London Lover

Chapter 3

Miles takes me to my hotel room that I share with a girl named Heather. Thankfully, she's still with the group who went to explore the hotel. Miles handled my hysterical behavior very well, and that's one of the reasons he's one of my best friends. When I finally calm down and lay down, Miles finally asks what he's been dying to ask.

"Bristol, what happened?" he asks, concerned.

I'm so thankful for him. Without him, I'd be alone here and he even left Liam to bring me up to my room. 

I sigh and sit up.

"I bumped into some guy when we were walking into the lobby and I dropped my bras and shit everywhere, didn't you see?" I ask him and pull my hair into a ponytail.

"No, I was already walking away with the group. I wish I could've stopped to help you." I frown as I become embarrassed again after what happened.

"It's fine, trust me its fine. But, Miles, he wasn't just any guy. He was really tall and handsome and he looked at me in a way that guys don't usually look at me. I just wish I didn't humiliate myself in front of him, I know I'll probably never see him again in my life but it's only an hour or two into this trip and I'm already fucking things up." I ramble on, venting everything on my mind and I cover my face with my hands. 

Miles sits next to me on the bed and wraps his arm around me, rubbing my back comfortingly.

"I promise this trip will get better. Like you said, it's only about two hours into the trip; we have plenty of time to make it unforgettable. Just try to think that right now, this moment, is a clean slate. We are in London, we are going to explore and visit everywhere you've always wanted to visit. You have nothing to worry about." I smile a little smile and hug him.

"Thank you so much. You really helped, I'm sorry about snapping at you earlier about you and Liam."

"It's completely fine. Hey, I gotta go because I signed up to go to the opening dinner in the hotel with a few other people, so I'll see you later tonight or tomorrow morning and I'll text you, okay?" He stands up and smiles, patting my shoulder.

"Alright, see you later." I say, smiling shyly back at him.

"Remember: clean slate. London. We are in you." He says with a laugh and walks out. I can't help but stifle a giggle from his statement.

I lie back on my bed for the next 9 days and sigh. I pick out my phone from my purse and check the time. It's already 5:00 and I haven't eaten since breakfast and honestly, I'm not planning on eating soon. I've completely lost my appetite after everything that just happened and still can't stop thinking about that guy! I'm going crazy. I don't even know his name or who he is or why he was staring at me the way he was. I decide to get up and find a coffee house in town. Oh yeah, it's London which means 1. They drink tea here and 2. There is probably a "coffee house" on every corner. I have nowhere to be so I get up, put on a small amount of makeup, pick up my bag and phone and walk out of my hotel room, making my way down to the lobby.

I walk out onto a cold street of London and pull my scarf up to my face, beginning to walk down the road, letting it lead me anywhere. As I walk down Fleet Street, one of the busier streets of London, I can tell, I look around me at the people, the shops, the business offices, and restaurants. This is the kind of city you fall in love with. The hype is "New York!! New York! You have to make it to New York!!" but in my opinion, Boston beats New York by a landslide, and at this rate, London is beating both of those cities. After minutes and minutes of turning corners and getting lost in daydreams about Mr. Mystery from the hotel lobby, I find myself walking up to a small, cozy coffee shop at a corner. Perfect.

I walk inside the coffee shop and pull my scarf back around my neck, noticing the small amount of people filling the shop. I walk up to the counter and ask the man for a small cup of Irish breakfast tea, which has a five-star rating on their small menu. I wait a few minutes before the man hands me my cup of tea and I pay him £1.90 with the pounds I exchanged my American money for. I cup the tea in my hands and find a small, empty booth in the corner of the shop and make my way over. This is exactly what I needed, time alone and time to relax in an atmosphere like this. Thank god I didn't sign up for that dumb dinner.

As I sip my tea and check my phone for text messages, a cool breeze drifts through the shop from a customer entering. I don't bother to look up from my phone as I'm too content with my position and thoughts. Minutes later, I notice a dark shadow over me. I look up and my breath hitches in my throat. It's him.

"Hello ma'am, may I take your order?" he asks smoothly in that same deep accent. I stare at him in awe. How the hell did he find me here?  Why is he talking to me?

"U-um, hey.." I say, suspiciously.

He scoots into the booth and next to me.

"I never introduced myself, my name is Harry, Harry Styles and you're bra girl?" he asks, chuckling.

I notice his prominent dimples and breathtaking smile. I can't help but crack a smile.

"Actually no, I'm Bristol Tag. I have one question though...why are you here?" I ask, trying not to sound rude.

He sits back against the booth's padding.

"Well, I just couldn't get that lovely American accent out of my head. Oh, and those beautiful eyes that stared terrifyingly into mine earlier." he flirts and I blush hard.

My mind is spinning. I don't know how to respond. I reply pathetically.

"Oh..."

"Look, Bristol" he annunciates my name in his accent. "I know you're probably thinking I'm some creepy, stalkerish guy who is looking to get laid but you just caught my eye. If you want me to leave you alone, I will do so. Just tell me." he says and taps his fingers on the table and I sip my tea.

"You don't have to leave me alone but I just.." I start and sigh. "You're gorgeous." I blurt out and blush. He smiles a little to himself and I continue. "But I'm here on a college trip for the next 9 days. I don't know how I'd be able to see you with all the curfews, rules, and scheduled tours."

His face drops like he's disappointed.

"Ah, I knew that accent plus a hotel lobby had to do with something." He says, adding everything together. I nod and look down.

"So, where are you from? In America?" he asks, looking at his hands on the table.

"Boston. Boston, Massachusetts." He smiles a little at my words.

"Well, Bristol from Boston, how would you feel if I took you out for dinner tonight?"

I look at him in shock. I just met this guy. I don't know what to do. God, help me.

"I'd love that!" I say a little too excitedly.

My curfew is 11:00 and it's only about 6:00 now, this is also my free time so why not? There's no one stopping me.

Harry smiles a charming smile and stands up, picking up my empty tea cup and placing it on the return counter. He holds out his hand when I stand up.

"May I, my lady?" he asks in a mocking British accent.

"I'm not your lady, don't get too excited." I say and blush, smiling a little but I take his hand anyway.

He walks me out the door, my hand in his and we make our way down Oxford Street. What am I getting myself into? I must be losing my mind.

But what happens in London, stays in London.