A Journey for Two (2)

Looking out from the window of a hostel feels distinctly different from gazing out from a hotel room. Catherine couldn't quite explain what exactly was different, but she knew something was. Edinburgh had plenty of discounted hotels, but on this rare trip, Catherine was adamant about staying in a hostel—one that advertised itself as haunted. In Scotland, ghosts and spirits are common themes in tourism, and many historic hostels use this to attract visitors.

"Cathy, do you want to take a shower?" Kate asked as she emerged from the bathroom, drying her hair. The room was warm, so she was only wearing a thin shirt, unbuttoned, revealing the curves of her chest. She had on only a pair of underwear below, her long legs and rounded hips emphasized by her 5'7" frame, giving her a balanced and graceful appearance.

"Cathy?" When there was no response, Kate looked up, only to find Catherine staring at her intently. There was something in Catherine's eyes that made Kate feel slightly uneasy.

"Catherine?" Kate called again, her voice softer. The young girl snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream, hastily turning her head toward the window. But in less than a second, she glanced back, staring at the floor as she mumbled, "Wh…what is it?"

"Do you want to take a shower?" Kate repeated, puzzled. The uneasy feeling had disappeared the moment Catherine looked away. What was that?

"Oh, right, a shower. Yes, of course." Catherine responded without looking up and rushed into the bathroom.

Kate shrugged, buttoned up her shirt, and sat down on the bed. After a moment, she pulled out a notebook and pen, starting to write something down. However, she soon stopped, sighing as if something was bothering her. Just then, the bathroom door opened slightly, and Catherine's head peeked out timidly.

"Kate, could you bring me some clothes from my backpack?" she asked hesitantly.

Kate smiled and shook her head, finding her underwear and pajamas in the backpack before handing them to her.

"Thank you," Catherine said softly, quickly retreating back into the bathroom. It took her a while before she finally emerged, dressed in her pajamas.

"If you're tired, you should get some sleep. We have a lot of places to visit tomorrow, and we need to catch a flight back to London in the evening, so we'll have to get up early," Kate said, gently patting the girl.

Catherine nodded in agreement, sat on her bed, but then suddenly got up and walked over to Kate's bed. Without hesitation, she climbed in next to Kate and said, "I want to sleep with you."

"What's wrong?" Kate asked, surprised. She didn't notice Catherine's clenched fists trembling behind her back.

"Nothing, I just want to snuggle with you. We shared a bed last time at your house, too," Catherine said, pulling the blanket over herself and briefly making eye contact with Kate before quickly looking away.

Now that Catherine mentioned it, Kate couldn't help but think of the "steamed bun" incident, which made her both embarrassed and amused. But something between them felt off since earlier, something Kate couldn't quite understand. After a moment's thought, she decided to change the subject.

"By the way, how's your friend Jessica in Los Angeles? I remember you mentioned in a letter that you two had a falling out. I gave you some advice, but after that, you never brought it up again, even though I asked a few times. Did you two… end things?" Kate asked, trying to sound casual.

"Of course not, we made up ages ago. I just forgot to tell you," Catherine replied, staring at the ceiling, her mind seemingly elsewhere.

"Oh, really?" Kate's eyes lit up with a mischievous grin. "So, do you two still kiss?"

Catherine nearly choked on her own saliva, coughing several times as she glared at Kate with a pout, looking both annoyed and endearing.

Kate covered her mouth, trying her best not to burst into laughter.

"My dear Cathy, kissing between girls isn't that common, but it's not something to get upset about," Kate said, her eyes twinkling with amusement. "To be honest, I've kissed a girl before too. It's really not a big deal."

Catherine continued to sulk, her arms crossed behind her head. Seeing this, an idea suddenly popped into Kate's mind. She smirked to herself, then leaned in, gently cupping Catherine's chin. Before Catherine could react, Kate pressed a light kiss to her lips.

The room fell into a deep, almost tangible silence, as if the very air had stilled. It was a beautiful, frozen moment: an 18-year-old girl leaning over to kiss an 11-year-old girl lying beside her. The image was unexpectedly tender and heart-stirring.

After what seemed like an eternity, their lips parted. Kate looked down at Catherine, her mind completely blank, while Catherine's eyes had lost their focus, her chest rising and falling rapidly as if her heart were racing. A few seconds later, Catherine suddenly jumped up and stumbled into the bathroom. Kate remained still, her mind shifting from blank to chaotic. What just happened? What was that feeling? Warmth, moisture, and… sweetness! A sweetness so enticing that it made her reluctant to let go!

Kate groaned, flopping back against the headboard, covering her face with her hands. What on earth had just happened? Meanwhile, the bathroom door creaked open again, and Catherine emerged.

"Ca… Cathy, I… I didn't mean to…" Kate wanted to explain, but her nervousness made her stutter.

But the girl seemed to be completely ignoring her. She took a few steps over, her face flushed, and then climbed into Kate's bed, turning her back to her and softly saying, "I… I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight."

"Alright… goodnight," Kate responded, seemingly relieved. She slumped down and rubbed her head, wondering what was going on.

******************************

The weather wasn't great; the clouds were thick and low, but it didn't affect Catherine's mood. At that moment, she was sprinting through the streets of the Old Town, with Kate desperately trying to keep up.

"Wait, Cathy, don't run so fast!" Kate called out, but even though she was already panting, the girl didn't slow down until she reached the corner, where she stopped, leaning on her knees and breathing heavily.

"You run so fast," Kate said as she finally caught up. Her stamina was much better than 11-year-old Catherine's, so she was only slightly out of breath.

"There's a 6 PM flight. We need to explore this place before then," Catherine explained after several deep breaths.

"I don't understand. What's so interesting about the cafes?" Kate shook her head.

Catherine knew she was being a bit unreasonable. After spending the morning touring Edinburgh Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, she had insisted on dragging Kate to the Old Town to visit cafes. Of course, she had reasons for this, but would Kate really believe that she was looking for J.K. Rowling, hoping to find the future billionaire author of the Harry Potter series, whose success would eventually lead to an industry worth £7 billion?

Catherine wasn't just whimsically searching for Rowling. When she decided on Edinburgh as their destination, she had already planned to try to find the creator of Harry Potter—after all, why else would she have insisted on going to King's Cross Railway Station? Rowling's story was indeed a Cinderella-like tale, and it was hard to imagine even Rowling herself could foresee the massive impact her novels would have.

It seemed that the afternoon might be wasted. Catherine remembered that Rowling's bio mentioned she should be living in a small apartment in Edinburgh, surviving on welfare while writing Harry Potter. In winter, with no heating in the apartment, Rowling would take her daughter to a nearby cafe just to get a cup of coffee and write the story on scraps of paper. That's why Catherine had chosen this time to come.

Of course, this was like searching for a needle in a haystack. With so many cafes in the Old Town, who knew if Rowling would be there now?

"There's one more cafe across the street. Let's check it out and then go to the airport, okay?" Catherine pleaded.

"Dear, that's not the last one. Didn't you notice? That's the very first cafe we came across," Kate pointed out with a shrug.

"Is… is it?!" Catherine was taken aback. To be honest, she hadn't really paid attention to the appearance of the cafes. She sighed, feeling that the effort might indeed be in vain. Although she had prepared herself for this possibility, it was still frustrating.

"Alright, Kate, let's just sit there for a bit and then head to the airport, okay?" Catherine said dejectedly.

"As you wish," Kate replied with a smile.

The cafe was small but tidy, with only a few people inside. The two girls chose a table by the window. Soon, a waitress approached and asked, "What would you like to order?"

"One cappuccino," Kate said, and Catherine quickly added, "I'll have the same."

"No, dear, you're not old enough for coffee," Kate firmly refused, then turned to the waitress. "Just a glass of water for her, please."

"Hey, Kate, even if I can't have coffee, there are other drinks I can have," Catherine protested.

"Do you really want to drink iced juice in this weather?" Kate tilted her head and shrugged.

The waitress couldn't help but smile at their banter and said, "Miss, I think your sister could have a cup of tea."

"Alright, then, one cup of tea and a muffin," Catherine said, cutting in, and then made a face at Kate. Kate shook her head, both exasperated and amused. She signaled to the waitress that the order was fine, and as the waitress left, she stood up and gently tapped Catherine on the head.

"I'm going to the restroom. Don't wander off," Kate said.

"Got it," Catherine replied, rolling her eyes. After Kate left, she sank into the chair, feeling exhausted from the day's activities and the lack of sleep the night before. As she thought about the previous night, her mind quickly shifted away; they had all tacitly avoided discussing it today, so it was best to put it aside for now.

Catherine shook her head and scanned the cafe, her gaze falling on a corner of the room.