I had a dream.
This is it.
My plans to go to England to study Creative Writing worked out. I was in Southampton University, where I have wanted to go for the past four years.
One morning, I was at a café, sitting by myself for my routine morning hot chocolate. Coffee isn't good for my heart, and tea is just not my morning energizer. Some of the other patrons and staff found my routine odd, but I didn't mind. I was happy this way. I never stayed there very long, so I didn't feel the need to be in someone's company when fulfilling my ritual.
That morning, I came in with Ed Sheeran's music playing softly in my ears, one earbud out so I could communicate with the outside world when necessary. My bag was slung over my shoulders. I could feel the weight of the new book I bought in the bottom, waiting for me to devour its pages.
The same waiter that has been taking my order for the past two months greets me at the table with his usual question.
"Hot chocolate and a muffin, right?"
I smile and nod in response. I'm still very shy when talking to strangers. As an Arab in this country, I don't always feel welcome. That's why I have been working so hard on perfecting my accent. It's hard to tell who the nice ones are, though, so I rarely take the risk in going up to people and being the first to talk.
It's at that moment, when the waiter turns away to prepare my order, that I see him sitting in the back and get the shock of my life. The very same man serenading me right now. Ed Sheeran.
For someone living anywhere in the world, Hollywood is the place where stars mostly gather. Anyone would think that by going to California, their chances of meeting someone famous like Zac Efron or Scarlet Johanson increase a lot.
I am one of those people. I'll admit it. You wouldn't think I am, because I come from a country that is home to many celebrities renowned in the Arab world. For us, it is not an uncommon occurrence to come across them, because the geography of the place is so small as it is. My friend Liv even works at this children's center, and she sees celebrities with their kids there at least once a week.
And yet, I actually had hoped that by being in Britain, it would somehow increase my chances of meeting celebrities I admire like Liam Payne, Daniel O'Donoghue or Ed Sheeran. Especially Ed Sheeran.
Hoped, but not expected. I hope for a lot of things in my life. This trip is one of them. Seeing my books in print is another. But I rarely expect any of them to happen, especially one as unrealistic as stumbling across a celebrity in a café.
To me, Ed Sheeran is the perfect combination of amazing music and poetic genius. That's a big deal to a literature student who also loves music. He doesn't make music for the sake of creating a hit song; his sound and lyrics are both genuine and stem from the very depth of his soul. I've spent many hours trying to decipher what his lyrics mean, the way we did during poetry classes in my university.
I gather what little courage I have in me and march over to his table without tripping a single time. I come up from behind him and try not to startle him. He doesn't notice my presence until I speak, my heart beating a mile a minute in my rib-cage and my face heating up in a way it never has before.
"Excuse me," I say, and my voice comes out surprisingly steady, albeit tentative. "Ed Sheeran?"
He looks up at me curiously and smiles. "Yes?"
I introduce myself by telling him my name. "I'm a huge fan of your music," I add. "I always feel transported when I listen to your songs. They help me a lot when I'm writing, too."
