You, Again

Crisp Fall Air

September 2018

"Hi! I'm Kiera and this is Joe, Christian and Beth."

An overly friendly girl waved aggressively at Devin to grab her attention. It must have been the jetlag but Devin swore she saw Christian roll his eyes.

"Um, hi. I'm Devin."

She gave Kiera a half-hearted wave and sized up the larger group. Everyone was objectively attractive making Devin suddenly feel woefully under-dressed. She had chosen jeans, knee high boots, a white t-shirt and her go to cargo jacket for the mandatory school outing to Buckingham Palace. Only one day in London and she was already uncomfortable.

"Did you have a good flight over here? I arrived a week ago. Wanted to get a head start, you know? The lay of the land?" It took Devin a minute to register that Kiera was talking to her.

"Oh, um. Yes that's cool. I just got here this morning so sorry I'm a bit out of it." Devin fought the waves of nausea coursing through her body. She had forgotten her motion sickness pills of all things on the plane ride over and now she was paying for it with the constant feeling of motion pulsating through her like a torturous ride she couldn't get off.

"It's all good! I'm glad you're all finally here!" Kiera gestured back to the group of strangers. "I've been dying to meet my fellow Fordham Rams!"

This time Devin wasn't hallucinating. She really did see Christian roll his eyes. What was his problem? Devin thought about pepping up her energy to match Kiera's but she couldn't muster it. Thankfully Beth stepped in and filled the void.

"It's so great to be here across the pond. Should we start walking?" Beth gestured down the long drive towards the palace and Devin finally noted the hordes of tourists walking past their small group. She was in London. She took a deep breath and willed herself to be present.

She fell in step behind Kiera and Beth but just ahead of Christian and Joey. They were in deep conversation about a game they were missing because of the time change with the States. Devin floated in between the two groups and thought about engaging with them. They were all students at the same school after all. They had to have something in common. But in her three years there, she had never run into any of them. How odd.

"Hey Devin," She turned around as she heard her name called and briefly made eye contact with Christian. He had soft brown eyes that crinkled in the corners. Thy were friendly, approachable even. She whipped her attention away from him quickly. She was in London. How cliché to meet someone she literally went to school with on a regular basis and start dating him. She imperceptibly shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself.

She shifted her attention back to Joe who was talking to her about their mutual class.

"So I looked up the roster and you and me have English Lit together."

"That's great. It's on Monday right? 6 pm?"

"Yep! We can meet up earlier if you want and grab a pint before heading over." Joe said it nonchalantly as if she always drank a pint before going to school. She supposed this could be typical if you were going to class at prime dinner time.

"That would be great. You said your name was Joe right?" He nodded vigorously to confirm. He was cute. Definitely more outgoing than Christian who had yet to say a word to her. Side by side, the boys made an unlikely pair. Joe was broad, somewhat stocky but his piercing blue eyes and high confidence made him magnetic. Christian by comparison was tall, slightly too tall for her if she was being honest. She figured he had to be at least 6'4. He had long legs and kind of ambled as he walked. He did seem to have a gentle demeanor though and Devin took it as a good sign that he was probably harmless. She had known her fair share of hard to catch men. London was supposed to be a time for breaking that habit.

She looked at him further hoping he didn't notice her starring. He wore a white cotton t-shirt with two buttons open at his neck and a windbreaker on top. His dirty blonde hair stood up askew as if he had just run his hands through it. Maybe that was something he did when he was nervous? She caught herself. Why did she care what he did when he was nervous?

They arrived at the entrance to the palace and Kiera organized them for a multitude of group photos. These people were strangers. It felt so awkward to stand here and take photos with people she didn't know. For all she knew, they could be serial killers. Okay, maybe that was taking it a step too far. But still. There was something to be said for being aware when she was in a new country and people she didn't know.

Perhaps she should try and relax. That's what her mom had told her before she flew out of JFK.

"Just try and relax. It'll be wonderful." She let her mom brush her hair out of her face as they stood at the entrance to security.

"Be well, my baby." Her mom pulled her in tight for a hug and Devin kept one hand on her suitcase handle. She was afraid if she let go and hugged her mom with both arms, she wouldn't get on the plane.

"Just relax." She whispered under her breath as she waited for Kiera to find another tourist to take their group photo. She hadn't enjoyed the previous choice of photographer.

"What'd you say?" Devin looked up to meet Christian's eyes. Had he been this close to her the whole time? She could have sworn he was on the other side of the pack for the last photo.

"Nothing. Sorry. Just talking to myself." Oh god, she groaned inwardly. Could she be any weirder?

"Cool, cool. I'm Christian by the way. It's nice to meet you." Heextended his hand and Devin was taken aback by his formality. When was the lasttime she had shook a guy's hand? Hesitantly, she extended her hand to meet hisand she tried to ignore how soft and warm it felt. She suddenly had the mostdeep sensation of wanting to bury her face in his chest. She could feel what itwould be like to breath into him – sturdy; strong. She quickly pulled her handaway and met his eyes once more. They smiled back at her with a warmth so fullshe suddenly felt seen. It had been so long since that had happened