Dahlia's whole life is flipped upside down when her eccentric aunt enrolls her in a prestigious university in England. She is forced to make friends with a rather eclectic group of people and adapt to her new lifestyle all while trying to find the a...
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With care, I replaced the older, wilted flower with the new, vibrant one. It was the third one I'd received, constantly having a hyacinth on my nightstand. I put the slip of paper into the top drawer of my nightstand with the first note from Harry and the invitation to tea. I spent a considerable amount of time in the garden, trying to memorize the blissful feeling I got while being there, and I decided I would paint it someday, probably in the spring when it would be filled with restored life.
"Where have you been getting those flowers? It's the middle of winter." Atlas stood in the kitchenette, opening a bag of chips to pour into a bowl.
I didn't think about how odd it was that I always had a fresh flower in the dorm, somehow producing them out of nowhere, until that moment. Short notes, hyacinth flowers, and philosophical conversations with Harry were my secrets, and it seemed that the knowledge of outsiders could tarnish the thrill of having something private to keep to myself.
I shrugged.
She shoved a chip in her mouth, and didn't press further because, to her, there was nothing special about the flowers. "Zayn texted me earlier. Said Niall was dying to go out drinking."
"I'm assuming that he's asked us to come along."
"How'd you guess?" She tilted her head to the side, deadpanning with sarcasm. "And he's not accepting 'no' for an answer either."
The last time we'd gone out drinking didn't end very well- Professor Wright had approached me for the first time. But, the chances we'd run into him again were slim to none.
"That's fine with me. Is he picking us up?"
"Yeah. At six thirty, so we have a little over an hour."
"Six thirty? Why so early?"
She popped another chip into her mouth, chewing and swallowing before answering. "Don't know. He said he has somewhere he wants to take us."
I could easily picture Niall's mischievous smile- he had some surprise in store for us. "I guess I should get ready then."
I walked into my closet, sifting through the hangers to find an outfit. I found a black dress, one that I had brought with me from home. Pulling out the hanger, I scanned over it. It was simple- fitted through the waist with a v-neck and spaghetti straps. A layer of gathered mesh covered the bust and the hem of the skirt. I needed something to put over my arms as a cover-up because of the cold, so I chose a denim jacket that I had since high school- light washed and slightly worn. The jacket made the dress more casual, so I put on my boots with it.
After slipping on the outfit, I asked for Atlas's opinion, and she gave her approval. She finished up her chips, putting her bowl in the sink, and then went to go get ready herself. I went into the bathroom to finish getting ready.
I brushed my hair, deciding to leave it natural, so it fell in soft waves. I changed my earrings - I'd been wearing the stud and two hoops in each ear for a while- I elected for two simple gold studs in the second and third holes and a pair of dangly butterfly earrings in the first. I had a necklace that matched the butterfly earrings, so I clasped the short chain around my neck that was completely bruise-free. My rings rested in their normal spot on my fingers.
