Eli Krauss & the Starry Eyed Girl

Jake watches Fiona ready herself in the morning. He is suspicious because it is Saturday and she is usually asleep until one in the afternoon. But today she is awake, wearing dark stretchy pants and the shirt he got her from the Wilco concert last year. She has just finished tying her sneakers and gets up to smear some pink lipstick on her lips.

Finally Jake asks, "Where are you going?"

Fiona looks at him as if she has barely noticed his presence. And then she spreads her strawberry lips into a feline smile and says, "Just out."

Jake feels an outrageous sense of loss. As if he has just seen how blue Fiona's eyes are, how perfectly ivory her skin is, and how much he has missed seeing that smile of hers. Fiona stops for a second and looks at herself in the mirror. Jake notices that she has a little self satisfied gleam edging from the corners of her face and he immediately knows that she is seeing someone else.

It shocks him into a million different pieces. He hadn't expected it to hurt this much.

______

Eli decides to invite Fiona on a hike with him. He likes to climb up the steep mountains and reach the top in exhaustion. Unfortunately, Fiona does not share his passion. She is tired and a sheen of sweat hides underneath her hairline. "Oh, Eli. What have you gotten me into?" she asks breathlessly.

He grins at her. She is completely and utterly depleted, and he likes how she is not afraid to show him that. He smiles at her and reaches out to grab her hand. "You have to take me out for breakfast after this," Fiona sighs as he pulls her forward, up the steep turf.

"I promise."

The don't talk much during the hour it takes for them to climb to the top, mostly because Fiona is too breathless to speak and Eli is busy wondering if she likes him. And how much does she like him? There is a thrill in having a prospect of someone to spend time with, but then there is the ridiculously monumental fear of actually liking her back.

But they are distracted because the top of the mountain is in sight and Fiona is suddenly overtaken with euphoria. Eli laughs as she lets go of his hand and runs towards the pinnacle. She stops and stares out over the city beyond. He catches up to her. She looks at him and says, "Oh, I'm so tired."

He leans forward and wipes the sweat off of her forehead with unexpected gentleness. Fiona stiffens then melts in response.

"You've just been baptized," Eli says.

______

They do stop at a Denny's on the base of the trails. Fiona is fiddling with the coffee in front of her and Eli watches curiously. She is completely remarkable in the sense that she never tries to make conversation if there is no need for it. She allows him to sit with her in comfortable silence. Rachel had not been like that. She would fill the space with little tidbits of conversation and stories from the grocery store. The more time he spends with Fiona, the more he realizes she is not Rachel.

But then she would smile and he would be assaulted by the familiarity and he would be thrown into a dream of what is already lost.

Later, Eli drops Fiona off at her apartment and she hesitantly shuffles forward and kisses his cheek. "See you at work," she whispers and exits the vehicle. He likes it because she doesn't look back as she disappears from view.