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[ASTRID REESE]
London, England

[ASTRID REESE]London, England

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★ ★ ★

After a very filling and adventurous dinner, Astrid decided to take the remainder of the night into her own hands. Not necessarily because it needed mending. Everything went perfectly, from the moment Harry dropped her off at home after work, to being right on time arriving back at her place, then getting to the restaurant where he chatted her underwear off with such charm that Astrid was surprised, she could still walk by the end of it.

They ate. They talked. They danced. They laughed.

So, yes. All aspects of the date night seemed achieved—and exceeded. Going into the night, she felt extremely nervous about certain things but now that they were out of the restaurant, and walking down the cold, almost empty streets of London, Astrid could conclude that she had one of the best dates in the history of her dating life, ever.

Glowing buildings kept the night awake, cars stopping then moving forward as traffic lights gave sound to the evening. It occurred to Astrid then that she'd usually be in bed by now, exhausted from work. While she had a busy day today, she was still out now, and experiencing her city in a completely new light—in a light that she hasn't for a very long time.

She couldn't help but glance at Harry. Sparkled by the lights, flushed from the cold evening air. The movement of his left arm caused the street lamp to catch the face of his watch and glint light into Astrid's face. She squinted and it drew Harry's attention immediately because she stepped backwards and pulled her head away.

"Are you alright?" he asked, concerned. Reaching out with the aim to run his hand down her arm, he stopped himself as if unsure. Astrid nodded as her answer to his question and he let his arm fall beside him again.

"I just realised something," she said eventually. They came to a stop at the crossing because the light was red. Even though no cars were coming, they halted. Astrid took that moment of stillness to breathe, deeply until her lungs completely expanded. Patiently, Harry awaited her to continue, never the one to rush her to say or do anything. She appreciated this, even if she couldn't quite grasp it yet. "I haven't seen the city like this in a very long time."

Without words, they agreed to move on. The man in the traffic light switched from red to green and so they crossed. Until they reached the other end of the short crossing, neither of them spoke. Astrid didn't know what to say, or if she should've said anything, and Harry seemed to be deep in thought.

"Thinking about it now, I haven't had the chance to be out like this in a long time, either," he admitted and it caused Astrid to furrow her brows. Really? What were the chances of that? Then again, she had to conclude that she wasn't the only one with a heavy schedule—if anyone could've been busier than her, it had to be Harry. A surgeon. A very in demand surgeon.

"I think it's crazy that most of us live our lives during the day and we retreat to our homes once it starts getting dark outside," she began to talk, and knew very well just how insane she sounded. This part of her brain... she kept this side of her locked away. And now, perhaps at the most random stage of her life, partnered with a man by her side, for whom she did not plan on falling for at all, it all just came out of her. "I mean, I understand the responsibilities we all have to complete to make ends meet, and provide for ourselves and our families. But I always thought it to be a waste to not use the evenings... does that make sense?"

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