I sat in the back of the fish and chip shop as I waited on my order to be called. This little shop has the best food- yet no one knows it’s here. It’s hidden very well from the public eye, but there’s always a steady flow of the loyal customers who have either discovered this place while they were lost, or were told of it by a friend.
I came here every week and I was lucky that I had a fast metabolism because, as this food was delicious, it was also very unhealthy.
There were about ten people in here at the moment, but I was only one of the few that were actually sitting down for the meal. There were people coming and going every minute, and I wasn’t really surprised that this place was still open even when it was so secluded. Once you came here, you could never go to another fish and chip shop again. It was addicting, to say the least.
The aroma of the fried cod and chips filled the air, the continuous chatter of strangers and the bell of the door were accompanied by one hit wonders from the 80’s that were softly playing from a radio.
As someone walked in again, I looked down at my watch. I had ordered about five minutes ago, so my order was coming up.
“Lucy- come get your food, love!” Joanie yelled from behind the counter. I smiled and stood up from my table, walking over to the familiar waitress.
“Hello, Luce! How’s it going?” Joanie smiled as she handed over my plate of food.
I smiled at her and dropped the pound note on the counter as I reached for my food with the other hand. “Oh, it’s all the same as last week. Job’s good, mum and dad are almost over me moving out by now, and I’m still in massive debt from school!” I faced enthusiasm and Joanie laughed.
“Well, that’s life, right? Tony says hi!” She referred to her boyfriend of two years that I had met a couple weeks ago. He had happened to come into the shop while I was here, and I had a right laugh with him. I could tell that she was happy with Tony, and I knew she deserved to be happy.
“Give him a hug and kiss for me, alright?” I called over my shoulder as I made my way back to my little table in the corner. Joanie was about thirty years old- been working here in London for about seventeen years. After my many visits here, she told me about her life and she gave me a list of things to do before my next birthday. I was about to turn twenty, and she said that once you hit that age, you lose your spark- whatever that was.
Joanie is what you could call… a free spirit. Like super skinny jeans, crop tops, bandanas, many tattoos, piercing and pink hair kind of free spirit. But once you get over her appearance, you realize what a complete and utter sweetheart she is.
I knew what it was like to be judged by my looks. I liked to be a bit different and spontaneous; I wore what other people didn’t. Today, I was going for the ‘geeky’ look- black skinnies, white button down shirt, grey converse, a quirky owl necklace, and my brown hair was up in a messy bun. And, of course, you can’t look geeky without those big black glasses.
I shuffled around in my seat until I was comfortable and I shoved a chip into my mouth as I let my gaze wander around. I looked at everything- the people, the weather outside, the decorations that I had since memorized, and the cars that rushed past on the street.
You would think that, while looking around, I would notice when a boy walked up to me. But apparently not.
“What’s your name, love?” He asked me and sat down across from me. His brown hair was pushed to the side and his grey eyes stared intently at me. His mouth seemed to be perpetually stuck in a smirk.
“What’s yours?” I answer, ignoring his question as I grabbed another chip from the basket.
“Louis.” He stated, leaning back in his chair.
