“Elementon was spotted in last night’s thunderstorm moving above the clouds. Only glimpses of a human figure could be seen as a silhouette through the lightning illuminated clouds,” the anchor on the Channel 9 News was saying. “Some sources report that he may have been fighting up against another, but none other had been seen. Other sources are telling us that Elementon himself was the cause of the storm. Neither are backed with hard evidence, so we’ll leave it at that.”
Valerie Gardner attempted to ignore the news all morning, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it. Her general manager at the cafe wanted it on for the customers and she wasn’t allowed to change the channel.
“What’s with the long face?” William Griffin, the cafe supervisor, asked her. Apparently, he’d been watching her.
“Oh… it’s just,” she sighed.
“Elementon?” William asked.
“Yeah… he just gets so much attention from the media. Sometimes I think he does it just to be seen. To have an audience.”
“Well, maybe he wants people to know he’s out there and willing to help anyone who’s in danger?” He gave her a crooked smiled, and she returned it with an even weaker one.
“Maybe. But it doesn’t explain why he may or may not have produced the storm,” she said.
“I don’t think he meant to start it if he did. Maybe something, or someone, caused him to explode. Consider all the options, I wouldn’t immediately assume he’s the culprit, or the one causing people harm. He doesn’t seem like the type,” William said earnestly.
Valerie looked up at him, gawking. “And how exactly would you know what he’s like?”
William looked back at her and smiled wryly, “I don’t,” and winked before heading back to the kitchen.
She peered up at the television on the wall, the news had shifted to something on the other sides of the States, completely unrelated to Elementon. She looked down at the counter she’d been subconsciously wiping down over and over again, then glanced back up at the tables in the cafe, and realized there was only one customer there, in the back corner, her face buried in her phone.
…
William couldn’t tell her. Not yet. He wanted to wait until after he asked her out. She doesn’t seem to like Elementon judging from the few conversations they’ve had about him, but she has shown a bit of interest in him, William. Maybe I’ll ask her this afternoon, he thought. Today’s the day, no more waiting. I’ve been wanting to do this for months, and I’m sure she knows it too. She’s quite clever when it comes to dropping hints.
It was around three in the afternoon when Valerie strolled into the back office of the cafe where he’d been sitting, at the computer working on the front of house schedule for the next two weeks, adjusting for a few other associates’ requests for days off. Valerie put her soft hand on his shoulder, and it was then he realized that the cafe was almost closed for the day and they were the only two people left in the shop. He wasn’t the only one that flirted.
William’s heart lurched. He couldn’t ask her out here – here in this office – that would be totally unprofessional. However, his emotions got the better of him.
“Valerie, erm, I wanted to ask you…,” he stammered, and she looked down at him and raised her eyebrows suspiciously. “Would you like to go for a bite this evening? After work, perhaps.”
Her suspicion faded, and a smile crept in. “I would love to. Although, I would like to clean up, maybe we could meet somewhere around six?”
“Of course, actually, I’ll pick you up from your apartment.” He was sweating now, nervous about the evening ahead. Sure, he knew Valerie from work, in fact he knew her quite well, he’d worked with her for over six months. They had even hung out outside of work a few times, sometimes with coworkers at a sort of potluck, others, just the two of them at her apartment. Nothing ever really happened, though. He’d put his hand on her thigh once or twice when watching a movie or playing a silly board game, nothing more than that. But tonight, might be a little different.
…
Valerie waited by the cafe’s double doors with two minutes to four. She just wanted to shut the doors now and go home to get ready her night out with William. Now that she thought about it, he never said where they’d be going. Maybe he’ll surprise her, she liked surprises. As the clock ticked ‘4:00 PM’, she locked the doors as soon as she could, making sure all the remaining customers had gone, and indeed they had.
She still had to clock out and go through the back door to get to her car, of course normally she would say goodbye to whomever else was working with her, but today she just wanted to walk right past the manager’s office and head home.
On her way out, however, William called her name, “Hey, Valerie!”
Closing her eyes and trying to overcome to the warmth in her cheeks, she turned around to see him approaching her in the hallway.
“What’s up?” She asked and despite herself, couldn’t keep from breaking a smile.
“I wanted to give you something before you left,” he said, and her heart thudded against her chest as she looked up at him, only now realizing how much taller he was.
William leaned in and her kissed her. He kissed her and didn’t stop. Butterflies swarmed in her belly, and she could feel her cheeks burn like hot peppers.
Valerie opened her eyes only realize that his blue ones were sparkling with electricity and the tips of his hair were on fire.
Oh no. He’s Elementon, she thought.
T.P. Lanzarotto 