Lily and Alex’s lunch break began 10 minutes before Laz’s, so when he walked into the cafeteria that lunchtime, Lily was able to watch him from her seat at their usual table as he selected a chicken salad sandwich, stood for five minutes in a queue behind a large woman trying to pay for her curry in pennies, and strode towards them, pushing his floppy, brown hair out of his eyes and humming to himself. As he reached the table and sat down, the smile faded from his face, and he suddenly became very serious. “So,” he said, fixing the gaze of his penetrating green eyes on Lily, “how was it?”
Lily grinned. “Patience is a virtue...”
“That Laz doesn’t have.” Butted in Alex. “Besides, I have to call Christian before the end of lunch, so spit it out!”
“Alright, alright.” Lily took a moment to compose her thoughts, and then began the story Alex and Laz had been dying to hear all morning.
“So, it started off a little badly, entirely my fault. I had a last minute outfit crisis and ended up being 10 minutes late.”
“What was the crisis?” Interrupted Alex.
“Well it was a posh restaurant, but a first date. I couldn’t decide between jeans and a dress.”
“And what did you decide?”
“I thought, ‘what would Alex do?’ So of course I wore both.”
“Of course. A light dress over jeans is good enough for any restaurant.”
Laz forced a cough. “Excuse me ladies, but I’d actually like to hear about how the rest of the evening went, thrilling as the mental processes behind your wardrobe decisions are.”
Lily chuckled “Sorry Laz. So anyway, when I eventually got there, I found him standing in the doorway; like the perfect gentlemen he had waited for me to arrive before getting a table.”
“This sounds good.” Said Alex excitedly.
“Yes, he was all charm and manners and ‘here, let me pull out your chair for you’, and everything was going so very well. We were getting along wonderfully, and he was turning out to be a real laugh. He seemed like such a fun guy... But in the end he was just a little too fun.”
Laz swallowed a mouthful of chicken and lettuce and murmured “Uh-oh...”
“Yes, uh-oh is right. As the evening went on I began to notice his voice getting louder, and his jokes getting cruder, and that the number of empty wine bottles on our table was increasing at quite remarkable speed.”
“Oh lord.” Said Alex, stifling a laugh. “I’m sorry Lil.”
“Never mind though.” Laz placed his hand over Lily’s and smiled his warmest, most caring smile. “We still love you to bits.”
“Of course we do.” Chipped in Alex, putting a consoling arm around Lily’ shoulders.
“Thanks guys.”
“Right.” Alex brushed the crumbs from her jacket and stood up. “I have to call Christian and confirm dinner reservations for tonight. I’ll see you back at the front line.” She blew a kiss in Lily and Laz’s vague direction, and strutted off.
“I don’t know how those two do it.” Lily sighed.
Lily could just see Laz raising one of his eyebrows behind the thick curtain of his fringe. “Do what?” he asked.
“Not drive each other crazy.”
Alexis Clarke and Christian Larsen were the perfect couple. Despite being wildly different people, they agreed on practically everything, and each of them was always prepared to sacrifice their own desires to keep the other happy, which had the glorious effect that they were always happy when they were together. Alex had met Christian three years ago, when they were both just 19, and Norwegian born Christian was working in the main cafeteria on Alex’s university campus. Christian now worked as sous chef at one of Bristol’s top restaurants, which meant that although they were living together, they saw very little of each other, as Christian had to be at the restaurant every day for lunch and dinner service, and Alex was at work in the mornings when he was at home. However, this was never a big issue for Alex, who was a real ‘sisters are doing it for themselves’ girl, and not the sort of person who relied upon others.
Lily thought back to the first time she had met Christian. She remembered turning to see Alex walking towards her hand in hand with a tall, muscular guy, (in fact, Alex and Christian were the exact same height), his naturally blonde hair dyed jet black and messily spiked up, and looking as if it should belong to a different person than the huge, all-encompassing smile on his pleasantly chiselled face. Christian was a real clown; sweet, kind of goofy, and totally adorable. The kind of guy it’s impossible not to like.
“I guess they just fit.” said Laz, bringing Lily back into the room. “It’s like when you see a seventy year old man and woman sat in a park kissing, and they look so happy and totally crazy about each other they could be 15 years old. They fit.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
Laz grinned and leant forward onto the table. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Oh nothing.” Lily muttered, looking down sheepishly.
“Come on, what is it?”
“It’s just...sometimes I get so jealous of Alex. She’s 22 and she’s already living with the man of her dreams. So how come you and I are still sleeping alone at night? I mean, I know Alex is great, but what’s wrong with us?” Lily sighed.
“Nothing’s wrong with us babe, I guess we’re just not as lucky as her and Christian. They just happened to find each other when they were still really young. But you’ll get there, you know that, you just have to be patient and keep trying.”
“And what about you? How are things in your love life?”
“Well not that great to be honest, but hey, I’m happy. I love my job, I have great friends,” Lily smiled as Laz patted her arm. “I’m enjoying life!” Grinning, Laz folded his hands behind his head and leaned backwards in his chair.
“You know, I don’t think it’s always a good thing that you love your job so much.”
“What do you mean?” Laz enquired, looking scandalised.
Lily giggled. “Well hun, you’re a receptionist, and you totally love it. Don’t you think that makes you seem a little bit gay?”
Laz chewed meditatively on the end of his plastic fork. “Hmm...I do see your point...but obviously my rugged good looks and bulging muscles would prevent anyone from ever suspecting me of being gay.” he laughed.
Lily sniggered. “Obviously.”
That night, as Lily sat in front of the television with a tub of Ben and Jerry’s Cookie Dough ice cream, watching Bridget Jones’ Diary and feeling sorry for herself, she found herself mystified by what Laz would call luck, and Alex would call fate. Why was it that out of the three of them, it was Alex, the loud, sassy, independent one who was settled in a happy, long-term relationship, and why was it that a great guy like Laz hadn’t found someone, even if he was a little camp? And above all, why was she herself so totally hopeless when it came to romance? Was she destined to spend all her evenings binge eating and watching chick flicks, alone in her tiny flat, for the rest of her life? Lily smiled. ‘Ah well, at least I’m not completely alone’, she thought to herself, as her handsome silver tabby cat, Xerxes, came striding up to her, purring and waving his tail proudly in the air.
“Time for bed I think baby.” she yawned.
“Prrt” said Xerxes in agreement, jumping onto her lap, kneading her legs with his paws, and curling up contentedly.
“Alright, I guess I’m sleeping on the sofa tonight.” Smiling and stroking Xerxes, Lily shoved a cushion behind her head and closed her eyes.
Saturday, 28 March 2009
Thursday, 26 March 2009
Under Blue Skies {Chapter 2}
“You’re early.” Laz smirked as he whipped off his glasses and pushed his fringe out of his eyes. “I’m always early” Lily muttered, handing him her personnel card and leaning against the reception desk.
“I know,” he replied as he swiped her in, “it’s not healthy.”
Lily picked up his glasses and slipped them on. Walking round behind the desk she leant her elbows on his shoulders and peered at the computer screen. “Do I have any mail?” she asked eagerly.
“Nope. Sorry babe.”
She shrugged and handed him his glasses. He passed her personnel card to her over his shoulder, and she kissed him on the cheek and walked towards the lifts. “Are you not going to tell me how it went?” he called after her.
“I’m sure you can wait until lunch.” She replied, chuckling as she stepped into the lift and pressed the button for floor 7.
Shoving her mirror hastily back into her bag as she stepped out of the lift three minutes and six juddering stops later, Lily began the perilous journey from the lift doors to her desk in a dark corner on the opposite side of the room. Even 20 minutes before the day’s work was due to begin the office was a madhouse of technicians, cleaners and personal assistants making doubly sure that they had got the bosses the right coffee, and that morning’s edition of The Daily Standard was laid out neatly on their desks. Breathing a sigh of relief as she reached her station, Lily turned on her computer, switched her mobile to silent and sat down heavily on her swivel chair.
10 minutes later, a tall, slim woman walked into the room, brushing her long, straight blonde hair out of her face. Lily smiled widely as every man in the room stopped what he was doing for a moment to look admiringly at the beautiful woman with the sparkle in her pale grey eyes, winking at Lily as she strutted across the room towards her. Alexis Clarke dumped her bag on her chair and perched on the edge of Lily’s desk. “Wow Alex, you look so great today!” Lily breathed in awe. It was true; Alex’s natural beauty was blindingly obvious in the pale red and green, paisley-patterned chiffon dress skimming the tops of her knees, leaving a glimpse of her flawless, rose-tinted skin before the top rim of the black leather, buckled boots which totally shouldn’t match but did, and as she whipped off her maroon leather jacket, a flash of sky blue glinted from the butterfly necklace lying gracefully over her collar bones. As usual, Alex answered the compliment with a simple smile.
“So...” she said, “how’d it go?” Her eyes sparkled even more than usual, as they always did when hearing tales of Lily’s romantic exploits.
“You’ll have to wait until lunch. I’ve promised Laz a full account as well.”
“Fine then.” Alex went to sit at her own desk, pulling a cherry mocha out of her bag and shoving it haphazardly under her desk. “So how is Laz this morning?”
“Impatient as ever.” Lily chuckled.
Alex smirked and took a meditative sip of her mocha.“So when are you and Laz going to admit your true feelings for each other? It’s been four months since you came to work here, and every time you see him your whole face lights up.”
Lily opened her mouth to reply, but just in time she noticed the playful smile playing on Alex’s face. “You!” She giggled, “Every excuse to tease me. I don’t know why I put up with it!”
“It’s only because you love me.” Giggled Alex, dumping her starbucks cup on a neighbouring desk and switching on her monitor.
“Eugh.” Groaned Lily as she noticed the clock ticking dangerously close to nine. Alex simply held up her left wrist in response, as she did every morning when the phone lines were about to be opened. Around Alex’s wrist were tattooed the words ‘onwards through the mist’. It was a mantra that kept Alex’s spirits at a constant high, and lifted Lily’s when her own optimism failed her.
As the minute hand hit twelve, a bell rang in the office, and within seconds the ‘incoming call’ button on Lily’s phone flashed red. “Time for work, helpline girl.” Alex said, slipping on her headset and turning in her chair to face her computer screen.
Lily sighed and pressed the button. “Daily Standard Enquiries, how can I help...?”
“I know,” he replied as he swiped her in, “it’s not healthy.”
Lily picked up his glasses and slipped them on. Walking round behind the desk she leant her elbows on his shoulders and peered at the computer screen. “Do I have any mail?” she asked eagerly.
“Nope. Sorry babe.”
She shrugged and handed him his glasses. He passed her personnel card to her over his shoulder, and she kissed him on the cheek and walked towards the lifts. “Are you not going to tell me how it went?” he called after her.
“I’m sure you can wait until lunch.” She replied, chuckling as she stepped into the lift and pressed the button for floor 7.
Shoving her mirror hastily back into her bag as she stepped out of the lift three minutes and six juddering stops later, Lily began the perilous journey from the lift doors to her desk in a dark corner on the opposite side of the room. Even 20 minutes before the day’s work was due to begin the office was a madhouse of technicians, cleaners and personal assistants making doubly sure that they had got the bosses the right coffee, and that morning’s edition of The Daily Standard was laid out neatly on their desks. Breathing a sigh of relief as she reached her station, Lily turned on her computer, switched her mobile to silent and sat down heavily on her swivel chair.
10 minutes later, a tall, slim woman walked into the room, brushing her long, straight blonde hair out of her face. Lily smiled widely as every man in the room stopped what he was doing for a moment to look admiringly at the beautiful woman with the sparkle in her pale grey eyes, winking at Lily as she strutted across the room towards her. Alexis Clarke dumped her bag on her chair and perched on the edge of Lily’s desk. “Wow Alex, you look so great today!” Lily breathed in awe. It was true; Alex’s natural beauty was blindingly obvious in the pale red and green, paisley-patterned chiffon dress skimming the tops of her knees, leaving a glimpse of her flawless, rose-tinted skin before the top rim of the black leather, buckled boots which totally shouldn’t match but did, and as she whipped off her maroon leather jacket, a flash of sky blue glinted from the butterfly necklace lying gracefully over her collar bones. As usual, Alex answered the compliment with a simple smile.
“So...” she said, “how’d it go?” Her eyes sparkled even more than usual, as they always did when hearing tales of Lily’s romantic exploits.
“You’ll have to wait until lunch. I’ve promised Laz a full account as well.”
“Fine then.” Alex went to sit at her own desk, pulling a cherry mocha out of her bag and shoving it haphazardly under her desk. “So how is Laz this morning?”
“Impatient as ever.” Lily chuckled.
Alex smirked and took a meditative sip of her mocha.“So when are you and Laz going to admit your true feelings for each other? It’s been four months since you came to work here, and every time you see him your whole face lights up.”
Lily opened her mouth to reply, but just in time she noticed the playful smile playing on Alex’s face. “You!” She giggled, “Every excuse to tease me. I don’t know why I put up with it!”
“It’s only because you love me.” Giggled Alex, dumping her starbucks cup on a neighbouring desk and switching on her monitor.
“Eugh.” Groaned Lily as she noticed the clock ticking dangerously close to nine. Alex simply held up her left wrist in response, as she did every morning when the phone lines were about to be opened. Around Alex’s wrist were tattooed the words ‘onwards through the mist’. It was a mantra that kept Alex’s spirits at a constant high, and lifted Lily’s when her own optimism failed her.
As the minute hand hit twelve, a bell rang in the office, and within seconds the ‘incoming call’ button on Lily’s phone flashed red. “Time for work, helpline girl.” Alex said, slipping on her headset and turning in her chair to face her computer screen.
Lily sighed and pressed the button. “Daily Standard Enquiries, how can I help...?”
Under Blue Skies {Chapter 1}
Lily Sanchez was a self-proclaimed idiot. No matter how many times experience taught her that all men are the same, and no matter how perfect every relationship seemed at the start, they always ended the same way, she still wound up feeling lonely enough to long for another relationship; another insufficient, insensitive guy to fill the gaping romantic void in her life. She was still young enough to dream of the idyllic life with the perfect home and the perfect family, and the perfect picnics under blue skies, but yet she was old enough now to know that an impossible dream only makes reality that much harder to live through. Lily was not a cynic, but she recognised that idealism gains you nothing except disappointment with the world as it really is. Lily Sanchez was a realist: A self-proclaimed, idiot realist. No wonder she felt so alone.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of the blurry, early-morning philosophies that always hassled her on the way to work, Lily checked her mirrors and pushed the car up a gear. The battered Peugeot struggled on through the mist, complaining noisily and causing irreparable damage to the environment, as Lily gazed wistfully at shiny BMW convertibles and wooden framed Jags whizzing past up the fast lane. Pulling off the motorway she yawned widely and reached for her Starbucks to-go hot chocolate. She had never been any good at mornings.
Half an hour later Lily cut the engine in the office car park and released the catch on her seatbelt. Grabbing her bag from the passenger seat and slipping on a pair of sleek, black heels, she took the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the car. Chucking her empty Starbucks cup into the dustbin at the bottom of the steps Lily sighed as she resigned herself to another day of answering phone call after phone call, making sure everyone else’s problems were sorted out, whilst her own went un-noticed. That was something she could never forgive herself for; letting three years of hard work for a degree in journalism go to waste, and because of a man, of all things. Grinning ironically, Lily shoved her keys into her bag and walked into the building.
Shaking her head to clear her mind of the blurry, early-morning philosophies that always hassled her on the way to work, Lily checked her mirrors and pushed the car up a gear. The battered Peugeot struggled on through the mist, complaining noisily and causing irreparable damage to the environment, as Lily gazed wistfully at shiny BMW convertibles and wooden framed Jags whizzing past up the fast lane. Pulling off the motorway she yawned widely and reached for her Starbucks to-go hot chocolate. She had never been any good at mornings.
Half an hour later Lily cut the engine in the office car park and released the catch on her seatbelt. Grabbing her bag from the passenger seat and slipping on a pair of sleek, black heels, she took the keys from the ignition and climbed out of the car. Chucking her empty Starbucks cup into the dustbin at the bottom of the steps Lily sighed as she resigned herself to another day of answering phone call after phone call, making sure everyone else’s problems were sorted out, whilst her own went un-noticed. That was something she could never forgive herself for; letting three years of hard work for a degree in journalism go to waste, and because of a man, of all things. Grinning ironically, Lily shoved her keys into her bag and walked into the building.
Under Blue Skies {foreward}
So...
A friend of mine recently began writing a story in short chapters posted as written on his facebook account.
I loved the freedom that this style of writing gave, and his story inspired me to create my own.
To this end, I have begun writing "Under Blue Skies", a story of everyday people and everyday events, loosely based around my experiences and people I know.
All the names, and generally the appearances, of the characters are changed from the real people they are inspired by, but the central character, Lily Sanchez, represents a fictional version of myself, a few years in the future.
I will not pretend that the story is well-written, but as it is written in short bursts, with only a vaguely planned plotline for reference, I will excuse myself this.
Friends, please, please do not take offence at any characters you may know or suspect are based upon you.
Often I have drastically changed a character from the person on which they are based, simply in order to add interest to the story. No negative references are intended...except one...
Anyway...
Don't judge me; I have far too much spare time.
Much love xxx
A friend of mine recently began writing a story in short chapters posted as written on his facebook account.
I loved the freedom that this style of writing gave, and his story inspired me to create my own.
To this end, I have begun writing "Under Blue Skies", a story of everyday people and everyday events, loosely based around my experiences and people I know.
All the names, and generally the appearances, of the characters are changed from the real people they are inspired by, but the central character, Lily Sanchez, represents a fictional version of myself, a few years in the future.
I will not pretend that the story is well-written, but as it is written in short bursts, with only a vaguely planned plotline for reference, I will excuse myself this.
Friends, please, please do not take offence at any characters you may know or suspect are based upon you.
Often I have drastically changed a character from the person on which they are based, simply in order to add interest to the story. No negative references are intended...except one...
Anyway...
Don't judge me; I have far too much spare time.
Much love xxx
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