[in progress] As hearts collide {chicklit}

Chapter fifteen - settling in

After spending the week at home replaying the kiss and trying to make sense of it all, it was time to go to University. Mum drove the almost 2 hour journey riding wave after wave of emotions. By the time we reached the dorms, she was an absolute mess. Kimber, my accommodation for the next year at least, was situated only a short walk to the campus. They were fully kitted out with a bed, desk, Wi-Fi and private shower room. There were also communal spaces - a tv room and kitchen and dining area too.

True to his word, Alex called me a few days after I'd arrived to regale me with stories of his experiences at uni so far.

"I'm telling you Em, the girls in Bournemouth are insanely hot! And did I tell you about the uni bar? Pints are only £2! It's too easy to get hammered." He said animatedly.
"That's great Al, sounds like you're really settling in." I replied, my mind a little preoccupied.
"What about you, how are you finding it? And have you spoken to Jimmy boy?"
"Erm, it's good. I've only been here since Sunday, but the people seem quite nice and-"
"Have you been to freshers week? You've got to go, Em, it's a great way to meet people."
"I haven't gone out yet but I-"
"Em, don't be a hermit. You need to get out, meet some friends, take in the nightlife."
I sighed in frustration.
"Is everything alright?" Alex asked, concerned.
"Yeah it's fine... just feeling overwhelmed with it all." I admitted. I'd also like to get a whole sentence out without being interrupted I thought to myself, but decided not to tell him that.
I made a point of ignoring the comment about Jim - I'd not spoken to him since that night.
"I understand. Jim said something pretty similar when I spoke to him yesterday."
"You've talked to him?" I asked, sounding surprised.
"Of course! You haven't?"
"Not yet, we've texted a few times. How is he?"
"He's good - met a few new friends at freshers. They were talking about starting a band or something."
"Oh, that's good."
"Yeah, it is. Are you sure you're alright, Em? You sound a bit... off. I can drive down and-"
"I'm fine," I interrupted. "Just need to settle into this place. I think I'll take your advice and head out tonight, try and meet some people."
"That's my girl!" He cooed. "Let me know how it goes."

That evening, I agonised about whether to go out or not before finally giving in. I kept it casual in jeans and a t-shirt, but dressed it up with open toe shoe boots. Leaving my hair in messy waves, I put on some mascara and tinted lip balm before I headed out the door.

Taking advice from a couple of people in the communal space, I took a cab to Hobbit, a pub a few minutes down the road by car, to sample some of their fantastical cocktails. I walked into the place and made a beeline for the bar, desperate for some liquid courage. The place was busy, but not heaving, so I was served relatively quickly.
"What can I get you?" The friendly bartender behind the counter asked.
"Erm..."
"First timer?" He guessed, as he cleaned the beer taps.
"Just started at Solent."
"Well, welcome to Southampton! May I recommend "Boromir" - you a fan of dark rum?"
I nodded, thinking back to my birthday when I sank a rum and coke with surprising ease.
He smiled before grabbing a glass and filling it with a double shot of dark rum, a bottled purple liquid and then topping it off with coke.
He set it down in front of me and I paid before taking a dubious sip. It tasted incredible.
"It's delicious, thank you."
He grinned and handed over my change - £7... it was only £3 a drink?!
"You're welcome. See that group over there?" He said, beckoning to a table of people around my age. "They're also freshers from Solent... why not head over and introduce yourself?"
"Thank you!" I said, thankful to have met such a friendly face. I picked up my drink and made my way over.

There were six of them in total, four guys and two girls, and the conversation looked a little weak.
"Hey!" I said, putting on my best confident exterior. "I'm Emily- Em, I've just started at Solent and I hear you have too?"
The guy to my immediate left smiled warmly. "Hey, I'm Julian... take a seat, Em." He said, gesturing to the seat in front of me. I smiled and sat down. Julian was tall and lean, wearing a black Rolling Stones t-shirt and skinny black jeans. His arms were full of tattoos - lots of words and intricate drawings - swirling around them, and his dark hair was slicked back like James Dean. His eyes were grey-green and friendly and I realised how at ease I felt in his company.
"This is Marnie, Sarah, Joe, Mike and Tim," Julian shared, gesturing to each person around the table.
"Nice to meet you all," I shared politely, taking a sip of my drink.
"So, what are you studying?" Julian asked, turning a little to make eye contact with me.
"English and Creative Writing."
"Oh cool - Tim is too!"
I smiled at Tim and tipped my head towards him.
"What's everyone else taking?"
"Well, Marnie and Sarah are both in Engineering, Mike's taking film and video production and Joe is  Business.
"And what about you?" I questioned as he brought his drink to his lips. "Music business."
"That sounds cool - you want to work a record label?" I asked, intrigued.
"Yeah, something like that." He said, smirking at me.
"So where are you all from?"
"I'm from North London, - Barnet." Julian said resting back in his chair, oozing confidence. I grinned. "I know Barnet - I'm from Hertfordshire, not far from Barnet actually."
"Oh no way, that's cool." Julian said, bringing one leg up to rest on his thigh.
"I'm from Norfolk." Tim said, this location clear from his dialect.
"Wow, that's quite a journey!" I said, surprised.
"Yeah... I won't be going home very often. Sort of the point to be honest." I nodded in understanding.
"What about you, Marnie?" I asked, taking another sip of my drink. It was going down too easily.
"I'm from Margate." She replied, eyes fixed to her phone screen.
"I love Margate, I used to visit there a lot when I was a child." She lifted her head up and smiled, before resuming her focus on the screen once again.
When no one else answers, Julian takes the opportunity to fill me in.
"Mike's from Cheshire and Sarah actually hails from Wickham, which is apparently not far from here."
"So, are you the official spokesperson for the group?" I joked, which made him laugh.
"Feels like it. We all live in the same dorms, so decided to come out for a few drinks together to get to know each other. Did you come here on your own?" He asked, seemingly intrigued.
"I did – I wasn't making many friends in my room."
Julian smiled warmly. "Wow, that's pretty awesome. Looks like you came to the right place, eh?"
I nodded. I sat there in silence for a few seconds before deciding to take charge of the situation.
"Right," I said to the table "This won't do at all... we're getting drunk. Who's up for shots?"
The table suddenly came to life at the sound of alcohol.
"Cool, I'll come to the bar with you." Julian offered, standing.
At the bar, the same friendly bartender came over.
"So I see you've made some friends then?"
"Yes, thanks for that. It's my round too... can I get 6 Samwise shots and 6 of that cocktail you made before, please?"
"Coming right up!"
"You know the bartender?" Julian asked, leaning against the side. Now standing, he was a lot taller than I first realised... maybe even taller than Alex.
"No, but he was very kind to me when I first walked in – pointed your table out to me."
"Maybe I should thank him too, then," he said a little flirtatiously. "Those guys are cool, but they're not great at the chat, you know?" His North London accent was cheeky and felt very close to home, which was comforting.
"They just need a little loosening up," I replied as the bartender placed the shots down.
"I'll take these and come back in a tick for more." Julian picked up the tray of shots and walked them over to the table. When we returned moments later, he set the tray back down, ready for the other drinks.
When I was all paid up, we made our way back to the table together, Julian refusing to let me carry them.
"Ah wow, thanks...?" Mike said, unable to remember by name.
"It's Em." I said, handing him over the themed cocktail, before passing the others out. Julian deftly handed out the shots to everyone and I raised mine in a toast.
"Cheers everyone, good to meet you all!"
"Cheers!" the table chimed in, as we sank the shots in unison.