Status: Active, updates may be very slow though, but bare with me
Shoulder to Shoulder
One
“Come on Elena, it won’t be the same without you, you have to come!” Elena’s best friend, Lila pleaded.
Elena wasn’t in the mood for going out, she just wanted to spend some time alone, but she was never able to say no to Lila. Reluctantly, she agreed and then went to go and change clothes. Even though she was at Lila's flat, luckily the two wore the same size clothes and always were swapping garments back and forth, so she had nothing to worry about.
Lila pumped her fist in triumph as she called out “I think you should go for the blue dress I bought in Topshop, I never wear it!” Elena’s mind flicked to the short royal blue dress, thinking about how it nipped in at the waist and the peplum shape gave her a great silhouette.
30 minutes later, she stepped out of her room, amidst a shower of playful catcalls from Lila. “You’re looking mighty fine tonight, girl.” The blonde haired woman hit on Elena.
She tossed her curly dark brown hair over her shoulder and checked her lipstick in the mirror before Lila dragged her out of the flat.
Quicker than Elena would’ve liked, the two young women hailed a taxi and were dropped off outside a club in Kensington. Droves of people mingled on the pavement directly outside the club, the loud chatter of multiple conversations made it hard to talk to one another without raising your voice.
In an effort to make sure she didn’t lose her, Elena felt Lila grab her hand as they wove their way through the groups of people and into the club. She might as well have not bothered, because after they’d wrestled their way to the bar and got drinks, Lila disappeared.
Although she loved her best friend, Elena hated to admit that Lila was a nightmare to go out with. She’d go off to dance without telling anyone and then she’d go home without a word and worry all of her friends immensely. Elena decided to use her friend’s disappearance as an excuse to sit down. Luckily, she was able to find a table towards the back of the club where the DJ’s loud choice of house music made the table vibrate. Shooting out a text to inform Lila of her whereabouts, Elena sipped her drink as she looked out across the club from her relatively calm vantage point.
What she saw was nothing short of the usual, a couple who were furiously making out against a wall on the far side of the club; a girl who was staggering around, desperately trying to dance in time with the music and failing completely; and a guy who apparently saw this as a time to crack out his break dancing moves and attempt to spin around on his head. This heeded disastrous results, a few broken glasses and multiple spilled drinks were only the beginning, he’d fallen and almost taken out one of his friends who had been standing too close. But as Elena continued to look around the room, she noticed a guy who looked around the same age as her sitting alone a few tables away, but in a different section of the club. Some sort of black rope separated them, and he hadn’t seen her, but he was also sitting alone, looking down at his phone.
Elena didn’t want to be caught staring, so she averted her gaze and looked back out over the crowded dance floor, to see if she could locate Lila. After searching for a few minutes, she saw her friend dancing with a guy that she had no doubt only met a few minutes before. Feeling slightly comforted that she knew Lila’s location and that she was safe, Elena finished her drink and went to the bar to order another.
After she’d pushed through the crowd, and finally managed to get one of the bar staff to serve her, she made her way back to her table, rum and coke in hand. Upon arrival, she was glad to see that no one had poached her table in the five minutes she’d been gone. To be honest, she was quite surprised, the club was heaving and usually any table that was left unmanned was snapped up in seconds.
She sat back down, and as she did so she felt someone gaze upon her. Looking around, she noticed that it was the guy she’d seen earlier. This time she got to see his face fully, he had a beard and dark hair; she was unable to be more specific seeing as it was fairly dark in the club. He sent over a smile, which she gladly returned and she looked away quickly, making sure she could still find Lila in the crowd. But it took her a good few seconds before she saw her on the other side of the dance floor; although she was with the same guy she’d seen her with earlier.
When she looked back over to where the guy had been, the spot he’d previously taken was now empty. Seconds later, she realised why, he was making his way over to her, weaving through the throngs of people in the club. Quickly she whipped out her mirror from her bag and checked her hair was still in place and that her makeup was still in tact, when she was satisfied, she slipped the mirror back into her bag.
She did so just in time as the guy slid on to the chair opposite her.
“Hi,” he said fairly shyly. She noticed a hint of an accent on his voice, but the one word he’d spoken didn’t give her enough of a chance to detect what sort of accent he had.
“Hi, I’m Elena.” She replied, holding out her hand, which he shook.
As he let go of her hand, he lent in so he didn’t have to shout over the music. “Hey Elena, I’m Juan.” His face looked fairly familiar, but Elena couldn’t place it, she couldn’t shake the notion that she’d seen him before.
“Juan?” she questioned. “Are you Spanish?”
He nodded, taking a sip from his own drink, which was just a mineral water. “Yeah, I moved to London about a year and a half ago.”
The two continued to chat for a while, in the ultimate cliché, Elena felt like time passed too quickly while she talked to Juan. He was funny, polite and charming, not to mention the Spanish lilt that clung on to every word he spoke was incredibly attractive.
It was around 2am when Juan had to leave. “I have training in the morning.” He confessed, before asking Elena if she’d like to exchange numbers which she happily obliged to.
Only after he left, did Elena realise that she had no idea what he was training for. But she didn’t get the opportunity to dwell on it for long, as Lila finally emerged and the two young women left the club.
Elena wasn’t in the mood for going out, she just wanted to spend some time alone, but she was never able to say no to Lila. Reluctantly, she agreed and then went to go and change clothes. Even though she was at Lila's flat, luckily the two wore the same size clothes and always were swapping garments back and forth, so she had nothing to worry about.
Lila pumped her fist in triumph as she called out “I think you should go for the blue dress I bought in Topshop, I never wear it!” Elena’s mind flicked to the short royal blue dress, thinking about how it nipped in at the waist and the peplum shape gave her a great silhouette.
30 minutes later, she stepped out of her room, amidst a shower of playful catcalls from Lila. “You’re looking mighty fine tonight, girl.” The blonde haired woman hit on Elena.
She tossed her curly dark brown hair over her shoulder and checked her lipstick in the mirror before Lila dragged her out of the flat.
Quicker than Elena would’ve liked, the two young women hailed a taxi and were dropped off outside a club in Kensington. Droves of people mingled on the pavement directly outside the club, the loud chatter of multiple conversations made it hard to talk to one another without raising your voice.
In an effort to make sure she didn’t lose her, Elena felt Lila grab her hand as they wove their way through the groups of people and into the club. She might as well have not bothered, because after they’d wrestled their way to the bar and got drinks, Lila disappeared.
Although she loved her best friend, Elena hated to admit that Lila was a nightmare to go out with. She’d go off to dance without telling anyone and then she’d go home without a word and worry all of her friends immensely. Elena decided to use her friend’s disappearance as an excuse to sit down. Luckily, she was able to find a table towards the back of the club where the DJ’s loud choice of house music made the table vibrate. Shooting out a text to inform Lila of her whereabouts, Elena sipped her drink as she looked out across the club from her relatively calm vantage point.
What she saw was nothing short of the usual, a couple who were furiously making out against a wall on the far side of the club; a girl who was staggering around, desperately trying to dance in time with the music and failing completely; and a guy who apparently saw this as a time to crack out his break dancing moves and attempt to spin around on his head. This heeded disastrous results, a few broken glasses and multiple spilled drinks were only the beginning, he’d fallen and almost taken out one of his friends who had been standing too close. But as Elena continued to look around the room, she noticed a guy who looked around the same age as her sitting alone a few tables away, but in a different section of the club. Some sort of black rope separated them, and he hadn’t seen her, but he was also sitting alone, looking down at his phone.
Elena didn’t want to be caught staring, so she averted her gaze and looked back out over the crowded dance floor, to see if she could locate Lila. After searching for a few minutes, she saw her friend dancing with a guy that she had no doubt only met a few minutes before. Feeling slightly comforted that she knew Lila’s location and that she was safe, Elena finished her drink and went to the bar to order another.
After she’d pushed through the crowd, and finally managed to get one of the bar staff to serve her, she made her way back to her table, rum and coke in hand. Upon arrival, she was glad to see that no one had poached her table in the five minutes she’d been gone. To be honest, she was quite surprised, the club was heaving and usually any table that was left unmanned was snapped up in seconds.
She sat back down, and as she did so she felt someone gaze upon her. Looking around, she noticed that it was the guy she’d seen earlier. This time she got to see his face fully, he had a beard and dark hair; she was unable to be more specific seeing as it was fairly dark in the club. He sent over a smile, which she gladly returned and she looked away quickly, making sure she could still find Lila in the crowd. But it took her a good few seconds before she saw her on the other side of the dance floor; although she was with the same guy she’d seen her with earlier.
When she looked back over to where the guy had been, the spot he’d previously taken was now empty. Seconds later, she realised why, he was making his way over to her, weaving through the throngs of people in the club. Quickly she whipped out her mirror from her bag and checked her hair was still in place and that her makeup was still in tact, when she was satisfied, she slipped the mirror back into her bag.
She did so just in time as the guy slid on to the chair opposite her.
“Hi,” he said fairly shyly. She noticed a hint of an accent on his voice, but the one word he’d spoken didn’t give her enough of a chance to detect what sort of accent he had.
“Hi, I’m Elena.” She replied, holding out her hand, which he shook.
As he let go of her hand, he lent in so he didn’t have to shout over the music. “Hey Elena, I’m Juan.” His face looked fairly familiar, but Elena couldn’t place it, she couldn’t shake the notion that she’d seen him before.
“Juan?” she questioned. “Are you Spanish?”
He nodded, taking a sip from his own drink, which was just a mineral water. “Yeah, I moved to London about a year and a half ago.”
The two continued to chat for a while, in the ultimate cliché, Elena felt like time passed too quickly while she talked to Juan. He was funny, polite and charming, not to mention the Spanish lilt that clung on to every word he spoke was incredibly attractive.
It was around 2am when Juan had to leave. “I have training in the morning.” He confessed, before asking Elena if she’d like to exchange numbers which she happily obliged to.
Only after he left, did Elena realise that she had no idea what he was training for. But she didn’t get the opportunity to dwell on it for long, as Lila finally emerged and the two young women left the club.
♠ ♠ ♠
New story. Hope you like it!