A Beautiful Forever

chapter 9

Elliot

Life is starting to feel normal now that I’ve been in London for a month. Although, it’s kind of funny being the guy with the accent for a

change, to me, it still sounds like everyone else has an accent.

Coming here seems to be exactly what I needed to start feeling more like myself again. There’s nothing like having a limited time

somewhere to make you see what’s most important, three months isn’t long in the grand scheme of things, and you don’t waste any

of it, so I’ve been having fun wherever possible and trying to live each day the best that I can.

There seems to be a bit of an Aussie culture over here where we all tend to stick together. Sometimes, when we go out as a group,

we’ll run into another group of Aussies – then we all start hanging out and acting like long lost friends. I find it funny that we’ve all

traveled to the other side of the world just to hang out with other Australians, but it’s fun, so much more fun that it is at home.

My job is amazing; I'm working at The City Point Club. It's this beautiful up market fitness club and spa that offers everything you

could possibly want to take care of your body. I’ve been booked with clients pretty solid since I started so my boss is really happy

with me.

Paige has been living with us for the past three weeks. I love seeing her every day, but we’re still solidly in the ‘friend zone’. I’m not

sure if I’m ok with that, because I do really like her. Although I understand where she’s coming from, there’s no point starting with

something that has to end by the time I leave. If she was any other girl, I’d be fine with entering a short term relationship just for the

fun of it, but she’s not any other girl. I get along with her. I can talk to her. That’s not something that’s easy to come by. The last

person I clicked remotely with was Katrina. Jumping into a relationship with her just ruined the friendship we had in the end, and now

I don’t have contact with her at all, I don’t want that with Paige, I would rather the friendship… I think.





Paige


After a whole month living in London, I have yet to contact my father. He’s aware that I’m here as I contacted him before I left Sydney,

but I’ve been so wrapped up working and hanging out with my housemates that I’ve let it slide. It sits in the back of my mind niggling

at me to do something, but I guess I’m just erring on the side of being chicken shit. I really am afraid to go and meet him, because I

have no idea what to expect.

Work is great, and my roommates are great. I’m getting along well with Andrea and Naomi; it's really nice to have friends around me

- close personal connections are something that I’ve been avoiding for a long time. Living in London, I feel like a new person, no one

knows more about me than I want them to, so I am just Paige, the Aussie hairdresser – it’s truly freeing, and I’m finding that I'm

relaxing, laughing and enjoying life more and more every day. I exist in a large group of people, all trying to have a good time and

live for the moment – they're all only here for three to six months so every day matters to them, it’s hard not to let their enthusiasm rub

off on me too.

I never thought I would enjoy sharing a room with someone, but Naomi is proving to be very easy to live with – albeit a little untidy.

She doesn’t snore. She is careful not to wake me if she comes home later than me, and she’s a great conversationalist. I’m starting

to feel a little like her therapist though as she’s a big inner thoughts sharer, but it’s nice for me; I like to listen to her chatter about her

own insights on life.

A hot topic of conversation is Elliot. She has a HUGE crush on him and when she’s around him, the hair starts to flick, and the smile

comes out. She finds every joke he makes hilariously funny which in turn is hilariously funny to me – so I try to stay out of the way

around them because Elliot is still a little too focused on me, and I don’t want to embarrass her.

“So you’re pretty close to Elliot aren’t you?” she asks me one night as we both sit in our room preparing for bed.

“Um, not really – I mean we’re friends, but I wouldn’t call us close…Why?” I ask, looking at her in via mirror on my wardrobe as I rub

leave-in conditioner into the ends of my hair.

“No reason, you just seem to be together a lot. You’re kind of attached at the hip, we’re all wondering what’s going on that’s all.”

“There’s nothing going on Nomes, he goes home in two months – we’re friends,” I say, wiping my hands clean on a moist towelette

and depositing it in the small bin by our door and avoiding any eye contact. I can feel her still watching me, but I continue to focus on

myself, feeling relieved when I hear her get into bed and open her book.

I’m going to go right on ahead and admit that I’m attracted to him, Elliot Roberts is by far the most beautiful man I have ever had the

pleasure of laying my eyes on – there, I said it. I mean who wouldn’t be attracted to him, he turns the head of every female, every

single time we go somewhere. But he seems oblivious to all of it, taking it all in his stride; it amazes me.

That being said, I have lived without the ‘help’ of men for the last eight of my 25 years on this earth, and I’m not about to go all gushy

over one now. Truth is, even though I'm trying, I just don’t do well in the ‘getting close to people’ business, there is too much about my

life that I don’t want to share with anyone and my lack of sharing, well - it eventually causes problems.

Rising from the end of the bed, I move over to the light switch, as I do Naomi reaches out and switches the lamp on, so she can

continue to read while I go to sleep.

“Good book?” I ask her as I slide beneath my covers.

She rests it open on her chest and sighs smiling as she looks at me. “It’s the best,” she says, “so romantic!”

Laughing a little to myself, I roll over to face the wall and bid her goodnight, leaving her to read her cheesy romance novel and

wishing life was really like one. I’d love noting more than a happy ending, but I’m fairly sure people like me don’t get them.