I'd only been in London for two days, but I already felt like I could breathe. It was such a drastic change. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I was wrapped up in a different culture. From the accents to the minute differences, I was intrigued by it all. My stepmom, Claire, and brother, Jack, met me at the airport. My dad was away on business in Belgium. I was a little disappointed since he was really the only person in this country that I actually knew. However, Claire was really welcoming, and luckily Jack wasn't a brat. He was seven and actually pretty adorable. Despite the fact that we were only half-siblings, we shared the same blond hair and amber eyes.
Claire had decorated a room in their flat just for me. The walls were white, which could have been boring, but it really worked in the room. The bedding was crisp ivory with a thin lace canopy covering. Light pink accessories dotted the room, adding a hint of color. A white suede sofa sat by the wall-sized window with a eggshell wood coffee table before it. Out the window, a brilliant view of London was visible. I could only imagine how beautiful it would be at night, with the skyscrapers all lit up and the city alive. It was this perfect chic minimalist space.
"I love it," I'd gushed to Claire.
She smiled back. "I'm glad. I really hope you like it here."
And I really did. In the morning, I awoke to a full layout of breakfast spread out on the dining room table by the personal chef, Pierre, that was delicious. Back home with my mom, I was lucky if she even made cereal for me. Normally, I was left to my own devices when it came to food in the morning. However, now I was choosing from an array of fresh cut fruit, belgian waffles, crisp bacon, and so much more.
"Did you have anything you wanted to do today?" Claire asked, her words wrapped around her soft accent.
"I think I'm just going to unpack, then maybe explore the city a bit," I replied, then took a sip of freshly squeezed orange juice.
"I could show you a few places, if you'd like. London is such an amazing city."
"I think I just kind of want to check it out myself, if that's okay."
"That's fine." Claire smiled. "You're sixteen. I trust you can handle yourself. I have to drop Jack off at school--he has a few more days of school before his holiday starts--and then I'll be running some errands. Just make sure you're back by five for dinner, alright?"
"No problem," I said, already loving this new freedom.
"Jack, hurry up! We're leaving in five minutes," Claire called to Jack, who was still getting ready, as she stood.
I finished my breakfast and waved goodbye to my new sort-of family. They were both really nice, but it still felt kind of weird. It was like living with strangers, really nice strangers. I never thought I'd say this, but I couldn't wait until my dad got here. Our relationship had definitely improved and it would be nice to see a familiar face.
As I got up, Riot stood from her spot at my feet. She'd traveled really well and Jack loved her. She was one source of comfort in this strange place.
Once in my room, I opened up my suitcase and began transferring all of my folded clothes into the dresser and closet. I spent about an hour doing this before I reached the bottom of my luggage. I picked up the crisp cream envelope that rested alone in the now empty bag. Admittedly, I was curious as to what was in the envelope Andy had given me. The urge to open it was overwhelming.
However, I didn't really want any reminders of him. I was finally starting to feel a semblance of contentment. I didn't want to ruin that by seeing a picture of bright forget-me-not irises and roseate lips. For now, I needed to take a step back from everything to do with Andy. So instead of opening the letter, I dropped it in the drawer of my nightstand.
Riot was getting a bit restless, so I decided it was time to do some sightseeing. I got dressed in a pair of tight jeans, a tank top, and a loose cardigan. It was a bit breezy in London today, not like California's sunny weather. I most likely wouldn't be getting an awesome tan this summer, but that was the least of my worries. Slipping on a pair of flip flops, I grabbed my purse and hooked Riot onto her leash. I was eager to explore the city. My dad's flat was right in the heart of London, so it wouldn't be too difficult to get around.
I didn't really know where I was going and with Riot, I couldn't take the tube. So instead, I just wandered aimlessly, probably looking like a total tourist. Everything felt so foreign and strange, yet beautiful. The architecture was really amazing and clearly dated. Riot sniffed the new landscape eagerly, pulling me down the street. I stopped as we reached a particularly beautiful bridge, stopping to snap a picture... or sixteen.
"Cute dog," an accented voice said. I turned to see a guy around my age standing about a foot away. "Almost as cute as its owner."
"Wow, that was awful," I said, amusement in my tone. "You realize you just compared me to a dog?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty shite at flirting," he laughed.
I let my eyes travel across his features. He had messy chestnut hair and a boyish smile. His lips were a pale pink--the top lip was thin while the bottom was pouty and plump. He had sharp bone structure and a strong jaw. What was most striking though were his eyes. They were brilliant and multicolored. His left eye was an icy blue, the color of winter skies, while his right was a pigmented amber.
"It's okay. I've heard worse," I said with a smile. "I'm Kourtney."
"Rhys," he stated.
"Nice to meet you," I greeted.
"You too." He grinned, revealing slightly crooked teeth that only managed to aid his handsome features. The flaw was incredibly endearing. "So I'm guessing from your accent that you're not from here?"
"No, I'm from California."
"Wow, you know any celebrities?" he asked.
I laughed. "Do you know One Direction?"
"Haha okay," he said. "So what brings a fit, incredibly sarcastic California girl all the way to London?"
"My dad lives here. I'm visiting him for the summer."
"Nice. Well, if you want I could like show you around, or whatever," Rhys suggested, rubbing at the nape of his neck.
"Like, right now?" I questioned.
"Why not? I've nothing better to do." He shrugged, smiling.
"Okay, I have to drop Riot off at home though. She's pretty tired already," I stated, gesturing to the panting husky.
"No problem. Lead the way."
We crossed the street, dodging insane London traffic. "You just have to go for it," Rhys advised. "If you wait for the signals, you'll be here all day."
"So how old are you?" I asked.
"Eighteen," he said. "Just finished college and I'll be going to uni soon. You?"
"I'm sixteen. I'm in high school. I guess that would be considered college here."
"Probably," Rhys agreed.
We spent the rest of the walk talking casually. Surprisingly, Rhys and I had a lot in common, from our favorite bands to the fact that we both had an unhealthy addiction to licorice. Normally, I probably would have been attractive. Everything was perfect about him--his personality, his looks--but I just wasn't ready. The twitch of his lips before giving into a bright smile was so cute, but not quite as brilliant as Andy's. His accent was sexy and colored his words with a playful huskiness, but it wasn't like Andy's.
I was trying so hard to forget, but it's like every memory of Andy was branded into my mind. As great as Rhys was, he could only be a friend. A part of me wished I'd never met Andy, so he wouldn't have left me so fractured.
When we finally reached the flat, I led Rhys up to the 36th floor, where my dad's apartment was. Once Riot was stretched out on the couch and her water bowl was full, Rhys and I left. It might not have been the most wise decision to bring a strange guy to my home and follow him around a new city blindly, but I found myself already trusting Rhys. He was nice and he made me laugh. Everything he said held a sincere note and I truly enjoyed his company.
"So you're mom seriously left you at a gas station," I laughed.
"Yeah, my brother was such a wanker. He told my mum I was already in the car when I was actually in the bathroom. When I came out, I was all alone at this petrol station and it took my mum 15 minutes before she even realized it."
"That's awful," I said, not able to disguise my humor.
"I was just sitting in the parking lot having a proper strop when she came back. I was five, mind you. The good thing is that my brother got grounded for like two weeks," Rhys stated.
"So how many siblings do you have?"
"Four," he said. "One older brother, two younger brothers, and a younger sister. Whenever I'm at home, it's always bloody insane."
"Wow, that sounds fun though. I've always wanted to have siblings," I admitted. "I just met my stepbrother and I'm sure he'll eventually annoy me, but right now, I like him."
"You're in the honeymoon phase," Rhys laughed. "I always like my siblings when I visit the first day, then two days later, I want to kill them. My little sister is so cute, but she's seriously the devil. She put flour in my hair dryer. Who does that?"
I laughed, smiling as he told me stories about his siblings. We were really just walking around London aimlessly, making conversation. Occasionally, Rhys would point out monuments or stores and tell me about them. He dragged me into a toy store, explaining to me how he always went there as a kid while we immaturely played with toys. I showed him my awesome hula hoop skills and Rhys got us kicked out of the store after attempting to jump rope and knocking over a whole row of merchandise.
After seeing barely any normal tourist attractions and walking so much that my feet were beginning to ache, Rhys got a call from his friend.
"My mates are at this pub nearby. You wanna go?" Rhys asked once he'd hung up.
"Umm, sure." I shrugged. "Am I old enough?"
"'Course. I'll buy a pint for you."
It was only a couple blocks away, so we reached it fairly quickly.
"The lads are proper crazy," Rhys warned. "Don't take them seriously, alright?"
"You're making me nervous," I laughed.
Rhys held the pub door open for me and I walked inside. "Well, they're just-"
"Ah, Rhys, who's the bird?" a blond guy asked loudly, a smirk toying at his lips.
My gaze drifted to a table in the corner of the bar, filled with people. They were all seated with drinks in front of them. There were two girls and three guys. They had been laughing and talking but looked up at the blond's exclamation.
"Mates, this is Kourt. Kourt, these are my mates," Rhys announced.
"I'm Peter." The blond grinned.
"Nice to meet you." I smiled back.
"She's American!" A guy with blue and black hair exclaimed. "Oh, I like her already.... I'm Luke, by the way."
"Grace," a girl with a blond pixie cut stated. Jen and Andrew followed suit.
This morning I hadn't known anyone in this country and now I'd met six new people. It was sort of crazy. They were rambunctious and hilarious and so unbelievably British. Occasionally, they'd speak so fast that I had no idea what they were even saying. I was pretty tired due to jet lag, but I washed the feeling away with the energetic atmosphere at the table.
Rhys slid a clear mug of beer towards me, frothing with foam. I hesitated before taking a small sip. It was a lot stronger than American beer, making me cringe a bit.
"Not much of a drinker?" Peter asked.
"The drinking age is 21 in America," I said.
"I always forget that," Rhys laughed.
"You know, Kourt, I'm really wondering why you're hanging out with this tosser?" Luke laughed.
"Oh, bugger off," Grace laughed. "I think they're cute."
"You guys are so embarrassing," Rhys groaned. Turning to me, he continued, "Grace was dropped on her head as a child."
Grace slapped him. "You're such an arsehole!"
I laughed, admonishing Rhys, "Don't be mean."
He shot me a look as Jen changed the subject. Our knees brushed slightly, and for some reason, I didn't move away. I liked the touch and the brush of denim. Honestly, I liked Rhys, even though we'd just met and I was nowhere near interested in anything. For now, I was just glad to have found a friend here. I couldn't wait to tell Britt about him. Of course, I knew she would probably say something ridiculous, like to suck his British dick the next time I saw him. Britt really had trouble grasping how to be appropriate.
I lost myself in conversation, talking to Grace and exchanging numbers. We made plans to go shopping later in the week. Jen and Andrew were dating and not at all against PDA, despite the amount of times Peter yelled at them to get a room. Peter was one of the loudest, most excitable people ever. He was exhausting, but hilarious at the same time. Luke and Rhys had known each other since they were toddlers and Luke was full of embarrassing stories about Rhys. I couldn't remember when the last time was that I'd laughed so much.
That was really the best part. With everything that Andy had done, I'd been living in this eternal grey overcast. It was nice to just smile and laugh and forget about Andy for a moment. Britt was great, but with her, I always found myself talking about Andy. With Rhys and his friends, it truly felt like a new start. I felt like I had a chance to be someone that I really wanted to be.
"Crap, I have to get home," I said, noticing it was almost five as I glanced at my phone. How had time flown by so much?
"Really? Damn," Rhys sighed, taking a final sip from his pint. "I'll walk you back to your flat."
"You don't have to do that." A blush hinted at my cheeks as Rhys stood.
"I want to." He smiled.
After a quick goodbye to his friends, we exited the pub. The sun was still bright, due to it being summer, as we walked down the grimy city sidewalk. In certain ways, London was similar to Los Angeles. The streets were crowded and activity buzzed in all directions. However, the differences far outweighed them.
"I had fun today," Rhys admitted as we stopped in front of my apartment building. "I don't really do this kind of thing usually, but I'm glad I did."
"Yeah, me too," I stated, looking down at the cement shyly. I ran a hand through my hair, pushing my bangs back.
When I looked up, Rhys was smiling at me, his unique eyes alight. "Maybe we could do it again sometime?"
"That would be cool."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," I giggled.
"Put your number in my phone," he stated, handing me his slim black iPhone. "I'l text you."
I entered my new number in, then handed it back to him.
"I'll see you later then," Rhys said, slipping the phone back in his pocket.
"Definitely," I agreed. "Bye!"
I turned, walking through the doors into the building, feeling Rhys' eyes on my retreating figure. The elevator was already on the bottom floor so I stepped in quickly, already ten minutes late for dinner.
I felt torn. My heart was fluttering, feeling hopeful and girly and just... happy. Rhys was a really amazing person. But in the back of my mind, thoughts of Andy still hummed. It was too soon to imagine anything happening between Rhys and I. After all, I had just met him, despite the fact that I felt like I already knew him so well. He had a brilliant ability to pull me out of my head and make me enjoy the moment I was in. If I wasn't so tangled in Andy's memory, I knew I would have no hesitance in crushing on him.
My phone buzzed and I pulled it out of my pocket. There was a text from an unfamiliar number. I opened it and grinned.
"Is it to soon to txt u?" ... "Oh its Rhys btw"
I laughed, feeling whole for the first time in a while.
I don't know what this chapter was but oh man, I love Rhys. He's played by Dominic Sherwood who is just um wow ya Andy has major competition. [ pic of him on the side -- he's really too cute for words ] I've dated a guy from the UK and watched way too many One Direction interviews but I've never actually been to England so I hope my slang and descriptions weren't too off. (Rhys is pronounced like Reese, btdubs)
Do you guys like Rhys? Or are you still Team Andy? 10 comments.