She stepped out in the crisp autumn air and looked around, searching for a familiar face. No one she recognized. Good. She closed the door behind her and the taxi sped away. She had only a small bag of possessions and the rings on her fingers. Yeah, she was scared, this is the first real time she'd ever been alone.
Elaine was nervous as she stepped on to the Chicago side walk. She could only remember being in the city a couple of times when she was younger, driving through with her parents, guarded on the inside of the old Plymouth. The knots in her stomach began to grow as she remembered the hard faces of the street walkers looking in on her. Nothing was going to stop her though; she had to get away from him.
She walked along looking for somewhere to stop, somewhere to collect her thoughts. Finally she decided on a small café, quaint as it looked on the outside, the inside was dazzling. Something reminded her of home, although wasn't that what she was running from? No, she was trying to establish herself. She'd been away from the world way too long.
The lavender walls and the over-stuffed orange chairs were too inviting to resist so she sat down exhausted. With her bag at her feet she leaned back and closed her eyes, enjoying the cushy chair. It was such a better alternative to the plastic back seats of the taxi, and better than the hard mattress she was glued to back at his place.
"Can I help you?" Elaine jumped, startled. "Oh, I'm sorry honey, didn't mean to give you a fright."
Elaine looked up at the woman. "No, thank you. I'm fine." She studied her face a little longer. She was a becoming girl with rich, chocolate brown eyes. They were so cheerful in fact that one could almost overlook the freckles dotting her face. "And I wasn't scared; you just caught me off guard." Elaine flashed a tired smile at the girl.
"Oh, really? You could have fooled me, are you in town acting?" The younger girl sat down across from her and put her feet up on a nearby coffee table. "Most of the folks that come in here are regulars, and I haven't seen you around. I'm Diana by the way."
Elaine extended a graceful hand to the friendly waitress. "Elaine. It's nice to meet you. Really, it is. I just rode 2 hours in a taxi cab with a man that could speak little English and kept eye-balling me through the mirror." Diana laughed at the idea. "And no, I'm not in any sort of acting. What made you think that?"
Diana smiled, "It was just a little humor, I don't mean to offend," she paused for a moment, "are you sure you don't want anything? After 2 hours I'd be parched."
"Eh, okay. You've sold me." Elaine looked up to the purple menu over the counter. "Gee, I don't know if I can afford anything other than water."
Diana stood up and put her hands on her hips, "Now listen here, as a guest in my establishment you must try the hot cocoa, its delectable." She turned on her heel and walked behind the counter.
Elaine smiled watching her; something about Diana made a person do that. She had to be nearly 5'10'', and had the most outrageously colored hair. You could easily tell she was a natural red, but much of it was covered up in blues and purples. If only she were so daring. Suddenly the smile fled from her face. Todd would have a fit if she so much as cut her golden locks.
"Why so blue?" Diana was back in her seat before Elaine noticed her walking back, handing over a cup of steaming hot chocolate. She took the cup carefully in both hands and held it close to her mouth. She hadn't had anything sweet in so long. "Well drink it, silly, I didn't do anything to it, scouts honor." She held up three fingers and smiled. Somehow Elaine wasn't surprised.
She grinned and let the thick concoction fill her mouth. "This is good." Diana laughed as Elaine tipped her head back to drink it and a steam formed down her chin. "Oops. Uh, do you have a napkin?"
"Say no more, sweetheart." Once again she was on her feet and over to the counted. She returned with a first full.
"Wow, I've known you for 15 minutes and you already think I'm a slob, thanks."
"Nah, I just figure that if you're anything like me you'll need them." She handed them over and leaned back in her chair.
Elaine finished her cup and started rummaging through her pocket. "I'm sorry; I've only got $1.50." She sat it down on the table. Diana reached across and slid it back to her.
"Don't worry about it. I've got you." Elaine frowned at the change on the table. "Forget about it, really."
"But I-"
"Now stop it. Listen here, I own this place, okay? And I own all of the hot chocolate and have more than enough." Diana searched her eyes. She wasn't much older than she was, 26 maybe? But something about her made her seem mid-aged. Her green eyes seemed hurt. Where had this girl come from? Usually she didn't pry, but she felt connected with Elaine just through her gaze. "I don't want to hear another word about it. Now you're new in town right? Have you got a place to stay?"
"Well, not quite, I was just… poking around."
"Nonsense. There will be no poking for you. Why don't you stay with me for a while?" The question made Elaine noticeably uneasy, and Diana leaned in. "Please, it would be my pleasure. My roommate is out of town for the month with family in California living it up. I could use the company."
It was hard to argue though, Diana's easy going attitude and charm lured Elaine right in. "Okay, but just for the night, I've got to get moving in the morning." She was nervous, but at the same time very excited. it had been so long since she'd a night with a friend, and even though she had just met the girl, it was bound to be fun.