From England, With Love

Unexpected Item in the Baggage Area

           

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My eyes snap open: 4am. I reach over and press the button on the alarm, yawn and run a hand through my hair. Remaining under the blanket for a few moments, I cherish the last moments of warmth before forcing myself to get up, for fear of falling back asleep. I dress into my running clothes and stretch a little, debating whether or not to put a scarf on. I shake my head – I'll warm up as I run.

Leaving the building, I decide to go to the park down the road from the school. It's big, very open, and has a wooded area at the top of a hill behind an old mansion house. From what I can tell, it's some sort of restaurant now, but I guess that it used to belong to the owners of the land before it became a park. The sun hasn't yet risen, so the sky is shrouded in a deep blue and the moon still peeks from behind the clouds.

I can see my breath as I run, and my body is encased in a cold air but it slowly ebbs away with the exercise. Heading toward a collection of trees, I find a pond, separated from the path by a low iron fence that's battered with age. Despite the darkness, the moonlight reflects off the surface of the water, painting a silvery sheen across it; it's quite picturesque, almost like something taken out of a vintage movie. If it weren't for the subtle sound of rats scuttering around the bushes, I would have stayed longer.

I run up the hill toward the forested area, disturbing the sleeping silence of the trees by treading on the dry leaves. I can hear the faint beginnings of bird song, and it is this that causes me to remember to look at the time, and quickly sliding my phone out of my pocket, I see that it is 6am. Finding the sloping path back into the main park, I head homeward, the transition from grass to pavement hurting my ankles slightly. Returning to my flat, I quickly shower to rid myself of sweat, once again remaining in the steam-filled room for longer than necessary. It's safe to say that the bathroom is becoming one of my favourite places.

I change, grab my bag and head out the door once again, walking in the direction of the supermarket. To my annoyance, my mind returns to that word; Pete. I feel my eyebrows knot together in disapproval at my thoughts. I had run to clear my head of this, and now it's back? Shit. Did I seriously get that freezing for nothing?

'Why are you so desperate to meet him? He's just another transfer student,' I tell myself, soon arriving at the supermarket. Thankfully it's heated, and as the automatic doors slide open, I feel a rush of hot air hit my face. The store has only just opened as it is only a little past 7am, so there aren't many people. I take my time looking for something to get, wandering down the isles and vaguely pay attention to the songs echoing throughout the store from the radio until I arrive at a small bakery section. Looking at the selection, I can't help but smile to myself; on one shelf, there are crumpets, and on the shelf below, scones. What a glaring reminder of the country I'm in.

I end up choosing an iced cinnamon bun (I feel that seeing as I had just run, I should be allowed some sugar). As well as the bun, I find myself picking up pot of pasta, a bottle of water, and a container of mango pieces (to make up for the bun) and head to the self-check-out. Even though my English is far beyond the level of a shop exchange, I'd rather just do it myself to avoid unnecessary conversation.

Luckily, the self-check-out area is empty, so I walk up to one of the machines and start to scan my items as it thanks me for my custom in that overly posh, monotone voice. As I get my money out of my bag, I faintly notice someone slowly approach the machine next to me.

A few seconds later, I hear the clatter of coins on the laminate floor below me. Instinctively, I bend down, putting my hand out to pick them up. Another hand appears to do the same thing, and our finger tips brush; they're cold.