World of Stars (Jack Maynard fanfic)

Chapter 1

"We made it!" Elle exclaims as we enter our apartment. I hadn't chosen it or even seen it until this moment because I trusted her judgement. 

That was clearly a mistake. 

The apartment was central to downtown but looked like it didn't belong. A small building amongst the rest with four apartments within. Ours was on the second level which meant we had to drag our suitcases up a flight of stairs.

The green paint was faded and chipped on our door, it really set the tone for the apartment beyond. I shove the door open and am immediately hit with what felt like a cloud of dust.

I look at my surroundings...I'm not exactly impressed. The entire apartment is quite small but contains all the amenities, so that's good I remind myself. A small bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet and sink is located directly to my left. A kitchen with a sink, fridge and stove, all way out of date, to my right. A small, dusty couch and two Murphy beds to pull down at night directly ahead. The color scheme was mostly brown and rust, if rust counted as a color...It's small, but it's cheap. I accept that it will have to do for the semester. 

"We made it." I give a weary smile. I'm exhausted, there was a huge mixup at the airport and they lost half of my luggage. I am now down to only one suitcase and hadn't even begun tofigure out what I had lost because of it. I just want to unpack and sleep. I walk over to one of the murphy beds and give it a tug, it falls from the wall hitting the carpeted floor with a thud. I sit on the bed and clouds of dust fly into the air, making my allergies kick in. "Oh no!" I'm roped into a fit of sneezes.

"Here I'll open the patio door." Elle runs to let some fresh air in.

"Thanks." I get out between sneezes. Eventually, the dust clears and I stop sneezing. I stand up and turn to set my suitcase on my bed, but the bed has already retreated back into the wall. I set my suitcase down and pull the bed to the floor again. It instantly springs back into the wall. The mechanism must not lock, great.

"You have got to be kidding me!" I yell in frustration. "Elle grab me something heavy please!" I yell at Elle who is admiring the view on the patio.

She looks around herself and spots a random brick on the patio. With little haste, she brings it in and offers it to me. 

"Okay, place it on the base of the bed when I pull it down." I pull the bed down from the wall, hoping for it to stay. Once the brick is down on the base, I let the bed go and it doesn't budge. "Does yours work?" I watch as Elle pulls her bed down, It lightly hits the floor and stays there, no dust either. I grunt knowing how bad my luck is. Of course, I had to choose the broken and dusty bed...I sit down, add lumpy to the list of characteristics.

"What do you want to do tonight Addi?" Elle asks me, already unpacking her suitcase. I watch as she picks up her suitcase and dumps the contents directly onto her bed, she begins to rummage through the pile.

"It's like six o'clock, maybe just curl up with a book and read?" I suggest.

"You have got to be kidding me! There's a whole foreign city to explore, way better than anything you can read. Why imagine when you can see it for yourself." She runs out onto the patio and gestures to the lively city. 

"What do you suggest then?" I inquire.

"If I say it you are going to say no." She whines making her way back to her clothes.

"What makes you say that?" I laugh.

"It's not really your scene, plus you want to be up early for our first day of work tomorrow." Elle begins to pull at her hair, something I have learned signifies nerves.

"Just tell me." I hurry her along.

"There's a bar slash club nearby and well-"

"Nope, no way, nuh uh!" I shout and shake my head sinking further into the lumpy mattress.

"Oh c'mon!" She complains.

"We can't go out clubbing when we have work tomorrow!" I exclaim, to her dismay.

"What if we came home before midnight. We don't have to be at work until ten, that gives us time to sleep, get ready, then travel." She makes her case.

"You know I don't drink, so what's the point in going?" She sits next to me and puts her arm around me.

"Imagine this...A night out in London. Loud music, dancing, boys, boys with accents, dancing to loud music with boys with accents. Do you see it, can you hear it?" She giggles and so do I.

"Fine..." I give in. "Pick out my outfit." Elle always picks out my outfits, she had a knack for fashion. Not to mention my lack of a wardrobe thanks to the airport.

"We are going to meet so many hot guys tonight." She practically squeals while searching her pile of clothes.

"I'm going for you and that's it." I explain to her. I had no need to meet anyone tonight.

"Imagine this...-" She begins.

"I'm scared." I interrupt.

"Shsh. Imagine this...Some cute guy across the club walks up to you and says 'hey can I buy you a drink?'" Her voice drops an octave as she voices the 'cute guy'. "you say 'sure'" She continues.

"I don't drink." I remind her.

"Shsh. He orders you a drink and then in his adorable accent asks to take you back to his place." Her rummaging had stopped.

"But I haven't even gotten my drink yet!" I exclaim playing along.

"Shsh. He walks you down the beautiful streets of London, the stars are twinkling." She nudges me.

"I do like stars." I smile.

"Shsh. Then you get to his apartment." She takes a deep breath.

"Is it a nice apartment or-"

"Shsh. The rest is up to your imagination." She smirks and I roll my eyes in response.

"Sometimes I don't understand how we are friends." I smile.

"The thought is mutual." She smiles and holds up two dresses far too short for my liking.

"I'm gonna step outside for a second, I need to clear the sinuses," I tell Elle, and proceed outside.

The sun was beginning to set as I looked at the sky above. Soon, stars would fill the sky and it brought me a sense of calm. No matter where I am I always find comfort in the stars, they will always be there. I take a deep breath to clear my head. I look up one last time as the stars begin to emerge. They gave me a good feeling, a sense that tonight was going to be something special.