10 Years Later...

First Meet

Ah, the rain.

It's brilliant. It brings life to nature, it creates puddles to jump in and it also ruins your hair that you spent so long trying to perfect.

I was walking back to my aunts from the coffee shop that I worked at for the summer after I said my goodbyes. I had stayed at my aunts for the summer as I wanted a change from boring Ireland. Then the rain started pouring down, it was Scotland after all so it was the norm.

I pulled my jacket over my head and carried on walking quickening my pace as it started to get heavier. I was a few streets away from my house when an old car slowed down beside me but kept moving, a young man leaned over the passenger seat to roll down the window.

"You want a lift?" He shouted over the rain. I was 16 and boy crazy so I thought this guy looked like an angel. He was perhaps 18 or 19, with ruffled brown hair and eyes the same shade.

Of course nowadays if a stranger came along and offered you a ride, you would instantly refuse, right? But this was 2005 and this area of Glasgow was a good area and my aunts house was only a few streets away.

"Really? That'd be great, thanks!" I said gratefully. I got into the car and rolled up the window.

He started driving and I gave him directions whilst trying to inconspicuously fix my hair which was an impossible task as the evil rain and fulfilled its mission to ruin it.

"So your Irish?" He asked as my aunts house came into view.

"Yeah, I'm here for the summer,"

"Cool, I'm Nick by the way," he said glancing towards me with an amazing smile.

"Julianne," I said and held out my hand for him to shake which he did. "This is me," I said and he slowed to a stop. The rain had now stopped but it was an unusually cold night. I unbuckled my seatbelt and picked up my jacked which I had dropped to my feet.

"Thanks again, I really do owe you one," I said and faced him.

"No problem," he said with a grin. "I might cash in on that favour now Julianne?"

"Oh yeah? What do you want?" I said cautiously.

"A date?" He said and looked down at his hands in his lap nervously. I silently awed in my head at his sweetness but I had to refuse.

"I'm leaving tomorrow so I can't, " I said regretfully. Of course the very time I can't go on a date I get asked. Typical.

"Oh right, course. Well perhaps next time your here?" He asked hopefully.

"I don't know when I'll be here next,"

"Oh well, it was a worth a try," he said trying to lighten the mood. I agreed, thanked him again and left his car. I was halfway up the path to the front door when Nick shouted, "Wait!"

I turned and he stood on the other side of the car, the drivers door was open with his arm was leaning on the roof of the car.

"What?" I asked. He closed the door and jogged round the car and came up to face me.

"How about we organise to meet some time," he suggested and put his hands in his pockets casually.

"Well... um... Well, we're never going to be in the same area at the same time," I said feeling as though I was squashing his plan but I was the only one thinking logically here.

"Not unless we organise it far ahead in the future, so we know not to make plans on that day and we have enough time to travel to where ever we choose," he said as though it was that simple.

"What in 10 years or something?," I joked but Nick instantly had a look on his face as though it was a brilliant idea, I could have sworn I saw a lightbulb above his head.

"Do you think that would work?" Nick said genuinely considering my idea. Then I thought about it. I mean, I really thought about it.

"What if one of us died?" I blurted out putting a downer the situation.

"Don't be so pessimistic, think positively. We could say we should only wait around half an hour and then leave, if it's fate we'll turn up," he said.

"This could actually work and be really cool," I said excitedly. "Ok, so where would we meet?" I said putting my organisation hat on. But not really, that'd be weird if I had an organisation hat.

Nick looked around the dark street and pointed to a lamppost across the street.

"Under the lamppost," he decided.

"What time?"

"What time is it now?" He asked. I looked at my watch and it was half 8.

"Half past eight,"

"Then we shall meet under the lamppost on the 4th of August 2015, at half past 8 at night," he said, this time he held his hand out for me to shake.

I looked at it and then decide to go for it, and shook his hand. He grinned at me and I returned the smile hoping this would work just to see that smile again.

"Oh wait, just incase we forget," he said and jogged back to his car, opened the door and rummaged around. He came back up the path with a notebook and a pen in his hand.

"I agree.... to meet... under.... the lamppost.... 4th of... August ...2015... at half past.... eight," he mumbled as he wrote it down twice, one for me and one for him. He then signed the bottom of each and drew a line for me to sign on.

"This is very official, Nick," I said but signed them.

"Well I want to be a lawyer, so there can't be any loopholes," he said jokingly. "So," he began back into lawyer-to-be mode, "We have to meet no matter what, even if we're married with kids, we should meet just to see if it works, agreed?"

"Agreed," I... well, agreed.

He gave me my copy, took his own and then he turned around and went back to his car, round the side to the drivers side, got in and rolled down the window.

"See you in 10 years, Julianne," he said with a cheeky grin.

"See you in 10 years, Nick," I said, with a wave and a smile.

And then he drove off.

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I'm really excited for this story, not quite sure where I'll go with it but I guess we'll see 😊