07-16-2019, 04:40 PM
"So right here is where you want to go," Liv was saying to the older woman in front of her, pointing to the map displayed on her wallet. She smiled up at the friendly lined face."The Dueling Pianos. It's below ground and the entrance is hard to see from the street. Just go to the tailor shop entrance and you will see a set of stairs leading down below."
The woman's brown eyes twinkled. "Thank very much, young lady."
Liv smiled at her. "Anytime." She looked up as the woman walked away. The shop was full at this time of day. The ding of the bell at the door was something she was really only peripherally aware of since it went off all the time. Bjorn's massive form at the register completely blocked the view. Liv wasn't short, but next to 'The Mountain', as she jokingly called him, she was tiny, barely coming to his elbow. Despite that, though, he was a teddy bear. The image of him playing a flute, beefy arms bent to hold it to his lips, thick sausages fingers delicately dancing over the holes, had made her laugh with delight.
His big frame turned for a moment and- Her! She'd been in a number of times, face always smiling with those incredible dimples and those dancing eyes. The first time Liv had seen her, her heart had stopped for a moment. She had laughed to herself at how silly it wall was. That kind of thing hadn't happened in a long time.
The girl- Nika, she remembered- had a very casual air about her, chatting freely, while Liv had been quieter than usual- and that was saying something! She had almost been relieved when she left, feeling so stupid, being all tongue tied and stuff. How did you do this, again? It had been...jeez, how long? She'd left Laila eight or nine months ago. And they had been together for a year. So...wow, something like two years.
Sure, at school, there were girls she noticed. A couple she was even curious about. But just the thought of screwing up her courage to do something about it....well, every time she considered it, she felt sick in the pit of her stomach, some sort of lurching fear.
Just in the same way she was careful about the steam nozzle, feeling the burn still even though it had healed up long ago, just in that way, she was now guarded. And it was lonely. And she was tired of it. God had come to her. Promised her...something. Some kind of joy. But that wasn't going to happen if she just sat there.
Liv heard the order and pulled out a cup. Black felt tip in hand, she wrote Nika on it. Her heart was pounding, hand shaking, as she pondered. A cliff stood before her. She looked down and saw the infinite chasm. Her hand hovered, and then...she jumped.
She put a little heart over the 'i' in Nika's name. And that was that. Her triumph. She probably wouldn't even notice. And Liv realized that it didn't matter. She was happy to have done it. It wasn't what might happen that was important here. It was the fact that Liv had taken a step. Just a small one. Tiny even. But for Liv it had been something.
The cup of cappuccino was hot in her hands. The girl had sat down at a nearby table, speaking into her wallet. Liv would have normally just put it on the counter and called her name. Instead, she walked over, not wanting to interrupt, but still wanting to deliver it personally.
So maybe two steps.
"Here you go," she whispered as she set it on the table with a shy smile.
The woman's brown eyes twinkled. "Thank very much, young lady."
Liv smiled at her. "Anytime." She looked up as the woman walked away. The shop was full at this time of day. The ding of the bell at the door was something she was really only peripherally aware of since it went off all the time. Bjorn's massive form at the register completely blocked the view. Liv wasn't short, but next to 'The Mountain', as she jokingly called him, she was tiny, barely coming to his elbow. Despite that, though, he was a teddy bear. The image of him playing a flute, beefy arms bent to hold it to his lips, thick sausages fingers delicately dancing over the holes, had made her laugh with delight.
His big frame turned for a moment and- Her! She'd been in a number of times, face always smiling with those incredible dimples and those dancing eyes. The first time Liv had seen her, her heart had stopped for a moment. She had laughed to herself at how silly it wall was. That kind of thing hadn't happened in a long time.
The girl- Nika, she remembered- had a very casual air about her, chatting freely, while Liv had been quieter than usual- and that was saying something! She had almost been relieved when she left, feeling so stupid, being all tongue tied and stuff. How did you do this, again? It had been...jeez, how long? She'd left Laila eight or nine months ago. And they had been together for a year. So...wow, something like two years.
Sure, at school, there were girls she noticed. A couple she was even curious about. But just the thought of screwing up her courage to do something about it....well, every time she considered it, she felt sick in the pit of her stomach, some sort of lurching fear.
Just in the same way she was careful about the steam nozzle, feeling the burn still even though it had healed up long ago, just in that way, she was now guarded. And it was lonely. And she was tired of it. God had come to her. Promised her...something. Some kind of joy. But that wasn't going to happen if she just sat there.
Liv heard the order and pulled out a cup. Black felt tip in hand, she wrote Nika on it. Her heart was pounding, hand shaking, as she pondered. A cliff stood before her. She looked down and saw the infinite chasm. Her hand hovered, and then...she jumped.
She put a little heart over the 'i' in Nika's name. And that was that. Her triumph. She probably wouldn't even notice. And Liv realized that it didn't matter. She was happy to have done it. It wasn't what might happen that was important here. It was the fact that Liv had taken a step. Just a small one. Tiny even. But for Liv it had been something.
The cup of cappuccino was hot in her hands. The girl had sat down at a nearby table, speaking into her wallet. Liv would have normally just put it on the counter and called her name. Instead, she walked over, not wanting to interrupt, but still wanting to deliver it personally.
So maybe two steps.
"Here you go," she whispered as she set it on the table with a shy smile.