Chasing Memories

[11] Wine

    "Wow. Sick digs, Ellie."

    Heavy rain thumped against the corridor window outside flat 24. All around the doorway, strips of paint flecked onto the floor to dust the shoulder of Cadence's jacket a soft off-white shade. As Cadence pressed her foot against a loose bit of doorframe, the wood snapped free of its bonds and clattered against the ground.

    Elise ran her fingers over the back of her neck as she searched for her keys in her bag. "It's...nicer on the inside. Robin makes sure of that."

    "Shame. 'Junkyard dive' is totally my vibe." Slumping against the wall beside the flat entrance, Cadence's eyes flicked to the number that swung from a pin in the door. The lightbulb overhead fizzled and flickered, its glass bowl charred a smoky black from its overheating filament. "How much do they charge you for this paradise?"

    "Don't ask." Elise slotted her key into the door and pushed the door open, ushering Cadence through the new passage. "Make yourself at home. The kitchen's just ahead on the left."

    As she strolled through the door, Cadence took in the flat's close confines without a word. She stopped by the kitchen counter to leave her bottle of gin lemonade, yet before she fell onto a barstool, something on the corner shelf caught her eye. "You're kidding me," she gasped, vaulting over the sofa and landing in front of the stereo beside the television. "You splashed out on a hi-fi for this dump?"

    The door swung shut behind Elise as she stepped into the living room, catching Cadence's flapping jacket as the girl whipped it off. "Yeah, because I'm clearly rolling in that kind of money," she laughed, and she fell onto the sofa with the jacket across her lap. "Robin brought that with him when he moved in. He's kind of a music geek – when he's not being a film geek or a coding geek, anyway."

    Cadence ducked down to scour through the lower shelves, the gentle tap of plastic disc cases complementing the steady patter of rain against the window. "Are all these CDs his? Because not to judge, but I never thought I'd see Rush and Taylor Swift on the same shelf," she said, her face hidden behind the two noted CD covers. After flicking through another few titles, she put on an indie rock record that Elise did not recognise by ear. "So, what's the deal? Where's this Robin dude?"

    "He should be getting off work in about half an hour or so," Elise answered, checking the time on her phone screen. "He's sweet. I'm sure he'll be fine with you, as long as you don't trash the place."

    "Damn. Guess we won't be really rocking out tonight after all." Rising to her feet, Cadence cast a glance around the flat, then let a fiendish smirk light up her face. "But we can still get trashed, right?"

    Another laugh left Elise's lips, a confused note rumbling through its musical air. "On half a bottle of gin lemonade between us? I'm not that much of a lightweight."

    "Oh yeah? Prove it, killer." Cadence turned the dial on the hi-fi, letting the bass bounce through her body as she passed into the kitchen. By the time Elise swivelled herself around on the sofa, her friend had wrapped her fingers around a near-full bottle of red wine nestled in the corner of the kitchen worktop. "First swig is all yours."

    Elise jolted back as Cadence landed beside her on the sofa and extended the bottle towards her. "Put that back, Cade. It's Robin's birthday present!"

    Spinning the bottle to find the small gift sticker, Cadence narrowed her eyes before shrugging. "Happy birthday to him. Cheers!" She opened the bottle and took a sip of its fruity contents, shivering at the heady scent that rose from its brim. "There. Now, will you please stop being such an anxious mess and start getting wasted with me?"