Nicole

The plan for today was pretty simple - put on my favorite sweats, clean up the apartment and organize all the stuff I brought with me. That meant hanging my clothes, checking out the TV service, placing some framed pictures on the nightstand, cooking some food or just ordering something. 

When I got home last night I only had time to take a shower and to crash the bed after putting on some sheets that I brought from Los Angeles with me.

Lesson number one after moving to London: thin, bed sheets from the West Coast aren't going to keep me warm at night.

Lesson number two after moving to London: do not sleep in until eleven o'clock in the morning if you want to do something with your time. 

After putting my hair up in a messy bun and changing from my pajamas to my grey, comfortable sweats, and after rambling out loud by myself about how stupid I was for not putting my alarm clock on when I went to bed the night before, I decided to actually start doing something.

"Well, I guess I should start with ordering a pizza 'cause I ain't cooking breakfast at this time." I said as I picked up my iPhone and googled the best pizza places to order from in London.

I was looking out the window, admiring the wet leafs on the ground as I spoke on the phone with the operative on the line, who sounded like a thirteen year old girl. 

"How many ingredients do you want?"

"Just a pepperoni pizza."

"Ma'am you have to pick out the ingredients for your pizza."

Ma'am ??? Who the hell does that kid think she is to call me ma'am ?! 

"Look, it's just pepperoni pizza. I want pepperoni and cheese." I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying my best not to lose my temper with a child.

Do they not know what a fucking pepperoni pizza is in the UK?

"Alright. You can expect your order in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you." I said dryly before hanging up the call and tossing my phone across the bed.

 * * *

"So, I take it you're not exactly loving it there?" My best friend sounded confuse, perplex... Not quite believing me as I told her my recent events.

"No, I am! God, Diane, everything is so beautiful. Of course I only came to that conclusion now that there is actual daylight outside. Not a lot of it though, it's pretty cloudy."

It's London. That was expected, right?

After eating my pizza that turned out to be better than I hoped after that controversial conversation on the phone with the delivery service, I managed to clean the whole apartment and unpack everything I had brought across the Atlantic with me, but not without multiple breaks to reply to some texts or to skip some songs on the playlist that was blasting through the house.

"It's your first day, you're still not having all the fun you should and will be having. I guarantee you you'll be calling me in like three weeks saying you never want to come back."

"Well, let's hope that won't be the case. I miss you."

"Aw, I miss you too. Brenda sucks at her job, she forgot to tell me about my meeting tomorrow at four and I was supposed to plan the whole thing today so now I have to do it tomorrow morning."

"Why not do it tonight?"

"You know I don't bring work home. I may stay at the office until midnight, but the moment I step foot into my apartment there's no work involved."

"I do know that. I just thought since the meeting is literally tomorrow-"

"My mental sanity is way more important. Anyway, enough about me, I'll be fine. I want to know everything about you! Other than what you did today, 'cause that's just boring."

"Uh... people are really nice here. Yesterday alone I had a guy offering to get my luggage out of the cabin, I had a woman offering me her seat on the tube, I had the cutest family driving me home. And why? you ask. Well because your friend here got lost, at night, while it was pouring rain, with all her luggage behind her."

I could her hear laughing out loud, her laughter echoing through her room. 

"Oh no! Bet it was scary." She said as she still tried to catch her breath after laughing non stop. "But that was nice of them."

"Yeah, it was. I gotta admit it, I thought people would be much more... cold and unpleasant here. I was wrong, I really was."

"Well that is exactly why you're there. Make the story as real as possible. When will you send me some chapters for me to read?"

Oh no. Not again. I never, ever, showed my work to anyone. Or at least to anyone who knew me on a personal level. I guess I was scared of their opinion or afraid they'd read my words and think they were a reflection of me and not my characters. I don't really have an explanation for what seemed to be an irrational fear but I just knew I didn't like anyone from my family or my friends to read it. Period.

Me not wanting them to read it should be a good enough reason for them to stop asking me when they could take a glimpse at my chapters, right? Guess not.

And I guess I should get ready for their questions when my book is published - if it gets published - because I know for a fact they'll want to buy a copy. Especially Diane, she will be the first one to buy the book.

"When... I decide I want you to read them, okay? And you know, they're not even finished yet. After my stay here I'll probably end up rewriting the whole thing."

"I'm patient."

With a few words exchanged of goodbyes we ended our call and I looked at the time. - 5:26 P.M.  

The almost pitch dark night sky of the city of London was extremely not tempting but my need for coffee running through my veins was superior, and, I chased my addiction's need for the taste of the toasted coffee beans blending in a beautiful dark and creamy drink that would warm my soul inside as well as making me a little less cranky for the next few hours, and ended up at Magic Beans -  the coffee house that was at a fairly good amount of walking distance from my house but that was worth every step I took.

I felt like taste itself had been slapped out of my mouth the moment I sipped the coffee that was literally cheaper than any coffee I had ever bought before - in a good way, obviously! 

 1.85£ for a cup filled with what they served in heaven? I am never leaving this place! 

So they didn't name the coffee house Magic Beans just for clientele, they really had magical coffee beans. 

I quietly moaned to myself as I took the paper cup to my lips and took another sip, this time a longer one, and closed my eyes, focusing all my senses only on my mouth and my tongue, letting them absorb the coffee once more and allowing myself to reach my peak.

I was having a caffeine orgasm, that's what was happening. 

"Um, hello?"

I opened my eyes at the gentle yet strange tug on my shoulders that was bringing me back to the ground after having levitated so high I didn't know what Earth beneath my feet felt like.

"Hi!" I immediately recognized the face when I turned my head in the direction of the man who was trying to get my attention. 

"How are you?" He asked politely. 

It was the guy who helped me get home last night.

"I'm good. How are you?" I asked while I sounded way too excited for someone who had just ran into someone who was a perfect stranger just a day ago, and who, to be honest, still is. Or even for someone who had run into anyone, ever. 

Damn, those magic beans. 

"Good, good. Taking my break." He gestured, lifting the coffee paper cup in his hand. "What about you? You're... getting to know the town?"

I blinked at the same time that I smiled, surprised yet pretty happy that he managed to read me so well. Or maybe it was just easy. 

"Yes! I am... I was busy all day, unpacking and everything so I decided to get out of the house for a little while, you know? Get to know the town..." I quoted him. "And I needed coffee. This one is great, by the way."

"Oh everything is great at this place." He flashed me a smile, and those white pearls shinned at me. "Have you tried the honey muffins?"

"No!"

"Well, if you don't mind me joining..." He put his coffee down at the table, keeping his distance from mine, while he hand his hand on the back of the chair opposite to me, waiting  for my agreement to take a seat. 

"Of course, yes!"

He pulled the chair out to take a seat, Lucas now sitting across from me while I took another sip of my drink. He held his finger in the air as he called one of the waitresses, with whom he seemed to have some sort of personal relationship with, like they knew each other before from college or high school or something. 

He asked for the infamous honey muffin and starred at me while he waited, until I picked up on it and spoke up.

"Lucas, right?"

He gave me a firm grin and nod before it was his turn. "Nicole, right?"

"Yeah." I nodded too, feeling a smile crept into my face. "Well, since we're here, I just wanted to thank you and your wife for driving me home last night. Really, it was-"

His laughter interrupted me.

Laughing? The bastard had the nerve to laugh at me?

"I'm sorry." He managed to say between light chuckles, holding his hand in a fist and taking it to his mouth, to cover his smile. "Did you say wife?"

"Uh, yes? I did." I replied with a frown, when I did not know at all what to say in response. Was what I was saying really that crazy that he had to laugh at me?

"That was my sister!" He laughed again, and I realized just what mistake I had made and the reason behind his amusement. "You thought we were married?"

"Yes! So, I take it Lexi isn't your daughter?"

"Nope, she's my niece."

I nodded as I too laughed a little to myself and rubbed my hands on the sides of my thighs, enjoying the feeling of friction between my skin and the jeans, and mostly enjoying the distraction that was giving me after I just made a fool of myself with the wrong assumption. 

"I'm... sorry." I said in between giggles.

"No, that's okay. Really."

The waitress whose name I learned was Annie, after I read the name tag she had on the right corner of her uniform, interrupted us to put the plate that carried the muffin in the middle of the table and with a warm, nice smile she turned around in her heels and returned to her other tasks.

"Try this," He pushed the plate across the table to my side with the point of his fingers against the thin brim of the blue plate. "and I dare you to try to find something better."

I loved a good challenge so I took a bite at the small cake and boy, oh boy, I was clearly not ready for another orgasm when I still recovering from one. I felt my toes curl and my eyes closing at the velvet feeling of the muffin against my tongue, and at the strong, sweet honey flavor that invaded my senses and that seemed to intoxicate me, in the best possible way.

"Oh my God." I started, looking into his blue eyes that seemed eager to look into mine. "It is the best thing I ever ate in my entire life."

"Told you." He said with a knowing smile and look while he nodded.

"This place is magical. I am sure of it." I said with a shrug of my shoulders as if it was no big deal, and an unwavering expression that demonstrated my belief.

"Well, it is called Magic Beans." He stated matter of factly, with a small chuckle afterwards that made me melt inside, more than the honey cupcake did.

"Sure it is. But now I'm convinced everything they own and make here is magical, not just the coffee and the beans."

"Do you have an answer for everything?"

Do I what?

"Don't take this the wrong way, it's just that you always know what to say, you always have something at the tip of your tongue that you want to say. Don't you ever get... speechless? Aren't you ever... short of words?"

Well, right now I am. But I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"Nope."

"And hasn't anyone ever, at least tried to get you to feel speechless?"

I thought about that one for a second. Good question, mister London.

"No. But you can die trying." I replied with my usual, innocent sass and winked at him before I took another bite of the muffin from heaven and he took a sip of his drink, all while sharing a laugh again.

 * * *

Author's Note:

Hey lovelies! What did you think of their little impromptu date? I hope you liked this chapter, I personally loved writing it. 💕

Stay tuned, follow me if you haven't, add this story to your reading list and don't miss the next chapter of this book!

Again and as always, I ask you to vote, comment and share this story with whoever you want! I really do love reading all your comments! 🙏

Xoxo, Mars