World Traveller

Chapter 5

Those hazel orbs glowing like tiny suns
Those red curls like the tail of a fox
That lovely seashell pink smile
This lovely, Weasley boy.
My brain (quite unhelpfully) comes up with this delightful imagery, and I mentally snap out of my slight fantasy. He stands there expectantly, holding out my gray woolen scarf. "Thanks." I say, giving him a smile. "No problem." His voice is a smooth Scottish brogue and I keep just looking at the way the wind blows his fluffy red curls as he runs after my notebook. "Is that St. Giles'?" He asks, looking at my church sketch. "I assume it is. I'm new here." I say, blushing slightly. Luckily, the cold wind seems to disguise it as rosiness. "Ah. It's a beautiful drawing." He grins, showing pearly white teeth. I smile back. "Thank you." We stand for a second while I wrap my scarf around my face more securely, and I thought I almost saw a bit of red dance across his cheeks. I couldn't be. No, I'm seeing things. "Um, I better get going." I say, making to leave. "Oh. Me too. Nice to meet you, Miss..." "Samantha. Call me Sam." He shakes my hand, sending electric sparks up my arm. "Jaxon. With an x." I smile. "Bye." I say, hurrying up the street.

I shut the apartment door and hurry to my closet. I barely have anything to wear, and have about a half hour to get ready, and I have to drive there. Fantastic. I pull out a silky yellow dress with off the shoulder sleeves and a knee length skirt, and pair it with a sunset colored fleece jacket. Twisting my hair into two little buns, I put on the tiniest bit of makeup and head out. Record time: 15 minutes! I hop in Sierra's silver Vauxhall and turn onto the street, ready to be there in 5-
To 45 minutes.
The traffic is absolutely horrible. The light is about a mile up the street, with cars honking at each other violently, and I realize I can probably walk faster, considering it's only about a mile down the same street. I put the car in reverse and back into the garage, hopping out and hurrying down the street. With only 10 minutes left, I'm practically running, but nobody seems to care. I reach the lobby of the Edinburgh Waldorf Astoria with 3 minutes to spare, which I use to freshen up because I am a complete mess. I take my seat in Peacock Alley just as the keynote speaker takes the stage.
"Welcome. Thank you all for making it on this lovely evening. I am Lorelei Smith, Master's degree in Creative Writing & Expression, Bachelor's in Education. I will be your lecturer tonight. Now, the key to better writing...."
*two hours later*
My feet are asleep by the end of the presentation, and when I stand, the girl beside me catches my arm to keep me from falling. She's very pretty, with waist length hair like mine, but dirty blonde, and graceful features. I give her a quick smile. "Thanks." She grins back at me. "Anytime. How are you enjoying Scotland?" I shrug. "It's really nice." "I think so too. I'm Miriam. You?" She shakes my hand. "I'm Samantha. Call me Sam." "You wanna meet up on Friday? There's a nice coffee shop called the Elephant House." I ask. She reminds me of my friend Summer back in San Francisco. "Sure! I'd love to. 8?" I nod. "I'll look forward to it." She smiles at me and waves. "I'll be off. See you on Friday, Sam!" I walk back down Princes Street, not bothering to stay very long at the reception. I unlock the door of the flat and change clothes. I'm so insanely tired. Flipping across the bed, my mind wanders to a certain redhead. Jaxon. His little smile, his lovely hair. I shake my head. He was just being friendly, I tell myself. You're here to write, nothing more. But as I roll onto my back, staring at the ceiling, I realize I may have already fallen.
Oops.