While Evie and Amelia continued to bicker, Ella, in her mind, started to review her initial meeting with David, nearly ten years ago. She remembered she was really nervous, and she was reticent when he came over to her at the end of the session. Initially, her responses were short, mainly one word replies, pure gauche, but he'd just kept talking, oozing confidence. He was a self-assured, young, fit man. And by the time he'd headed off for a shower, they had been talking like long lost friends. She still remembered that: the fact that he could talk to anyone. Even now, living in this town, she knew he still had that skill. A skill that was natural to him.
It might explain his vast social circle and his flourishing, dynamic dating history. Despite his dating history was littered with ex-girlfriends, they all spoke of him with warmth and sincere affection. Two years of seeing him around, seeing him with other women, and you'd think you'd get over it, she berated herself silently as she, strove for a modicum of control. In the last few weeks, as Amelia's interest in Jack flourished, Ella had started to think that perhaps it was time to leave. She could not stay because she would have to meet him more and would not be easy. When, if Amelia and Jack's relationship blossoms, she will be pleased for Amelia, but it would not make it better for Ella. It would throw her into David's path, on a regular basis and that was not a good idea for her mental health.
Amelia realised that she and Evie had ignored Ella, so she turned her gaze back to Ella and said, "Ella, then what?""
Ella shrugged at the pair of them. "I told you, he went off to get a shower." Not exactly the truth. The rest of the group showered. David didn't. Not right then. He stayed to talk. Just the two of them. Even now, just that moment was etched in her brain. The fact that he stayed. That he took time to talk to her, ignored the people around, and focused on her. She felt as if she was the centre of his universe and that made her heartbeat to escalate, as if she had just come off the training pitch.
Amelia was not good at waiting. "This is like pulling out a tooth!" Amelia grumbled grouchily under her breath and she could seefrom Ella's eyes, that there was more to this..
Evie said with confidence, "They arranged to met up, obviously!"
Amelia asked impatiently, "And you know that?" Raised an eyebrow. "Given your experience on the date scene?"
Evie smirked. "Yeah! Simple. They arranged a date. Voila. And they kissed."
"Really! Ok then smarty-pants, what are the details? When, how, where!" Amelia interjected. Amelia rolled her eyes at Evie. She summarised the information, "He got hurt, she brought the first aid kit, there were lots of people around, and the result? A kiss! Hardly." A frown marred her brow.
Evie chewed on her lower lip and scratched her head. She turned towards Ella, "Err, Ella, when did you kiss him?"
"David said he was practically accused of taking advantage of Ella." Amelia reminded quietly. Evie and Amelia looked over at Ella. Ella knew she just needed a minute or two to pull herself together and brace for new bombardment of questions. Of course Evie and Amelia will want details. Telling someone about your first adult kiss should involve a happy finale, not the start of a nightmare.
Ella replied truthfully, "I didn't kiss him." She felt remarkably composed despite the fact that her friends would expect more details.
Amelia tipped her chin in defiance, "He said you kissed him."
Back to being defensive and defiant, Ella folded her arms and contemplated her for a second, before saying softly, "Not on the first day!" That first day, they had left with an implicit understanding that they would meet again, tomorrow. He didn't ask her to return tomorrow, he didn't tell her that they would see each other again, she, like David just knew they would see each other tomorrow."You arranged to meet?" A genuine smile appeared.
Smirked Evie, "See, I told you. I told you they arranged to met up!"
Amelia watched Ella's eyes, something wasn't right.
Ella nodded. "Kind of!" Her fragile hold on her usual confidence, rattled as she tried to hide her feelings. That implicit understanding on that first day was a silent promise. That promise brought concealed new feelings to their eyes. She remembered that moment. That moment when you realised that someone reciprocated the feeling. The moment when you realise that you can fall in love within seconds with someone you barely know.
Evie asked automatically when Ella stopped again. She asked with genuine puzzlement, "Kind of, means what exactly?" Evie's brow beetled.
"I went back every day after that!" That feeling of anticipation, waiting to see him again, the fact her heart was racing, constantly thinking of reasons to see her dad, in order to see David at the training sessions. Arriving at the pitch, waiting at the side-lines, while others watched the game on the field, her brain was thinking of the game rules so that she could appear to understand the game, but actually, she didn't have to understand the rules, because they talked about various topics and none involved rugby league.
"I knew that your dad managed that group for days." Amelia said.
Evie found Ella's attitude intriguing. "Ok, I get that, you kissed David. We know that." In fact the relationship between David and Ella was something that intrigued Evie for ages. But, right at the moment, Ella didn't look terribly happy. "The question is, when? Not the first day, I get that. But," Evie frowned, "you don't seem happy about that!" Evie pointed out. Evie rolled her eyes, when Ella didn't not answered. "Ella?"
Ella looked over at them. "I wasn't interested in the players, or rugby. So any summer, every rugby camp was just a nuisance, and our holidays were always constrained by Dad's job. We never came to the training grounds, we just did our own things while dad managed those players, practically every summer." Ella said quietly, "But that year, I came to the training camp. And I found excuses to stop by to see Dad at the training ground for practically for nearly the whole of the camp."
"To see David?" Evie asked.
"Yes. I found an excuse to stop by to see David, nearly that whole first week. I found reason after reason, just to be there." Ella braced for another round of personal questions. " I thought we would have nothing in common but we talked, really talked."
"I wish I had the confidence that you have." Amelia mumbled.
Shifting uncomfortably, Ella shrugged, "Not sure I had confidence. Just, well, I just remember that I wanted to see David, not just to see him, I really wanted to talk to him, over and over. I would see him, and my heart was thumping, and when we spoke, it was," Her eyebrows drew closer together as she frowned up at her friends, she shrugged, "magical."
Magical? Evie's brow furrowed. She did not associate the word magical with Ella's disposition. Too fey, too emotional and definitely not Ella's normal nature. Ella was aloof. She was stand-offish with most men.
"Magical." Amelia whispered.
"Yes. Magical. We talked after his training session. Just talked. About anything. Magical. When the other guys came out, he left. And I just waited for my dad. He was usually the last to leave, so I just waited for him."
"You had a crush on him." Evie muttered as she sank into the sofa and took up the space beside Amelia. Evie could understand why Ella fancied David, he was a good looking man, had a decent attitude towards woman, a decent gentleman, always had a smile on his lips, and he was really kind.
"So you spoke?" Amelia said quietly, she could understand Ella's feelings as she felt the same with Jack.
"Yes. After each session David would come and talk. I didn't come to the training ground for dad, I rarely spent time with dad at the camps. But this time, I just kind of waited for the session to finish, I knew dad would have work to do after the session and I knew that the players would shower and change before they left the grounds." Ella's slide into mush, ground to an instant halt. "David showered and changed, before the other guys came out."
"You really fancied him." Evie murmured
Ella shrugged then said softly. "A bit more than that." But she tipped her head to one side and her friends would have recognised the defiance in her stance.
"So what happened?" Amelia asked gently.
Back to being defensive, Ella folded her arms. "They usually go home for the weekend." Ella hesitated for another second, wondering if she was going to make things worse by telling her friends about the consequence of that event.
"Ella, I am not sure why you are stalling." Evie huffed, "I mean, he is a gorgeous man, you are lovely, you both obviously liked each other. You had a crush on a rugby player! He obviously liked you. I just don't understand why you are so reticent about telling us about this, now. "
Ella straightened her spine and glared at Evie, "Yeah, like you?"
"What do you mean?"
"You and Seth? You can run from the truth!"
Evie replied without a trace of bitterness. "Me and Seth? There is nothing there."
Amelia snorted as she reminded Evie, "Not true, Evie!"
"Ok, for an update, he is buying a bit of my farm! He also thinks we, as in you, Ella and me have started a witches' coven!" Evie couldn't help the grin when Amelia spluttered. Evie's smile vanished when she added, "Apparently he doesn't want to marry some waspish, shrew who feels threatened by a younger, gorgeous woman!" Her eyes conveyed irony.
"It sounds like Jack!" Amelia said quietly.
"I think Seth and Jack have been bitten by the same mosquito, aka, Jane. Or Seth's penis got active and his only brain cell died!" Evie grinned and looked over at Ella, while Amelia choked as she processed that statement, "And you, Ms Gabriella Jones, are really good at changing the topic! We were talking about you! You and David. Remember?"
Ella lifted her shoulders in a deprecating shrugged.
That is the problem if you have good friends. They have your back but they expect to be kept in the loop.