The Lyric Project (Completed)

Eleven

~ Chapter Eleven ~

The way it came about was quite unexpected; as some would say it was a complete 'plot twist'. Ed was on his way to the next spot, The London Zoo, and Alexi had texted him to inform him she would be a bit late thanks to traffic. Deciding that a bit of encouraging liquid would keep him from breaking down into tears at the zoo, he stopped at the bar a block away from the zoo. He had been there before, so he walked in and sat down on one of the stools.

The muggy air was ever present and the thick odor of the alcohol would almost suffocate anyone who walked in. It didn't even faze him, though, as it was a familiar smell. The old bartender started on his drink while Ed studied the designs that were drawn onto the bar. They weren't exciting or thought-provoking, yet they seemed to attract his attention. Lines, curves, and loops resembled a roller coaster across the aged wood. 

"Ed? Ed Sheeran?" A female voice broke the concentration he had on the table. In the back of his mind, somewhere where the thoughts ran wild, he groaned internally at the thought of a fan finding him here. He loved his fans, there was absolutely no doubt about that, but privacy was expensive in this world now, and he wished that wasn't the case. 

"Yes?" He tore his focus away from the table and focused his eyes on the brunette woman standing in front of him and he felt a pang of familiarity about her. With chestnut hair that reached past her chest, eyes the color of caramel and rosy cheeks, Ed felt as though he wouldn't have been able to forget her if he had met her and he could not for the life of him recall who she was.

"There's no reason for you to remember who I am, but I'm Ellie Gray! I knew you way back when, Samantha and I were roommates once upon a time! And I also dated Aaron, but that's something I'd rather forget. I just had to come over and say hi!" She rambled a bit, her cheeks turning even pinker as she realized how she must be embarrassing herself. Her head bobbed slightly as she talked and Ed found it slightly adorable.

"I remember you now," Ed nodded. It was not a lie, the memory of Aaron and Ellie was now fresh in his mind. The two were polar opposites and he had predicted that the two would not last long, as Aaron was much quieter and did not enjoy mindless chatter. Ellie, as Ed had realized soon after meeting her, loved to converse with people. There was most definitely no filter between her thoughts and her mouth. Samantha and himself had taken bets on how long they would last, and Sam ended up winning with her estimated time of three months and three weeks. 

"I never thought I was going to see you again, now that you're all famous!" Ellie laughed, her feet not letting her stand still.  He couldn't be sure, but it seemed as though she was excited. Had she always been this way? If she had been, he had forgotten how adorable it was. 

"You meet people in the craziest ways." Ed acknowledged, believing his own words. As much as he hated to admit it, he had found it hard to keep in contact with old friends and so the closest of friends soon became strangers. 

He found himself wondering more than once where everyone in his circle friends had ended up, and now he was able to know about Ellie. She nodded violently at his words, hair flinging every which way. "Truer words have never been spoken! Wow, I still can't believe I ran into you here of all places! How are you doing? Your career is going well? I haven't been keeping up with all these magazines, so I have no idea what your life is like right now! How's Samantha?"

"Samantha," Ed repeated. Sorrow washed over him quickly, the realization that not everyone knew what had happened to her. "Uh, we were engaged, actually."