Forever For You 🌷

22nd December 2012

The outside of Hyde Park was lit just as spectacularly as the inside promised to be, lights strung from every possible surface, reds, blues, greens and whites, the entire attraction looking rather like the physical embodiment of Christmas spirit. The ground was snowy, but it had mostly turned to a wet sludge or dried into patches of ice, the new snowflakes which fell from above their heads disappearing as they hit the ground.

Miles was stood against the wall next to the entrance archway, a cigarette trapped between his lips waiting to be lit. He adjusted his Burberry scarf around his neck then offered a smoke to Alex but Alex shook his head wordlessly.

"Nervous for our double date, Al?" Miles chuckled, nudging his friend's elbow after lighting his smoke.

Alex grumbled. "'s not a double date. Sheh fookin' 'as a boyfriend and I respect tha'..."

"Alrehyt, alrehyt," Miles shrugged back, taking a long drag and blowing the smoke to the side. "Doesn't mean yeh're not soft for 'er though..."

Alex pouted, shoving his hand into the pockets of his pea coat in an outward denial. He was cold and impatient, his toes numb already and knew seeing her would at least cheer him up a little, having been too far from her for too long, but was also aware of how he'd have to behave, trying to come across unaffected by her sugary sweetness when all he could think about was wanting to be near her, to tell her how lucky he felt to even be her friend.

It was only moments later when he spotted Zara, relieved he had enough time to attempt to prepare himself for Izzy and he swallowed and tensed his jaw to force some sort of exterior collectedness that his appearance paralleled.

As they crossed the road, Miles grinned enthusiastically, dropping and crushing his cigarette, then striding forward with his arms out to pull Zara in. "'ello, darlin'..." he managed to rasp before he was kissing her, his hand on the back of her head as she squealed excitedly against his mouth, allowing him to move her, almost dropping her handbag in the process.

Alex lifted his head as Izzy stopped in front of him and his heart skipped a beat at the way she smiled, tilting her head as if to either admire or question the way he'd changed since she'd last seen him. She was wearing a woollen dress with tights, her feet tucked into brown boots, her pastel pink coat over the top and a scarf was bundled around her neck, high enough to cover her chin but not her lips, Alex's eyes following her mouth as she spoke.

"Hi."

"Hi."

Izzy nodded to herself. "You look great, Alex."

Alex blushed a little but forced himself to keep up the pretence of being unaffected, turning his collar up against his neck and pushing his tongue into his cheek. "Fank yeh. I try."

"Don't be cocky," she laughed, noting the added depth in his voice.

Alex chuckled back. "Yeh look loveleh... though tha' dun't come as a surprise."

"Thank you," she sang back.

They both glanced to the couple beside them, their mouths still moving with excitable giggles, Zara's hands in Miles' hair. Watching them, Alex's mind wandered further than it should've, especially with Izzy so close to him, her smile so charming and out of slight jealousy, Alex cleared his throat at the awkwardness.

"Oi," Alex shouted, waiting for them to turn and notice him. "Be'ave will yeh?"

"Joost got me 'ands on me girl again, Al. Give meh a break." He leant in to kiss her again, obnoxiously dragging it out just to spite Alex and Zara held onto him even as they separated to keep him from straying too far. "Shall weh?"