Vows from a Starlit Heart

Rose and Charlotte

Rose Tyler stepped out of the double decker and onto the sidewalk, ducking under the bus stop's shelter to avoid colliding with the oncoming flow of bustling Londoners.

She couldn't help but sigh as several chilly winds converged on the spot where she stood. In an ideal situation, she could imagine herself springing out of the bus; the sun's warming and lively beams shone in her face, forcing her to squint to retain any semblance of vision. The wind would feel like a light, contented breeze and it would dart through her blond hair, mussing it quite thoroughly. 

But this was England. Cheering weather would not dare present itself for fear of being scorned by those few who enjoyed cruel, icy airs such as greeted the city today.

Rose abandoned the stop, heading for the crosswalk and just as this move was made, her heart thudded in an unusual manner. This reaction was due to the appearance of a tall brown-haired man who strode towards the blond with a bright smile. Rose liked everything about what she saw: his expression was welcoming, his blue suit fit impeccably, and what was more, he walked with purpose. He was as pleased to see her as she was him.

"Andrew!" The two embraced, each hoping that the other's elated grin was genuine but unprepared to believe so. 

"You okay? You've been gone a long time. Have you been busy? I missed you!" Rose blurted out.

Andrew chuckled, grabbing his friend's hand and pulling her across the street as soon as the electronic sign signaled it was safe. "Yeah, I've been fine. I was working with my friend, Charlotte, at a café. She lives close to you. Sorry I haven't been here, it's good to see you too." 

Andrew smiled when they reached the sidewalk, directing all his attention to Rose's questions. The two friends laughed as they exchanged stories and experiences.

Rose was grateful that Andrew was back, but something about the way he was acting seemed strange. It wasn't necessarily wrong, just a different sort of strange. Perhaps it was that she felt he was waiting for her to say something, or that he was observing her more closely than she remembered him doing before. She attempted to ignore it despite her unease and they both headed into Hendrick's, a local shop, to start the day's work. 

*************

The hands on Andrew's watch announced that it was noon, so the young man quickly finished folding the stack of men's dress shirts and proceeded to leave the shop, waving at a fellow co-worker to signal his break had started. Rose and her friend Mickey met him outside and all three went to a take-out shop down the street to order lunch.

After a short wait, they left the shop with bags of food and headed to a public fountain in the center of London to eat. Andrew pulled out his phone on the way, texting Charlotte to tell her where to meet them.

When she arrived, Andrew immediately noticed that his ginger friend had a strangely familiar addition to her outfit. In the place of her usual plush hoodie, she wore a smart tweed jacket. The sight of this coat caused a strange tickling sensation to erupt in the back of his mind. He felt like he needed a good mental sneeze to rid himself of the irritation and to clear his thoughts, but he wasn't sure how one would go about doing that. Instead of making any further attempt to remember why the coat was bothering him, he smiled at Charlotte from his seat on the edge of a shortish wall and continued eating his chips.

"So, you've been shopping, then," he asked casually.

"Nope. Didn't have time. I just thought I'd wear this cause I found it in the back of my closet." she replied, turning her attention to Rose.

"Hi, I'm Charlotte." 

She pushed her pinkish-red rectangular glasses up her nose, reaching out to shake Rose's hand. Mickey stood and walked over to her, engaging her in a conversation about her job.