Midnight • (Zayn Malik)

spring break: Doncaster

It was pretty early in the morning when I woke up and I didn't know if that was because of the jet lag or the fact that I was so far away from home, sleeping in an unfamiliar place. Whatever the reason, it was barely a quarter past six and I was wide awake, staring at the ceiling while Violet lay on her side still sleeping softly. I decided after about fifteen minutes mindlessly scrolling on my phone that I wasn't going back to sleep any time soon and that I might as well get up and get ready for the day. I supposed a plus to being up before everyone else was that I wouldn't have to share the bathroom.

Slowly and carefully I inched my way out of the extremely luxurious bed trying my best not to wake Violet, and tip toed to my suitcase before I decided to just drag the huge piece of luggage into the bathroom so I wouldn't be loud rummaging through it. I rolled the heavy suitcase into the lavish bathroom and closed the door as quietly as I could before flicking the bright, sparkling lights on. The bathroom was absolutely gorgeous and I know that I'm used to an expensive, spacious bathroom, but this one had a whole different feel that made me appreciate the wealth put into it. It had more of a traditional, elegant feel to it, the space decorated to perfection and presented itself to you with grace. Plus the black and white checkered tile floor was killer. It was royal and dramatic and just everything the stuck-up, modernized version of "rich" back in Florida wasn't.

I took my time undressing myself and turned on the fancy shower before I brought my shower products into the tiled space. From where I was behind the crystal clear glass shower doors I could see a small draped window that overlooked the city, I was sure. I could only see a sliver of the outdoors and saw that it was not only pitch black, but that there were fat raindrops trailing down the glass lazily. I loved London so much already and I hadn't even been here twenty four hours yet. I let the smooth, warm water run down my back and I soaked up the excessive steam pouring out with the heat. I was still too tired and hungry to really have a lot of energy within me at the moment, but once I started thinking about the adventures that lie ahead here in London and the other places we would visit, my mind started buzzing and I couldn't wipe my smile away even if I tried.

After I finished washing and grooming myself, I reluctantly turned the shower off and walked out to wrap towels around myself. I sat on a simply upholstered bench beside the small bathroom window to wait for my hair to dry a little. Reaching my fingers up to the window, I pulled the drapes aside slightly to look out at the rainy morning beyond the hotel suite. It was a lot quieter out here, not as many cars driving at ridiculous hours of the day and although there were still city lights, they seemed to glow rather than glare at you. The slow rain made the streets glisten below and reflect everything above it. If I squinted I could see the ripples of the Thames river and a ring of bright lights that was the London Eye. I sighed at the view knowing we were to visit there later today or tomorrow, I wasn't completely certain since Violet had the entire schedule.

Pulling myself away from the window and the dreamy view, I took my hair out of my towel and started getting ready. I dressed myself in a black sweater with a frilly white Peter Pan collar that had a cute white satin bow, a black leather skirt, sheer black tights and my shiny Jeffery Campbell boots that matched Monte's pair. It felt so good to wear long sleeves and tights again because I hardly ever got to do that back home. Along with my outfit I put on some dark burgundy lipstick that Violet had bought me for my birthday one year and demanded I would wear it on this trip, then gave myself some thick winged eyeliner. I was getting more comfortable with colors (dark ones, nothing too crazy) and I couldn't really explain why. It could've been the fact that I was in a completely new place, with completely new people and far away from everything I hated back in Florida. I wasn't sure, but whatever the reason, the slight change within myself made breathing come a little bit easier.