As we arrived at the hotel, I took a moment to take in the captivating surroundings; everywhere I looked stood sage, fresh flowers and cobblestone paths. The river flowed elegantly below a milky, modern bridge whilst people wearing traditional, floral dresses skipped past joyfully. This place really seemed like it was straight out of a fairy tale.
"Earth to Lexi. We nearly went inside without you." Harry impatiently snapped his fingers in front of my face, trying to wake me up from my fantasy world.
"Sorry, I was too busy admiring Amsterdam. It looks amazing."
"I know, but you can look later. We need to unpack"
I sighed before heading inside.
***
(4 hours later)
As I had finished unpacking, I felt a gentle knock on the door. Loudly (so they could hear) I shouted "come in!" The door opened to find Josh impatiently stood. He gave me a serious look before asking, "Are you coming down to dinner or not? Everyone's waiting for you." Oh sh*t I forgot that I was meant to go out for dinner half an hour ago. I gave him an alarmed look, before mumbling "yeah, I'll come down now."
As we entered the restaurant, I paused to admire my surroundings. It looked almost as beautiful as outside; emerald vines crept upon the walls while mustard tulips dangled effortlessly off' the tables.
I took a seat next to Harry, with Ethan sat the other side of me and Talia opposite. Everyone broke into conversation, making me feel an outcast. The only people who weren't talking were me and Talia, but of course, I didn't want to speak to her after what happened with Simon.
Well, that was until she attempted to mumble to me: "Hey, Lexi right?" She held out her hand, wanting me to shake it, but of course, I was reluctant to do so and I continued to stare down at my glass.
She gave out a sigh, knowing why I didn't want to shake her hand, "Look, I know you're still annoyed about what happened but I promise, I didn't know he had a girlfriend. He told me he was single which was why I made a move. After you left I shouted at Simon, and he promised not to do it again. I didn't mean to hurt you."
That caught my attention. I glanced up from my glass, blood beginning to boil and hands beginning to tremble. "He.. he told you he was single?"
Talia nodded.
I really wanted to smack Simon, and expose him in front of everyone, but I just couldn't bring myself to do so. I knew it would only end badly. So, instead, when Simon next made eye contact with me, I gave him a death stare. He gave me a puzzled look before turning back to Ethan, who he was currently having a conversation with.
At that point I knew it wasn't Talia's fault, she only did was she though was right. So, I apologised, before holding out my hand for her to shake. "Talia, I'm sorry, I really didn't know. It's not your fault it's Simon's." He smiled warmly before shaking my hand. "It's okay, it's all in the past now anyway. I hope we can move on." I smiled back as I agreed.
Just as our conversation ended, dinner was served. I began to tuck into my cheese and tomato pizza, before I felt a slight nudge on my left shoulder. It was Ethan. He leant over to my ear and whispered, so nobody else could hear: "so, what's your honest opinion about Harry? I know you like him, it's so obvious."
I rolled my eyes at him sarcastically, as I tried not to blush. Unfortunately, he noticed: "ahah, I knew it. Go on lass tell him how you feel. I'm sure he feels the same way."
I wished, but now was not the time to tell him. I wanted to do it at a special moment, when nobody was around. "I don't want to, not yet. Please don't tell anyone I want to tell him myself."
Ethan gave me a mischievous smile before whispering back into my year "your secret is safe with me." He held out his pinky finger, as a sign of making a promise. I shook it before turning back to face my food.
***
As we were walking back to the hotel, Harry dragged me to the side before giving me a curious look. "What did Ethan say to you at the restaurant; I saw you whispering and I wanted to know if it was about me." I raised my eyebrow and him before turning to reply. "Don't worry, it's nothing. You don't need to worry about anything."
Harry let out a sigh of relief as we continued to walk back to the hotel, pretending we never had that conversation.
Why did Harry want to know if it was about him? Had Ethan told him? Either way, I needed to tell him I liked him, and it had to be tonight.