Flecks of Sun

Lis held her mouth until she was certain I had clicked the call off.

“Next time, mute the damn phone,” I teased her as we laughed about it together.
“So what is the plan?” she asked coming over to where there was a bit of wine left in the bottle.
“Don’t,” I said kicking the bottle with my toe.
“I was going to put some in my coffee,” she joked.

“I told him I would make some coffee and call back.”
“I’ll go put the cups in the Nescafe then.”

I heard the roar of the coffee machine begin as I looked out the window. Autumn was long dead and the snow was beginning to stick onto the ground. My grandfather was probably out somewhere or strolling along the neighborhood streets. A light rain had descended upon the windows and I threw myself back against the bed. I didn’t know what I was going to say and I wished Lis would stay downstairs so I didn’t feel her eyes on me during the conversation.

“Em, I think I broke the machine,” she hollered from downstairs. I flung a pillow across my face in disbelief and hopped out of bed. The wooden floors creaked under my feet as I peered over the banister.

Lis looked up at me apologetically.

“There’s a café two streets over, we can grab coffee there,” I said.
“I can grab it; I broke the machine possibly.”
“Okay,” I agreed.

She hustled up the stairs to throw on some jeans and a coat before dashing out the door again.
As soon as I heard the door close behind her, I wasted no time in calling Ville back.

“C’mon, c’mon pick up,” I whispered because I wanted to make the most of her absence.
“Hello?” he answered.
“Hi,” I said breathlessly and then realized I hadn’t thought what I was going to say.
“Hi,” he answered back and I could hear someone in the background singing.
“Am I interrupting something?” I asked him as the singing sounded like badly spoken French.
“No,” he answered as his footsteps indicated he was going to another room.
I followed his example and trod into the guest bathroom so if Lis came back I would have some privacy.

“What are you doing?” he asked.
I was looking at my hair in the mirror and the streaked mascara down my face. I think we had either laughed or drunk too much. I turned around to sit on the edge of the tub, misjudging the space and rolled backward inside it.

“Omph,” I shouted into the phone unintentionally.

“Are you okay?” he asked as I explained the situation. “I too am in the bathroom, privacy around here is on short supply.”

“Pretty sad, we both have to lurk around to talk to each other,” I said lightly.
“I’m used to lurking around a lot,” he said more seriously but I couldn’t help but turn it into a joke.
“Ah, see now you admit to being the stalker,” I said in jest.
He laughed a little before turning on some water.
“Being famous doesn’t allow for much privacy so sadly I do have to lurk sometimes or else I have no private life.” The water continued to splash in the background.

“Are you still in the bathroom?” I asked as the water was shut off.
“Yes, are you still sitting in your tub?” he asked.

I answered I was. I hadn’t moved but it was not the most comfortable. My grandfather’s guest bathroom had an old-fashioned iron-clawed bathtub and across from it stood a modern shower. He never could decorate his home in one aligned fashion always preferring traditional and modern styles. His own kitchen had looked too clinical so last year he gutted it for a cozy look but ended up with a Disney’ Snow White version he loathed. He was very picky. I laughed at the thought of it.

“Are you sitting in your tub?” I asked to which he answered yes.
“So we are lurking around and sitting clothed in bathtubs, this is the new trend,” I said laughing finding my ease with speaking to him.
“I’m not clothed,” he answered matter-of-factly. There went the ease of the conversation.
“Pardon?” I asked calmly.
“I might as well relax while I’m in here. Now you should do the same,” he stated as I heard water splash against something.
“I’m okay,” I said and my face was reddening as I struggled to stand out of the tub.
“Let’s have a video chat, shall we?” he asked and before I could respond, his Facetime request was coming through.
“Wait,” I said to my phone as I put it down trying to grab the ledge of the bathtub to get out.
“Well that is an interesting angle,” I heard him say as I looked down at my phone. He had a nice view of my face up-close, almost when you open the face-front camera and you look horrendously double-chinned.
I dared not look at the phone as I tried to turn the camera view in the direction of the bathroom and not my face.
“Emile?” he asked as I whispered hello again.
“You can’t look at me?” he asked as I kept my eyes averted.
“You’re naked!” I clamored.
He laughed.
“It’s not hilarious. I’m not used to conversations like this-“
“Neither am I. Just look at me, I promise you won’t regret it.”
Woah, someone had an ego.
“I’m not going to look at you.”
“Please?”
“No!” Even though self-admittedly I wanted to see his face.
“Emil, I promise I’m not going to show you anything naked.”
“Promise?”
“Yes, on my word.”

I lifted my phone up and looked into the screen where he was sitting, fully clothed, in the bath tub. I would have laughed if I was not confused.

“I decided to try this tub sitting trend you’ve begun,” he said deviously, knowing he had tricked me.
“But you ran water,” I said.
“I had to rinse some hairs out of here. I think Mige’s been shaving in here again,” he explained and I somehow found that worthy to laugh at. When I opened my eyes I realized we were looking at each other face to face.

“Hi,” he said quietly.
“Hi.”

Silence.

“So, what are you- what are your plans?” I asked him casually trying to get the stride of speaking back.
He thought a minute.

“Right now we are finishing up an album which was supposed to be done last year. I suppose then we will do a limited tour.”
“Limited?”
“We are not spring chickens anymore and not as popular I am afraid.”
“I beg to differ. You could have a throng of screaming girls any moment.”
“I like our fans but I don’t miss all of the chaos that comes with fame. Having a personal life always picked apart or some of the really obsessive fans can be less than endearing.”
“Oh. I suppose it takes understanding to really see what fame is.”

I heard one of the doors somewhere open. I was no longer alone.
“Shit, I think Lis is back.”
“Care to have a call later?” he asked and his eyes were incredibly distracting.
“Yes, sure, that is good,” I said.
“Great, want to ask you about your schedule,” he answered.
“My Schedule?” I asked.
“Yes, when is a good time to call you,” he said and I let out a sigh.
“Oh.”

“EM?” Lis shouted from downstairs.
“I have to go. I can call you in a few hours,” I said to him as he agreed.
I hung up and opened the bathroom door where Lis stood on the other side with her eyebrows raised. “Oh bug off,” I said with a tease as she asked for every detail.

**

Ville opened the bathroom door and found Mige listening to records. When he saw Ville emerge from the other room, he took them off and arched his eyebrows.

“Did you ask?”
“Yes – about calling her,” Ville explained.
“Just ask how long she’s in Europe for.” Mige stated.
“That’s too early to ask,” Ville answered thinking of his next move.
“Nothing is ever to early to act on,” Mige chimed in.
“I don’t know what I even want out of this,” Ville answered as he sat next to his friend.
“You want to see her?” Mige asked.
“Yes that – but,”
“Great. Because we go to France tomorrow.”