It had been a long day. I was feeling down and didn't know what to do with myself. Moving to the other side of the world probably isn't the smartest plan when you're a depressed individual, especially if you don't know anyone in the area. I had just gotten the phone call that crushed the little bit of hope I had left in me…he left. He left me. Now all I had was this broken heart, now in a million pieces, needing some mending. We had been together for 7 years, Jay and I. We were planning on getting married, I was sure he'd be popping the question soon…guess I was wrong. I was really wrong.
I needed to get out. I checked myself in the mirror of my flat before grabbing my purse and leaving. My eyes were swollen from the many tears I had cried. I needed the pain gone, and fast. One nice thing about being in London is that a pub is always right around the corner. I walked aimlessly to find a pub close enough, yet far enough away. I settled on a little dive bar three blocks away from where I was living. I sat down at the end of the bar, in a corner, hoping to hide myself from human contact. The only man I wanted to talk to me was the bartender. This plan was all working out, until a group of guys, in their 20's walked in. They were so loud; it was hard not to notice. I looked over at them and rolled my eyes. Please don't try to talk to me.
I was able to keep my silence for 20 minutes after they arrived. Then one of them began to approach me. He seemed much quieter than the rest. He was probably about 5'10". He was a bit chubby, like a teddy bear. His hair was bright orange, he was sporting a matching beard. His eyes were a piercing blue, prettier than any other I had ever seen. He had a birth mark by his eye and eyebrows that were see-through. He looked at me with a slight, awkward smile, and nodded his head in my direction. He then took an empty seat beside me. "Trying to hide?" He asked quietly. "Yes," I replied, sipping my drink. "Me too. I'm not much for the crowds. My mates always drag me out," He explained. I then realized he wasn't coming over to hit on me. He wanted to escape, just as I did.
After about an hour, I was almost too drunk to walk home, so I decided it was time to turn in for the night. The alcohol had given be courage so I looked up, "Hey, nice sitting in silence with ya. Hope you don't have to endure the pain much longer." I smiled a slight smile, as he looked up, returning the same smile. "Yeah, it was nice. Hope to see ya around." I smiled, then turned and exited. I walked home in the same silence I sat in the pub with, except now it seemed empty.
The next morning, the pain still wasn't gone. I figured it was time for some retail therapy. I went around to some shops that were surrounding my flat. My last stop before the liquor store was a record store. I went in and started browsing. I felt a presence to my left. I glanced over to see the man from last night looking at records next to me. I smiled, "Hey." He looked up, confused, "Oh! Hey." He smiled. His teeth were perfect. He had a beautiful smile. He was now wearing glasses. Man, he was so cute. "You're from the pub last night, right?" I asked, already knowing the answer. He rubbed his neck nervously, "I am. My name's Ed." His voice was soft. He had a british accent that was like music to my ears…for a second I wasn't thinking about Jay. "I'm Kelsey," I replied. "Nice to formally meet you," he said with a quiet chuckle. "You too," I replied.
We went back to looking at records. When it was time to check out, we were standing in line next to each other. "That's a wicked record!" He said, talking about the Eminem album I had. "Right? It's my favorite. I lost my copy on my move here from America, so I had to pick up a new one," I explained. He smiled, "You live in London?" I nodded, "Yep, I just moved here about 3 weeks ago." "Nice, nice. Do you have family here or something?" He asked, trying to learn more. "I don't actually. I just have always loved it here. I don't have any friends or family around here…just me." He smiled, "we should hang out some time, listen to some records or sit in silence drinking some alcohol. I mean, whichever." I laughed, "I'm actually about to go pick up a bottle then sit in my flat and listen to records and drink by myself if you want to join." His face brighten, "I'd love to."
We walked back to my place and put on a record. We began to drink and talk. I may have just met him, but I felt like I had known him my whole life. "So, why so alone?" He asked. I frowned, "I need to find myself, I guess. I just got broken up with after 7 years, I've never had many friends, and I need to be independent. I guess that's it. I'm just trying to find me." He nodded, "Yeah, I totally get it. I'm kind of in the same stage." We sat there in silence for a while. I started to feel myself becoming drunk. "I'm not sure how much longer I'll be coherent, Teddy," I told him. "Teddy?" he said with a laugh. "Yeah, because you are a big teddy bear," I explained. He smiled.
