Life in the big city

Meeting Liam

                                                                  P R O L O G U E

As a child I always dreamed of making something out life. Coming from a town as small as Newhaven, there was never really much faith from anyone there. Into my early teens i was obssesed with getting out and seeing the world. That's what drove me to move out my 17 and be living in the big city by the time I was 18. Moving to London as a young adult, doesn't it sound like a dream? I thought the Universitity and Job oppertuninties would start falling out of the sky the moment I stepped off the train. I was wrong. Instead I ended up filing papers in a tiny office above a deli in the middle of Barnes, one of the most suburban places of London. I started losing faith in dreams and just taking day by day as if it were a routine. The most exciting part of my day was my half hour tube ride into Balham where I could re-watch F.R.I.E.N.D.S episodes inside the smallest flat in the world. I had not "made it", my life was just a humdrum bore of cold coffee and paper cuts. That was, until I met Liam.

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                                                                M E E T I N G   L I A M

I woke early Tuesday morning, looking over to my clock 6:45- I had only 4 minutes until my alarm went off. It was a blue-dark outside, the sky was plagued with black clouds, a normal English Autumn. As always I was due in at work at 8 and needed to leave the house by 7. I took a quick shower making sure not to wet my hair and put on a brown mid length pencil skirt and a tucked in  cream blouse. I didn't bother putting any makeup on as I wasn't going to see anyone important - as usual. I pulled my chestnut brown hair into a low bun not caring to pull in the loose fly aways. and stumbled into my worn-out black kitten heals. Still not properly awake yet I grabbed an apple from the kitchen and threw on a satin  dark blue scarf - my favourite piece of clothing. My sister Chelsea had given it to me and it still smelled like my old house. Tossed a coat on, grabbed my baf and out the door. It was getting lighter as I walked down the streets of Balham and strolled into my daily coffee shop. I glanced at my wristwatch -7:15 - I had a good 45 minutes. " One mocha with an extra shot of coffee for you my dear!" The waitress Amelia exclaimed with a huge grin revealing her braces. One of the only people in my "new life" that could cheer me up. I had been going to this cafe almost everyday since I got to London and Amelia had been there everday. She was a little younger then me and was constantly dying her hair. She was a small part on my day but she cheered me up so much. My order was complete in under 3 minutes and I was sad to leave the warm coffee shop, I waved goodbye and went off to my tube station.

I hadn't realised how tired I was until I sat down in the station waiting for the train. My eyes were beginning to droop and I had to slump backward against the wall. After what seemed like forever the tube arrived. I tripped up as I was walking to the seats and was lucky enough to get one. Looking around at the vacant stares of strangers made me uncomfortable so I closed my eyes listening cautiously to the speakers monotone voice annoucning the next.

A sudden burst of noise startled me. I opened my eyes to see the train had got a lot more crowded. The noise was coming from my bag, I reached in and just as I grabbed my celphone it stopped ringing. I clicked it on to revealed 8 missed calls from my horrible boss Victoria. I wandered what she wanted, she was so rude to me at work and expected me to do things for her 24/7. "PICADILLY CIRCUS" the monotone voice chimed out of the speaker. "WHAT!?" I screamed out loud, strangers turned to see my startled face but that didn't bother me.  In a hurry to check my watch I elbowed the man beside me who glared at me. In to much of a rush to apologise I quickly stood up seeing that time time was 9:45! I couldn't believe myself I was 1 hour and 45 minutes late and well into the centre of the city. The train came to a stop and without thinking I scurried off into the business of Picadilly station. My stomach twisted and a feeling of shock fell over my body, my heart was beating insanley fast it felt as if it would burst at any second. Then I stopped running. What was I running from? I thought to myself. Victoria? She didn't scare me all that much, Being late? Didn't matter. I was running from what I had always wanted - the city. 

I deicded to ignore the constant calls from Victoria as I put my phone on silent and walked up to Regent St to explore. I had barley been into the centre of London in all my time here because I was so stuck in stupid Barnes. In such excitment as I ran up the stairs past hundreds of strangers my heel broke and I tripped up scrapping my knee. "Shit!" I mutterd under my breath. As I went to stand up I felt two big arms pulling me up. "Are you all righ'  love?" the voice above me spoke. I looked up quickly to see two warm brown eyes . It was a young man who looked aorund my age. He had a quiffed hairdo and a small bit of stubble around his cheeks, he was very good-looking indeed. He was laughing a little, waiting for me to answer. After my long gaze I realised I hadn't replied to his question. "Oh, um. Yeah yeah yeah" I gasped. He chuckled again "Did you hit your head? you seem a bit starteled." I cringed at myself to embarrassed to stand it anylonger. "I'm sorry thanks for helping me out! goodbye" I started to walk away quickly. "Hold on a minute!" He stopped me." Let me take you for coffee, I can see you don't know the city very well" He smiled, crinkles forming by his eyes. I wanted to leave because of how much embarrasssment I had caused myself but realised I don't have to be embarrassed, he doesn't know me, I can be whoever I want. I spun around, "Sure, I'm Georgia." I grinned. "Liam" he replied smiling.

He took me up the stairs making sure I didn't fall again, although that was a very hard thing to do as my heel was broken. "Follow me!" he said as we eneted a sea of busy people the cold air hitting my hot face. I kept an eye on his leather jacket and followed him through down a side street. I had never really been on a date with a boy before, low and behold ever had a boyfriend. I had held hands with a boy named Matthew Lough back in year 7 and that was about it,so being with Liam was unfamiliar territory.  We arrived at a small white cafe and he usherd me inside and pulled out a chair for me - A true gentleman. "So tell me about yourself" he spoke with intrest in his eyes. "There isn't much to tell, to be honest." I laughed awkwardly. "Aw c'mon you must have something to tell me?" He turned his head. "What brings you to the Great city of London!" He asked "When did you move from Sussex?" I raised an eyebrow. "How did you know I'm from Sussex?" I asked wanderstruck. "Not like the accent is a dead giveaway or anything" He said sarcastically and we both laughed. "Well?" He shrugged "Were the boys too head-over-heels for your looks?" I couldn't believe he was saying this to me. "God no! look at me right now" I replied smiling but shocked. "Whatever, You're gorgeous" He said and we got lost in conversation. It seemed so abnormal for him to be talking to me like this. I had never had somewhat of a connection with  any boys back home. My first kiss was on a trampoline with a boy named Ben, it was nothing special he kissed almsot every girl that night. It was strange talking to Liam, but a kind of strange I liked. I had completley forgotten about Victoria and work and was suddenly in a little coffee shop off Regent St, talking to a boy who I barley knew. This was the London I liked.