"Goodbye, have a nice evening!" She waved the last visitor goodbye and closed the doors before she turned around and went back to her daily routine: cleaning the toilets, changing the garbage bin bags and setting the chairs in the cinema area in neat rows again. Joey, the guard who sat at the front desk, came walking up to her. "Y/N! Ready to go?" She nodded, "Yeah, just, could you throw those bags in the bin outside? They're quite heavy." "Sure," he picked the bags up from where they stood in the corner near the entrance to the souvenir shop. Together they walked to the front door and Joey pulled out his set of keys. She turned on the alarm and waited outside for Joey to lock up the doors. "See you again tomorrow at half past nine?" "Sure thing," she nodded and gave him a one-armed hug. "Thanks for helping with the bags," she shouted over her shoulder as she turned around to walk towards the underground station. She kicked a stone in front of her as she walked alongside the river. She glanced up at the bridge, the sun still shining and a light breeze flowing through her hair. It was a perfect spring day in London. Hot for the time of year, yes, but it was good for business. Not that the Tower Bridge Experience was deserted on a rainy day. It was always busy, but she certainly noticed the positive change in people's mood when the weather was a bit better. She walked around the City Hall and through the small alleyway to get to London Bridge Underground. She hated taking the tube at this hour. The carriages were always packed with commuters. She didn't have a car, which would have been nearly impossible to get to work with anyway as the roads were just as busy as the tracks, and taking a bicycle wasn't an option either as she lived too far away. When she got to the platform, Jubilee line Westbound, she shuffled and squeezed herself through to the very back of the platform where she knew she would be able to get on quicker. The carriages were packed already when the train arrived but she just managed to squeeze herself in. "Keep clear of the doors, please, keep clear of the doors!" She pushed herself back a little against the person behind her as the door slid closed. It was hot and the air was thick, even though someone had opened the window of the sliding doors between the carriages. She wiped the sweat of her forehead as she contemplated what to eat for dinner, potato mash and carrots or pasta. "Southwark." The doors slid open again. She smiled apologetically at the woman with a stroller waiting on the platform. "Keep clear of the doors, please!" She squeezed back again a little. Just one more stop and she could get off to switch to a lot less busy line. She sighed as she looked down at her feet. Let's have carrots for dinner. There was a sudden change in the track and someone bumped harshly against her. She lost her balance and, unable to catch herself, fell face first against the door. "Oh my gosh, are you alright?" Someone pulled on her wrist to get her standing again. She groaned an "ouch" as she shuffled to turn around to see who pushed her. She was met with concerned blue eyes and a tweed flat cap. "I'm fi-" just when she was about to say it she felt a warm liquid drip down to her chin. She covered her nose quickly. "Shit", the guy muttered. "Westminster." The man was quick to pull her out of the carriage and sit her down on the bench against the platform wall. He knelt at her feet and rummaged through his backpack. She stayed silent, she felt awkward. Things like this always happened to her. She looked down at her shirt, three streaks of deep red coloured her white work shirt. "Here," the guy handed her a tissue which she gratefully took. She looked up at his face. He didn't look as old as she expected him to look. Going by the tweed flat cap she expected him to be a lot older, but in fact he seemed just about her own age. "Thanks," she mumbled while her thoughts drifted off looking into his eyes. "I, uhm- Are you going to be alright?" He gave her the pack with the rest of the tissues as well, "here, have these. I have to go now." And before she knew it he disappeared into the crowd of Westminster station, leaving her in a mess of drying blood and lost thoughts.
She had put on the biggest pair of sunglasses she owned. The sun wasn't even shining yet and people stared at her funny. She knew that the glasses did not fully cover the bruise on her left cheekbone, but she liked the way that it hid her identity at least a little. She felt embarrassed, knowing what people must be thinking and her assumptions were proven right when the older lady sitting next to her on the train put her hand on her knee and asked if she needed help. She had smiled at her, "no, I'm alright. I just tripped." Joey raised an eyebrow at her as he opened the doors. "Don't even ask me about it," she warned him when she walked past him. "I'm asking about it," he chuckles. "Alright, alright, I tripped, it was embarrassing, go on and laugh at me," she threw her hands dramatically in the air, "I even had a nose bleed in public." "I'd never laugh at you," he poked her side when he walked past her to the back to make them both a cup of coffee, "but you should take the glasses off, though. It looks ridiculous." "Says who?" She poked him back as she passed him to get the sugar cubes from the cabinet behind him. "Are you saying I look ridiculous?!" He turned around and gripped her waist and started tickling her. "Stop! Joey! STOP! I'm going to pee!" "Take the glasses of!" "Alright! Alright, I'll take them off!" He let her go and she fake-angry took her glasses off and put them in her bag. He handed her a cup of coffee. "You're so easy," he snickered as he turned around shaking his head slowly and making his way to his post at the entrance of the engine rooms. "Hmpf," she protested to herself as she pushed her hair out of her face. She dropped a sugar cube in her coffee and set up the register in the souvenir shop. The first half hour was always the worst of the day. Nobody ever showed up to this part of the exhibition this early. She set her cup down next to the register and sat up some of the teddy bears that had fallen over. As she passed the display cases with silver spoons and jewellery she noticed the bruise on her cheek had gotten even darker. It was now a burgundy-like purple. Thankfully it didn't hurt as much. The day went by rather smoothly. She felt awkward with the first few customers but soon she got used to the weird stares and nosy questions. She was busy hanging some new key cords on the display behind the register as she heard a cough. "Oh, I didn't see you there, I-," she said as she turned around but she didn't finish her sentence as she was met with Mr. Flat Cap standing at the counter. "Hi!" he waved awkwardly and forced a smile. "How-? What-?" She didn't even know what she was trying to say. "I, euhm- I realised I never really said sorry and I reckoned I would be able to find you here," he pointed down to her shirt. She stayed silent, lost for words. "So, euhm," he bit his lip nervously, "I wanted to make up with you." "L-like what?" She stuttered, slowly coming down from the shock of seeing him again. Secretly she had hoped she'd never meet him again. It only made her feel more awkward. "How about dinner?" He cocked a smile. Did he just really ask her out? "Alright." Did she just really say alright? "Great! When does your shift end?" "I'll be done by 6.30." "I'll pick you up then. I'll wait for you at Queen Elizabeth Street right across Sainsbury's just down the road," he pointed vaguely in the direction. "Alright." "I'm Niall, by the way," he held out his hand. "I'm Y/N," she took his hand. He shook it lightly before letting go, "See you tonight then."
