Finding My Happy Place

One

Arriving in London was a strangely normal thing, a mundane thing compared to the life I was leaving behind. We arrived late in the night and caught a cab to my Dad's apartment.

I leaned against Chloe the whole way, my rock. She kept her arm around me the whole time, and held my hand on the flight here.

"Our bags are going to be dropped off sometime tonight or tomorrow in the morning, but there are some extra clothes you can borrow from my drawer," Dad looked out the window that faced the huge city. "It's late, and you both need your rest. I'll register you for classes tomorrow. Good night, girls."

I hugged him, and held on for a solid minute. "Night, Dad..."

He wrapped his arms around me and I pulled away, walking slowly towards the direction of his room and pulling out some sweats and shirts for Chloe and I.

"Tomorrow," Chloe whispered as we laid down for the night, "We'll tour the city."

She yawned then, and I rolled onto my side. "Chloe, I don't know what I'm doing without him here..."

"Ali, trust me, he's still here. He would never leave your side, he loved you, and he's bound to be somewhere near you," she murmured, half asleep.

I closed my eyes, pushing down the tears that were threatening to make their presence known. It still hurt like hell to think about him. It felt like I was shattering into a million different pieces until it felt like there was nothing left to break. I felt like I was a tsunami of emotions. Trapped, uncontrollable.

I didn't dream for once, and I finally slept through the night. I couldn't help but feel London was my new safe place.

+++++++

"Ali," Chloe's soft voice whispered, "Wake up."

I groaned and rolled onto my side, my eyes staying closed as I fought to hold onto my unconsciousness.

"Alice, come on," she grabbed my shoulder and shook me. "I have a surprise."

I sleepily opened one eye, meeting her hopeful gaze. "What?"

"I have a surprise, but hurry up," she enthused, "It'll make you happy, I promise."

"I can't be happy."

"Yes, you can, and this will begin your happiness here in London," she murmured, lifting me up by my arm and twirling me around. Her arms wrapped around me and she pulled me towards the bathroom, shoving me inside. "Shower, I'll bring you some clothes, they came this morning."

"Okay, thanks," I took a look around the bathroom. It was small, but it was also kind of adorable. I hopped in the shower and was out in less than ten minutes. On the counter sat a pair of white capris and a peach v-neck.

I dressed just as quickly and then went through my morning routine. When I was ready, I brushed on a little makeup and blow dried my hair. Chloe knocked softly at the door, "Hurry, we're going to miss it."

I rushed out of the bathroom and she grabbed my arm and dragged me through the apartment. We threw on our worn out converse and were out the door quickly. It was dark out still, the sun just coming above the horizon.

"Where are we going?" I questioned, glancing around at the unfamiliar streets, "And how long have you been up?"

"Long enough to discover something this cool," she chuckled, "I missed Graham too much, so I stayed up talking to him. We're going to a pretty trendy coffee shop."

"At this time in the morning? Why couldn't it wait till noon?"

"Because, you'll see," she gave me a wink and a knowing look. "You'll love it. I promise."