𝑫𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 - 𝑻𝒂𝒚𝒍𝒐𝒓 𝑺𝒘𝒊𝒇𝒕

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑇𝑤𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑦 𝑆𝑖𝑥

"Hey, I think it's about time we grab some lunch," Zoe said, glancing down at her stomach in mock surprise.

"Definitely. I could go for some real English food. And by English, I mean more than just fish and chips." I said, making a face. "Not that I don't love fish and chips!" I quickly added, not wanting to offend Zoe's British sensibilities.

"Hey, you take that back!" Zoe pretended to be insulted, but I could see the amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Alright, alright, I take it back. Fish and chips are wonderful. Happy now?" I reached out to playfully flick her nose.

She swatted at my hand, grinning. "Very. Don't mess with the fish and chips, alright? They're the heart and soul of this country."

"Got it, got it. Fish and chips, national treasure, yadda yadda." I teased, linking arms with her. "Now let's go find some lunch before I faint from hunger."

"Right, don't want you fainting in the middle of the street. You're way too pretty for that," she said, leading the way down a side street. "I know just the place where we can get some delicious grub."

"Lead the way, oh wise one." I joked, allowing her to guide me down the street. "Although I swear, if you take me to another café for tea and scones, I might just faint in protest.

"Please, give me some credit," she said, feigning offence. "I'm not that predictable. We're going to an actual pub, where they serve real, full-sized meals. And if you're feeling feisty, I even challenge you to drink some English ale."

"Oh dear god, you're turning me into a proper English lady," I laughed. "First flowers, now pubs with ale. What's next, you're going to have me calling football 'soccer'?"

"Hey, don't knock it till you try it," Zoe said with a wink. "And I'll let you in on a little secret - our pub food is the real deal. You won't be disappointed. As for the soccer thing, well, A girl can dream, can't she?"

We settled ourselves into a cozy booth in the back corner of the pub, the low murmur of conversations from other patrons filling the air. The walls were lined with pictures of famous British athletes and actors, and the scent of roasted meats and ale filled the air. I looked over the menu, feeling my mouth water at the array of options. "Well, this is a lot more than fish and chips," I said, glancing up at Zoe.

"I told you," she said, a smug grin on her face. "You can't visit England without getting a proper pub meal. Have you decided what you're gonna get?"

I glanced down at the menu again, my eyes roving over the selection of meat pies, steak and ale pies, bangers and mash, and even a couple of vegetarian options. "This is too much," I admitted, shaking my head. "Everything looks delicious. How am I supposed to choose?"

Zoe chuckled. "I knew you'd have a hard time deciding. Why don't you order whatever looks good and we can share? That way you can try a bit of everything." She suggested, pointing to some of the options on the menu.

I brightened at that idea. "That's smart. Okay, then I think I'll go for the steak and ale pie, and maybe the sausage and mash, and the shepherd's pie-" I started to list off my choices, but Zoe interrupted me with a laugh.

"Whoa, slow down there," she said, holding up a hand. "You're gonna need a forklift to get those plates to our table. How about we start with just a couple of things and we can order more later if we're still hungry?"

"Right, right, that makes more sense," I agreed, laughing at my own enthusiasm. "Alright, let's start with the steak and ale pie and the sausage and mash, and we'll see how we feel from there."

"Sounds good to me," Zoe said, calling over a waitress. She placed our orders and the waitress left to put in our request. "See, you're getting the full experience. Pub food, English beer, soon you'll be saying 'mate' like it's second nature."