Falling In Love (Bella Ramsey)

Chapter 9: London Calling To The Faraway Towns (Alex)

Song: "London Boy" by Taylor Swift

My hands shook as I pressed the buttons on the cash register. My green Starbucks apron hung loosely off my neck and I smiled at the customer standing across from me, but my mind was elsewhere.

I looked at the clock on the wall, in less than 2 hours I'd be with Bella. It seemed so strange to me that we still had not seen each other since our first interaction a little more than a week ago, it felt like I'd known them for years. 

I smiled at the next customer as they inched up to the counter and walked through the motions of entering their Strawberry Acai Refresher into the machine. One of the many drawbacks to cutting off one's parents straight out of high school is that I have no support from them. I work two jobs on top of school and the only way I can afford housing is sharing a dorm with Oliver. I wondered what Bella's apartment would be like. They certainly are much better off than me, but somehow I didn't think they would be the type to live extravagantly just because they have money.

When the clock finally struck 3 I did not lose a minute in stripping off my apron and clocking out. My black Converse made a steady rhythm with the floor as I fast-walked to the tube station. Waving at the security guard at the corner booth, I scanned my tram card. I was rewarded with a slight upturn of her lips which I knew was the equivalent of an ecstatic smile. Once I landed on the platform I sat on the bench and waited for my tram. I looked around; there weren't very many people on the platform because there were still a couple of hours before the work day ended. I had been able to switch shifts with one of my coworkers for that day so that I could have more time to get ready, which made me one of the few people at this station at 3:20 pm on a Thursday.

There was little to do except people-watch, so I noted the man sitting on the bench adjacent to mine reading what seemed to be last week's newspaper. I watched two girls standing against the wall giggling at their phones. Something inside me ached for that kind of freedom.

Finally, the tube pulled up to the platform with a deafening screech I had grown accustomed to. I pushed myself off the bench and then walked through the sliding doors, finding an open seat across from me. I reveled in the pleasure of being able to sit down, something that never happened when I took the tube at my normal hour. 

My head fell back against the window, my eyes closed, and I got lost in my own thoughts. I was not sure how much time had passed when the overhead speaker finally announced my stop; opening my eyes, I blinked furiously to adjust to the fluorescent lights. I walked from the tube station to our dorm in a haze. Once in our room, I made my way to my bed, where the outfit I had chosen for the evening was folded neatly, and sat down. My phone dinged loudly next to me and I slowly turned my head to see what had lit up the screen.

New Message from Bella 💜: here's my address btw

I turned back to the wall I had been staring at for another minute then forced myself to stand. Eyeing the clothes on my bed I walked to my bathroom and washed my face and teeth, then slipped on the Green Day t-shirt and jean shorts I had chosen for the occasion. Surprisingly, the winged eyeliner I had done that morning was still intact, so I rubbed on some lipgloss and with one final look in the mirror, I walked out the door.

Bella's apartment was not too far from mine and I had a bit of time before I was supposed to show up, so I decided to walk. The entire time as I swerved to avoid cyclists and passed street shows full of cheering tourists, an overwhelming feeling that resembled love for my new home bubbled up in my stomach. That emotion changed into inexplicable excitement when I opened the door to the building Bella had directed me to. I walked to the reception and found a woman typing furiously on a computer sitting behind it. She looked at me with an unspoken question: Who are you and why are you here?

I cleared my throat, "Hi, I'm Alex. I'm here for apartment 40A"

"Your Bella's girl?" She looked at me over the glasses perched on her nose and my cheeks warmed at the title.

"Ehm... I guess so."

She stood up suddenly and walked around the counter, "follow me."