Sliver Bay / Chapter 2

The next morning, on the way to the café, my head was throbbing and the sun was beating down on my eyes. I'd opted for the bare minimum: a hoodie, a black skirt with ruffles and my hair up in a sloppy bun. When I get to the sign, I freeze and sigh in exasperation. Victor is there, leaning against the door. I ignore him and insert the key into the lock, but he follows me inside, scrutinising the place as if he were seeing it for the first time. His gaze wanders over every detail: the photos of the village, the decoration... and then over me. Behind my sunglasses, I look back at him, stopping to look at his wet hair.

- Have you been swimming ?

A sly smile grazes his lips.

- What, as well as being your beach, it's also your sea ?

I don't answer. I'm too tired to play games. Silently, I take down the chairs still stacked on the tables and start checking the stock.

- I wanted to tell you...

- That you're going back to where you came from?

He frowns, clearly annoyed by my interruption.

- They've found the body.

I freeze and turn to him.

- What ? When ? When did they find it ?

- Two days ago. That's why my father's been assigned here. He's leading the investigation.

I thought for a moment, my voice almost inaudible.

- And that's why you came back...

He nods without a word, then takes a seat on one of the bar stools. I put my list down with a quiet sigh, then join him on the other side of the counter, arms folded, eyes wary.A moment passes. The sound of the waves in the distance filters through the half-open door. The air still smells of salt and cold coffee. I decide to break the silence, unable to keep this burning question to my lips any longer.

- Why did you leave?

He obviously hadn't expected that. His gaze wavered for a second, as if he were searching for the right words.

- I didn't have a choice.

- Yes, you did. You had the choice to leave like a coward... or to stay. Not to leave me alone with what we'd done...What you'd done.

He opens his mouth, but I don't give him time to speak.

- Do you realise how I felt when my mom told me, out of the blue, that you'd left ? I was going to come and stay with you, Victor. I was this close to ringing your doorbell. And you'd already left. You let me carry this fucking secret all by myself !

- You weren't the only one to suffer, Elea.

He says my name like a slap in the face which makes me even more angry.

He clenches his fists on the counter. I can see him struggling between defending himself and swallowing his pride.

- Do you think it was easy for me ? That I slept peacefully at night ? Do you think I didn't have to live with that, too, every day ? You may have been alone here, Elea, but so was I. And I still am. I'd have preferred to stay, of course, but at twelve, I didn't have much say in the matter. So yeah, at that point, running away from Silver Bay and that fucking corpse was all I could do!

I froze. The word corpse keeps echoing in my head, too loud, too real. A shiver goes through my body.

- You could at least have called.

He looks up at me slowly.

- To tell you what exactly ?

I don't answer. Because, deep down, I know he's right. That it was probably better like this. Simpler. Less painful. He sighs softly and his voice, calmer, breaks the silence.

- It was easier to avoid each other... and move on.

At the same moment, Ali enters the café and greets us. I turn to the coffee machine and hand him his coffee a little more brusquely than usual, which he notices immediately.

- Are you all right, Elea ? You seem a bit... distracted today.

I grip the handle of the machine, avoiding his gaze.

- Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit tired, you know...

Ali remains silent for a moment, observing the scene, his gaze shifting from Victor to me, then he takes a seat on one of the stools. He senses the tension but says nothing. I decide to change the subject, to avoid sinking into the palpable tension.

- By the way, thanks again for your present. I've hung it right here.

I point to the frame just above the bar. Ali looks up and seems genuinely touched.

- You know, they'd be proud of the way you run this place.

I let out an embarrassed laugh.

- Yeah, well, it's not doing as well as it used to...

- Well, there's always the open stage nights. People seem to enjoy them.

I smile at him as he finishes his coffee and gets up from his stool.

- See you tonight then, kid.

I wave as he walks away.

- Is he still living here ?

I turn my head painfully towards Victor, whom I'd almost forgotten in my concentration on Ali.

- Yes. He supported me after the accident and it's thanks to him that I've been able to take over this place.

Victor puts on a sorry expression.

- Well, I...

- Let me guess. You're sorry you didn't call, but it was for the best...If you say so.

l doesn't react.

- Can you make me a coffee to go?

I turn mechanically and hand it to him.

- That'll be ten.

He smiles and takes a twenty out of his wallet.

- Keep the change. He gets up and walks away, under my annoyed gaze.

***

It's 6 p.m. and the cafe is now full. I try to serve everyone quickly. Once everyone is settled, I make the lights of cabaret type shine, before turning off the most intense. The applause was loud and the first person on stage came in. It's a little boy with his dog, who follows the tours under the amazed eyes of the spectators.That's when Noah walks into the bar, his shirt rolled up and his impeccably fitted pants. He leans over the counter to kiss me, a quick but warm gesture. He sits down on a stool and I pour him a beer.

- So how was your day?

- Well loaded. I think I handled the last file well. And you, a lot of people ?

- Not really. A few vacationers, but it's still pretty quiet for now.

- Don't worry, sometimes it just takes a little time.

- Surely.

I smile at him, but we both know that time is not really the issue. This place was an institution before my parents died. Since I took over the business, the building has deteriorated considerably. And despite all my efforts, I do not have the means to make the necessary repairs. Everyone applauds the boy on stage who just finished his act. Noah whistles through his teeth, which makes me smile. The next person to ride is an elderly lady. She chose to read a poem and we all listen to it in silence, captivated. The sound of the front door opening resonates in the café, but no one seems to pay attention. I turn my head and see Victor who is sitting at the bar right next to Noah.

- I'll have a beer, please.

I pour her beer, slightly embarrassed and holds out the glass. He takes a sip before leaning over to me, whispering not to disturb the calm of the poem.

- I wanted to tell you.... I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have gotten upset.

Noah then turns, staring at us in turn.

- Do you know each other?

I answer before Victor has time to open his mouth.

- Yes... Victor was my friend when we were kids, and apparently he came back here.

Noah smiles at him and introduces himself in turn. The two exchange a handshake and I observe them, silent. The applause is redoubled as the moment I was waiting for finally arrives. Micka's turn. A red curtain rises on the stage and some impatient people let out encouraging noises. Noah is watching me as I feel both excited and nervous.

- Is that a new choreography ?

- Yes, we've been worked through, so he better not screw up.

Noah laughs and I start the music. The first notes of "Like a Prayer" by Miley Cyrus resonate in the piece. Micka slowly appears behind the curtain. Everyone in the bar cheers enthusiastically. He fixed his makeup and outfit to look like the singer. From the beginning of the chorus, he starts to make playback while walking in front of people. When he arrives at the counter, he lies down in a theatrical way. He looks at me and I lend myself to the game by also making playback.He then advances towards Noah, offering him a sensual dance under the laughter and applause of the crowd. Victor leans to the counter to tell me something. With the music and the shouts of voices around us, I can hardly hear. Then I come closer, just like he did, and we're a few inches apart. My heart is slightly racing. Finally, we move back, embarrassed. He resumes, standing up.

- I was saying... Your friend is amazing.

I smile at him.

- Yes, it is.

The music ends with a thunderous round of applause. Noah turns to me, a satisfied smile on his face.

- It was really great.

I nod, glad he liked it.The next person to ride is Ali, who is about to play a guitar piece.

- Anyone can participate ?

I turn my head to Victor, surprise, but shrug my shoulders, a little amused.

- That's the idea.

- There are still people to pass ?

- No, Ali is usually the last.

Ali finishes his piece and the room bursts with applause. Micka joins us as Victor slowly sneaks through the crowd, approaching the stage. I pour my friend a drink, while he looks at him, obviously intrigued. I turn my head and see Victor talking with Ali, who lends him his guitar.He sits on the stool on stage, then begins to play the first notes of a melody that is strangely familiar to me. When he begins to sing, girls approach the stage in amazement. I look up, a little annoyed by the cliché, but I let myself be carried away by the words. My heart tightens as I recognize the song. It's "Heartless" a cover of Dermot Kennedy's. I look around the room. Everyone seems to appreciate the performance, but I only hear the words. At the end of the song, the groupies in front of the stage clap louder than the rest of the audience. I turn to Micka, eyes still on Victor.

- Be careful, you have drool on the corner of your mouth.

He throws me a big finger in response.

- Can you hold the bar, I need to go to the store.

He runs without protesting, engaging in conversation with Noah and a few clients while I sneak into the small soundproof room. I close the door behind me and once alone, I sit on a keg of beer. The tears begin to flow, silent, without I can hold them. Suddenly, a knock at the door makes me jump. I quickly get up, wipe my tears with a brusque gesture and take a big breath before opening the door, finding myself facing Victor. He looks at me, surprised, probably seeing my red eyes.

- Is everything okay ? 

I answer, the voice trembling, the words barely audible.

- What do you think?

Victor remains silent for a moment and I see his eyes soften.

- Listen...

- No, it's okay, go back and get some drinks. I'm fine. Anyway, I had to do the inventory.

He steps forward, closing the door behind him.

- Look I'm sorry.... I left without calling back. I know it's complicated, but I'm here now...and I won't leave.

I feel my heart clenching under his words and before I can answer, my arms instinctively reach out to him. I go forward and embrace him, letting the tears flow again. He takes me in his arms, gently squeezing, without haste. I let myself go against him, abandoning everything that I had held up until then. The years of silence, frustration, pain, all that is dissipated in this contact, in this embrace. He doesn't say anything for a while, just holding me tight, and it feels good, but it also hurts. It's all mixed up in my head.

I step back slightly to look at him, wiping my tears. His eyes are full of sincerity, but somewhere, a little voice in my head cries to me that it is too late to fix everything. The door opens suddenly for Noah, who remains frozen, surprised. His eyes go from Victor to me, resting on my face marked by tears. The worry pervades his features as he approaches quickly, taking my face in his hands with a tender gesture.

- What's going on ?

I quickly wipe my tears again and try to divert his attention.

- Nothing, it's not important.

My voice still trembles a little and Noah seems unconvinced. He looks at me for a moment, his eyes full of worry.

- Then why are you crying ?

Noah turns his gaze to Victor, furious and his voice becomes colder. 

- Did you do something to her ?

Victor is visibly annoyed.

- Seriously ?

I act as if I didn't hear, rather ignoring Victor's irritation and focusing on Noah.

- I assure you, it's nothing. He knew my parents when we were children and as we talked about it i just started crying.

Victor, probably not wanting to stay in this tense atmosphere, takes the opportunity to rush out of the room. As he leaves, a slight sigh of relief escapes from my lips. Noah seems less tense, but his eyes remain a little worried. He is looking for answers that I do not know how to give him immediately.

-I'm here for you, you know that, right ?

I nod my head, a shy smile appears on my lips.

- I know.

I then approach and bend over to kiss him. The door of the bar creaks and I look slightly at Victor, who seems to observe the scene from afar. I quickly look away, focusing on Noah who smiles tenderly. I love him, I know he loves me and that's enough.