LONDON BOY

11. Heightened Senses

Listen to this song on repeat to get in this chapter's mood:
CH11: State of Grace (Acoustic Version) - Taylor Swift

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The following days were great. You and Tom spent most of your time either exploring the city, or at home watching Netflix. He took you to his favourite places in London; from a cute coffee shop in Notting Hill, to dinner at a private backroom at the Sky Garden.

You'd always loved exploring the world, and had discovered long ago that you were happiest when you were abroad. However, starting Valey Girls had made having days off scarce, meaning you had to pass on multiple trips with Bri and Rose. You hadn't realized until now, how exhausted you actually were from working days on end, opening the shop, and working late after opening hours to prepare for the next day.

You were grateful to have a friend like James, who'd always cover for you when it all got a bit too much. You'd met James at your previous job, and he was basically the male version of Bri; loud, fun, and obsessed with fashion. From the start of Valey Girls, he was one of your biggest supporters. He always helped you with labelling products and shipping the online orders, and now, in your absence, he was basically running the boutique. "Honey, you need the time off. Don't you worry your pretty mind for one second! I've got it. Now go and make me proud, and land yourself that amazingly gorgeous superstar!" he'd said, when you asked him to cover for you while you were in London.

You loved exploring the city, seeing it through a local's eyes. But with every step, you could also feel the stress from the past months sinking deep into your feet as your body finally had time to unwind. So, when Tom saw that you occasionally started to zone out of the conversation, he quickly understood it was time to get home.

Back at the house, you'd often crawl up on the couch with take-out and watched Netflix. A few nights back, you cooked dinner for the two of you, as you were craving some homecooked food. The entire night was spent drinking a little too much wine, and talking about the future; from your wildest dream of opening a Valey Girls boutique in New York City, to his upcoming projects.

You'd felt some sense of losing control, as he talked about the places he would have to travel to for his job, but decided not to get too caught up in it and just let it go with the flow. Something to worry about later - you figured.

Tom was right about Harrison never being home. He was often gone by the time you woke in the morning and stumbled in late at night when you were already back in bed. You'd spent every night the past week with just Tom; Harry or Sam joining occasionally.

After the incident of day two, you'd now remembered to always carefully lock the doors when you were about to take a shower or bath. This more than once resulted in a groan from Tom as he was rattling the door. "Meg, come on! I need to take a shower." He'd say irritated from the other side of the door. But when you'd apologize about it later, he'd always play it away with a smile and say that he used Haz' bathroom instead. This was often followed by a quick, flirty remark about not locking the doors, so he could join. A remark that never failed to make you giggle.

You would see the pictures of you and Tom in London on multiple entertainment accounts on Instagram. And earlier, Rose had sent you a photo of you in some gossip magazine, where they rated your outfit and talked about your relationship with Tom.

It didn't take long for the media to figure out your full name. Tom only followed one 'Meg' and one 'Megan', so it was quickly narrowed down to you; Meg Vale.

You knew the holding hands and small displays of public affection were all for show, but they came so naturally to Tom, that you sometimes wondered whether it was due to his acting skills, or if there was actually something there. His hand grazes and surprise kisses on sidewalks never failed to create a small fluttering sensation in your lower stomach.