My London Love Affair: Book 2 (Completed)

Chapter Three

Standing at the airport my parents we fussing around.

"Now make sure you buy yourself some bottled water before you board. I don't trust the water on the plane and make sure you hold onto your luggage and passport at all times."

Mum was going on and on. Dad was pacing around like a caged animal. If my parents knew they were going to act so stupid why did they let me go in the first place.

"Don't worry about anything Britt. I'll keep everything under control. I'll miss you so much though. Who's going to tell me to put more sunscreen on when I'm starting to get red."

Talia grabbed me in a tight hug. I was so glad she was there. My parents were driving me crazy and I badly needed the distraction.

Zac was at his training. We had said our final goodbyes yesterday. It had taken all my willpower to let him go. I touched my hand to the heart shaped pendant around my neck. I had hidden it under my t-shirt so nobody could see it. Especially my parents. They would just go on about how our relationship was too serious.

Finally the time came for me to pass through passport control so after much tears and hugs I finally said goodbye. I felt like this was the point of no return. I was truly on my own now. No parents, no Talia, no Zac. No Zittany. It was time to find my own identity.

The flight was tiresome and tedious. By the time I arrived at a London Heathrow I was ready to collapse. I checked the local time. 6:15am. It was only morning but back home it would be evening. I quickly called my parents. No doubt they would be anxious to hear that I had arrived safely.

"Don't forget to pick up your bags and then meet Mrs Jolly in the arrival hall. She will have a card with your name printed on there. Go straight to her. Don't talk to anybody else."

"I know, I know." They were so irritating. My parents had drilled the instructions into me prior to leaving. I knew it off by heart. I just wish they would put their trust in me. I wasn't the same naive girl from a year ago.

I scanned the crowd in the arrival hall. There were so many people. I started to feel a little bit anxious until I saw my name printed in bold letters. I approached and held out my hand.

"Mrs Jolly" I said with a little bit of hesitation.

"Brittany, dear? From Australia? I'm Mrs Jolly. Lovely to meet you."

Mrs Jolly was a spritely looking woman with rosy red cheeks and a twinkle in her eye. She had silvery coloured hair that was perfectly coiffed into a mass of curls. She was wearing a smart red coat and a black hat with matching gloves. Everything about her looked proper and polished. She had a welcoming and friendly manner and she looked every bit as jolly as her name suggested. I immediately liked her.

"I see you've got a small bag. That's good because we are going to take the Tube back to the rooms."

Take the Tube? WTF? We were going to travel to the rooms on toothpaste?

Mrs Jolly noticed my bewildered look and reassured me. "Don't worry love. You'll get used to things around here. The Underground or Tube as we like to call it is part of our transport system. You'll like it but it does get a bit hairy during the peak hours."

I was beyond tired so I didn't really take in all she was saying. I didn't want to lose track of her. The last thing I wanted was to get lost on my first day.

"Best put on your hat and gloves now love. It's a bit nippy this morning."

I had no idea what Mrs Jolly was saying. Sure we were talking English but I just didn't comprehend. All I got from her conversation were the words hat and gloves.

I realised what she meant as we got on the train and started heading into Central London. It wasn't crowded at first but with each stop more and more people got on, all rugged up against the cold. This was such a new experience for me. Usually this time of year I was running around carefree, soaking up the sunshine. Right now I was rubbing my hands together just to keep them warm.

The journey seemed to take forever though thankfully nowhere near as long as the plane trip. After passing numerous stations with unfamiliar sounding names we finally arrived at our destination. I listened to the announcement of the loud speaker.

"The next station is King's Cross St Pancras. Change here for the..."

"Best move fast dear in case you get left behind."

I quickly grabbed my bag and hurried along with Mrs Jolly. I alighted the train and stayed close to her.

We walked through what seemed a rabbit warren with entrances and people everywhere. I had never seen anything like this. I had grown up in the country. Sure I had been to the city a few times for shopping and stuff but this couldn't compare. It made what I had thought was my bustling home seem like a ghost town in comparison.

Soon enough we arrived at the place I would call home during my stay in London and in time too. My arms and legs ached and I was in danger of collapsing on the floor. Mrs Jolly ushered me to my room.

"Have a rest dear. Activities don't start till tomorrow but lunch will be available in the kitchen. We only have shared breakfast and dinner time here so help yourself when you get hungry. I'll see you this evening."

I closed the door on my room and surveyed the contents. Mrs Jolly had described it as a box room and I could definitely see the resemblance. There was room for a single bed and a small desk but little else. At least it was warm and clean I thought to myself as started to unpack my stuff.

A knock on my door broke my thoughts. I answered it to see two girls on the other side.

"Bonjour. I'm Amélie from France and this is Preeti from India. We are in the same program."

"Hi I'm Brittany from Australia. Nice to meet you."

"Who is this cute boy?" Preeti asked gesturing to the photo of Zac I had placed next to my bed.

"That's Zac. He's my boyfriend."

"Ooh I didn't realise Australian boys were so handsome. Think I might have made the wrong choice in coming to London."

Amélie's eyes sparked as she said this but she seemed to pick up on my uneasiness.

"But do not worry. I have my own boyfriend waiting for me at home."

We all laughed. I felt like I had a made a great connection with these two. I was hopeful that the others would be just as friendly.

"We will see you again for dinner time. Nice to meet you Brittany."

They left, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I stared at the photo. I missed Zac so much. I wanted to call him but my eyelids wouldn't stay open.

"Five minutes. I'll just rest first for five minutes."

I lay down on the bed with my thoughts of Zac.

I'll call him after I have a little nap. I thought to myself as I stopped fighting and fell asleep.