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“We’re not. Well, it’s a kind of holiday. I’m with my nana.” She needed to explain. “She’s seventy-five, and she’s from here originally. She’s lived in England since she was nineteen and wanted to come back to see her parents’ graves and make her peace with her homeland I think.” She left out the obvious bit.
“She sounds interesting.”
The family history that Nana was a big part of was epic. “Yes, she is.”
“What about you?”
“Am I interesting?” A tingling wave weaved through Gabi when Aisha laughed.
“I’m sure you are. I meant what are your plans while you’re here?” Aisha asked.
Gabi would swear she wasn’t thinking about sex, but it was suddenly very hot, and there was nothing she could do to keep the burning from her cheeks. “Everything. The culture, the food, the dancing.”
Aisha picked up a silver bracelet with blue gems embedded in it and turned it in her hand. Gabi couldn’t tell by the way she looked at it whether she liked it or not.
“I’d best let you get on,” Gabi said and felt empty at the thought of walking away. It wasn’t a line best suited to lead into continued conversation, but she was struggling to know what else to say and didn’t want to come across as some crazy Englishwoman.
“You live in England.” Aisha put the bracelet down.
“Yes.”
Aisha’s lips curled upwards, and her eyes narrowed. “What’s it like, where you live?”
“Green and mostly wet. Flatter than here.” Gabi looked towards the blue sky and hills the size of mountains.
“Green is my favourite colour,” she said.
“Hazel is mine,” Gabi said, looking into Aisha’s eyes. Aisha appeared distant. The strain of the laboured conversation was vice-like around Gabi’s chest. The handle of the instrument, the silence that with every second that passed, squeezed her tighter. Still, Gabi didn’t want their time together to come to an end. “Could you tell me where to get a good coffee?” she asked.
Aisha smiled. “I can show you, if you like?” she said.
The vice released a fraction, and Gabi breathed more easily. “If you have time.”
“Sure.”
Gabi felt taller by Aisha’s side. “Do you live close by?” she asked.
“In Sacromonte. Do you know it?”
“In the hills. The caves cut into the rock?”
“Yes. About fifteen minutes by bus.”
Bus. She would prefer to hire a taxi for when she and Nana visited.
Aisha stopped outside the door of what looked like a house. With closer inspection, Gabi saw the name of the café engraved in the wood of the largest window frame. The upstairs windows were small, and a black chalk board that advertised a limited menu leaned against the whitewashed wall next to the front door. It was quaint and judging by the tanned skin and dark hair of the two women drinking coffee outside, it appealed more to locals than tourists. Gabi loved it.
“Here is the best coffee.”
Gabi hesitated to turn away from Aisha, and Aisha didn’t look like she was going to make a move either. It was now or maybe never. “Would you like to join me?”
Aisha smiled and nodded, and Gabi followed her into the café.
It was small and dark, and there was a strong aroma of tobacco. Aisha said something to the man behind the bar who dragged on the cigarette that seemed stuck to his lower lip. He led Gabi to the back of the room where they took a seat below the air conditioning vent.
The man from behind the bar brought over their order in a silver pot with a long spout. It was decorated with an Arabic pattern and complemented by two espresso-sized silver cups.
“Does everyone in your family dance?” Gabi asked.
