Love At First Lie | Herophine Fic

If That's A Lie...

HERO

It's strange to think that wandering into the city centre is now somewhat of a privilege for me. I've lived in London all my life. Granted in different areas but I didn't realise how strange it would be to not be able to just venture north or south of the river at my leisure.

When I saw Tim in the kitchen, fully prepared to make Jo and I breakfast and he mentioned that we could now go out provided we were chaperoned, I couldn't say no. And happily, Jo didn't decline either. The way her blue eyes lit up and how she scurried over to me excitedly told me she was feeling exactly the same way as me in regards to confinement. Anyone looking in would've thought that I'd told her we'd won the lottery or something. Or the competition as a whole. Although being honest, the competition has been the last thing on my mind recently. I've been too distracted and focused on a certain someone for it to have a place in my mind.

There are two breakfasts that I'll never say no to; pastries and a full English. As soon as Station du Chocolat popped into my mind, I knew Jo would love it as much as I do. Me, Felix and Morgan stumbled upon it one morning after a heavy night out. All of us ended up in an Airbnb for the night, we didn't even pack. In all honesty, none of us knows how we ended up there, only that Felix paid because of his bank statements and previous bookings on the app. We were desperate for food and came across it. It's a little hidden gem and we've gone back a good few times. I'm hoping that my and Jo's trip there won't be our last.

London's the type of city where you can just browse and wander at your own pace. And that's exactly what we did for a good few hours. Spending time together with Tim hanging back - thankfully - and just perusing the stores on Oxford Street. But of course, the British weather had other ideas and cut our day short. On the drive back, I couldn't help but wonder if the rain here is worse than in Australia. Jo clearly isn't a fan of the cold so I can't help but notice how her living here is such an oxymoron.

On this occasion though, I was thankful for the rain. It meant we could curl up in bed together and I got to hold her for the majority of the afternoon. Being there with her in our little bubble is one of our favourite pastimes. She fell asleep within ten minutes of curling into me and hooking her leg over my waist. This small detail did take me by surprise but she was comfy and I wasn't going to deny her that.

I personally didn't sleep myself. I was too busy watching her. I could quite easily watch her sleep all day. She looked so peaceful and at ease. Exactly how she does when I wake up before her. I would have stayed there for the rest of the day and through the night if she stayed asleep. That wasn't the case though, she woke up around 6pm and told me she was hungry so we went into the kitchen to make dinner.

After dinner, we didn't really do anything notable. Just the usual nighttime routine of a shower, watching TV together, dipping in and out of the conversation with the others before heading off to bed. We all seem to be spending more and more time in our rooms but I'm certainly not complaining. I don't have to share that way.

The Following Morning

Taking my seat beside Jo, I drop my spoon into the bowl on the counter in front of me and tuck into the bowl of Cornflakes I poured. We're the last up today, everyone else was already here enjoying their breakfasts. Jo and I agreed on a simple breakfast, neither of us was feeling anything big or hearty like the pastries of yesterday. Although I wouldn't say no to going out again.

Just as I dip the spoon, collecting some of my cereal and milk, the all too familiar siren blares through the room. I jump, as does everyone else. Our eyes dart all around us as the noise pierces the air, alerting us and certainly waking us all up more than the food is. What now?