Plus - Ed Sheeran

The City

Ed woke up and stretched. He looked at sleeping Emily and smiled. "I love you, English Rose." He said kissing her forehead. She didn't wake up, but he just smiled.

"I'm so in love." He started singing he looked outside the window as he put a shirt on. "This city." He mumbled. "This city." He repeated.

Ed looked back at sleeping, Emily. "God, Emily. Wake up." She stayed asleep. Ed smiled and walked to her. He lightly hit his finger in her nose, softly. He smiled, though she didn't wake up.

"Are you even breathing?" He asked himself. He put pants on and looked back at her. "No?" He asked though he knew she was. He sighed and picked her up bridal style, her eyes shut. He dropped her back on the bed.

"Christ, Eddy!" She shouted. He laughed. 

"That took a while to wake up." He said grinning at Emily. She rubbed her hair in a messy braid that fell down to her shoulders and back.

"How long?" She asked as she stood up. She walked to the bathroom, Ed following. "I got dressed, made some noise. Stubborn." He told her. She nodded as she brushed her teeth. Ed stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her, smiling.

"I have a gig tonight, please come," Ed said. She looked up at him, a grin stuck across her pretty face.

"You know I will." She said with a smile. He smiled and bent down to kiss her cheek from behind. Her eyelids fluttered as he did so. Emily walked over to put a t-shirt and jeans on, which is what she usually wore. "Oh, I forgot to say, I have a family reunion. English family. They don't like me very much because I'm always single, but please come." Emily requested. He nodded. 

"Yeah. Of course." He said lovingly. 

"Thank you." She said in a helpless way. "So please, tell them about your music. It's in..." She hesitated. "A week." She said. 

"A week?" She nodded. 

"Yeah..." She said slowly. "Not much of a heads up, sorry." She apologized to Ed, who was messing with his ginger hair. 

"I don't mind." He said with a grin. 

"In that week, A-Team may be known around there." She said with a curt smile to him. He turned his head to face her again. 

"You think?" He asked. She smiled and nodded

"I do." She replied. 

He saw through her tank-top. "What are those?" He asked. There were scars on her back. "Emily... are those permanent scars? From people?" He asked concerned. She froze. "Emily?" He asked seriously.

"I um... I just... I was abused. I have been. I've been bruised and scared and much, much worse. People have tried to kill me. They were psychopaths. I have been... Steven and the ones before you... some stuff that shouldn't have happened... happened. I've been abused. I've been thrown around. I've been attempted to get killed. But I've also been sexually assaulted. And something worse." She said shakily. She was shivering. 

He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll never do that to you, Emily. I swear on my life. I will never, ever do that." He swore. She nodded.

"You saved me." She said as she shook in his arms. "Why?" She asked, looking up at him. "People have been through worse than I have." She said. Ed froze. 

"Possibly. But you're different. I fell in love with you." He stated. "I knew what was happening. You're a good girl, Emily. You know what is right and what is best. That matters. You knew that some bad things would happen. That's why. You didn't deserve them." She looked up at him and kissed his nose.

"Thank you, Teddy. You're a lifesaver. Literally. Thank you so much for everything." She said as she hugged him. He kissed her forehead and tightened his hug.

"I try." He mumbled.

That night, Emily found herself in a pub, listening to Ed sing A-Team.

"Closed, eyed, I'm hoping for a better life. This time, we'll fade out tonight, straight down the line." He sang. Emily was smiling. She saw him sing, and she felt so lucky. So saw swooning in the drunk girl's eyes, and she felt happy.

After Ed was done singing, Ed went to Emily and kissed her lips. She smiled and put her hands on his cheek as he kissed her.

Thet held hands and walked down the street. "London calls us strangers," Ed said looking down at her. 

"You, maybe. Not me. I've been here so many times." She said as she held his hand. Ed looked at her confused.

"How many countries have you been to?" He asked.

She grinned. "I've been for forty-three. Including the ones I've lived in." She said smiling. He looked at her in shock. 

"What countries?" He asked.

"You really want a list?" She asked, her eyebrows raised. "I've memorized every country and city I've been to."

"I do, actually," Ed said. She just smiled.

"America, England, Germany, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Poland, Ukraine, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Denmark, Belgium, Finland, Romania, Costa Rica, Porto Rico, Slovenia, Ireland, France, Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Madagascar, China, Japan, Nepal, Niger, Turkey, Egypt, Brazil, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Pakistan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Isreal, Canada, Mexico and Chile." She said with a grin. "I speak the same languages too. Not all of the African or Asian languages though. And some of those just speak English."

"That many?" He asked in shock. She nodded and laughed. "You haven't been to many South American countries." He said. She nodded.

"I know. I've been to Brazil twice and Chile once. That's all. First I first started traveling myself, I first visited North America. After that, I went to Europe, Africa, Aisa, then I kind of Scattered. I've always wanted to go to Australia though." Emily.

"Why haven't you?" Ed asked looking down at her. She paused an thought.

"Something's always been holding me back." She started looking up at him. 

"School?" He asked. She shrugged.

"Ish. It was mostly my job. Why I kept leaving. I had to show what was happening in other places. Luckily, Hawthorne City loves England and Ireland. Two of my most visited countries." She said honestly. "I am Irish, so I'll catch up with old family, look for distant ginger cousins that I know I don't have. I just tour the world." She said.

"You like doing that?" He asked. She paused and nodded. 

"I do." 

"Good. I would like you to come touring with me sometime." He said. "Please, come. I would love an amazing girl with me as I travel." He said. She nodded. 

"I will have to stay here sometimes. And go back to America a lot." She said. He nodded, kissing her. 

He looked around, hearing cars and seeing lights. "If this city never sleeps than that makes two."