| About Time | 5SOS |

Leaving for London (3/21)

So the love of my life just drove away. And the very next day it was my turn to leave. "There you go. Don't spend it all at once." Uncle Desmond handed me £3. Dad later walked out with his arm around my shoulders. "Don't call too often, your mother doesn't like to be disturbed." He said jokingly. I caught the train to London in search of a future and a girlfriend. I was staying in St John's
Wood, near Abbey Road. With a playwright friend of my dad's called Harry. It's always nice to have family connections when you're a new kid in town. I rung the door bell, seeing him come nearer to the door through the window pane. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT?!" He said loudly.
"I'm Dave's son." "Who?" He asked. "Dave Hood". "What about him?" He asked another.
"He said you had a room?" "Go in there and wait. Quietly. I mean it, don't make a sound. Or I'll kill you... " he said in an angered toned, "I was actually having the first good idea I've had for a decade when you rang on the doorbell. But now it's gone. You little shit." He seemed very rude and arrogant. "How's your dad? Weird cock, I always thought. Something weird about him."
"Really?" I asked with disbelief. "Yeah, I never really liked him, actually. Your mum still look like Andy Warhol?" At this point I had no idea who that was. He walked me up the stairs pointing out the pictures on the wall.

"That, by the way, is my wife. You wouldn't like her at first. Sarcastic cow. But eventually you'd realise that she's the best human being in the world... Which is why she left me, of course." He showed me into my room. "Here you go. Try not to make too much noise, particularly when having sex." "No chance of that." I said to him. "Christ, two losers in one house." He laughed sarcastically.
Handing me a picture of a girl he said, "That is my daughter. Have sex with her if you like. Apparently everyone else has..." It wasn't a hopeful set-up for romance. And work didn't help on that score either. The world of law seems to be entirely full of men. "Hello. I'm Ashton. Very pleased to meet you. A real thrill. Well, who knows, we might become, you know, pals, et cetera." Shaking his hand, he was rather smily. "Who the hell are you?" The big boss came in and asked. "Calum Hood", "Well, I hope you're better than this clown.", pointing towards Ashton. "Come on, Anthony"
"It's Ashton, actually. I've been here a year and a half. I'm just saying that to be nice... It's two years actually.". He rushed out with a grin.

So six lonely months went by and it was still just me and Harry. Me lawyer-ing every hour of the day and night. And him putting the finishing touches to his new play. No matter how many girls there were in the world, I always seemed to end up with... Ashton. Until, out of the blue, on a dodgy night out with dodgy Luke, something miraculous happened. "The waiters are, wait for this, right, they're blind." He said giggling along. We arrived at Dans Le Noir restaurant, a blind experience. Rooms were pitch black. "Very good to have you here, gentlemen. I hope you enjoy your experience. Carlo will show you to your table." The owner said at the front desk.
"Great. Lead on, maestro." Luke shouted with enthusiasm. "Can I have your right hand
on my right shoulder, please? And your friend hold on to your shoulder. Thank you. Mind the stairs and be prepared because it's completely dark." He led us downstairs where there was two or three candles lit. "Okay, gentlemen, if you don't mind, I will sit you here beside these two young ladies."

"Sounds absolutely perfect!" Luke said, him always being the ladies-man. "God, you sound very perky.", one of the ladies said. "I am. And very handsome." He said cheekily. The other girl soon spoke up after him. "Hi. I'm Joy.", she was much more quieter than the other woman. But absolutely lovely. "I'm Calum. Joy's my mother's name, actually." Wow, I possibly couldn't be less embarrassing. "Does it suit her?" She asked, I then noticed she was running out of what to say to follow up this conversation. "Sort of. Although she's sturdy, so Bernard might have been a better fit." A roar of laugh broke out between us. "Something just touched my elbow..." She said in a frightened way. "Okay, that wasn't me.", I assured her. "No. Well, that just makes it worse. If it wasn't you, who was it?" She giggled. "It wasn't me because I'm touching something else..." Luke said dirtily. "Yes, and you'll stop that right away, thank you..." The other girl spoke up. "So, girls, be honest, who is more beautiful?" Luke asked as if it was acceptable to ask that sort of question to a girl. Or anyone in fact.

"I am.", the other girl who later found out to be called Joanna, said. "Yeah. She is.", Joy agreeing.
"Excellent!", Luke spoke up. "Actually, I look like Kate Moss." Joy said. I was amazed and I hadn't even seen her yet. "Really?" I questioned, wanting to know more. "No. I sort of look like a squirrel." She giggled quietly to herself. "Do you like Kate Moss?" "I absolutely love her. In fact, I almost wore one of her dresses here tonight. You?" Asking back, did she think I was a girl or something? I just wanted to keep the conversation rolling and not make it dry. "No, no, her clothes look terrible on me." I said, trying to break a joke. "I cannot believe that it's your birthday next week as well!" Luke said loudly to Joanna, interrupting our conversation. "Your friend Luke... is quite enthusiastic." "I actually hate it." I confessed as we laughed a long. "What's Joanna like?" I wondered, "She's basically a prostitute." Joy laughed aloud. "So, maybe I'll see you outside or..." She said to me in a shy way, I didn't even have to see her to know she was a shy but bubbly character. "Yeah. Yeah, great." I agreed to do so. A girl was actually interested me. "Great. Scary." She said with a shaky voice. I have to admit, I was shitting a brick. What if she didn't like me once she saw my appearance? "Yeah, it's a bit scary." I said before asking for the bill and paying.

Luke and I were waiting outside on the cold street, where no one else was to be seen. "My God, I'm so in there. What about you?" Luke being rather loud. "I don't know, but she sounded wonderful." I replied with awe. One blonde girl, with her dress just over her thigh and a load of make up walked out first. "Joanna?" Luke asked. She nodded her head. "Christ, you're a babe.
How do you fancy stretching the night out a bit? I can ditch the loser." He said quietly, pointing at me. As if I hadn't noticed. "We've got to rush, but help me find a cab and I might give you my number. Or I might not. Haven't decided yet. So..." They walked out off linking arms as she whispered down the street to me. "I have decided. it's not gonna happen." All I could do is smile, whilst waiting for Joy with a stomach full of butterflies. She finally walked out. Brown bobbed haircut, no make up and a flowery dress. She almost missed the step as she walked out. She was perfect. "Hi. Where's..." " She and Luke just... She took him to... I don't know." I couldn't talk much, my heart was fluttered in my mouth. "Right. Well, I guess I'd better..." "Would it be very wrong if I
asked you for your number?" I asked her, I could tell she was more shy than ever before. "No." She replied, looking up at me with a little smile.

"Just in case I ever had to call you about... Stuff." I said, being the awkward human being I was. I handed her my phone, asking her to write it out. She handed it back to me, still smiling.
"I thought this phone was old and shit, but suddenly it's my most valuable possession." I said to her, as she began to giggle. "You really like me? Even my frock?" She asked, pulling at it.
"I love your.. frock." We laughed even more as she began to see how bad I was at complementing.
"And my hair? It's not too brown?" She asked, curling it with her index finger. "I love brown!"
"My fringe is new.", "The fringe is perfect. Fringe is the best bit." I was trying my utter best to be a nice gentleman. When all of a sudden, we got interrupted. Joanna walked out of a small side street. "Joy! We have to go! I found a cab and his dodgy friend is about to assault me." Meaning Luke. "Okay, I'm coming. Two seconds." She shouted back down the street. "I hope I see you again." She said to me, as she held her two hands together. "You will." "Okay. Good." She responded whilst beginning to walk to Joanna. "Goodnight." I said gently, whilst waving.