British Rose

13. Dear Patience

Wednesday, 18th  of September 2019 – Charlotte's apartment, Brighton

After ending the phone call with Harry the night before, Charlotte had pulled out her laptop from her bagpack and straight away started researching train connections on October 13th. There were 3 that would work for her, she took a photo of them and texted it to Harry so he could decide when it would be best for her to arrive depending on when he would be home at his London house that day. When the message was sent, Charlotte packed away her electronic devices and went to sleep with a warm feeling of anticipation in her chest. Before the trip, there was a mountain of work to climb first though.

The next morning, she met Giovanna in the kitchen and the roommates shared the latest news from campus over tea and toast.

"I am so not ready to already get into study mode", Giovanna complained.

"How many exams do you have?", Charlotte asked.

"Only two written ones, but I have to hand in a 5-page-exposé for my 20-page-thesis in cultural studies the same week, plus a big group presentation in media analysis is the week right before the exams."

Charlotte pondered her own schedule. She had less exams, as her (longer) essay had to be ready this week; but Giovanna was not working, so their workload in total was similar.

"You can do this, girl. You know my strategy: time management, breaking down stuff into small batches and making room for breaks. And no all-nighters. You need your sleep!", she encouraged her friend.

"The only thing getting me through this is the perspective of our break afterwards. Such a breather before the end-of-semester craziness, I want to thank whoever is responsible for this with all my heart!", Giovanna exclaimed.

Charlotte laughed at the passionate speech of her friend, equally excited for the break, although since last night for different reasons. She used to use these days off to read non-university books, indulge in long afternoons at the café or taking walks on the beach all wrapped up cozy. This year, everything would be different though. The thought about her holiday plans made her smile, which didn't go unnoticed by Giovanna.

"I'm so looking forward to seeing my family again. It's been far too long." Giovanna usually went home to Italy for the break. Her parents lived in Liverpool, but her extended family was in Milano, and autumn break was always the occasion for a big family reunion.

"What are your plans for this year? Anything to do with that big smile on your face?"

"Maybe", Charlotte murmured, still smiling, and continued to sip her tea.

"I heard you talk to Harry last night, are you seeing him again?"

"Did you eavesdrop??" Charlotte played offended.

"No, not at all! I just heard you talking and from the rush you were in when you got home to get on the phone and from your tone of voice, I deduced it would be him."

"Okay, Sherlock", Charlotte grinned. "Yeah, I talked to him, and he actually invited me to London for the week after my birthday/exam hell. He's working there, but with a lot of free time in between."

"Oh my god, that sounds awesome! Do you already know what you're going to do there?" Giovanna was bubbling with curiosity.

"Noo, we have only talked general stuff yesterday. He said I could visit the set, and we're probably going to do some sightseeing, but super chill. His best friend will be there too as they are doing this work thing together, and his mum and daughter will also come down for the weekend." Harry had told her to keep the what's and who's of his 'work thing' secret, since it was a surprise for the viewers, too. He knew she wouldn't talk about it without him telling her, he was just used to the game and had said it sort of automatically.