Pipe dreams (an Eddie Izzard fanfiction)

Chapter 5: Palace

The next day Eddie picked me up at ten, like he had said he would. I had been casually yet infernally staring out through the only window we had that faced out towards the street, for almost an hour. I watched him step out of the silvery car, moving around the vehicle, towards my building, stopping on the pavement to fiddle with his hair. As soon as I saw him I immediately rushed out into the hallway; I didn't want Rhi and the others to see him - it would only give them more to tease and question me about.

"You're going out?" Tyler leaned casually against the wall opposite of me. He was stirring a spoon around in a small, green breakfast bowl with white dots on it - one of mine. His tired eyes annoyed me, and it made me feel bad for thinking such a thing about a friend. There was something so incredibly british about him, and not handsome-british; more crooked teeth-kind of british like in small sitcom shows on TV.

"Eh... Yeah" I answered absent-mindedly, my thoughts already down on the pavement.

"You in a hurry?" he asked, furrowing his blond eyebrows as I pulled on my boots.

"Yeah, Ty, I've gotta- I mean-" I stuttered as I threw on my black worn-out leather jacket. I didn't want to say too much, which was working out great since I hadn't actually said anything at all this far.

"You're meeting someone, or...?" He swayed between sounding overly casual and happy, to worried and almost straoght up jealous. It made me a little uneasy.

"Yeah- You know what- I've- I gotta go."

I grabbed my bag before I hurried out the door, slamming it shut behind me. I took two steps at a time down the stairs and out on the pavement, taking away Eddie's chance of comming up to the flat and ring my door bell.

"That was quick! You spying on me or something?" he chuckled.

He peered his smokey eyes at me when he saw me hurling myself out through the front door, meeting him by the car. As the gentleman he sometimes seemed to be, he opened the door to the passenger's seat, gesturing with one hand and a short, silly bow, for me to get in.

"If you want, I can... I can go back up and-" I said jokingly but with a serious face, restrainging a smile. I pretended to slowly move back, away from him and the car.

Eddie grinned, placing a hand softly on my shoulder, stopping me.

"Ha-ha. Very funny. Just get in the bloody car." He shook his head at me as I sat down in the beige leather seat, closing the door for me.

I threw a quick glance out and up at our window - the one facing the street - and caught Tyler looking down at us before he disappeared, twirling behind the curtain. What was up with that?

We drove off.

"So" I began with a relieved sigh. "Where are you taking me?"

"Is it okay if we do Harrods this time?" he asked, blue eyes focused on the narrow town roads. "I need to pick up a scarf I ordered. My favourite one has mysteriously disappeared... somehow." He quickly winked at me, crinkles appearing by his eyes as he smiled.

My face grew hot thinking about his scarf in my bed, and I shrugged a shoulder shortly.

"Yeah, sure."

"We can do Selfridges next time. Seems a bit flashy-showy to do both in one day."

He turned around a corner so fast that I reluctantly leaned with the motion of the car.

"Love those two, Harrods and Selfridges."

"I've never been there" I admitted, watching him watching the street.