chapter O2
Elsa was back at the kitchen island, waiting for some delicious food. She heard a goofy giggle along with the clank of a bowl against wood. The smell of pasta with melted provolone and black olives filled her nostrils, easing the glare she sent to the massive guy wearing a tiny lavender apron.
"Marsh."
"What!", he smiled after setting the last goblet on the wooden surface, "It is funny!"
"It's been two weeks."
The big man, Marsh, made his way to the cabinets. He holds a different bottle in each hand, asking Elsa which wine she would like to drink that evening. The girl mouths 'light red' and he smiles at the her, showing she picked the one he wanted to try. They were both young, recently graduated and being the nerds they were they never tried much alcohol during campus life. The woman still clearly remembers how hard it was to carry the troll of a man all the way up to their accommodation after he drank too much punch. Probably two cups.
Talking about drinking and drunk people, Anna had left the house some time in the afternoon weeks ago and had never bothered them with drunkard manners since.
"I know! But I can't believe you let someone in", he lets a ton of pasta and cheese fall on his plate and hands the bowl to the girl, "When I went to your room to check on you, I totally assumed you got laid."
"Oh Gods- Marshall!"
"Wouldn't you think I got laid if you found a chick, a naked one, hugging my arm?"
For that Elsa had no comeback.
"I'm glad, you know," he continued, "that she wasn't a dangerous person. She treated you well, correct?"
"She did. She made us brunch, I told you", Elsa took a sip of her beverage, "This is quite good."
"It is, isn't it? I might add this one to our 'alcoholic stuff we bare without frowning' list", he winked and the conversation died as they ate the scrumptious pasta Marsh provided that night.
"Ooh!", Elsa, who was placing the utensils in the wooden cupboard, hummed to show she was paying attention. He continued, "Actually, I heard about a place these days and I was thinking."
"Oh?"
"Yes. One of my workmates told me this certain place is holding a competition. Many bartenders and what-nots are competing to see who has the best Summer drink recipe."
Elsa smiled, "Sounds good, Marsh."
Marsh smiled back, "What about next Sat?"
"Next Sat what? Wait. You want me to go?", he grinned, "You know I don't go out much, Marsh…"
"Hey, sweetheart."
Suddenly, two thick arms wrapped the girl around her fragile shoulders and a chin was placed on top of her fair locks.
"I know you're not into hanging out and stuff, but please - for me? I assure you no one we know will be there. And if someone shows up I'll make sure they vanish in a sec so we can be the wallflowers we love to be", he cuddled some more, "How does that sound?"
It took Elsa a few moments but she finally gave up, Marsh's hug being too comfy to refuse him anything.
-x-
Saturday.
Elsa deep breathed as she looked at her mirrored image one more time. A beige cardigan, nude Oxford shoes and dark gray pants were perfect to let her blend in and enjoy a chilly night with Marsh. She fixed her French braid one last time when she heard the man's voice getting closer.
"You done, Little One?"
She tried not to let her eyes get wide as soon as his image hit the mirror. Marsh was wearing a light blue suit, red bowtie and shoes.
So discreet. Elsa took a deep breath again and smiled at him as the silly man wore a random sunglass to show stealthy shit was up.
"I'm done."
-x-
The place wasn't the worst thing she's ever seen. Truth be told, it was quite welcoming. There were improvised plastic tables all over the place with many people behind, getting ready to make drinkable miracles happen. They all in bartender classic black & white attires so everyone's eyes would be in the drinks, not them.
Marsh, being the kid he is, was already lost with all the possibilities, walking around as his tiny (well, at least when beside him) friend guided the two of them by his elbow.
They noticed the tables and chairs that should be all around the place probably were in the back of the pub so people could walk with no problem and enjoy the competition. The pair decided to start from the beginning. The three first mixtures were so strong they had to try really hard to avoid grimacing in front of the competitors. It wasn't that the beverages were terrible… well, they were terrible – terrible for Marsh and Elsa's taste. Marsh had to put his hands on the table to keep his balance.
"Holy shit", he whispered as they walked to the next couple of tables.
"Language."
"Ugh…"
The next proffered drink was happy to say the least. It has many shades of red and a cute umbrella hanging on the border. Marsh noticed Elsa liked the looks of it and let her try it first.
When her hand was almost reaching the cup, it disappeared.
"Fuck! That's a 10, dude!"
She heard the cheerful voice after a hard gulp finishing the whole beverage content.
She knew that voice.
She knew that "dude".
She knew that teenager-ish "oh my gosh" that came right after.
"Bumblebee!"
"…Hi, Anna."
Hallo! I thought about updating this story every Wednesday only. The chapters are sorta short, though, so Weds and Sats will do for now since I hae 11 chapters done, 2 more outlined. Will you guys survive, I wonder. I also wonder if I will remember to update it twice, lel... remind me, someone D:
Reviews, PMs... all hella much appreciated. I usually don't bite :) ciao!