A/N: Hello everyone, I know it has been far too long since I posted anything so the fact that I'm starting a new story right now may be a bit odd. Life is crazy and busy and I wish I had more time on my hands because I have been dying to post this for a while. Anyways, this is my first modern AU and I'm super excited to try my hand at another story. Thank you to everyone who reads and I hope you all enjoy the first look of this story!

September

"C'mon Crawley, care to have a little fun for once?"

"It's hard to have fun when you constantly get dragged off to these things. Might I add, against my own will"

"We do it for you mate, lighten up!" Lighten up. That's what they all said, though he couldn't really understand the fun of going to these parties. Robert was constantly getting forced out of his study by his friends, even though he knew he had better things to do. And to be honest, he wasn't a big fan of these types of parties anyways. As much as he hated to admit it, he believed that his mother's painful dinner parties were better than this. He really couldn't understand the appeal of overcrowding a stranger's house with a ton of rowdy young adults who chose to get drunk off their arses. And all the drama that came with it, the breakups, the hookups, were all so pointless. The smell of alcohol and god knows what else reeked, and Robert couldn't stand the putrid mixture. After enough of these parties, he'd just learned to discretely plug his nose.

However, to avoid further antagonizing from his friends he just chose to follow them inside. He supposed he could find a nice corner somewhere to hide out. His cousin, James, was usually in the center of attention at these things and always tried to pair Robert up with some strange girl. So the main objective of the night was to avoid him and his horrible matchmaking skills. As the group of young students stepped inside, with Robert in tow, the musky smell of sweat and alcohol filled the air. The lights were dim and the music was blaring which honestly was already starting to give Robert a headache. John, his one sympathetic friend turned around and gave him a small pat on the back before leaving as sort of some silent encouragement.

And so, Robert went to find a secluded alcove in the overcrowded house, hoping to not be disturbed. He felt that at 20 years old he was far too mature sometimes, but at the same time he sometimes felt that his peers were a bit too immature. He realized that this is an age where on is supposed to have fun, but it was very hard to have fun when you are the heir to your father's real-estate enterprise. It didn't help that while pursuing his business degree, his parents were practically breathing down his neck. They somehow felt the need to remind him that he would have to run it by himself one day, which made him feel cornered. Unlike the others, he was forced to grow up. There is a point where one just accepts that, he supposed.

"Hey, Robert!" shouted James. The loud and slurred words that escaped his cousin's mouth quickly snapped him out of his reverie.

"I'm standing right next to you James, you don't have to shout," Robert explained to his obviously drunk cousin. He even felt the need to put an hand on Robert's shoulder to steady himself.

"I'm only here to talk to you about a girl-"

"James please-"

"A very special girl. She's new here, just came all the way from the wild land of the United States," James slurred. However, before Robert could stop him, h continued. "She's here tonight, super, super hot. I mean, I think I've seen every guy here try to seduce here, it's a shame none of them are any good. But you, dear cousin, should try your hand at the foreign fruit, maybe she'll like you."

"You know, you're being awfully disrespectful. Can't she just have a good time without being bothered by a bunch of drunk twenty year olds?"

"Ahh, but you haven't seen her yet. And apparently she's filthy rich. I think her name is Cora Levinson, daughter of Isidore Levinson. You should really go-"

"James, just stop talking. If you were sober, you wouldn't be talking like this," Robert snarled. Yes, maybe everyone at this party was too immature for him. It was probably just best to go home and study, or find a movie to watch if he was feeling unproductive. He quickly let John know that he was going home, just so that his friends knew to call a cab. Oh, Robert couldn't get out of that party fast enough, he twisted his way through the crowds of people until at long last he reached the front door. Upon exiting the house, he took a deep breath of fresh air, no longer feeling overwhelmed at the setting. He took a moment to relax, standing on the empty front porch; at least, he thought no one else was there. He only noticed the girl leaning against a pillar he bumped into her while hurriedly making his way towards the steps.

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," he mumbled as her turned around to face her. She was stunning, his gaze instantly locked on the sapphire hue of her eyes and the faint smile forming at the corners of her mouth. She had these long locks of loosely curled, chocolate coloured hair framing her face. He couldn't look away, but he eventually forced himself to. He didn't want to be rude.

"Oh, don't worry about it, I want to get out of here just as much as you do," she mused with her exotic accent. This must be the American, Cora that James was rambling about.

"Let me guess, your friends forced you to come?" he questioned. His cousin wasn't wrong, she was stunning, but he felt bad for her. She was probably harassed the whole time, no wonder she was hiding on the porch.

The girl chuckled to herself. "How did you know? These parties aren't really my style, and I'm assuming you feel the same way." Her frankness caught him off guard, but he liked it. "My name's Cora," she continued. "Cora Levinson."

He reached out to shake her hand, and she gracefully accepted it. "Robert Crawley," he smiled. There was a moment between them where neither knew what to say before Robert suddenly spoke up. "Do you want to get out of here? My car is parked right down the street, and it might be nice to be social for a change." She thought for only a second before nodding her head and following him to his car. She seemed a little hesitant, and he felt so too, but it felt right. She climbed in after he did and closed the passenger side door after her while quickly glancing over at him. As he drove off, he only just realized how truly awkward this whole thing was. He barely knew her, and here she was sitting in his passenger seat. Tapping her long, elegant fingers on his dashboard to the beat of the song playing on the radio as he drove off. Oh god, where were they even going? Robert decided he'd just keep driving until either of them had an idea.

"So I'm assuming you're studying at UCL?"

"Yes, I'm doing a history major, much to my parents chagrin. I really enjoy rt history the most though, I've always seen myself maybe teaching it someday. However, I really have no idea what to do with myself once I'm done school. You?"

"I'm doing a business major at UCL, just as my parents want me to. Though, for good reason I suppose." She obviously understood what he meant, everyone knew who Robert was and why he was pursuing business. And he assumed the eldest child of Isidore Levinson would understand as well.

"My parents wanted me to, but I really didn't want to inherit my father's company, so my younger brother will take over in the future. I started my degree at New York University, but then thought that for third year I would switch things up by coming overseas."

"I'm sure your parents are strongly against it"

"You guessed right, Robert Crawley," she giggled. Oh, she was fascinating. She had this certain freedom about her, maybe it was because she was American. At least, that's what Robert's mother would say. But he truly found her fascinating. She seemed so foreign to him, yet he felt this strange connection to her. He could honestly listen to her talk all night long.

"So what about you Robert? What's your story?"

"Can't I just hear the rest of yours?"

"Nope, that's not how it works," she teased. He just wanted to hear about her, but he also wanted to avoid talking about his own family.

"Well, you already know who my parents are. Though all everyone really sees is just snippets of them, I suppose. I live a harder life than some people understand. There is this constant pressure of growing up and success looming over me, like a dark cloud, and I really just can't escape it. Sometimes, I just want to have fun but the problem is that my idea of fun is not the type of mess we saw twenty minutes ago."

"Well you're having fun now, right? So there you go," she laughed. And he couldn't help but laugh back.

Robert couldn't really tell just how long they'd been driving around London, but he couldn't care less. They'd laughed about silly things and further inquired about school, which he thought her story was once again more fascinating than his. The little clock on the dashboard didn't seem to cross Cora's mind either because she merrily kept talking with him. It was only when the two of them noticed it was 1:00 am that they brought themselves back to reality.

"Oh my god, look at the time," he gasped. He was rather embarrassed that he'd kept her out so late.

"Oh it's fine. May you please drive me home though? Of course if it's a problem-"

"No, it's not a problem, where do you live?"

"In a flat near the university, I'll direct you there," she smiled. Of course, if she just told him the address he could find his own way there, but he much preferred listening to her. The names of the London streets he'd gotten used to sounded new coming from her lips, the whole world sounded more vibrant. And god, he would give his cousin a rousing for ever disrespecting such an exquisite creature. Even though he was right, she's definitely beautiful. He's surprised that she hadn't mentioned a boyfriend, but that's not usually something one discloses right away. Once he'd finally pulled up outside of her place, the two both shot each other a quick smile. She energetically hopped out of his car and shut the door gracefully behind her. Robert went to escort her, but she just tilter her head. "You don't have to do that, I can handle myself," she lectured.

"I don't doubt that for a second." It wasn't that he didn't think she could escort herself, it's just that he really didn't want to leave. If there was any way to make this night last longer he would make it happen. While caught up in his own little revere, he almost didn't notice her turn around and shout at him.

"Hey, until next time, have a little fun, Crawley!" He liked the way she said it much better than the way his friends would nag him. But, he supposed she was going to be his newest friend if she wasn't already. He definitely wasn't going to let her go so easily. He deeply enjoyed her company, and he felt like she reciprocated the feeling. It was honestly a miracle that she hadn't hopped out of his car hours earlier and walked home. He was so nervous around her he'd forgotten himself, god, how awkward. And they really hadn't gone anywhere, just driven around in circles. However, it was still the best night he'd had in a long time. No, he couldn't let this be a one-time thing.

"Cora! I don't have your number!" He really hoped she'd heard him, he wasn't one to yell off into the night.

"Check your phone, silly," she called. And the next thing he knew, she disappeared behind closed doors. He stared into the empty space for a moment before reaching down and checking his phone. He was in such a rush to see if she'd put anything else under her contact he almost dropped his device and had a hell of a time unlocking it. When he opened his contacts, her name was the first one to pop up, complete with her name, number and address. Though what he found most amusing was the picture she'd set. Apparently she'd sneaked a photo of herself with him in the background at some point, and the whole concept of it made him laugh to himself. He decided that it wouldn't do him any good to sit alone in his car anymore; it wasn't nearly as much fun without her here. So, he just began to drive back home. HIs surroundings seemed to mimic his feelings; the late night was calm and empty. He felt almost empty, he knew it was silly because he'd only just met her but he missed her company. It was like she'd been his friend for years, or like she was that one piece of the puzzle that clicked and made it complete. Robert couldn't help but feel like a stupid child about all this, but he couldn't help it. He knew his mother would never approve of his friendship with an American, she was rather old fashioned. But, he didn't exactly care if she would think so. "Is this what it feels like to be young?", he thought. He liked it, it was like surfacing from the water and taking a breath of fresh air.

"Robert, Robert are you even listening to me?"

"I'm sorry Rosamund, I was distracted," he mumbled as he rubbed his eyes once again.

"Clearly, you look exhausted and lost, brother. Did James give you too much to drink last night?" Oh, his sister could be so frustrating sometimes. Of course, the one morning she decided to meet him for coffee was this morning.

"Rosamund-"

"Oh, but I already know that wasn't the case. James told me you left before you had any, but he also saw you leaving with a girl," she teased, waggling her eyebrows at him.

"Rosamund, if you think anything happened between us, we just talked all night, that's all," he sighed. He wasn't exactly in the mood to be questioned about his life by his sister. She probably knew all of the details somehow and she just wanted to torture him with her questions.

"Oh, I wouldn't suspect anything happened Robert, you've been out of the scene too long I'd think you'd forgotten how to speak to a girl. Especially Cora Levinson, I'm surprised she stayed. She's quite pretty, I looked her up," she quipped. Rosamund had always been nosy, she really just loves gossip. He doesn't always know how she knows so much about people, he's just always assumed that her friends were some sorts of spies, or that she had hidden cameras anywhere.

"Please don't talk about her like that, we are barely friends at this point. And she's very nice, she hates how everyone just judges her by her looks." Cora had disclosed this information last night, well, she more just mumbled it to herself. However, he understood, he'd experienced it with some girls wanting to date him for his family's money.

"Brother, contrary to popular belief, I care. I know Mama and Papa give you a hard time and I'd just like for you to find someone to loosen you up. A young American girl could be good for you, but at this point I think anyone would work. You haven't been interested in a girl since you started going to UCL, I' just glad to see you have a friend who's not dragging you out to parties all the time," she explained. As much as he didn't want to admit it, she sounded like she truly cared and even worse, she was right.

"Let's change the subject Ros. How are things going with Duke?"

"Oh, excellent actually. I mean, I know we only just moved in with each other but I think it will work out perfectly. And of course, he is still wonderful as always." Rosamund and Duke met about two years ago and had recently decided to move in together. Mama was furious, claiming that it was improper to live together before marriage, or even engagement. Typical Rosamund hadn't listened to Mama though and had gone ahead with it anyways. Papa was simply happy that she'd finally found some sort of direction in her life. Ros had always been a bit flighty when she was younger, once again driving Mama mad. As much as his older sister would annoy him, he almost wished he could stand up to Mama like she could.

"I'm sorry Robert, but I'm finding it impossible to not think about your late night escapade with your new friend," she giggled. Of course, she always wanted more gossip than it was proper.

"You know what Ros, I'm just going to go. I have work to do anyways, but it was nice to talk to you."

"Oh please you're just saying that to be nice. I'm serious, little brother, I will find out more details," she teased.

"You can try. And please don't tell Mama about all of this," he pleaded. He didn't know what he would do if his mother found out.

"Oh please, lying to Mama is my specialty." With that, he briskly exited the cafe before strolling off. He sort of walked aimlessly around the block, not wanting to do any of the work that he really should be doing. He could think of plenty of other ways he could be spending his time. The main one being Cora. However, he'd only said goodnight to her less than twelve hours ago and it would probably be very awkward if he called her right now. They already got off to a weird start anyways, better just to leave it for another time. Though it was really hard judging how long he'd be willing to wait before putting the contact info she entered to good use.

I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter, I do plan on updating soon but I cannot make any promises. My life is very busy and I find myself with less and less time so please be patient with me. I just want to remind everyone that this is AU, so not everything is going to be as expected, haha. Thank you so much for reading. Anything that you my recognize from Downton Abbey does not belong to me.