A Beautiful Forever - By Anderson, Lilliana Page 0,12

find a café to have something to eat.

“I can’t believe I have waited so long to do that,” Naomi says, in between bites of her open sandwich.

Nodding, as I chew my mouthful steak sandwich, I wait until I can swallow to speak. “It was number one on my list. I wanted to get a bunch of photos to send back home before I start working.”

“Well you certainly did that,” she responds.

“Yeah, I got a little snap happy I think,” I laugh as I start flicking through the photos and post them to my Facebook page, there is already a message on my wall from my mother reminding me to send her my UK phone number, I remind her that I installed Skype on her computer and phone, but private message my number to her anyway.

Naomi starts chattering away about all the culture and history in London, but I’m not really listening. I nod my head occasionally as some of her words reach my ears, although I’m mostly in my own head. Images of both the girl I saw at the station and Paige flit through my mind and the more I think about it, the more I think that girl was Paige.

I suddenly feel a great need to return and push back from the table. Naomi stops speaking mid-sentence and looks at me in wide-eyed surprise.

“I’m ready to go back, I’ll see you there?” It sounds like a question but I'm actually telling her.

“Oh,” she says looking around at her half-finished food, “um, I’d like to go back with you, but I’m not really finished yet… actually, don’t worry. I'll come now.” She gathers her things off the table, and I pick up her bag, handing it to her.

I make polite conversation with her all the way back to Waterloo station, avoiding any personal questions. I’m not being mean to her, but I don’t want to be overly nice and mistakenly give her the impression that I’m interested.

Nerves build up inside my chest as we walk towards the hair salon. Without warning Naomi, I stop walking and look in, hoping the girl I saw is still there. When my eyes find her, I watch her movement as she talks to a customer while taking their money at the counter. I’m now positive it’s Paige. She’s smiling and animated and well, beautiful. An odd feeling overcomes me as I watch her, it’s like I’m being enveloped in some sort of mist, and she’s the only person I can see around me.

“Do you know her?” Naomi asks from beside me. Turning towards her voice, I need to blink a couple of times before she comes into my focus.

“What?” I ask in return.

“That girl in there, do you know her?”

“I think I do,” I say as I start moving toward the entrance of the salon.

Paige

“Just make sure you keep up your weekly treatments. You've over bleached your…” I stop talking as the bell above the door jingles and a person I never expected to see again walks through. Betraying my mind, my stomach flits about happily as I look back to the customer and try to finish. “Sorry, you’ve over bleached your hair. We will have to cut it really short if you don’t take good care of it.”

“Well I don’t want that!” she says as I hand her the bag full of products she’s just purchased.

“That will all help it stay in good condition until your next appointment,” I say before bidding her farewell.

As I watch her walk out the door, I have to force myself to look over at Elliot, I don’t know why, but it’s really freaking me out that he’s standing in front of me, smiling like we’re long lost friends.

“Long time no see,” he says to me.

“If you call yesterday morning a long time ago,” I deadpan. “Are you here for a haircut or are you just passing through?”

He looks around and sees the other customers sitting on the chairs waiting, “Um, yeah; I want a haircut. Can you fit me in?”

“Ah,” I cut my eyes to the clock upon the wall while I think, “it could take a good hour - I have two clients ahead of you.”

Drumming his hands on the counter he nods. “That’s fine. I'll wait.”

A small blonde girl walks up behind him and touches his shoulder, “Um, what are you doing?” she asks, looking slightly irritated.

He inclines his head to me slightly, “I’m getting a haircut,” he tells her as a matter of