The Art of Living

[9] Open It

Luckily there were no more personal questions because Brian didn't get the chance to talk to Ellie again. Which was a huge relief for her because he was getting very intense, wanting to know too much of her life. That wasn't a good thing to Ellie. And she only hoped it wouldn't always be like that because that wouldn't be fun at all. If she constantly had to dodge his invasions into her private life then she would rather not hang out with friends. It would be a shame but hey. Life wasn't fair.

Not long after she had gotten all the details of where and when they would meet, Ellie decided to go home. Both of her friends were occupied with their guys, and she realised that that was a perfect excuse for Brian to come to talk to her again. So in order to avoid that, she said goodbye to everyone with the excuse that she still had some reading to do for her classes. She didn't but they didn't need to know that.

She hugged Lynn and Mary and waved goodbye to the rest in order to avoid having to hug Brian. Luckily he was too occupied to offer walking her to the bus stop. Ugh that would have been the worst. But Ellie managed to sneak out after she had said goodbye, not giving Brian a chance to finish his conversation. She was certain she saw him trying to do that so he could accompany her outside. But Ellie was just a bit faster. Fast enough to make it home without having to talk to him again.

The following day she went to class and then she went home, she didn't have to work on Fridays. And she also didn't have plans to meet with a friend. That had simply been an excuse to get Brian to accept that he wouldn't have to pick her up before they went to the pub. That was really not necessary. Mostly for the reason that he didn't have to know her address. And also because she didn't want to spend more time with him alone than necessary. She had told Lynn she was going to be polite, but that didn't mean she had to be keen on being alone with him. That would only increase his false hopes.

At about seven she figured it would be time to get ready. At first she was going to put on a skirt, but then she figured at a concert - a crowded place - with Brian so closeby, some shorts would be better choice. Shorts and a blouse and her usual rather heavy make up and fancy hairstyles were her look for the evening. She knew she wasn't going to be there exactly at eight, but that only decreased the danger of being alone with Brian. The later she got there the more people would be there.

Once her wallet and everything she needed were in her small handbag, she locked her flat and made her way down the street to the tube station, like every morning when she wanted to get to class. Occasionally she biked to school, but only because the majority of the route was through Hyde Park where she didn't have to deal with crazy car and bus drivers. But she never took the bike when she was going out with her friends. Which was why it was lucky that she lived close to the tube station.

At a few minutes past eight she was standing in front of the Goat. She didn't know if the others were inside already, or if they were supposed to meet outside, because she realised she had forgotten to ask Brian that. But since it was past eight she figured if they were meeting outside then the others would be outside too. That was why she fixed her appearance in the reflection on the window before she went inside the pub.

As soon as she had stepped through the door she was met by the typical pub atmosphere. A lot of noise, a lot of people, a lot of alcohol judging by the smell. Exactly Ellie's environment. This was where she felt good. With a genuine smile on her face she started to make her way through the pub, keeping her eyes open for any sign of someone she knew. Hopefully she would recognise everyone she had met the night before. In some cases her facial memory wasn't the best.

She considered finding her friends first, but when she passed the bar she figured it would make much more sense to get a drink now, so she wouldn't have to push through the crowd more than necessary. Who knew how long it would take her to find them anyway and she felt herself craving for a drink in that moment.