Oh, Chicago! (H.S)

3rd chapter.

I woke up 3 hours later, darkness surrounding me, making me think it was already dinner time. As if to confirm this thought, my stomach growled. I reached next to me to turn on the grey lamp so I could be able to see anything around me. Once I had some light in my room, I sat up and grabbed my phone to check the time. 8:28pm. Great. 

I got up from my bed slowly, knowing fully well that if I did it too fast, I would get dizzy. I walked out of the room to check if Maddie was already here, but the house was exactly how I left before. I was definitely feeling a lot more refreshed and less tired, which was exactly what I was aiming for when I decided to take the nap. 

Since it was my first day here, I didn't have any food. No snacks, drinks or even vegetables to cook some soup. It was also quite late to walk around outside to buy some groceries, so I decided that I would simply go to the closest restaurant and grab something to eat. 

Making sure I looked decent enough to go outside, I checked myself in the mirror and quickly brushed my hair with my fingers. I went to the room simply to grab some cash and my phone, leaving the apartment right after. 

There were people moving in, some with their parents, others alone like me. I smiled and waved lightly at one of the guys from my class, who was actually staying near me. He did the same, unlocking his front door and entering, muttering a swear word when his luggage tumbled down. I laughed to myself and kept on making my way towards the front of the block. Even though I was alone, I didn't feel that lonely. People were everywhere, happy to start another semester. 

After walking for around 5 minutes with the chilly air hitting my face, earbuds in my ears as The Weekend by SZA played, I found a small caffe that sold sandwiches and wraps, and that was exactly what I was looking for. I walked in, making my way to the line as I waited for my turn to order. 

"Hello, welcome to UniWrap, what can I get you?" a girl around my age asked me politely, looking at me and waiting for my order while my eyes scanned over the menu.

"Hi, can I get the chicken wrap with no tomato please?" I ask her, since this wrap looked to me the best out of all on the menu. I also ordered a glass of fresh lemonade and some fries to eat along with it. I paid the total while I waited for my food to be ready. Because it was such an easy thing to make, I only had to wait for about 5 minutes. 

Looking around the small area, I was able to spot a free table next to the window of the caffe. I took a seat and started eating my dinner. The wrap was delicious, especially because it had been a while since I had eaten anything, and I was definitely starving. 

It was quite calm inside UniWrap, since there were only two groups of students other than myself. Because I was alone, my eyes started wandering around and I noticed that one of the groups only included boys. 4 loud and tall boys. I kept looking at them, and I was able to tell by the accent that they were from England. They looked like they were quite close to each other, and I smiled as it reminded me of my friends back home. 

I was so distracted thinking about some good memories that I didn't realise I was still staring at them, until I saw one of them smirking at me. I blushed and looked away, taking a sip from my cold lemonade. I waited a few moments before I could look back again without getting caught and embarrass myself. While the British guy was talking to the rest of his friends, I looked at his face to take in all the details. And my conclusion was one: he was absolutely gorgeous. 

Because I was facing his side profile, I had access to his prominent jawline, the curve of his nose, the shape of his almost red plump lips and the way he would lick them in between words. His voice was slightly raspy and deep, and the heavy accent made his speech extremely appealing. The hair was a perfect shade of brown, messy curls greatly styled on top of his head, with green piercing eyes to match his handsome face. 

He really was a sight to see, that's for sure.

Afraid of getting caught again, I looked down at my plate, noticing that I had now finished all my food and deciding that it was time to leave. I didn't want to get home late, since I was still planning on unpacking and organising as much as I could today. 

Cleaning my mouth with a napkin, my phone ringed, making some heads turn towards me. I ignored it and checked to see who was calling me. Maddie.

"Hi Maddie!" I say enthusiastically, knowing that she had arrived and that I wasn't going to be alone anymore.

"Hi girly, where are you? Already partying on your first night?" she asked teasingly. I could easily tell she was smirking on the other side and I rolled my eyes, answering right after.

"Noooo, I'm grabbing dinner around the campus. I'm already leaving though." I say as I stand up and make my way towards the door, glancing one last time at the British man. Maddie and I share our goodbyes and I assure her that I'll be home soon. 

Making my way towards our apartment, I hug myself to keep my body warm. Or at least try. It really was colder than I was expecting, and I was only wearing a hoodie with a bra underneath. As soon as I got to the apartment, Maddie welcomed me with a warm tight hug. 

"Oh my god, isn't this place amazing? I'm so excited for this semester, we're going to have so much fun!" she says excitedly, grabbing my hands and shaking them happily.

"We're also going to study hard Maddie. It's our last semester, don't forget that." I tell her. I had fairly good grades, even if some subjects were a real pain in the ass. I was determined to end my course this year, and I really needed to study hard. Maddie, on the other hand, was more focused on partying and meeting American boys to fool around with. 

"Ugh whatever El. You need to let loose from time to time, no wonder you are still a virgin." she says rolling her eyes as she makes her way towards her room. I'm not going to lie and say those words didn't affect me, because they did. It is not usual for a 20 year old university student to be a virgin, but my reason, in my eyes, made sense. I wanted to wait for someone I could trust, that I felt safe and confident with. And let's just say I haven't found that one person. Yet. 

A sigh left my lips and I make my way towards my room, closing the door behind me. I decide that it was now time to take my clothes out from my luggage and organise everything. While doing it, I decided to Skype my parents, since neither of them had an iPhone, and tell them about everything, from the long flight to the tasty dinner. 

It took me 2 hours to fold everything, but it was definitely worth it. Everything looked a lot more clean and I was happy that I didn't have to search inside my luggage for an outfit tomorrow morning. After saying goodbye to my parents and text my best friends about my day as well, I grab my pyjamas and my toiletries, making my way to the small private bathroom and starting my night routine. 

By the time I laid down on my bed, it was already 0:56am, and I knew that I really had to get some sleep in order to wake up early in the morning and get some groceries for the house. I turned on my side, and I let my mind think about everything that had happened today.

For some reason, the first thing that came across my mind was the British guy from the caffe. He looked a little older than me, but he was inside the campus, so he must be a student as well, right? Or was he just visiting his other 3 friends? Maybe he was visiting his girlfriend and he decided to bring them along. Nevertheless, I kind of wanted to see him again. 

Needless to say that I dreamed about him during the whole night. And I had absolutely no regrets.