AN: We really hope you guys are enjoying it so far, and we hope you continue loving it! :D Here's chapter 2! Please tell us what you guys think! Enjoy...
Ella slowly opened the hotel door, praying it not squeak. She stepped outside into the carpeted hall. Caroline tip-toed closely behind her. Instead of taking the elevator which would just cause too much noise, they pushed open the big metal door that led to the stairwell. Each step was a chance they might get caught; slipping down into a sea of risks. They couldn't stop now. They'd come too far. The boys were so close, but felt so far away.
Caroline and Ella finally reached the lobby. They definitely looked like students so weren't surprised when the hotel clerks looked at them curiously. They all knew that two young girls in the lobby at this time of night was a little suspicious. None of them had any right to say anything, so no one did. Ignoring their stares, Ella and Caroline continued until they reached the door and exited. There, they waited for the traffic to clear before they crossed.
"Hi," Jack said to Caroline, then to Ella.
"Hi," Finn mimicked, looking at Ella.
"Hi," Ella and Caroline replied in unison.
"Ready?" Finn asked.
"Yes. Where are we going first?" Caroline asked.
"Well, there are a few stops on our list. But we were thinking we'd take you for tea?" Jack answered.
"Sounds great, it's pretty chilly," Caroline said, flashing a smile in Finn's direction.
"British tea," Ella chimed. Finn chuckled then relaxed into a smile that soon faded.
They marched down a long, narrow street. They stepped into the warm and cozy tea shop. The black board above the counter was full of colourful hand-written, chalk messages. Different types of tea filled the centre of the board. Finn walked to the cash register, placed his order and handed the girl a bill or two. She then filled his right hand with silver coins that jingled in his palm. He walked back towards the group, two mugs of tea in his hands. Caroline stared at him.
"I'll go grab mine and yours," she said to Jack who was looking at her.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't know you wanted some," Finn said dryly.
"It's fine," she replied. She started to walk away, back to the counter, when Jack tugged on her hand. "Don't worry about it. I'll grab them," he smiled. Their hands lingered and remained entwined for a few short moments. Caroline blushed.
"Your hair looks different," Finn said to Ella.
"Oh, Caroline straightened it."
"It looks great," he said back.
"Thanks," Ella replied.
"How's your tea?" Finn asked.
"It's great. How about yours?"
"It's great, too." Finn smiled cheekily as he took another sip of his hot tea. Ella lifted the mug to her mouth, the flavour of berries and intimacy racing down her throat. Ella was comfortable here, more comfortable than she'd been with anyone but Caroline in a long time.
"So where do you live?" Ella asked, curiously.
"I share a flat with my brother. It's in town."
"Are we close to it?"
"Relatively. Why? You want to go?"
"Oh, no. I was just wondering." Finn smiled at Ella as she giggled quietly. Jack and Caroline returned to the table. As Caroline was about to pull out her chair, Jack slipped his hand behind her and pulled it out for her. "Thank you," she said sweetly.
"No problem," he replied. Finn nudged Ella's foot under the table; she nudged back. Ella's cheeks flushed red like a tomato when Finn asked her to join him outside for some fresh air.
"Do you like it here?" Finn asked.
"Well, from the five hours I've been here, yes, I do," Ella answered
"That's good," he said. "So do you play any instruments?"
"What kind of question is that?"
"It's just a question," Finn said. "I'm trying to get to know you," he added.
"You want to get to know me?" Ella asked confused.
"Yeah," Finn replied cheekily. Ella smiled shyly.
"I play the violin. What about you?"
"I play the drums. How long have you been playing?"
"Since I was twelve. My aunt plays so when I was younger, she taught me some of the basics. Are you in a band or something?"
"Cool. Yeah. My friends and I started this group in high school," Finn said.
"Does said group have a name?" Ella asked, genuinely curious.
"We're called Strike 13."
"That's so neat. Do you play gigs and stuff?"
"Yeah, when we get the chance." Finn smiled at Ella. "You should come to our show this weekend."
"Me?" She said in surprise.
"Yes, you. Do you want to come?"
"Yeah, I'd love to. That would be really cool."
"Yeah, it would. Do you think you could do me a favour?" Finn smirked.
"Depends on what it is," Ella teased.
"Let me kiss you," Finn said. Ella stared at him in shock.
"Kiss me? Right here? Right now? We just met, like three hours ago," Ella said. Still shocked and confused.
"I know, but I'm really into you. And I might not get to see you again soon. You're on a school trip, I'm sure your teacher has lots planned for you." Ella just stared at him eyes wide, mouth open. She thought for a minute. Then before she knew it, she was face to face with Finn. His eyes looking into hers. He pressed his lips against hers as he placed his hand on her hip and pulled her close. His other hand slid down her back as she squirmed pleasantly in his tight grasp on her small, fragile body. She stroked his cheek before pulling away slowly.
"That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, delighted.
"No. Not at all," Ella said quietly, lying through her straight, white teeth. She felt as though she had to hold onto Finn for Caroline's sake. If she didn't keep him interested he would leave and Caroline's chance at a romance with Jack would be over for good. Little did she know that that was far from what Caroline wanted.
Ella and Finn rejoined Jack and Caroline at the table in the back corner of the tea shop. Ella tried to forget about what had happened but it was imprinted in her mind for good and kept playing over and over again like a broken record.
Caroline sat directly across from Jack, her fingers curled around her porcelain mug. "Why did the cow cross the road?" Jack asked, excited to see her reaction.
"You're not seriously telling me a joke, are you?" She laughed.
"What's wrong with that?" He asked, slightly offended but still kept the mood light.
"There's nothing wrong with it," she paused. "I think it's cute," she continued. Jack smiled at her, looking directly into her eyes.
"I don't know, why did he cross the road?" She played along, hoping to catch Finn's attention somehow.
"To get to the udder side," he said, slapping the table laughing.
"That's so bad," Caroline winced, but laughed anyways. Jack tipped his cup back, taking in the last sip of his tea. Caroline placed her now-empty cup on the table, started to stand up, but before she reached Jack's level, he'd already grabbed her mug and started towards the counter to return them. Caroline met him as he turned to walk away from the young girl at the cash register.
"So where are we going next?" Caroline asked eagerly. Finn peaked over at Ella, on Caroline's left. She was looking down at the floor, never glancing up to meet his gaze.
When they reached the cool air outside, Finn said, "Ella and I are going to take a detour. We'll meet you guys at the London Eye in about forty five minutes." This was news to Ella, but considering her duty to keep him happy for Caroline, she obliged.
"Oh, okay," Caroline mumbled. Ella caught a hint of disappointment in her voice but decided it was nothing.
"We'll see you later then," Jack added. With that, Finn took Ella down a road with nearly no light at all and disappeared completely when they turned onto another.
"So how long are you here for?" Jack asked Caroline.
"Three weeks," Caroline said happily.
"Longer than I thought," Jack replied.
"Is that a bad thing?" Caroline asked.
"No, no. It's not a bad thing at all," Jack smiled.
"Okay," Caroline replied.
"It's so weird," Jack said.
"What is?"
"Well, I mean, I feel weird, sneaking you out of your hotel because you're on a school trip."
"I know. Sorry about that. I know I'm not as old as you probably want me to be."
"No, it's not a problem. It's just weird. And I don't care how old you are, it doesn't mean I'd like you any less." Jack winked at Caroline but she looked away, ignoring his attempt at flirting. They walked for nearly thirty seconds before Caroline said, "I'm not sure why, but I'm not tired at all. I mean, we were on that flight for God knows how long and it's almost midnight but I don't want to go to sleep."
"Did you sleep on the plane?" Jack asked.
"A little, but not that much."
"Hmmm... maybe it was the tea," Jack suggested.
"Maybe."
"So what are you doing after high school?"
"I'm majoring in English Literature at University of Manchester, actually."
"Really? That's not too far from here," Jack grinned.
"I know," Caroline smiled back at him, thinking of how close she'd soon be to Finn. Jack reached his hand across the little space that remained between them and touched her fingertips. She flinched and moved her hand away at first but then she thought of how close Jack could bring her to Finn. His fingers wrapped around hers, his large hand protecting her smaller, more delicate one from the cold, harsh wind. She didn't pull away or flinch this time; she only squeezed his hand tighter, excitement warming her cold hands.
They walked until they reached a small boutique on the corner of a cobble-stone road. Jack opened the door for her like he'd done earlier, having to let go of her hand. Caroline unzipped her coat because of the strong wave of heat that flew over her as she entered. Jack did the same thing, only less elegantly. Caroline walked over to the wall of woolen hats the middle-aged store owner had so carefully set up on display. She stroked a deep purple wool tuque. Then she ran her fingers over the entire length of the wall. Jack watched as she admired the time and attention that had gone into each and every one of the beautiful accessories. Caroline returned her focus to the purple hat, turning to Jack. "Isn't it beautiful?" She said. Jack smiled at her.
"Do you have a washroom?" Caroline asked the woman.
"Straight down that hallway, to your right," she said, pointing to the back of the store.
"Thank you," Caroline said.
When Jack was sure Caroline had gone, he walked over to the purple hat, picked it up in his hands and said to the lady, "I'll take this one, please." She smiled at him. "Sure," she said.
When Caroline returned, she looked at Jack and asked, "Is there anything you want to look at?"
"No, I'm okay," he smiled. Caroline smiled kindly at the owner one last time before stepping back out into the cold, dark night.
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out the hat. He handed it to Caroline, grinning. "Jack, you didn't have to do that," she said, guiltily.
"I wanted to."
"Thank you," she replied with a big smile. "Will you put it on me?" She asked.
"Yeah," he answered. He took the hat from her hands gently and placed the hat on her head with one swift motion. He fixed her hair around her shoulders before stroking her soft, pale cheek. She gazed into his eyes, he gazed into hers. Caroline took Jack's hand again as they continued down the street.
...
Ella and Finn reached a tall, slim building in between two shorter ones. A coffee shop a little farther down the street and a bank on the corner. Finn walked to the door and pulled out a bundle of keys. He searched for the right one until he found it. He pushed it into the lock on the beaten, red door, he turned it to the left and the door swung open on its loose hinges.
"Where are we?" Ella asked.
"This is my flat," Finn answered. Ella wondered what they were doing here but stopped herself from asking when she realized that Finn wanted to bring her here.
They stepped inside, Finn leading the way. Ella followed Finn up three flights of stairs until they'd reached the floor they were looking for. Finn stepped forward to unlock the apartment door. He proceeded inside, Ella close behind him. She looked around the small living room that led into the kitchen about half the size. Family photos, she guessed, lined the walls. A small, old TV sat on the floor next to a fern. A couch that had clearly been loved but very used was pushed up against the far wall of the room.
Finn walked over to Ella from behind and put his hand on her shoulder. She'd taken her coat off already and was revealing her black tank top. He moved the strap off of her shoulder, lightly farther down her arm. He caressed her cheek and pulled her lips closer to his. Finn's soft lips touched Ella's slowly. She didn't stop him, yet. He slid her bra strap down after kissing her lips again. She moved towards him, her body pressed against him. She kissed him back, not knowing what she was getting herself into. All of this had happened within minutes, not a single word spoken. From her hips, Finn took the helm of her shirt in his hands and started to pull upwards, uncovering her small waist, his lips still locked with hers. She stopped him as she pulled away from his chest. "It's really late. I should go," she said nervously.
"But we were just getting started," Finn gasped. He kissed her again but she pushed him away.
"I don't think this was a good idea. You're a jerk and you never wanted to get to know me, all you wanted was to get me into your bed. And it might have worked if I was anyone else, but I'm not, so good luck with the next girl," she spat.
"That's not was I was trying to do. I think you're beautiful and smart and funny."
"Well don't you think I would have rather been asked on a date where we could talk and get to know each other?"
"Sorry, I didn't think of that."
"No, you're not much of a thinker, are you?" Ella pulled her shirt back down and removed Finn's hands from her hips. She quickly put her coat on and rushed out the door.