Page 19 of Scorched Hearts

Elle shrugged. “Yeah, well, I was right, wasn’t I? I’m quite good at what I do.”

“I wouldn’t know,” Louisa giggled, “you could be the worst firefighter on Earth, and I’d have no clue.”

“Right,” Elle nodded.

They stood closer to each other now, and Elle could recognize Louisa’s perfume. Its zesty scent felt pleasant, though quite strong.

“You like strong perfume, hm?” She leaned in to gently touch Louisa’s neck with her lips. She made her way up to her mouth, and laid a soft kiss on it. Louisa quietly sighed with unexpected pleasure.

“I like you for sure,” she whispered.

They went back inside and ordered chef’s apple pie for Louisa, a tiramisu for Elle, and another round of wine. With drinking, their voices gradually lowered and became husky, pleasantly contrasting with the clinking surroundings.

“Was it difficult, changing countries?” Elle had never been to Europe, nor any other continent for that matter, and Louisa’s upbringing greatly interested her.

“At first there were some cultural shocks, big and small. Especially in the industry… She waved her hands in an abstract gesture, “but nothing too difficult to adjust to, I think at the end of the day, for our generation it’s all the same.”

Elle nodded. “I’d love to visit France some day, it sounds lovely.”

“Well, prepare for the rats… Oh, and not a single person I know there can drive.”

“How do you guys move around?” For Elle, driving had been her great freedom. Her first real taste of freedom, and her most treasured skill. To be able to go wherever she wanted, wherever her car would take her.

“Public transport and our feet,” Louisa giggled, “I also only got my license here, I had no use for it before. Say whatever you want about Europe, but it’s great to walk around.”

“Maybe,” Elle shrugged. She still struggled to imagine not owning a car. “In my department, I’m often the fire truck driver.”

“Sounds stressful.”

“It is, but as I told you, I work great under stress. Nerves made of steel.”

“That would make you amazing in the kitchen,” Louisa nodded, “we have that in common.”

They walked giggly and weak-legged from laughter to their cars. Over the course of their dinner, Elle began feeling truly comfortable around Louisa, and a part of her didn’t want to take her home, which would inevitably alter their dynamic. A part of her wished they’d preserve this blissful state of getting to know each other, before moving anywhere further. But Elle wasn’t the one to refuse, she knew she’d follow Louisa’s suggestion if posed.

They leaned against Louisa’s car in a prolonged kiss. Her hands began going up Elle’s hips, but then Elle interrupted. “Should we get in?”

On their way to Louisa’s flat, they didn’t say much. Her car provided a cool shelter against the heat of summer coming into full bloom, and each of them plunged deep into her own thoughts. Elle tried not comparing this situation to that with Mimi. Her mind ran in circles, bumping from one woman in Elle’s memories to another, blurring the lines between them, making her guess who had been who.

She turned on the radio, and Jeff Buckley’s voice filled the car.

“Oh no, this is so sentimental,” Louisa sighed, but did not switch the station.

Watching Louisa drift into her own land of memories, Elle realized how different dating felt in adulthood. As late teenagers, everyone had been more or less a blank canvas, still full of enthusiasm and ready to dive into fresh experiences. Back then, it felt refreshing to meet someone new.

As adults, everyone came with an ocean of experience locked away behind their eyes. Clunky luggage dragged from relationship to relationship, piling up, inaccessible in its entirety. Unpacking it would take years, or even decades. As adults, you couldn’t really take each other in completely, indiscriminately.

The car parked in front of an old, red brick apartment complex.

“What a nice building,” Elle said, unfastening her belt. “I wonder whether it follows all the fire safety precautions.”

Louisa gave her a dead stare. “Are you kidding me?”

Elle shook her head, “no, really, only a few weeks ago I was called to extinguish a really similar one. What an action that was, I had to go in to save some people who got stuck-”

“Ok, maybe let’s not talk about my building burning down, you know? I have enough anxiety at my job,” and having said that, Louisa got out of the car.

“Whatever,” Elle muttered and followed suit.

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