the holiday- mileven

chapter 10

disclaimer: this chapter features a very brief discussion of the topic of alzheimer's. if that upsets you in anyway please do not read.

CHAPTER TEN : when you least expect it

the next two days went past abnormally fast and eleanor wasn't overly happy about it. she spent both days following mike's instructions very closely, ensuring not to miss a single thing on his map.

her second day alone consisted of an open top bus tour of the city which was extremely captivating although freezing cold and eleanor refused to sit anywhere but the open top deck- she had to ensure she had the full experience.

it was the coldest day by far and she decided to deviate a little from mikes plans which was to head to covent garden and do a walk around looking at the christmas lights. instead, she found a petite but welcoming family run italian restaurant and ate there while brainstorming something she could do indoors— she could do the lights tomorrow.

the restaurant had an incredibly cozy atmosphere, the lights were low but not too low that it was hard to read the menu. fairy lights were draped over the til counter and there were lots of paintings of famous italian landmarks all over the walls. for a small restaurant, they used their space well and there weren't many tables free—it seemed to be a popular spot.

she was stuffing her face with pasta when she overheard a couple talking about how excited they were to go and see the West End's production of Mamma Mia! eleanors face lit up with excitement at the idea, but that slowly faded when she realised it was unlikely there would be any tickets available this close to christmas.

after finishing and paying for her meal, she politely asked the waiter for directions and set off in hope that she would be able to get in. it wasn't too far a walk and she headed over to the ticket booths. luckily, due to a cancellation there was 2 tickets left. beaming, eleanor bought herself a ticket in the dress circle and strolled inside, the show was starting in fifteen minutes.

el absolutely loved it, she had to try not to sing to loudly as she didn't want to be that person. she took a picture of the front of the theatre on her way out and kept her ticket in her purse as a memory. on the train home she caught herself humming dancing queen, which earned her some annoyed looks from tired londoners.

her third day without mike consisted of exploring the V&A which is a museum of art and design. she was there for about four hours exploring every nook and cranny. it wasn't as cold so el stuck to mikes map and followed it to soho and then onto covent garden. eleanor adored christmas so she was in her element taking in all the different lights and displays.

by the time friday rolled around, eleanor was almost finished with mike's map. thankfully, friday only had a few locations, allowing el some time to do some very last minute christmas shopping— she had completely forgot about it until that morning.

el had bought most of her gifts before she left for england, however there was a certain raven haired man she wanted to buy for, and considering it was already the 19th, she didn't have much time left.

even though they hadn't known eachother very long, she still felt it was only right to get him something, especially considering everything he has done for her since her arrival.

el wandered around oxford market for what felt like hours trying to pick something for the young man. after an unsuccessful search, she sat herself on a bench to collect her thoughts, sighing frustratedly and looking around at her surroundings.