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The truck arrives almost immediately. There were few volunteers, mostly teenagers, trying to get something substantial for their college applications. Luca and I stood at the balcony watching everything below. The truck was loaded with boxes and boxes and there was still another truck that hadn’t arrived yet. There was a lot of work to do. Most of the boxes contained decorations. The other truck would arrive with the furniture and other things we needed to make the place look great.
At that moment I wished Ryan was there. Judging by the interior decorations he handled at the office, his help would have been really useful. But he was assigned to some other duty I didn’t even know of, or maybe he just bailed on the hard work. The fundraiser was going to be next week Tuesday and today was Friday. Hopefully the weekend would be enough time to have everything done and ready for the event.
My mind was drawn back to Holden. He had stopped trying to reach out to me. I guess he finally realized that we needed our space. I was supposed to be affected by all of this. He and I were already a thing even though things between us did move fast. If we weren’t on speaking terms shouldn’t I be drowning in the throes of my own emotions, unable to concentrate till we figured out what was causing the rift between us? Yet here I was at the balcony of the Balford house enjoying the view of the lake below. Holden was a thoughtful person and sometimes I questioned if he and I were the right fit. More specifically if Luca and I fit better.
“We should get to the others downstairs.” Luca says snatching me away from my thoughts. His hand was on my bare shoulder. His skin was cold. His grasp was gentle yet firm and that single touch caused the skin under to tingle in sweetness. He snatched his hand away as if he was suddenly aware that he too was being hypnotized by the shift in the air around us.
“Yeah we should.”
“Do you have a plan?” He asks “I mean for the social media thing.”
“Yes in fact I do. Hold that pose for a second.” I whip out my phone and take a few pictures of him by the railing. He was a bit flustered at first but he settles into the background and becomes a natural. He really was good at everything. I wondered if everything includedeverything.
“These will go up by the end of the day. I’ll be taking more random pictures while we’re working. It’ll be a sign of good spirits to your followers.” I say backing my way out of the balcony, forgetting that there were steps behind me. I lose my balance, but Luca catches me right before I fall. I grabbed his arm with everything in me. I was completely rattled. He pulled me back and I had completely forgotten about my grip on his arm. They felt like everything they looked like. Amazing.
“Are you okay?” He asks. I thought I’d sensed something like tender concern in his voice.
“I’m fine. Thanks.” I say walking past him to the others downstairs.
* * *
The volunteers were already takingout boxes, looking through them for the things we would need. They needed supervision and that was what Luca and I were here for. We teamed them up immediately. Some people were assigned to ground decor. Some to ceiling and props. The rest were assigned to tables and sitting arrangements. Stella had volunteered to handle the catering. We covered a lot of ground, cleaning up the place first. Some decorations had to be put up only right before the program started like the lights. But we had to find cables and a generator since that part of the town wasn’t connected to the electricity.
“As mayor of the town this is one thing you need to fix.”
“The original owners of the Balford house believe it’s a legacy and they want to keep its structure as original as it can be. I can’t do much about that.”
“I see.” I say staring into he distance.
“How are we going to get cables for the lights?”
“There are some down at the barn.”
“There’s a barn? Where?”
“Just right there. Thought that path. A little bit into the woods.”
“We should round up here. It’s starting to get late.” I say. The sun was already at the horizon. In the next hour it would disappear completely.
“Alright mayoress.” He laughs
“Mayoress, I like the sound of that.”
I wonder what was going through his mind at that time, because in mine I was thinking of a version of our lives where I could behismayoress.
“I think we should get the cables ourselves. We shouldn’t overwork our volunteers.”
“You’re absolutely right. Lead the way.”
The path was littered with dead leaves. It was easy to follow although it was almost closing in. It took us fairly five minutes to get to the barn. Which was mostly because we talked all through the way there. When we got there there was a hurdle. The entrance was covered in bays of hay. Someone had to haul them over one by one. We should’ve come with at least two more people.
“Should we go back? Maybe we can do this part tomorrow.” I ask considering the fact that he was going to be the only one doing any lifting.
“No, it’s fine. There’s a tricky way around it.”
Luca was wearing a red and blue checkered flannel shirt like a jacket on a white shirt. With a pair of faded blue jeans. He took of his shirt and handed it to me. I had to resist the urge to bury my face in it and inhale it’s scent. The bays of hay didn’t look all that heavy but when he lifted one the muscles on his back bulged. It was a wonderful sight to see. I was glad that nobody else was here with us. Call me an opportunist. Nothing could stop me from enjoying it. Soon enough there was space enough for both of us to pass. That is when I notice the other half of the barn in ruins.
“What happened here?” I ask genuinely curious. It looked like a fire had ravaged that part of it.
