seen her, yet different at the same time. She had grown taller, I realized, and her hair was shorter than it had been, but... there was something more to it. She had changed, but... I just couldn't place my finger on it.
And she was beautiful, I realized suddenly.
"Kayla?" I asked, my voice cracking.
She nodded slowly, her pretty curls bouncing against her face, her eyes glazed. The surprised look she had on her face had been replaced by a studying, apprehensive one. I was suddenly glad that we had agreed to meet at night- the shadows casted by all the bodies would certainly help me. Uncertain of what to do, I did what people always do in the movies- I grinned and opened up my arms into a hug.
Kayla smiled, her face glowing as she dissolved into my arms. For a while, she didn't say anything.
"I've missed you, baby," she whispered, her voice thick.
"I miss you too, Kay," I murmured into her ear, relishing the smell of strawberries in her hair. This was perfect, the moment I had been dreaming for so long was finally coming true.
"What have you been up to? Where have you been? Did you graduate? How's your dad?" she asked breathlessly, pulling out of the hug and staring straight into my eyes. I chuckled, although inwardly, I was uncomfortable at the way she was scrutinizing me and asking so many questions.
"Look, Kayla, let's go up to my hotel room. We have all the catching up to do, and I'd rather we do it at a place where we can actually here each other," I replied, and was awarded with another stunning smile from her. Grinning, I wrapped her small fingers in mine and pulled her towards the direction of my hotel.
---
HER:
All the grandness and the splendour of the hotel was wasted on me, for I did not so much as spare a glance at them. No. My eyes were fixed on the man beside me, the man who was once the boy who had promised to marry me, the man who was once the boy that had brought so much joy into my life.
Cal.
As he took his keys from the counter, I observed him silently, my hands suddenly feeling empty without his. Cal was still Cal, yet the years that had passed seemed to change him. Somehow. I mean, he looked exactly the same, not a day older than 17, but... he was still different. Just... different.
You know how you may have a friend whom you grew up with, then, thanks to a curveball life throws at you, you guys find yourselves separated, only to reunite four, five years later? And then, although the person in front of you may be the same person you used to see everyday since you were born, you find yourself in unchartered territory all of a sudden. This person had dreams and hopes that you were not around to see them being born, tears that you weren't around to see fall. And all these stuff makes you see them as a friendly... stranger. A face who you know, but you find yourself looking at in a whole new light. You may have known every single detail of their lives ever since they were born, but when it comes to the last couple of years, you just have absolutely no idea of what they've been through.
Like I said, a friendly stranger.
I watched the back of Cal's blond head, suddenly feeling uncertain. What was going to happen tonight? What if we ran out of things to say? What if things became so awkward between us?
"Hey, baby. Ready to go upstairs?"
I jumped, surprised at how suddenly he materalized infront of me. Nodding quickly, I tried to force the thoughts out of my mind.
All throughout the short elevator ride, I kept my eyes fixed on Cal. I could tell that he was uncomfortable, but I couldn't help it. I just had to recommit everything to memory! The little bump on his nose that had always been there. His high forehead, his cheek bones.
"What are you staring at, baby?"
I forced a smile, trying to stop myself from reaching out to touch his face. Not too fast, you might scare him! He's not... I mean, it'll take time.
"Your burns... they healed so beautifully. I can't even see a scar on your face."
For some reason, Cal's brow furrowed as he reached for his access card. Okay, soft spot? Without saying anything, Cal unlocked the door and ushered me into his suite.
"So, here we are. Uhm..." Cal stammered, as if unsure. Inwardly, I was devastated. Here we were, not 30 minutes into seeing each other again and we had already ran out of things to say?!
"Cal, could I use the toilet?" I hurriedly asked, trying to salvage the situation. We won't run out of things to say! We can't!
He nodded, and I practically ran to the toilet, locking the door behind me. Okay, deep breaths, Kayla. In. Out. In. Out.
He's still your boyfriend, okay? Just... gather your thoughts up and you guys will fall back into conversation in no time at all!
Wringing my hands together, I reached for the pocket of my coat and took out my mascara. Brushing them generously on my eyelashes, I counted to ten, reciting the names of United Kingdom's Prime Ministers. I stopped when I came to Gladstone, deciding I should stop before I could not even open my eyes from the weight of my mascara'd eyelashes. Exhaling, I let my eyes roam the tiny shelf which Cal had chucked his toiletries messily.
Smiling slightly, I picked up his bottle of perfume and sprayed some into the air. It smelt of mint- a scent I did not remember associating with Cal during our high school year together. Just another part of him that had changed, I thought sadly, returning the perfume to the rack.
I fingered the next bottle- a bottle of L'Oreal shampoo. I smiled- since when had Cal used L'Oreal? The only other guy I had ever seen using L'Oreal was Levine from Oxford, who seemed to change his hair colour every other week.
I frowned, picking up the bottle. Superior Preference LB02 Ultra-Light Natural Blonde, it stated. What was with the numbers, it sounded so... deadly. And what's with the hair dye? I thought Cal already had blond hair, why did he want it 'ultra-light'?
Oh god. Please no! I thought, as my lips became dry. Not Cal, please! Isn't it bad enough the my brothers are metrosexual, but Cal too?!
Where the heck did he spend his 4 years anyway???
I chucked the bottle back on the shelf as if I had just picked up something dirty. I even washed my hands again before I continued my reexamining of Cal's stuff. Picking up a contact lenses casing, I unscrewed it to find it empty.
Looks like somebody's eyesight had gotten worst, I thought to myself wryly.
Then, I picked up a small bag that had been tossed on the sink counter. Unzipping it, I found myself peering at transparent little packets of pills. Frowning, I reached for one, when suddenly there was a loud pounding on the door. I jumped, dropping the bag of pills.
"Kayla? Are you okay?"
I breathed through my mouth, trying to steady my breathing.
"I- I'm fine," I squeaked.
"Well hurry up then! The fireworks are about to start!"
I got down on my knees, picking up the bag that I had dropped. I then reached for a bottle that had rolled out of the bag, and, absentmindedly, I glanced at the sticker that covered the front part of the bottle.
My heart stopped.
Oh god, no.
No.
No.
No. No. No. PLEASE NO, GOD!!!
Harvey Medical Group. Harvey Plastic Surgery Clinic.
Sulfa drug.
Ben @ Evan Aiden Cafferty.