Together

Run Away With Me

And with this chapter, we enter one of my personal favorite parts of this book... but that's just me haha. I hope you all enjoy these next few chapters as much as I did writing them- it's a lot of pure fluffiness so I think you'll enjoy. Comment/vote if you wish x
-ab

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February 1, 2026

Harper

"What time is it?" I mumble to Patrick when I feel him lightly shaking me.

"Time for you to wake up, love."

I look at the digital clock on my bedside table. "It's six in the morning. I'm going back to sleep. It's Sunday. Get your bum back under this duvet and come back to bed with me. The sun isn't even up yet."

"Please, sweetie... I have tea made for you and everything."

"God," I mutter under my break, "the things I do for you, Patrick Alwyn." At that, I climb out from under our blankets and Patrick places his hands on my shoulders, giving them a squeeze.

"Get dressed, quickly, love."

"You're being so weird," I tell him. "What's happening?"

"We are going on a little adventure. You just have to trust me on this one."

"Fine," I mutter, then turn to my drawers, where I pull out a long-sleeved black top and black tights, but I can't seem to find my skirt and shoes.

"Patrick?" I ask. "Do you happen to know where my burgundy skirt and brown ankle boots are?"

"Not sure," he states. "How about that nice burgundy tee shirt dress, with the long sleeves, that you have? Maybe with your combat boots?"

"Fine," I concede, tossing the black shirt back into the dresser and slipping into the dress that Patrick suggested. It's quite soft and comfortable, but also makes me feel cute, which is good. After that, I quickly brush out my hair and pull it back into a half-up, half-down style.

"Perfect. Grab your phone and charger, and let's go. The Uber is going to be here in five minutes."

"What?" I ask, snatching the travel mug of berry tea from his hands.

"Just come."

He picks up two duffel bags which are sitting by the door, and we walk out of the flat. He's very careful to make sure that it's locked behind him before we head down to the lobby of the building, then climb into the Uber that pulls up out front.

"Where are we headed to today?" the driver asks in a thick Turkish accent.

"Enterprise Rent-A-Car in Hammersmith."

The man in the front seat types something into his GPS, while in the backseat, Patrick tightly grips our bags.

"Is it time to tell me what's happening yet?"

"I told you. We are going on an adventure."

"Well, how long is this adventure? I have shows tomorrow."

"You're actually off until Katherine's put-in."

"Are you kidding me?" I blurt. "Patrick..."

I don't know exactly how to finish that sentence. I can't believe that he's managed to pull off something like this.

"You are just... too much."

"Hopefully I'm romantic," he says with a cheeky grin. "That was the whole goal of this scheme in the first place."

"So, my clothes that I wanted this morning..." I begin, changing the subject.

"Packed away. You can wear them tomorrow or something."

"And this isn't just like... a spontaneous holiday? It's actually planned?"

"I used a tour company and everything."

"My god," I laugh. "I love you, Patrick Alwyn."

"I just thought that it would be fun to escape for a little while, and since we had all of that money that we saved by not having a wedding... let's just say that you'll quite enjoy this next week."

I'm completely dumbfounded by what Patrick has done, but I feel my heart just bursting with love, the more warmed up I get to the idea. My initial reservations quickly fade away.

When we make it to the rental car place, Patrick pays the Uber driver, then we walk into the office and he signs the necessary paperwork before we are handed the keys to our car for the next week.

The car is nice, and has plenty of room for the two of us in the front seat, and some empty space in the back. Patrick says that we are going to make a stop at Tesco and grab some snacks before we really hit the road, so I assume that we will store those back there.

With our bags secured in the boot, we are ready to hit the road.

On the way out of London, we pass a large Tesco, so Patrick pulls into the car park. The two of us, hand in hand, head into the supermarket to grab some snacks. He suggests that we get some bread with peanut butter and jelly for sandwiches, in case we are in need of a quick meal, so we get that.

On top of that, we end up buying some little bottles of juice, cheese-flavoured crackers, apples, and chocolates.

"All good?" he asks me, before we head to pay.

"Perfect," I smile. "Plus, we can always buy more, right? You're not taking me to like... the Arctic Tundra, are you?"

"You're safe there, love," he laughs.

We pay for the food, then take it back to the car and place it into the back seat.

"And, off we go. Bye, London."

"Bye London," I echo Patrick. "Hello... god knows where."

"Hey, I promise, even though it's a surprise, you're going to like it."

"Does anyone know where we are?"

"Taylor and Joe have a detailed itinerary of our holiday, in case they would need to contact us for any reason."

"Okay then..." I chuckle.

"Just be glad that we are in a car. I could be putting you on a plane to a surprise destination. That would be worse."

"I swear to god, if that freaking Uber would have pulled up outside of Heathrow Airport, there's a high chance that I would have hopped on the next tube back to Lower Holloway."

"I know, love," he laughs. "That's why we are driving."

"And you're sure you're a safe driver?" I wink at him. "I don't want to take my life in my hands here."

"You'll survive. I promise. Or if we go down, then at least it'll be together."

"You're really giving me faith in your driving abilities."

"You've ridden in a car with me before," he protests.

"Not for this long. That was just, like, across London. For all I know, you could be driving me the entire way to Russia."

"How on Earth do you expect me to take you to Russia in a car?"

"The Chunnel," I state, matter-of-factly.

"Touche. But, I promise, we aren't leaving the British Isles. And I promise that you're going to have the time of your life. Now, sit back and relax. The fun begins now."