key of mind

Athens

Before she could finish the first paragraph, the phone rang. it was the publishing house she was collaborating with, informing her that they were expecting her new novel to be ready in two months. She seemed to get a little anxious, but after taking a second deep breath, she told herself that there was no reason to stress and that she would simply strive for the best possible outcome. After work, she vacuumed the carpets with the electric vacuum cleaner, cooked, and cleaned her room from the clothes that she and Elias had thrown around, with movements that now seemed more mechanical than ever.

She set the table with joy when she saw his message on her phone, informing her that Elias was returning from work. When the doorbell rang after a while, she rushed to open it with enthusiasm. Elias, who had forgotten his keys, stepped back as she fell onto him, claiming he felt tired. They sat at the table, talked for a while, and then he went to sleep. Galini sat on her light gray corner sofa and watched TV.

At five in the afternoon, he got up, said goodbye, and grabbed his work bag again. Galini didn't respond; she seemed stuck, unable to find continuity for her book. Elias didn't pay attention, he left before realizing, and she remained in the same position for at least ten minutes, until another random idea came to her mind instead of what she was expecting.

Suddenly, she got up from the couch, took a bag, and filled it with essentials. She locked the door, got into her car, and started driving. She parked outside her fiancé's company. She went up to his office and informed him that she would go to Alexandra for two days to help with wedding preparations. Not only because she hadn't done anything so far, but maybe she would find inspiration to continue her book. He hugged her and told her to relax as much as she could and to give greetings to the couple on his behalf.

Galini arrived at the airport all cheerful. She sat in her seat and looked out the window of the plane throughout the journey until landing. When she got off the flight, the weather was terrible; the sky had darkened from the clouds, it was raining, and there were constant claps of thunder! She put on her shiny yellow raincoat, opened the red umbrella, and started looking for a taxi on the street. She felt so happy.

After an hour, she had reached her destination. She rang the doorbell, but no one answered, and despair showed in her face. She decided not to waste time and take a walk around the city. She walked down a beautiful narrow street with shop windows and colorful flowers. She decided to sit in an elegant pastry shop to have a dessert, and then her phone rang. She glanced at it once, twice, thrice, but eventually left it on the table, determined not to answer. She was now too tired to talk to Elias and explain the whole situation.

She also pondered what she should do. Should she wait a little longer to return to Alexandra's house or call her to see where she was? Before she needed to decide, she heard her name, turned around, and it was her. He hugged her and explained that he had come to visit her and described the whole situation to her... They spent beautiful moments together that day, talking about many things, and she helped her with some preparations for the ceremony.

In the evening, she sat on the bed in her guesthouse room and opened her laptop. She talked on the phone with Elias and then started writing. She had no new ideas and decided to put on her coat and go to a nightclub. It was cold, and all she could see on the street were the lights. She entered a wooden café with a fireplace, sat at a table, and continued writing her novel. After thirty-five minutes, a man came and sat at her table, tall and commanding, with green eyes and brown hair. When she saw him, she thought he looked a bit like Elias. They remained silent for a while after his initial understanding turned into curiosity.

"Why alone at this hour?" he asked.

"As you can see, I'm busy. And you?" she replied.

"I'm waiting for a friend. And why aren't you drinking?" he inquired.

"For exactly that reason, because I'm busy," she answered. With her response, his initial understanding turned into surprise.

"And will you offend me, then?"

"I don't want to, but yes!" she affirmed.

"How much should I insist, then?"

"However much you insist, it will be in vain. you'll just waste your time," she replied.

"I'll continue until you yield!" he declared.

"I'm starting to get tired though," Galini said calmly with a fake smile.

"Alright, alright, sorry!" the man replied as his friend came in from the entrance and pulled him up abruptly.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but my friend seems to have had a bit too much to drink," he said almost apologetically.

"No problem, he just distracted me while I'm writing a book,"

"Interesting," she exclaimed, and as she smiled in appreciation, he followed his friend to the bar where he was sitting earlier.

At some point, she looked the boy with the blue eyes, and coincidentally, he turned his gaze at the same time. Thus, they looked into each other's eyes quite intensely. The second time it happened the same, he seemed to suddenly get up. He approached her and said:

"You remind me of someone, but I might be talking nonsense!"

"Me too!... Angelo, is that you?" she asked, completely changing her expression.

"Yes. How many years has it been since I last saw you?"

"Far too many!"

"You called me Angelo, and it took me a while to respond because it's been a long time since someone called me that."

"I prefer it to William, you know."

"Whatever suits you. Would you like me to buy you something? I forgot you're working, and I'm bothering you!"

"No, I just finished." she said as she closed the laptop and continued:

"I wouldn't say no to a vodka."

"Alright!" William went to the bar and brought the two drinks to the table before finally sitting down with her.

"I'm really sorry about my friend, he's been under a lot of pressure lately and had a bit too much to drink, and it all came out. Now he went to bed because he wasn't feeling too well."

"Really, it's okay, he was a little fun at first, but then it got worse, and I got annoyed."

They continued talking, and at the end of the evening, he escorted her to his cousin's house.

"Were your hair always black?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"Oh, I didn't remember, you've changed a bit," she replied, and then they talked about their lives and their paths.

"Well, see you at the wedding then!" he said at the end, and they said goodbye before he entered the house.

The next morning, Galini went for a walk with her best friend and described the coincidence with William. They shopped in the city, and in the end, they headed to the airport.