‹ Prequel: A Summer Romance

Forgive and Forget

Eleven

It was a slow afternoon as Elina lifted herself up on the back counter and gazed out over the all but empty café, her two closest co-workers and friends standing close by. “I mean, he is everywhere,” she complained, halfway into a rant about a certain Spaniard she didn’t seem able to get away from. “All the time!”

“Don’t you think you're exaggerating a little now?” Caroline questioned as she leaned back against the counter right next to her, a to-go cup of coffee in her hand.

“No, I am not,” Elina insisted stubbornly. “I go out, he’s there. I'm meeting friends, he’s there. I got to the games with Simon and of course he’s bloody there;” she hissed under her breath, not wanting to disturb the customers in the café. “I actually go on a date and he’s freaking there!”

“You went on a date?” Nikki asked surprised, in Elina’s eyes completely missing the point. “When was this?”

“Three days ago,” Elina reminded her, taking a sip from Caroline’s coffee. “You know, Charlie, that banker from down in London,” she hinted.

“Right, the tall brown-haired guy,” Nikki nodded in remembrance.

“Yeah, so anyway, we’re at the restaurant and we’re having a pretty good time and who waltzes in during the main course if not Mr El Niño himself,” Elina’s face scrunched up as if she’d just taken a huge bite out of a lemon. “He and some blonde girl were seated two tables away from us and all I could think about was that it felt like someone was staring at me the entire night. It was worse than if my parents would have been there, supervising us,” she sulked.

“So how was the date going?” Caroline asked curiously.

“It wasn’t going all that great,” Elina reluctantly admitted. “But that’s not the point,” she shook her head slightly. “The point is that he’s everywhere and I couldn’t do anything but sit there and wonder if he was looking at me,” she pointed out. “And what if the date had actually been good?” she asked rhetorically. “I mean, I was sitting there, squirming like some worm on a hook,” she groaned slightly. “He’s officially ruining my life here.”

“Now you are being overdramatic,” Nikki announced frankly, not at all bothered by the dark glare her friend sent her.

“Him being there could have been just a coincidence,” Caroline pointed out, playing both mediator and devil’s advocate.

“Yes, if it had just been that one time,” Elina agreed as she looked between her friends. “But lately, he is everywhere,” she pointed out. “I mean, I go out to eat with a friend and he’s there, I go shopping and he’s there, I even went to buy pastries the other day and he was freaking there! At a pastry shop,” she exclaimed. “He’s a footballer for crying out loud!”

“Maybe he was buying them for someone else?” Caroline suggested simply.

“No he wasn’t,” Elina shook her head slightly.

“How would you know?” Nikki frowned at her.

“I just do, alright,” Elina replied stubbornly, not about to reveal exactly how she knew he hadn't been sent to that particular pastry shop by someone else’s request. They were known for their traditional Spanish pastries and having been in Spain so many times she had developed a weak spot for them, but during those three weeks on that island, she’d also learned what Fernando’s favourites were...

“Okay, so the interruption of the date could really have been a complete coincidence,” Caroline reasoned slowly. “The rest...I agree, it is a little suspicious, but is it really that big of a deal?” she questioned carefully. “I mean, is it really that big of a problem?”

“On top of all the time he spends with Simon, then hell yes it is,” Elina stated frankly.

“He spends time with Simon?” Nikki questioned surprised.

“Fernando Torres is hanging out with Simon?” Caroline asked equally as surprised. “Your brother, Simon?”

“Yeah, they’re friends,” Elina confirmed simply. “I’ve told you this.”

“No you haven’t,” Caroline disagreed.

“Like friends, friends?” Nikki frowned at her. “Fernando is my age and Simon...well, he’s a kid,” she pointed out. “I mean, he’s a good kid, but he’s still a kid.”

“Yes, well, they are friends,” Elina stated, not really wanting to get into it. “They met at Melwood when Simon got to train there and now they’re hanging out way too much for my sanity,” she admitted softly. “I swear it’s like he’s doing it to get under my skin or something,” she complained.

“I don't think that’s the only thing he’s trying to get under,” Nikki smirked at her friends, causing Caroline to chuckle slightly and Elina to glare at her.

“Oh, shut up,” the older blonde glowered at her.

“No, I agree with her,” Caroline announced, surprising them both.

“What?” Elina frowned at the other blonde who she had always counted as the more rational, level-headed one of her friends.

“Unlike you, I don't actually know this guy,” Caroline excused herself. “But there is no way that someone like him, that could have his pick of girls, is going to go to these lengths for just a simple friendship,” she reasoned. “Especially not with someone whose got your pretty looks.”

“And that, right there, proves to me that you definitely don't know him,” Elina smiled softly. “He doesn’t care about that, well, he probably does but...” she railed off, licking her lips slightly. “He’s genuine, he doesn’t care about just looks, he cares about people and feelings.”

“Why don't you just go there?” Nikki asked seriously.

“What do you...?” Elina began asking.

“There are obviously still feelings there, or you wouldn't be so affected by seeing him everywhere,” Nikki pointed out. “And as you are so adamant on keeping him at arms length, at least, what happened?”

“You know what happened,” Elina fidgeted with a ring on her right hadn't as she avoided looking at her two friends. “I told you what happened.”

“No, you didn't,” Caroline disagreed. “You told us that you two met on a vacation almost four years ago and that you had an intense fling. Then you both left and sometime after something must have happened for you to have this kind of reaction to seeing him.”

“I don't usually trust people very easily,” she reminded them with a sheepish smile. “And when we met, I had just broken up with a long-time boyfriend and...” she trailed off. “I was in a bad place and for some reason I ended up trusting him. And later I learned that he clearly didn't have the same trust in me, not even close,” she revealed. “I trusted him with things I don't usually trust people with, especially not after knowing them for less than three weeks and I know that not only did he not trust me, he blatantly lied to me.”

“Fernando Torres?” Nikki frowned slightly. “He lied to you?” she questioned.

“Yeah,” Elina confirmed softly.

“And there goes the picture perfect image of him,” Caroline sighed softly, a slight frown spreading across her forehead.

“He’s human,” Elina pointed out evenly. “None of us are prefect” she reminded them, refusing to acknowledge just how hypocritical she was sounding.

A slew of customers coming into the café, Elina jumped off the counter and went straight back to work, deciding that their conversation as over. She was done moaning and complaining over Fernando Torres.



Her shift ending earlier than Caroline and Nikki’s, Elina headed into the backroom and quickly changed out of the standard grey or black cotton t-shirt and into her own horizontally striped pink and white short-sleeved sweater with a cowl-neck and let out her long hair from the ponytail she’d had it in during the day.

Throwing her uniform-shirt in the hamper for dirty linens she shrugged on her winter jacket and was about to pick up her bag when Caroline barged into the room, closing the door behind her and leaning back against it.

“What?” Elina asked slowly as she glanced over at her friend, pulling her hair from under the collar.

“You know what you need?” Caroline smiled secretively, in a way that Elina more often than not associated with Nikki.

“No,” Elina shook her head slightly as she pulled a few things from the self in her locker and shoved them into her bag.

“You need a night out,” Caroline told her frankly. “A night with no worries. A night filled with hot men and politically incorrect behaviour,” she added with a smirk.

“I don't know,” Elina frowned slightly as she closed her locker and leaned back against it. “I'm not sure I feel up to going out tonight.”

“Just get dressed, and Nikki and I will take care of you,” Caroline promised with a smile. “You know you want to...” she hinted slowly.

“Fine,” Elina surrendered with a sigh. “Where are we going?”

“Nikki suggested Red Room,” Caroline announced, seeing the other blonde roll her blue eyes at her.

“Really?” Elina questioned sceptically. “I thought the idea was to get away from men, not get groped by them on the dance floor.”

“Seriously?” Caroline reported. “The idea was to get Fernando Torres out of your head, and for other guys to hit on you.”

“Okay, fine,” Elina surrendered, knowing that she was going to regret it later. “Let’s go to Red Room tonight.”

“Great,” Caroline grinned widely. “I'm designated driver, so I’ll be picking you up at eight thirty, be ready.”

“I'm going to regret this,” Elina mumbled under her breath before picking up her bag. “I’ll see you then,” she smiled at her friend as she approached the door.

“Don’t be late,” Caroline told her before opening the door and letting her slip outside.

Shaking her head slightly, Elina waved goodbye to Nikki as she walked across the cafe and then stepped out into the chilly November air.
♠ ♠ ♠

Elina