A Smile that Melted an Anxious Heart by Jonathan Hunter
I was on holiday, but it felt like nails were being hammered into my heart. Breathless, I cried, ‘You are inventing your stress. Buy a coffee where you see one first.’ Any decision left me exhausted. Jittering with nerves, I edged into a neat Vegan Café. The girl’s cheerful smile grabbed me. As if waking from a coma, I puzzled over where I was for a second, before mumbling, ‘Have you got a table free?’
The girl chuckled, ‘The café is empty.’
‘Can I sit there?’ I timidly whispered.
‘Of course, it’s a cafe,’ the girl smirked.
Slumping into a chair, my mind whirled like a jet engine. I bought a green tea. Everything else was too difficult to comprehend. Leaving hastily, I didn’t sleep that night. I tried to revive myself with unlimited coffee at breakfast. Feeling determined, I told myself ‘Take a chance, Simon.’
*****
As I entered, she grinned, looking away. With my heart pounding, I only could mutter ‘Green Tea,’ so quietly an old lady told the girl, ‘He was trying to say green tea.’ I pretended to be engrossed in a book at the table. Slamming my tea down, she dashed away before I could even thank her.
As I left, she playfully asked me, ‘Two days in a row then?’
Smiling sheepishly, I replied, ‘I am visiting Weston.’
‘Oh, how come?’ she beamed, intrigued.
‘I have just got a few things to sort out,’ I muttered, coyly.
‘Oh, right,’ she disappointedly remarked.
‘Thanks,’ was my thoughtless reply.
‘Well, I need to serve the next customer now,’ she remarked.
Dejected, I trudged back to the hotel. I drank some beers, oblivious of the time. Finding the marina through a fog of drunken dizziness, I plunged in and calmness and tranquillity fell over me.
Unexpectedly, a sharp pain shot across my leg. ‘Help,’ I bellowed so loudly that my lungs almost burnt. Thrashing around helplessly, I felt someone pull me to safety. Regaining some composure, the blond girl was holding my arm.
‘I was just unwinding after work,’ she replied.
‘Sorry, I am in this state,’ I mumbled.
‘Well, I put my First Aid training into practice,’ she laughed.
‘Just help me back,’ I asked.
‘Sure, hold on to my hand tightly,’ she insisted.
Dressing my wound, she teased, ‘You didn’t ask. I am called Millie.’
‘I am Simon by the way,’ I smirked.
‘It has been hot work saving you. You don’t object to me just wearing my bikini?’ Millie giggled mischievously.
‘We need a glass of my Sauvignon Blanc,’ I grinned. After a few glasses, I couldn’t have felt happier.
‘You remembered me when I saved you,’ Millie stated, as she placed her hand on my thigh. ‘You are wet and just in your speedos. You need dressing for bed.’
‘I am injured,’ I teasingly replied.
Slipping my speedos off and caressing me, Millie frivolously wooed, ‘Just lie there, baby. I will take care of all your parts.’
As the bed creaked back and forth vigorously, I did not care about anything else. Panting for breath, curled up with Millie under the damp, sandy bed sheets, I sighed, ‘This is what heaven must be like.’
*****
Awoken by a seagull fluttering at the window, I rolled over to take some paracetamol for a terrible headache. Noticing Millie beside me, panic hit me, as the memories from last night flooded back. My confident swagger had been replaced by my familiar black cloud.
‘What have you done, Simon,’ I cried, as I stumbled out of the room, shaking with fear. Before I even reached the stairs, my leg gave in. The receptionist ran up the stairs, just as Millie reached me on the landing.
‘Oh, my,’ how can I help, wailed the receptionist.
‘He had a bad accident last night swimming. He needs to rest,’ emphasized Millie.
‘Oh, what a shame. On holiday, as well. You can both have the King Size Suite for the next couple of nights,’ the receptionist kindly offered.
‘Thanks so much,’ Millie vouched. She gave me a cheeky grin.
‘Ummm, thanks, but umm,’ I mumbled as both women carried me to the suite.
‘He may have a concussion, but I am trained as a nurse,’ Millie boldly asserted.
‘Oh, what a nice couple. How long have you two been together,’ the receptionist asked.
‘Ahh, it all just seems like a dream,’ Millie sighed as the receptionist left.
Lost for words, I babbled, ‘Sorry, Millie, I love you. Change, it always gets me anxious.’
‘No need to worry darling. You can tell me anything. I love you too,’ Millie beamed.
‘Well, you have plenty of time to hear everything now,’ I snickered.
‘Yes, and you can have more than just a green tea from the Vegan menu,’ Millie laughed.
“I like this piece. It is intended to be a light, romantic story with a simple plot. I trashed it because publishers regularly overthink the piece and its characters.”
Jonathan Hunter (Him, His) is a Flash Fiction Writer from Solihull, UK. He enjoys writing flash fiction that stretches the imagination and pushes boundaries. Jonathan has had pieces published in the Secret Attic Anthologies, the Neuro-Logical Magazine, Bombfire Magazine, Corner Bar Magazine and on the Free Flash Fiction website. Twitter @JonTea22