I found you

Intro: Her

Her.
The noise of the bustling street outside kept me company while I waited for my coffee. Even the shops smelt different here. I wasn't about to panic, I had been waiting for this freedom for years and now I finally had it. I brushed my thick hair from my face letting it drop behind me, I would have to get use to the heat here.

There's something about the feeling of doing things on your own that's empowering and inspiring, I guess I'm not truly alone with James here but I can finally say I got away from the hell hole that was the little seaside town I grew up in. Sweet in appearance but mundane in residence.

I couldn't be further away, this country is huge and choosing where to start off was the most challenging thing I've ever encountered. I could've found myself in Melbourne where I would've stayed with Geo, my fun and familiar friend but something drew me to Sydney.

Maybe it was the fact I felt like relying on myself for once, even if my mum begged me to stay at home. I think she's worried about me being so far away but I promised her I would be fine and it was just to explore for a bit. I have a feeling she doesn't trust in my relationship with James. Truth is, I was searching for myself and I wasn't sure how long that was going to take.

We had been here only three nights, finding our feet a little and staying in a small hotel bordering the harbour. I was beginning to appreciate the change in scene as I awoke to bright sunlight and a new bird song every morning. I hadn't quite got round to meeting new people yet, in honesty I'm not really sure how to start a conversation without sounding like another tourist.

The vibe here is pretty cool, just waiting in this coffee shop is so much more relaxed, no one is trying to rush around like in London. I'm sure James likes it here, I've already seen him talking to other people and finding out about job opportunities. I'm not sure what I want to do! I'm curious about a sign I saw outside one of the salons here, "make up apprentice vacancy" I adore make up and I figure it would be fun to do it as a job.

Apprenticeships pay so much better out here anyway but I'm still worried to tell James as he'll probably think it's a dumb idea. 'Not a proper job' or something like that. Peering around the coffee shop, noticing the rustic style of the place I search for James' head amongst the crowd. Finally spotting the ruffled black curls I give him a searching look, responding with a gawky thumbs up he smiles dumbly and returns to focus on the shortening queue.

Laughing to myself I realise I'm next up, the girl, ready to serve me looks giggly and excited. She can barely stay still as she bobs up and down ready, "Hiya, what can I get you today?" She asks smiling broadly. It was infectious and I couldn't help but smile back. Her bright red hair was tied back and I was immediately jealous of the way it shaped her face. "Just a small iced latte and an espresso please," I replied. Nodding she tapped the screen as I handed her the cash.

Before I could contain my intrigue I had already opened my mouth to ask, "You look like you're excited about something?" I laughed as she swung back round with an espresso cup. Shaking her head laughing as her grin grew larger she almost spat out what had got her so amped. "Well, I've just been told by my friend that 5sos are back in town and well... I sort of got this job knowing it was their favourite coffee shop... Supposedly-" she said her hands flying everywhere as she explained animatedly, "- and well they could come in at any moment couldn't they? So I'm super on edge expecting one of them to open the door," she finished laughing and checking the doorway a moment later.

I couldn't help but laugh joyfully, I was almost envious of her excitement. I knew who 5sos were, 5 seconds of summer a cool rock band who had come on the scene only last year, but I felt I couldn't match her ecstasy seeing as I barely knew anything about them. Passing me my cold drink I look up to her once more and say, "Well I really hope they come in, I'll be back and you can tell me all about their visit," at this she laughed hysterically and nodded as the queue moved forward.

"Did you hear any of that?" I asked James hopefully placing his espresso beside him.
"Hear what?" He said checking the jobs page of the paper. Sitting down in the half leather half wooden chair I set my bag beneath me, "The girl who served me, bless her she was going crazy about the band 5 seconds of summer," I reported still laughing to myself. "Who's that?" He replied absently. Sighing a little under my breath from the lack of James' concentration I playfully placed my hand over the part of the paper he was reading and said, "HELLO,"

Finally looking up at me with green eyes he suppressed his irritation and responded, "What?"
"I was telling you about the girl at the cashier!"
"Oh right, yeah who are 5 summer?"
Ignoring his mistake I continued, "They're a band, apparently they're in town and she's super excited as they might visit the coffee shop,"
"Oh okay, that's cute. Are they a new band?" James asked, I appreciated the false interest.
"Um, not really. They're first single came our last year, they're getting popular though,"
"Oh nice nice. So... I'm thinking of applying for this job by the harbour, it's basically an assistant on the tour ferries, I reckon you just start off by selling tickets then joining in on the tour. Sounds interesting enough don't you think?"
"Yeah okay, go for it. I've seen a couple things in town-" I answered avoiding specifying which, "- and might start looking for apartments while we are sat down,"

Evening swept over us so quickly we hadn't realised it was already 7pm and my stomach began to rumble. Job hunting wasn't particularly fun and combined with the jet lag we were desperate for food and sleep. I had handed my Resume into the salon as well as a couple other places, I'm just eager to get going and earning Australian dollars so I can afford more experiences out here. "Let's find somewhere to eat, I'm hank Marvin," announced James to which I could only agree and before I knew it we had found ourselves in a small restaurant not far from the harbour.

Choosing a simple chicken and black rice dish, James and I waited for our food to be cooked. Taking in the blood orange sky and leaning back in our chairs beaten by the sun both of us yawned in unison sharing a small giggle. "Are you happy we did this?" James asked me, surprising me a little.
"Yeah, of course I am. It's a an adventure,"
"I'm pretty excited about it all but I'm worried it's not going to go the way we planned,"
"James, c'mon when does anything ever go the way you planned... It's life!"
"I know I know, I just need a job and to feel settled," I could understand where he was coming from. We were lost in transition and hadn't found anything solid yet. It wouldn't be long I'm sure until we sorted everything out. Well I hoped not.

Leaving the restaurant feeling full and tired I suggested a walk around the pier. My mouth opened in shock and awe of the spectacle before me, the opera house shone bright against the canvas of midnight blue and my eyes widened as if it would allow me to take every detail in at once. Beneath the brooding clouds the full moon glittered as it's light touched the water below creating the most dazzling effect of sparkles. Enraptured by the whole scene I felt an odd sense of belonging. This place, so unknown and unfamiliar to me suddenly held the feeling of comfort.