somewhere || George Russell

forty

January 5, 2020
Oxford, England

George heard a knock on the door and got out of his room as fast as he could. Dear god, who can it be? It's like ten in the night.

He carefully opened the door and found the best New Year's gift ever. Seems like he is starting the new year with the right foot.

"Hi," Laurel said, smiling.

He shook her head. "You are insane," he chuckled and wrapped his arms around Laurel's small body. He feels so good of her being so small, because he feels like if he could protect her from anything in the world. Not that she needs protection, she actually can take care of herself.

"I just wanted to say Happy New Year in person," Laurel separated from the hug.

George let her enter his apartment and she pulled her small carry-on suitcase behind her.

"How could you manage to come here?" he frowned, still surprised.

"Well, today is Sunday and Rachele is on the stage, tomorrow is Monday of no shows and I'll be back by Tuesday noon."

"That means you have to leave on Tuesday morning," he said, taking a seat on the couch and pulling her down to sit next to him. "Isn't that tiring for you? Jetlag and all of that."

"I ask for sleeping pills in the planes for long flights," Laurel explained. "And somehow I am very resistant to jetlag. I never get jetlagged."

"Lucky you," George put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. He could notice that she was unquiet. "What is bothering you?"

She sighed, glad that he asked. "I was talking to Emilio, and turns out he broke up with his girlfriend because he didn't love her anymore, like, their love ended because he was in Boston and she in Miami, and Rafael also broke up with his girlfriend recently when she moved to Akron..."

"Yeah, that stuff happens all the time," George giggled.

"I know, but the common denominator in both situations is that they had long-distance relationships..."

"Oh..." he mumbled. "I never thought that you would feel scared about that. I mean, you are so sure of yourself and say that jealousy is for insecure people..."

"It's not about jealousy," Laurel rolled her eyes. "Being apart is like being two strangers learning to fall in love again," she frowned. "And somehow I always end up so uneasy when I think of the possibility of losing you."

"That's not going to happen," he said and kissed her lips. "We have each other and that's enough."

"You promise?" she pouted.

"I do," he intertwined his hand with hers and kissed her again.

●●●

January 6, 2020
London, England

George chuckled and stared at Laurel as she slept on the seat of the car. She likes to play tough, but she actually gets jetlagged. So stubborn, always wanting to be right. But is what he likes about her, that she is so confident on herself, and doesn't need no one's approbation for anything. She just listens to her heart, although she might say that the heart doesn't speak.

"Laurel," he whispered in her ear.

She opened her eyes and gave a small jump on the seat. "What is wrong with you?" she yelled.

George started to laugh at her annoyed face as she pouted and rubbed her eyes with her hands, trying to wake up.

"Let's go, sleeping beauty," he teased. She rolled her eyes. "You never told me who your favorite princess is."

"Tiana, from the Princess and the frog," Laurel replied and yawned.

"Really?" he smiled. Laurel nodded. "And your favorite prince?"

"You," she said and gave a small kiss on his lips. Laurel seems to be a morning person, because she is more adorable and lovey-dovey when she has just woken up. "Naveen, of course."

"Why?" he frowned, smiling.

"He is the only one who has a personality. The other ones are just ornamenting or grumpy like the Beast."

"How about Eugene from Tangled?" he raised an eyebrow. "Or the guy from Frozen..." Laurel just stood sitting there, looking at nowhere, thinking about the possibilities. "Or Aladdin..."

"I understand," she nodded and blinked slowly. "But I like Naveen, do you have a problem?"

"You are so sleepy," he laughed and kissed her lips again.

"I like the princess and the frog because I love New Orleans," she explained. George widened his eyes; he has not heard some nice things about that place. "Maybe I bewitched you last time I was there with some voodoo so that you would fall in love with me," she teased.

"Like Harry Potter," he laughed.

Laurel snorted. "Voodoo is culture, not antics about magic owls delivering letters."

George laughed, knowing that he made her mad because she doesn't really like the Harry Potter saga. They got out of the car to the cold streets of London. Another cold and damp city to add to Laurel's list of cold and damp cities that she doesn't enjoy, but like everything, being with George makes them enjoyable.

Although it seems odd, Laurel has never ever been to London before. She has been in United Kingdom but to visit Manchester in England, Scotland, Ireland and even Wales, but surprisingly never London.

They spent their whole morning walking through London, smiling, having fun and with George explaining everything to her, like she did when they were in New York. She was so happy to be here with him. After the two times he has taken the flight to America, she thought that she could do something nice for him for once.

George even found some fans on the street who wanted pictures and asked if Laurel was his girlfriend, so, little by little, Laurel will be known as his girlfriend. They never tried to keep it a secret but also didn't shout it out loud, they just lived it one day at a time, without being worried of people noticing it or not.

"Why do we always end up in bridges and rivers?" Laurel recalled the Hudson river and the Brooklyn Bridge in New York as she and George stood up behind the railing of the Thames River, down the Tower Bridge.

"I have no idea," he smiled and kissed her. "I am so happy that you are here."

"You have been twice to New York just because of me and I thought it would be nice for me to come now," she shrugged. "I am also so happy that I don't want it to end."

"I..." he babbled and looked at her. He really couldn't put his feelings into words.

She looked at him. She was feeling the same. She was so happy that she felt like no one could take away this moment from her, she just wanted to look at him, at the view and carry the image in her mind forever for times when she misses him and knows that he can't see him.

Giving their relationship a shot is the best that they can do. Maybe they are still in the first stage of amorousness, when everything is so perfect. They know that this happiness might be threatened someday, but they want to live this one day at a time, without thinking of the future and just focusing on the today.

"This is the 'somewhere'," Laurel confidently said.

"What?" he frowned.

She took his hands and looked at him in the eyes. "There's a place for us, somewhere a place for us, peace and quiet and open air, wait for us somewhere."

George's heart melted in that second. This is probably the cheesiest thing Laurel has ever done, and it was for him. She is aware that she can't know how she will feel in ten days or in ten years, but that doesn't matter.

They got each other and that's enough.

Laurel never thought that the guy she didn't want to look in the elevator because she was sure that they weren't going to see each other again, is actually the only one she would like to see all the time from now on.

"Where we are together, there is the 'somewhere'," George said and gave a small kiss on her lips.