the holiday- mileven

chapter 2

𝐶𝐻𝐴𝑃𝑇𝐸𝑅 2: from la to london

if you told eleanor jane hopper a few months ago that she would be spontaneously flying to london for two weeks to get some distance from her boyfriend, well, ex-boyfriend, she would've called you crazy.

it's pretty odd how things take such a turn, how life can change just like that.

that's one of the main things eleanor loves about life, is the unpredictability. one day you're sitting in your home office emailing back and forth production documents for your fathers new film, and the next you're on a flight, taking you somewhere you've never been. if that wasn't a metaphor for her life, she wouldn't know what was.

overall, the flight from la to london was rather pleasant, though eleanor could have gone without the snoring old lady who was sat beside her.

thankfully, she packed her headphones so she was able to drown out the noise, while binging a bunch of disney movies they had available. she received some weird looks from other passengers, but she just flashed them a friendly smile. you can't ever grow out of disney. and if you claim you have, you're lying.

by the time she landed at heathrow airport, she was exhausted. eleanor was quite an anxious flyer, so was never able to sleep on planes. she already knew the jet lag would hit her like a truck in the morning.

after the endless queues, she finally was able to get out of the airport, calling herself a taxi as she waited for her suitcase.

she watched everyone's bags arrive and if her suitcase took any longer than it did to come round the conveyer belt, she probably would've fallen asleep and missed it.

the journey from the airport to the house was longer than expected, but she enjoyed the captivating countryside views nonetheless.

she couldn't help but smile as she watched the world go by, people outside of their houses, decorating for christmas—which was only a few weeks away.

the taxi pulled up outside the cottage and eleanor gasped. it looked like something straight out of a fairytale. the images online did not do this house justice.

it was a quaint little place and was completely out of the way. if you drove down there at night you would probably drive past it without even knowing it was there.

the brick cottage was guarded by strong, grand trees which sheltered the house with the few leaves they had left. the short stone wall which ran round the perimeter of the home was covered in snow and moss, the occasional root peaking out from a gap in the rocks.

the teal painted wooden door and windows had seen better days, as the cracks in the framing were being filled by various plants which were snaking their way up the side of the house. a decorative wreath accompanied the door, sitting central against the aged wood, welcoming you into the home.

the front garden was tidy and well kept, different types of flowers growing every which way you turned and the fairy lights draped over the fence only added to the storybook feel.

eleanor felt at peace as her eyes raked over the most beautiful house she'd ever seen, a feeling of excitement bubbling up inside her.

she thanked the driver and payed him before getting her bags out of the trunk. it was getting dark, so as much as she would've liked to take in the sight, she didn't stay outside long—the winter air piercing her skin through her jacket.