Timeless

s.

Brian gathered all he needed before I followed him outside. I remotely knew the area we were in, but not in detail, so I made sure I'd stay close to him.

"Where are we going?" I asked and looked at him curiously.

He glanced at me and shrugged. "Well... my friends - Roger and Freddie - they have a stall at Kensington Market, and if you feel like it we could go there and see what we can find? Not necessarily in their stall, but in the market. Plus, maybe one of them has time to help you today already."

"Sure... but what are we going to say where I suddenly came from? You can't tell them the truth."

"Well... they kind of know that strange stuff has been happening, I showed them the phone..."

I widened my eyes a little. "Brian... I don't want to get locked up. If anyone finds out the truth then what do you think they'll do with me? Lock me up because I'm crazy?"

"Don't worry," he tried to calm me down. "I trust them. Please. They're my best friends, Mira, they'll have to meet you eventually anyway."

This couldn't be a good idea. But did I really have a choice? Not really. I had to trust him, and his friends. "Fine," I sighed. "But I don't think it's a good idea."

"I know, I'm sorry... but I'll just introduce you as the girl I mentioned because ... well, I did bring you up occasionally. Trust me, okay?"

"Mhm," I mumbled, nodding a little. "I don't really have a choice... let's do this.. Is it far?"

"No, it's not," he assured me, gently placing his hand on my back. "Thank you... for agreeing to this. I'm glad that I finally get to introduce you to them. You have no idea how exciting this is."

I glanced at him and smiled a little. I still didn't think it was a particularly good idea, but it was kind of cute to see him so excited. The walk to Kensington Market wasn't very far, so I was starting to get an idea of where we were. Part of me was itching to go on Google Maps to see an aerial view of everything, but I had to keep reminding myself that that wasn't possible.

Instead I focussed on everything that was around me. Actually that wasn't hard because everything was so different, it was amazing to discover everything around me. The cars, the clothes, the people. It didn't take long for me to get completely immersed in that so that Brian had to stop me from running into people or cars occasionally, something that amused him to no end. And when we get to Kensington Market the amazement only increased. It was... overwhelming. So many people, so many things, so much going on. Instinctively I reached for my handbag, and for Brian's arm. He seemed to know what I was thinking so when he reached for my hand, I didn't object at all. I didn't want to lose him in the crowd.

"Rog and Freddie's stall is down there," he informed me, pointing down a hall. "Do you want to go there first or do you want to have a look around first?"

I shrugged and looked at him. "I don't know... go see them first. This is all very..." I didn't say anything, I just gestured around, but Brian seemed to understand me without words.

"Alright, don't worry, we can take things as slow as you want. Step by step. Does that sound good?"

I nodded, slightly relieved that he understood me. "That sounds good.. Thanks."

"Don't worry. I'm here to take care of you," he assured me, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. "I told you, you're not alone here. I'm staying true to my promise."

"I appreciate that," I told him. "Alright, let's do this." I took a deep breath and followed him along the hall to where his friends had their stall. When we got there, I let go of his hand so he could go greet his friends, but he immediately took my hand again, leading me inside with him. He was serious about taking care of me and making sure I didn't have to be alone. He announced us cheerfully, and when his friends' eyes fell on me, they went wide in surprise. I stood there a little awkwardly, not entirely sure what to do with myself while they both examined me.

However, both of them seemed to approve because they ended up greeting me heartily. They seemed genuinely happy to see me, and after Brian explained my clothes-situation, Freddie immediately entrusted Roger with their stall for the rest of the day so he could go shopping with me. That was what we did. Extensively. The prospect of assembling an entire wardrobe for me was an incredibly exciting task for Freddie as it seemed, and if I was honest, I had fun too. He had a quite extravagant taste, and Brian had to slow him down occasionally, but in the end everything we picked out wasn't all that bad.

Both Brian and I had our hands filled with various bags, and when Freddie offered me the tiny changing room in their stall to get dressed properly, I didn't hesitate to accept the offer. I settled on something simple, a dress and some light summer shoes, for the day. It was a relief to wear something proper, especially proper shoes, and when I came out of the changing room, I hugged Brian tightly. He deserved some praise, he'd been incredibly patient the entire time, and I knew that he hadn't enjoyed the extensive shopping as much as Freddie had.

"What's that for?" He asked slightly amused, hugging me back.

I glanced at him and smiled. "Because you're a really great friend, and I'm glad that I have you to show me around here."