He gave me adrenaline, passion and thrill. I just didn't know at what cost...
When small town girl Mia Thorpe moves to London to begin a new life, the last thing she expects is to fall head over heels for the charming yet mysterious Grayson Cooper...
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I close my laptop after my final Friday afternoon lecture, finding myself satisfied at my productivity this week. With my exams starting soon, I've had to take every opportunity I can to revise.
The sky is already dark when I leave the lecture theatre. When I eventually return home, I change into my black skinny jeans and throw Grayson's hoodie over myself, relishing the way it feels on me.
"Aren't you coming partying with us tonight?" Hailey asks, peering her head around my door as she strokes mascara onto her eyelashes.
I laugh, mainly because I know I've already told her my plans for tonight about five times over.
"I'm staying at Grayson's tonight, remember?" I chuckle, throwing the last of my things into my bag.
"Oh! Yeah, of course," she says. "Have a great night Mia!"
"Thanks Hailey. Where are you guys off to tonight?"
"Well, we're planning on going to a club in Trafalgar Square," she giggles. "They have a two-for-one offer on cocktails tonight."
"Sounds good," I say, zipping up my bag and throwing it over my shoulder. "See you!"
Grayson was adamant to pick me up again tonight, but—in true Mia style—I opted to get the bus, despite his protesting.
The bus stop is empty when I arrive, so I set my bags onto the floor in front of me and take a seat on the cold bench. I pull my coat tighter around my neck, shielding myself from the harsh November chills that thrash around the city. In many ways I start to wish that Grayson had picked me up.
"Can I sit here?"
A deep, coarse voice startles me from my thoughts.
I turn to the right, watching as a tall man wearing a leather jacket and sporting light brown, scruffy hair points his finger to the side of the bench; I hadn't realised I had sat straight in the middle.
"Oh—of course," I say, shifting myself to the left.
He takes a seat, a brilliant smile growing from his lips.
"Don't you just hate waiting for buses?" He asks, a charming laugh rolling off his tongue. The closer he edges towards me, the more I can smell the scent of aftershave and cigarettes.
I hesitate for a moment, scanning my eyes down the dark road for any sign of a bus; but there is none. Not yet.
"Uh, yeah, I guess," I stutter, pushing my lips into a polite smile.
The man rests his arms onto his knees, smiling into the distance.
"Say," he laughs. "What's a girl like you doing out in the cold at a time like this?"
"It's only seven-thirty," I reply flatly, sensing this conversation is becoming somewhat uncomfortable.
He looks to me, bearing his teeth that glisten against the moonlight. As he turns his body, I can make out his blue-green eyes and the light stubble that covers his cheeks, and if I had to guess, I'd say he was mid-thirties.
