Beating Hearts [Knight's Rest #1]

33

They were in a small pod with numerous strangers, but to them, it felt like they were the only ones there.

Darcy leaned back against Thelonious, enjoying the way he wound his arms around her middle and hugged her to him, resting his chin on her head as they both gazed out the pod.

"I've never seen London look so peaceful."

Thelonious chuckled, and she hummed as his laughter vibrated against her back. "It only looks peaceful because we're so high up."

"In the moment, everything feels like such a big deal." She sighed. "But being some place like this, it dulls everything in comparison, making it all seem small and insignificant."

He placed a kiss on her temple. "Standing here, anywhere, with you in my arms makes me feel that way and so much more."

The couple enjoyed the silence as they stared at the view of London as the pod that they were in glided back to the bottom. They followed the crowd and exited. She laughed as he grabbed her hand and wound their fingers together.

"What's next on the agenda?"

He smiled down at her. "Who says I have an agenda?"

She sent him a pointed look. Thelonious owned and managed a hotel for a living which required a certain degree of organisational skills and discipline, both of which he held in very high regard. There was no way that he didn't have a rough agenda planned for their date.

"There's a park nearby, about 5 minutes away." He gestured towards the direction they were walking. "We could go for a stroll." He suggested casually.

She happily agreed and swung their hands slightly as they walked.

Just as he promised, they reached the park in less than 5 minutes.

"How about a bike ride?" She eyed the bikes that were docked near where they had just entered, on loan for just £2.

Before he could respond, Darcy grinned and swung her leg over one of the bikes. Riding a bike while wearing a dress wasn't exactly ideal, but the coat and tights helped. "My dad taught me to ride bike. We used to go to the park every weekend and he would run alongside me while I rode it."

She looked back as he got himself a bike and rode up towards her. "What colour was your bike?"

"The first one was pink." She grinned at the memory.

"The first one?" He smirked as they rode alongside each other, pedalling through the chilly winds that were determined to hold them back. "What happened to it?"

"I didn't like the colour so I switched with a girl who lived on my street. Hers was green. I much preferred that over pink."

He threw his head back and laughed. "Let me guess, your dad wasn't happy?"

Her shoulders shook slightly as she laughed. "It turned out the bike he bought me was worth more than double the one I traded it for."

"You got conned."

"Probably. She was a couple years older than me. Enough about me. Tell me something about you." She sent him a wicked grin. "Something you haven't told me before."

Thelonious grinned and stopped riding near some bicycle docks at the end of the park. She hadn't even realised that they had cycled round the whole park already.

Time seemed to fly when you were having fun.

She followed suit and jumped off the bike, slotting it back into the docks.

He held out his hand, his heart skipping a beat when she instantly accepted. "Have dinner with me and I'll tell you anything you want."

Darcy grinned and curled herself into his side, more so because she wanted to be near him rather than preserve heat.