Before Take Off

26. in real life

Heyy, I'm here with a new chapter! This one was a quick update to maybe make it up to you guys somehow! So here are some of the important bits that I advise you to remember!

(Remember: They met each other in Amsterdam, Ayla was running away from a past memory that had been messing with her emotions for almost 6 months and it's still unclear why Lewis was there (but you'll get it eventually).

Remember: Conraad from Ayla's past and Lewis's past (about his mom and why he is a good chef) go see chapters 21 and 24

And don't forget about: The box with the crumpled up pieces of paper and 'the notebook of Lewis Hawthorne'!) ENJOY!

Don't fall in love with someone like me because I'll love you so hard that you won't be able to breathe properly without holding my hand. And you won't be holding my hand always. You won't fall in love with someone like me because I'm already smitten with you and I will do everything to make you not fall for me.

*

"I hate that I threw away 19 years of my life, trying to be the golden girl!" I shouted at the vast darkness unfolding before me, feeling lightened as I did so. I tilted my head backwards until I could barely notice the faint flickers of the stars, dispersed throughout the cloudy, black London sky.

"I hate that I couldn't live a proper childhood!" Lewis jumped in after me, his blithefulness quite clear in his voice. I glanced at him to see a dazzling smile sprawling across his face.

I wanted to scream out many more statements since my life hadn't been the most pleasant journey up until now but as the words clumped up in my throat, I swallowed them down despite my watering eyes. I just couldn't bring myself to let down my guard in front of him.

Lewis had brought me upon a bridge after a half hour drive in his Volvo. When he had told me that he wanted to bring me to his favorite place to shout out loud I had failed to understand that he wasn't kidding after all. This place was such a mesmerizing spot, hidden in the suburbs of London, waiting patiently for us to bring it into light.

There was a small wooden bridge on the lake that was separating the shores and as much as I can see, there were no residential areas in a wide radius. It was quite dark considering that it was late at night, but the atmosphere was also rather serene and peaceful. I wasn't the biggest fan of darkness but in this quiet little place, I felt unexpectedly sheltered.

"You like it here, huh?" Lewis asked softly, his warming, velvety accent swirling around me until I was irrevocably under his charm. I peeped up at him to notice he wasn't wearing his signature smug smirk but looking down at me with an inscrutable yet slightly a compassionate look in his hazel eyes.

I nodded vaguely before snuggling up to his warm and firm body, causing him to drape one of his arms across my shoulders and pull me in even closer. "I love it here," I muttered inhaling his intoxicating smell. I've known this man for such a short period of time, yet I trusted him somehow, not in a I want to tell you everything about my life way but more in a you feel like home, miles away from home way.

"Shall we get on with eating?" Lewis suggested, breaking off the unduly emotional atmosphere. I nodded eagerly as I remembered the paper bag waiting for us in the glove compartment of the Volvo.

Lewis chuckled in a husky tone as I practically ran towards the car, totally forgetting all about the bridge and the lake. I was ready to put aside all of the past memories for a while and enjoy my meal since I had been starving when we had gotten here yet somehow forgotten about it, getting distracted by the beauty of the ambience.