Chapter 5: Legato, Fine
Shiloh blinked up at the woman standing over her. She was…one of the most elegant and beautiful women she’d ever seen in her life. A flowy, yellow sundress wrapped around her, bright against the off-white ivory of her skin. Long wavy tresses of blonde hair trailed down her shoulders, ending at the small of her back. Her lips were parted in a soft smile, narrowing her eyes. Sharp green eyes like two chunks of jade. A wide sun hat with a white ribbon blocked her delicate skin from the sun. The woman giggled and Shiloh blushed hard when she realized how long she’d been staring.
“N-No!” she stammered out, taking the stranger’s hand, “No, I mean, uh, I’m sorry! It’s my fault!” She let out a breathless, half hysterical laugh. Only to be shocked into silence when the woman easily pulled her to her feet. Like she weighed nothing, she yanked and the next moment Shiloh was tripping over her own feet. The beautiful stranger only smiled fondly and wrapped her free hand around her shoulder. Steadying her with just as much ease. Shiloh’s heart stuttered in her chest and her face felt hot enough to fry a tomato. She struggled to find something—anything to say. The stranger, once again, came to her rescue.
“Oh you poor thing, let me help you pick your things up,” she cooed, somehow condescending yet flattering at the same time. She knelt down and started to delicately pick all the forgotten scattered items off the ground.
Shiloh couldn’t help the way her jaw dropped. “Oh!” she yelped, “Oh no! Please, you don’t hafta, you don’t gotta do that!” Shiloh practically dived to her knees. “You’re wearing such a pretty dress. I don’t know what I would do if you got it dirty helping me.” Shiloh jerked the box towards herself and started to stuff things haphazardly into the box. A hand landing softly on one of hers stopped her midmotion.
The woman was grinning at her, eyes slim slices and cheeks round as apples. “Don’t worry too much,” she huffed, amused, “It’s just a dress, I can buy another one.” Her perfectly trimmed nails softly traced her knuckles. “Meeting someone as adorable as you is worth the most expensive dresses in the entire world.”
Shiloh had never been shocked into silence quite like this. She couldn’t respond, screaming in her mind, but frozen stiff on the outside. Not even able to blink, she stared at the stranger with wide eyes. Eventually all she could do was turn away and try to get herself back under control.
“Any—ways,” she choked out, “I’m sorry for bumping into you like that. I can be such a klutz.”
The woman clicked her tongue chidingly, moving to stand with her as she stood up. “None of that,” she scolded, “we can share the blame if you’d like, but I won’t have you disparaging yourself.”
Shiloh was going to combust. She was going to explode into so many tiny pieces that they would never be able to completely clean her off the cement. Like human glitter. Luckily, the stranger didn’t seem to mind her constant, flustered silence, tittering behind her palm. Shiloh shook her head and looked up to meet her eyes once more. “I’m Shiloh,” she forced out. Her arm twitched to hold out a hand to shake, but was stopped by the box in her arms. Shiloh gave her a sheepish look.
The stranger only continued to stare fondly. “You can call me, Mara,” she said, moving back to stand beside her. “You must be new around here. I take this way to the cutest cafe everyday and I’ve never seen you before.”
Shiloh opened her mouth to respond, only to squeak as an arm wrapped around her waist. With that they were walking forward, the crowd seemingly splitting for them without a thought. “Y-Yeah, I uh,” Shiloh stuttered out, barely able to hear herself, “I’m staying at a hotel for now. It’s on, uh, Mutsu Street, I think?”
Mara’s eyes lit up with recognition. “I know exactly what hotel you’re talking about,” she hummed, “though you don’t sound so certain.” Before Shiloh could apologize, she gave her a light squeeze. “You must let me lead you there. It wouldn’t do for my new neighbor to get lost.”
“Y-You don’t have to do that!” Shiloh sputtered, though she didn’t try too hard to move out of Mara’s grip, “you probably have much better things to do than help me!”
Mara tossed her head back with a laugh. “Trust me, darling,” she said, tucking her head back down, “you’d be doing me a favor. I’ve got the most terrible case of writer’s block and doing anything except work would be a blessing.” She continued to sweep her through the streets, an arm wrapped around her and face close like they’d known each other for years.
“T-Thank you,” was all Shiloh could say, ducking her own head down. She could feel Mara’s eyes on her even when she hid away. They walked through the streets together, Mara filling the silence with mindless chatter. She talked about the shops in the area, places she liked to visit when she had the time, the best places for a date, the most expensive boutiques, she seemed to know everything about the city.
When they were drawing close to where the hotel was, Mara gave her another squeeze and raised her free hand. “See that building right there?” she said. Her finger pointed to a tall building with reflective windows. “My office is right in there, not even ten minutes from your hotel.” She grinned down at her. “Small world, isn’t it?” Shiloh gave a soft laugh and let Mara lead her down the street and to the hotel. They came to a stop in front of the entrance doors. Mara slipped her arm away and turned to face her. “Do you need any help getting to your room?” she asked, brows furrowing with concern, “I don’t want to invade your privacy but you’ve been carrying that box for blocks.”
Shiloh shifted back and forth on her feet, indecision causing her to bite at her lip. Part of her wanted to invite the stranger up to her hotel, if only to offer her a drink as thanks. To learn more about the elegant woman determined to watch over her. But there was a part of her that squirmed in the face of such kindness. There had to be some sort of catch. And she was sure the police wouldn’t appreciate her inviting strangers up into the hotel they’d set up for her safety.
Mara seemed to intuit how split she was and made the decision for her. She reached forward and squeezed her elbow in a firm but soothing way. She tilted her head and gave her a grin.
“I should probably get back to work anyways,” she said, demurely, “thank you for the break.”
Shiloh gave her a wobbly grin back, trying to ignore the way her heart was breaking in her chest. Mortifyingly, her eyes burned suspiciously and filled with a heavy weight.
“Thank you,” she forced out. She resisted the urge to grit her teeth. “You’re the one who helped me and made sure I got back safe. I don’t know how to thank you…”
Mara’s grin only grew.
“I’m sure I’ll come up with something,” she teased, “and I hope to see you soon.” She squeezed her arm, rubbed it up and down, then turned on her heel. In a flash of bright blonde and a cloud of sweet perfume, she was gone. Glimmering in the sunlight like a rare jewel, she slipped between her fingers and returned to the bustling crowds. Two blinks and she was gone. Shiloh let herself mourn what was the first true connection she’d had with another human in a long time. But life continued on and with one last sigh, she turned and started the hike up to her room.
The screaming of her lungs and thighs took her mind briefly off the pain in her heart. Shiloh couldn’t believe how heartbroken she was. Over a stranger. She needed to get out more. But even as Shiloh told herself that she knew she wouldn’t be following that advice anytime soon. She fumbled with the keys, resting the box on one of her hips, before stumbling inside. After nearly dropping her things onto the floor, she allowed herself an embarrassing moment of wheezing. She stubbornly swiped away the wetness still lingering in her eyes and directed her energies towards finding what to do next.
Keep busy. Keep busy and keep moving and everything would be fine. That’s how she’d made it this far and she didn’t have the time to stop now. Cosmo’s terrarium was already set up. She could go without but she wouldn’t dare ask the same of her scaly friend. But now that she had stuff, she could sort through it and start putting it away. Shiloh kneeled down by the box and started pulling the items out one by one. She should probably keep the box, just in case she had to move again.
The urge to knock on wood at that thought came but was forgotten when she spotted something unfamiliar towards the bottom of the box. A little square sheet (a business card?) sat innocuously among what few items were left. Soft powdery blue paper with a shining gold font. Shiloh picked it up and brought it closer to read the text.
Scarlett Preston – World renowned writer for Croûte Supérieure and owner of the Scarlet Express blog.
The next line down was a section labeled Contact Information.
555-206-6690 | ScarletPress@email.com
Shiloh’s brows furrowed, her lips pressing into a confused pout. How did this get into her things? Was this evidence for another case? Or a slip-up from a spacey officer? She turned the card to its backside and found a string of fancy cursive in black pen. Squinting to see the thin, compressed text, she began to read it.
Please, let me show you my favorite cafe. I’d love to learn more about my new neighbor and perhaps show you the city? We wouldn’t want you wandering off and getting lost. Please reach out if this would interest you. If not, simply throw this card away and I will understand. Hoping to here from you soon,
Mara
A wave of emotion overcame her, rushing through her head quick enough to make her dizzy. Happiness, shock, embarrassment, and most stark of all, relief. Only for it all to be washed away by a separate wave of excitement. Her face flushed, her fingers trembled, and sweat gathered across the back of her neck. Someone like Mara wanted to meet up with someone like Shiloh. She’d never felt so flattered yet out-classed at the same time.
How was Shiloh, some rough-and-tumble girl from the middle of nowhere supposed to keep up with her? Hesitance filled her. Maybe she should ignore the card, pretend she’d never even seen it. At least that way, they wouldn’t both end up disappointed. Mara could keep whatever illusion of Shiloh that had her so interested. And Shiloh wouldn’t have to nurse a broken heart after Mara realized what she was. She bit down on her lip and chewed until metal bloomed in her mouth. Shiloh flinched and switched to bending and flicking the corner of the business card. Being a coward was a familiar feeling by now and she hardly felt the sting of shame that came with it. It’s what she was best at afterall. Running away.
Yet something in her chest tugged at her. Something bright and hot, a miniature star she couldn’t look away from. She remembered the way Mara had looked at her. Fond and peaceful smiles, laughing eyes and full attention. She remembered soft touches; meant to soothe and guide. Even at Shiloh’s worst, all Mara did was titter and tease her, reaching out to her with the patience of a saint. And she remembered the way all of it made her feel. The low swoop in her belly, the tingling numbness of her skin, the burning brand of her cheeks, her heart beating all on Mara’s cue.
She realized then that she didn’t want to give that up. This one interaction with Mara made her feel more alive than she’d felt in years. She made her giddy. She made her feel young, like a teen on her way to her first dance. Nervous. Self-conscious. Exhilarated. If she was offering more of that, even just a taste, how could she possibly be expected to pass that up? It would be like putting a glass of water in front of someone who’d run a marathon and telling them not to drink. Had she not earned this little indulgence? Didn’t she deserve to enjoy this while she could? No matter how short it would last?
Shiloh let out a shaky sigh, twisting one of her curls around her finger. Would the pain in the long run be worth the pleasure in the short run? She spent a moment thinking over that but quickly came to a conclusion. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been hurting anyway. She just hadn’t realized how empty she’d felt until Mara had taken the blindfold from her eyes. Had taken the weight from her shoulders. The pain, the loneliness, had become the norm over the years. Why shouldn’t she seize the opportunity to relieve herself of that for a little while? She would survive it. She would grit her teeth and push through the pain when it all came crashing down. When Mara realized she was just a loser. A no-good coward. Not worth the trouble she caused. But for now, she would live in the moment, and reap the rewards while they came in.
Mind made up, she pulled out her phone and quickly added the number to her contacts. She typed a text, desperately trying to not overthink it, and pushed send.
Hey, this is Shiloh from earlier. I found your business card in my stuff? If you really meant what you said, I’d like to take you up on your offer. I understand if you’re too busy, but I’d like to see you again on your schedule and time-table. Thank you again for helping me, you’re very kind.
She shut off her phone before she could see whether the message had been read or not. Tossing it away, she covered her face with her hands and let out a few shaky breaths. Sending the text, accepting her offer, felt like a much bigger deal than it actually was. More like signing a contract than trying to meet up with a new friend. Shiloh couldn’t help but to laugh at herself. Here she was, making a big deal outta nothing. It was just lunch, wasn’t it?
She shook her head and started sorting through the box again. And when she started putting her things away, a new thought came to her. Shiloh didn’t remember Mara pulling out a card like that at any time and she definitely didn’t remember her having the time to write a message that long. Mara had accidentally bumped into her, helped pick up her things, and then spent the rest of the time talking and leading her through the city. Yet the card had found its way into her things, message and all.
Shiloh paused and thought the situation over. There had to be a reasonable explanation. Maybe she had been sneaky about it and done it when Shiloh wasn’t paying attention. And Shiloh had been pretty out of it, flustered by the entire situation. She couldn’t even remember everything Mara had said or done. She’d probably just missed her writing the message. It was totally possible that Mara had handed the note to her, herself, and Shiloh had been so shocked it gave her short term memory loss. She was such a hot mess, she would believe it. Or maybe Mara walked around with vague notes on the back of all her business cards, just hoping to bump into awkward girls.
Shiloh snorted at the thought and shook her head. Did it matter how it happened? If Mara responded, she could ask her about it when they saw each other next. The realization quickly overwhelmed her imagination and she began fantasizing about what the next meeting would be like. Mara in a sweater and designer jeans or in another dress like she’d worn today. The two of them huddled over a small circular table in a bougie yet cozy cafe. Or maybe outside under an umbrella as they sipped at teas and coffees or chewed on cakes and biscuits.
Shiloh quickly lost herself in her imagination, curiosity getting the best of her. No idea what she was stumbling into or how this simple fling would end.
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