Cold Love - 2.º Chapter

Elle and John's flat (outside)

  It is saturday night, Benedict arrives to John's party, and it's about 09:45 pm. He rings the bell of the entry of the building and someone opens the door. He enters building, goes to the lift, he push the right button and checks his emails in his iphone while he doesn't arrive to the flat, which is very quick.

Elle

 He comes out from the lift and John's wife, Elle, sees Benedict right away.
- Hello, Benny! - she says with a light, happy and social voice but with some class.
Like her husband, she works in show business, she writes scripts for several Tv dramas. She's a nice lady, a bit stubborn but a good friend, yet she can't hide secrets very well, it's not because she wants to. She has brown eyes and brown hair and she's elegant and tonight she's wearing a medium dark green dress with a little golden touch, on the neck and on the belly, a black medium heels a shiny bracelet and a pair of earrings matching.

Elle's dress

 The house is huge, but pretty with golden and silver tones on the floo, walls and decoration. The party is nor too formal neither too casual, so he decided, in a second, an hour ago to, to put on a simple black suit, a white and a shiny black shoes and then after a warm coat. Elle gets closer to him.
- Hello, Kate. - he says with a humble smile and looks inside to a table with several bottles of wine and champagne - I didn't bring anything.
- You didn't have to. Come on in. - he enters into the entrance hall and kisses her cheeks.
- John's definition of "little reunion" is different from mine - he comments while they're going to reception room which is on his left.
- He was right, this party is little, there are only 60 people in here, only our closest friends and colleagues.
He gives a smile and goes towards the modest party.


He has been in the house for an hour and he has drank two glasses of wine, vintage, one of the many presents the couple received, Kate ordered the waitresses to open them, following with the quote, "The gifts are meant to be shared.". The party is being good, he talked to some people but he wants to go outside, to get some fresh air. He asks to a waiter:
- How can I go outside, is there any balcony or something?
- Yes, uhm, there are two terraces, one is next to one of the bedrooms and the other is next to billiards room and the cinema, but there's also a roof terrace.
- Can you tell me how to go to the roof terrace?
- You go to the entrance hall and you only need to go up the stairs.

- Thank you.
So he gets to the terrace and it is a lovely weather, even a bit cold but not that much, considered good for London, a cold and rainy city during most of the year. The balcony extends for several meters and it doesn't have much light, or anything anyone could think of, just some medium-sized plants, and an outside sofa.

Victoria's dress

He takes this moment to smoke, even knowing it's bad for his health, it feels good, so he just thinks, "Oh, fuck it". Only after two minutes in the balcony someone in the corner of the classy and simple outside sofa, in the middle of the dark speaks:
- Are you having a day that bad? - she asks with a sarcastic tone with a bit of truth.
- I didn't notice you were there! - he says a bit surprised
This woman has black boat neck dress and she's wearing a pair of white earings, and an unbuttoned medium size navy coat.
- Yeah, people say I tend to do this.
- You're from a few days ago. - he deduces
- Yes, you could say that. - she gets up and goes to him.
- What is your name? - he asks
- Were you able to control the mad woman? - she asks avoiding answer his question
- With a little difficulty, we managed.
- She is inside, I saw her talking with many people.
- Yes, including me. If she sees you, she'll make a scandal. - he giggles
- Oh, don't worry. - she says
- You seem to have the situation under control. You sound extremely calm. - he observes
- It's something people can learn through years.
- So, how long have you been here, outside?
- Almost since the party started!
- And why is that?
- I don't feel entirely confortable in a party.
- Oh, alright. Why are you here then?
- John invited me, I didn't want to say no, he is a really nice person.
- Yes, he is. - he agrees
- Do you want to go out, from here? - she suggests
- And go where?
- Anywhere, a cafe, to go see the views, somewhere.
- And John won't notice?
- From the time he realizes we're not here, the party will be over.
- Yeah, why not? - he relented - Shall we?
- Can you go first? I'll be right there, I just remembered I have to make a quick phone call, just two minutes.
- Yes, sure, I'll be downstairs.
- Ok, thank you.
He turns his back, and she says to him:
- And my name is Victoria.
He stops for a second, smiles and continues to walk.
  She takes a little black mobile from her small bag.
She dials a foreign number. She puts the mobile next to her ear, and with that certain hope, the other person answers it, she closes her eyes slowly. Suddenly she hears a very sweet voice and so close to her at the same time she opens her eyes. She says hello to the person, which happens to be a man, she identifies herself, despite there was no need for that. She assures him the call is safe and she is fine, and asks how he is. Her voice's tone is shaking, trying to compose, with normality, a thing she doesn't have in this precise moment. During the conversation she looks up to the sky while trying not to cry. She asks how everyone else is, absent people of her life. The words of the man confort her in the most possible way. She says goodbye, and that she loves him and turns off the call. The phone call only lasted 2 minutes as she had predicted. She is not crying, but the look she has on her eyes is not prettier. She takes a deep breath, she buttons her coat, turns around to the door, she goes down the stairs to the entrance hall, opens the door, gets out and closes it. No one, as she noticed, saw her. Then she goes to lift, leaves it, and goes to main door, opens it, and she sees
him waiting for her and she closes the door.
He notices sadness in her pale face.
- Are you alright?
- Yes, I am. - she says with a very well disguised smile.
- I studied microexpressions for years. - he informs her persuading her to tell him what happened.
- Can I just,... ask you something?
- Yes.
- Can I hug you for a moment? I rarely say this, but I need a hug.
- Yeah. - he answers and they hug each other. - what happened? Do you want to tell me? You were just fine minutes ago. - he says - I guess it was the phone call. - he comments with a weaker tone
After 10 seconds she lets him go.
- How did you come here? - she recovers herself in a moment.
- How? By the tube. - he says with some surprise in his tone because of the quickness of the same recovery.
- That's how we are going. You must have been borned and grown up here, you have the original london accent. And you must still live here, you use the tube, no one who lives a bit further would use the tube.
- Did you just noticed that, or...?
- I've been taught to notice details. So, shall we?
- Of course. You know, it would be easier if you googled my name.
- It wouldn't have so much fun. - she grabs his arm, and pulls him slightly so they start to walk, finally.
- You seem someone I know.
- Who?
- It doesn't matter.
- We can go get us hot drinks and why not go to the St James park? It's near by.
- Yeah, alright. There's a cafe in 0.2 miles. And then we come back and go to the park.
- Yes, I agree.
- So, where do you come from?
- It might seem a odd answer, but it's hard to explain.
- Yes, it is. - he gives a uncertainity expression
- You can make me another question.
- Yes,... alright, what do you like?
- About what?
- I don't know, anything.
- Yes, I'll answer that one. I like to stay at home watching movies, classics, romances, anything. And a nice cup of tea, simple, but don't we all? And you?
- I like a good book, no preferences, mystery, maybe, and also a cup of tea, with milk.
They stay quiet for a couple of minutes.
While she is walking she looks behind her through her shoulder discretly. He notices her small behavior.
- Is everything alright?
She looks suddenly to him.
- Yes, why shouldn't it be?
- Oh, it just got here. - comments quickly, turning his head
They enter the cafe.
It hasn't that many people, they go to the counter and he asks:
- What do you want?
- Just hot chocolate.
- Ok. One hot chocalate and a tea with milk, please.
Victoria notices someone look right at Benedict, and she frowns her heavy and dark eyebrows, looking at the behaviour of the young lady. The waiter says to him:
- There you go.
- Thank you. - he says politely
The girl goes to him and presents herself:
- Hi, sorry to bother you, my name is Billie, and I'm a big fan of yours.
- Oh thank you, thank you very much.
- Can you sign my magazine? - she says taking off the an edition of the GQ magazine and a marker, from her backpack, and gives to him. He pulls down the drinks in a free table.
Victoria just turns around and looks down to the floor. While he's signing, he makes small talk:
- How old are you?
- I'm 18 years old.
- And what are you studying?
- Medicine.
- Excelent. There you go. - he gives both the marker and the magazine back to her, signed - I have to go now. - he says looking at Victoria turning around and going away.
- Oh, ok, Thank you. - the girl says
- God bless you.
- Oh, God bless you too.
He gets out after her. He walks in a faster speed to catch her.
- Is everything alright?
- Yes, and it's the third time you're asking.
- I understand.
He actually doesn't understand why so much secrecy, he feels that something is wrong about this woman, but he's such a gentleman and he's so intrigued by her, he won't just let her go. So, he decides to not talk much, and, through some smooth suggestions and questions, discover more about her. They arrive to the park.
Victoria pits her hands slightly in her coat's pockets.
- Let's go seat on a bench.
- Yes, that will be nice.

St. James Park

They sit on a bench, they finish their hot drinks. He thinks this moment of silence is a bit awkward, even if it is relaxing, but he intervenes anyway:
- This is nice - she doesn't say anything but smiles smoothly agreeing with him.
He tries to make her talk:
- So, you're a make-up artist?
- Sometimes.
- How... Sometimes? - he asks
- It depends really, sometimes I'm a physics teacher, others a chef, or something
- How can you do so much?
- I've had a hard education, which gave me the opportunity of having different jobs.
- But, you don't have you love the most?
- I guess I do, maybe psychology. It is complex, we have the chance to get to know the person and help him or her, and they can't complain my methods, they pay me to treat them, so, yes, I like it.
- How can you have so many possibilities? And, sorry if going back to the same question.
- I have patience. From the beginning, since I was born I have almost a perfect memory, for, which was given to me an opportunity of learning faster and more. My teachers of the college I went to, explained me my... "gift", and teached me how to use it with more efficiency. I can't remember every single thing, but, I have the ability to describe situations to the minimum detail.
- It must be great.
- No, it's not. - she says right away and deeply.
- Why do you say that?
- I've seen so much, in so many places. I tend to see it, now, as a curse.
He doesn't say anything, just look at her, at the floor and notices this woman isn't by any chance normal.
There are more minutes of silence, but then she says to him:
- I have to go now. I have to work tomorrow, really early.
- Oh alright. Actually tomorrow I'll not work. I'm not in the scenes, of another film, that are going to be filmed. But what are going to do, weren't unemployed?
- I'm going to work in a little personal project.
- Ok then. Was nice to meet you, I hope we'll talk again in the future.
- Me too.
And they start to walk in contrary directions to their houses.