While Scott and Mitch had been out in the city to do some shopping, Avi had taken a nap and then went out with Kevin for some food in the afternoon. Then he had gone back to the hotel for an additional nap before their pub crawl. He was excited to go out with his friends for a hearty pub dinner and a few beers.
At 8 he waited in the lobby and smiled when Scott stepped out of the elevator after a few minutes. "Sorry, I was on the phone with Nick," he said. "Was the first time I could reach him due to time differences and the fact that I needed a fat nap."
Avi chuckled. "You already went out with Mitch, didn't you? I saw your Instagram feed."
"Mmhm" Scott hummed. "What were you up to?"
"Nap, food, another nap," Avi said and chucked. "Hopefully this will help kill the jet lag."
Scott chuckled. "Nothing kills jet lag," he said. "We tried so many things. Today I am going for alcohol-induced coma and hope that I'll wake up rested tomorrow."
Avi chuckled. "Alcohol-induced coma never works, but it stands for a fun night. At least there's someone actually there for the pub crawl and not only for dinner."
"Oh once we'll have a few beers down they will join us, don't worry," Scott said. "And even if they don't, we'll have a lot of fun on our own."
Avi smiled. "I don't doubt this..." he said. "Is Mitch coming? He wasn't sure when I last saw him."
"No, he's settling down with room service and a movie" Scott explained. "How about Kevin?"
"Oh he's meeting an old friend" Avi replied.
Scott shook his head. "From university? Seriously, he has a friend in almost every city we visit."
"He does," Avi said. "But I'm happy that he gets to spend some time with them."
Scott nodded and then smiled when he saw Kirstie and Esther approach them. "There you are. We were about to leave without you..." he said jokingly.
~
In the end, the four of them had dinner and a few drinks in a good oldfashioned pub and once it closed at 11, they left, slightly tipsy.
"Are we heading back to the hotel?" Kirstie asked and stifled a yawn. "I'm tired."
"But what about the pub crawl?" Avi asked and pouted.
"You do realise that most pubs are closing as we speak?" Esther replied.
"Yes, but we'll find a place to have another round. Come on, the tour doesn't start until the day after tomorrow" Avi tried again.
"Yes, we planned it that way so we'd have a chance to get over jet lag" Esther pointed out.
"I'll come with you. I'm not tired, yet and... let's just find a bar, okay? The night is still young and maybe we also should get used to not being in the hotel before 1 am?" Scott said.
"That's the spirit!" Avi said and patted the blonde's back. "Girls? We... should bring you to the hotel before we search for a place to go!"
"Oh no, we can take a cab, you go on with your night," Kirstie said while Esther already waved and a black cab stopped next to them.
The four of them exchanged hugs and after a "Don't stay out too late and be safe!" from Esther Scott and Avi were alone.
"So... where are we going?" Scott asked.
"I don't know," Avi said. "But I want a drink."
Scott laughed. "Me too. Let me... let me check for a bar. We'll find one!" He fished his phone out of his pocket and unlocked it only to find a message from his boyfriend, a reply of a group selfie he had sent him:
"Looking good handsome! Hope you're having a wonderful evening!"
Before doing anything else, Scott answered him:
"We are! The girls are tired and went back to the hotel, but Avi and I are trying to find a different place. I love you and I'll talk to you tomorrow!"
After sending the message, Scott searched for bars near them. "Here: this one is open until 1 and it's near the river, so maybe we could take a walk? I don't know..."
Avi looked at Scott's phone and nodded. "How far away is it?"
Scott looked at the map. "Not far, look:" He showed Avi the map when a new message came in. It was from Nick:
"So you and Avi..."
Scott sighed and swiped the notification away. "It's within walking distance," he said and started the navigation. "Come on."
Avi noticed that the message had done something to Scott. But he decided not to say anything and instead just followed him through the streets of London.
The bar was nice, a bit crowded, but there was more cold beer and calm music was playing in the background. Scott and Avi stayed until the bar was about to close and then stepped outside. It was chilly, but not too cold.
"And now?" Scott asked. "Hotel?"
"Nah. You said we'd take a walk along the river" Avi said. He shook his head briefly to clear his mind. "Maybe some food? Got the munchies. There was a fish and chips place just around the corner, maybe they're still open?"
Scott chuckled. "I love the way you're thinking," he said. "Let's go!"
Fifteen minutes later, the two men were sitting on a bench with a perfect view on the river. They both were holding a portion of chips and a bottle of water. "These are the best fries I've ever had" Scott stated.
Avi laughed. "You're only saying this because you're drunk," he said. "They're probably rather disgusting."
"But the place looked well kept, so maybe we're safe?" Scott mused.
Avi shrugged his shoulders. "I've never been sick from chips, so yeah we're safe," he said.
"Mmhm" Scott hummed as he munched on his fries.
The two men ate their fries in comfortable silence. Scott finished first and pulled out his phone. He had two texts, one from Esther saying that they had arrived at the hotel safely and the second one from Nick:
"Are you still out? Or did you pass out drunk and forgot to text me tonight?"
"I'm still out. Don't worry about me, we'll take a cab back to the hotel later on. Xx" Scott replied quickly and put his phone away.
Avi was able to read the exchange and finally decided to speak up. "Is he always like this?"
Scott furrowed his brows. "Like what?"
"Texting you, wanting to know where you are," Avi said. "Don't get me wrong, maybe this is just your thing, but it seems to be a lot for you..."
Scott shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, I..." He was still thinking about Avi's words when his phone vibrated again.
"It's 2 am in London and you're still out with him? I thought you had a tour to focus on!"
Scott took a shaky breath and opened the messenger to reply.
"You probably shouldn't text him, Scott" Avi said.
Scott sighed. "No?"
Avi shook his head. "No."
~~~~
