𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

7. The Scent of Pine

"Do we know where we are going?" Brian asked, his eyes flicking between the road ahead and me.

"I think John wrote down the address," I replied, turning to look at him in the backseat. He raised his eyebrows and seemed immediately guilty.

"I was supposed to get the address?" John asked, sounding uncertain.

"John, darling, how are we supposed to know where we're going if we don't even have the address?" Freddie huffed, waving his hand in frustration.

"Hey, it's okay," Brian reassured them, briefly taking one hand off the wheel and fumbling to open the glove compartment in front of me. I instinctively grabbed his wrist and gently moved it away.

"I got it," I said, paying no attention to the way his muscles tensed under my touch. I opened the compartment to find a map inside. "Great, did anyone here ever take an orientation class by any chance?" I quipped sarcastically, unfolding the map. Why did maps have to be so complicated?

"It's upside down, Maria, dear," Freddie corrected me, his face appearing beside mine from the backseat.

"How was I supposed to know? The whole thing looks like the human nervous system," I muttered, flipping it around and trying my best not to accidentally hit Brian in the face with it. I scanned our surroundings for any signs that could help us determine our location. "Ah, you need to take the second left up head. It's more south of Kensington." I pointed towards a junction in the distance.

I had become the unofficial guide of our group. Being the one with the map gave me a sense of responsibility to ensure that we reached The Britannia. Freddie and John started their own conversation about their game of Scrabble, leaving Brian and me to engage in our own conversation.

"How old are you, Maria?" Brian finally broke the silence in the front seat.

"I'm twenty-two," I replied, but immediately furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't like saying that. I feel old."

"Does that mean I'm ancient? I'm twenty-five," Brian retorted, briefly giving me an offended look.

"I didn't mean it like that... I just meant that it doesn't seem that long ago since I was eighteen," I explained, grazing ahead at the bustling crowd. People-watching was one of my favourite things to do—it made me contemplate our existence and how we had come to be in that moment.

"I know the feeling. How long have you been studying at Imperial?" Brian's voice had a soothing quality that put me at ease during our conversation.

"Oh, I've only been there for a year. I'm in my second year now, so I'm still early into my course," I replied, shaking my head while glancing down at the map.

"How are you liking it?" he asked.

"It's alright... You need to turn right here," I directed, pointing to the upcoming turn.

"Is it the career path you're choosing? Because it's brilliant that women are getting involved in the business side of music. It's a step forward, in my opinion," Brian remarked, seemingly impressed by the idea.

"Um, I actually don't know what I want to do after university, to be honest. I mean... I like my course, and I'm interested in the music business. I just don't know what I'm going to do with it afterwards. I kind of just did this course because it seemed impressive to my parents when I mentioned it," I trailed off. "I guess, if I had it my way entirely, I'd work with animals for the rest of my life. But I don't think my mum and dad would be too pleased about me pursuing something like that," I half-heartedly laughed, wishing it was merely a joke.