Page 5 of Beyond the Blues
“Nice to meet you, Ophelia.” Nora adds, taking one more look at me before approaching a different group. I watch her walk away, even her walk is hot. Coco leans into my ear and whispers,
“Best wipe that dribble from your mouth before she notices.”
“Shut up Coco!” I laugh out loud, feeling embarrassed that Coco caught me, but not too embarrassed because it was only Coco who caught me.
*
16
3
Chapter 3
I tear through my hand luggage, which I had previously packed neatly, now scattered all over the hotel floor. The tiny hotel towel barely covers my ass, my soaking hair dripping onto the floor. Deciding on an outfit was difficult, so I pick out a baby blue dress, showing off my milk bottle legs flawlessly. Some days, despite the nicely falling curls, it’s hard to tame the frizz, so I chuck what feels like fifteen hair products in my hair to make it at least presentable. Tapping my phone for the time and realise I am already running five minutes late. I shove my feet into sandals, grab a tote bag, and run out the door. I speed walk through the hotel grounds, attempting to find the restaurant. The calm air of the hotel in the evening is an odd feeling. It reminds me of when I was a child and all I could think about was getting into the pool the next day. I walk up the stairs to the restaurant, the lack of exercise catching up to me. Once I reach the top, breathing like a dehydrated dog, I see Nora. Fuck me. The beige linen shirt and short set hung off her figure so effortlessly, with a plain white t-shirt underneath contrasting her summer glow, and her highlighted hair styled perfectly. Hereyes look me up and down before that same old smile falls on her lips.
“Hello there,” she says, stepping towards me slowly.
“Hello you” Nora reaches her hand out and holds one of my curls in her hand.
17
BEYOND THE BLUES
“Where have these curls been hiding?” she asks, staring at my hair intensely. “They usually hide on top of my head in a nest, like you’ve probably seen every time you’ve seen me.” Nora snickers. I mean it’s true, I was a university student with deadlines left, right and centre. I didn’t have time to style my hair every day. We walk into the restaurant and sit down out on the balcony,
the sun setting perfectly.
“Wow, the sky looks beautiful.” Nora looks out at the sky in awe. I thank Coco silently for painting the sky for me.
“I agree.”
Nora and I share a tapas of Greek food, olives, feta and all that goodness piled up on a charcuterie board.
“Have you been to Greece before Ophelia?” The way Nora says my name does something to me.
“Nope, first time travelling alone, actually.” “Really?” Nora exclaims, taking a sip of her wine.
“Yes, I used to either travel with my family or Coco, but it’s difficult now to get her on a plane,” I joke. Nora laughs, almost spitting the wine out of her mouth.
“I like it.” Nora nods, pointing her finger at me.
“You like what?”
“Making light of a hard situation.”
“Well, otherwise I’d be crying all the time and I don’t drink enough water for that.” Nora laughs again,I feel stunned that someone else in this life finds me as funny as Coco once did. I feel like with everyone else, it’s a sympathy laugh. No one quite got my humour like Coco. The creases by the eyes and scrunch in the nose always told me when it was a real genuine laugh.
“You’re funny, Ophelia… What’s your surname?”
“Greene, yours?”
“O’ Connell.”
“Nora O’ Connell has a nice ring to it.”
“Ophelia Greene is a lovely name. How did your parents come up with that?”
“Well, funnily enough my mum just found it in a ‘500 top girl names’ book,