And a Bottle of Bailey's (Niall Horan/One Direction fanfic)

Ch. 3

Ch. 3: Out and About

The next morning, I ordered a banana and some coffee from the room service menu, eating it slowly as I watched the news. None of it really mattered, since I didn't live in London, till it got to the weather. Sun and warmth for the next week or so. I was glad.

As I was tossing my banana peel and crumpled coffee cup into the garbage, my phone rang.

"Hey, girl!" It was Lily.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm calling about you! You're in England, crazy, and I wanna know what's going on!" She said, and I could almost hear her smile through the phone.

"I haven't really done much yet, but I'm gonna go out in just a bit and catch a double decker bus. Then I'll ride the tube over to Westminster Abbey, and then I'll go see Big Ben."

"Sounds great! Anything interesting happen? Foreign countries are the best places for romance!" I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn't see it, and laughed lightly.

"Well, One Direction is staying somewhere in my hotel, but that's about it."

"You know I don't like them all that much, but that's still exciting!"

"It's not like I'll get to meet them, or anything, celebrities have major security."

"Whatever. Go out and adventure, little missy, before it's too late. I gotta go, Reilly's waiting for me. Adios!"

I plugged my phone into it's charger, plugged my camera into it's charger, and set about getting ready.

I straightened my brown hair, pulled on a pair of khaki-skinny-

jean-things, put on my same Vans as the day before, and yanked on a red and navy henly-type shirt. I put on a red beanie, and a cream and navy polka dot scarf. I threw on my make up, and headed out the door.

It was nice outside, sunny and only slightly breezy. I was walking down the sidewalk, humming lightly to myself, when I heard a few giggling tourists talking.

"Yeah! They're in town for a while! I'm so excited for their concert!" I assumed they meant One Direction, and I smirked. I knew where they were staying. Kind of.

• • • • •

The double decker bus ride was fun, and I got to see the city a bit. The tube, on the other hand, was the same as any American subway; crowded.

As I walked to Big Ben, staring up at the immense structure, a sort of commotion arose. Police were blocking off the street, and loads of news vans were pulling up. I wondered what was happening, and being a curious one, I fought my way through the crowd up to the police tape that was strung from lamppost to lamppost at the intersection.

Set up in the middle of the intersection, and being gaped at by tourists and Londoners alike, was an impromptu stage. And strung across the stage was a banner that read: One Direction, welcome home!

I stood, watching, as the boys of One Direction made their way onstage.

They performed energetically, and I got lost in their music. Live performances were always amazing, in my opinion.

When then mini-concert ended, I noticed that it was about time for my reservation at a nearby restaurant. I cursed myself for not paying attention to time, instead standing around watching a free concert, and ran down the street to try to make my reservation.

The restaurant was a small one, not known to many, and it seemed like the perfect place to sit down and stuff my face after wandering all day. It was a short building, with grey bricks, a red door with a silver handle, and frosted glass windows.

I went in, shamefully approaching the host podium.

"Hello, uhm, reservation for Domzalski?" I asked shyly, pushing my hair behind my ear. The woman at the podium had bleach blonde hair, loads of face piercings, and tattoos covering every inch of visible skin that wasn't her face. She scared me a little, honestly.

"Right this way!" She didn't sound fake and barbie-like, like the stupid flight attendant, she sounded genuinely joyful. I realized that her appearance didn't reflect who she was, and scolded myself for thinking so. I smiled. She radiated kindness and warmth, smiling back as she swiveled on her heel and led me to my table.

I sat down, enjoying the pretty ambiance of the room, and started to scan the menu.