Hello you guys! Here is chapter 2! I've had SO much fun writing this fanfic because I love England! Don't worry, the story isn't even nearly over yet! Please leave a review and thank you for reading!

Ch.2

Before I even see the Daisy, I can hear it. The manager probably doesn't care about the weather by the way the restaurant is blaring that new American singer, Elvis Presley, over its jukebox. The warm light that pours out from the windows is a welcoming sight to me. The Daisy has been Vi and my favorite restaurant ever since we came here to do our homework together at least a decade ago. I even once had a part time job here as a waitress during my last two years of high school. When I open the door, the old bell jingles and Mira yells a hello to me over the usual roar of conversation. The big clock above the register reads 11:30 am, a half-hour before we were supposed to be here. Sighing, I find my favorite table to be surprisingly free. It's a cozy booth tucked away in the corner, close to the kitchen door that exerts delicious scents of cooking food. I order a caramel latte while I wait, making small talk with Mira.

Mirajane was my friend and co-waitress when I worked here but we didn't go to school together. We're still friends, but there's too little time in the day for us to hang out because she has two siblings to care for. I try and stop by at least once a week to say hello and treat her to a cheesecake, her favorite. To be honest, I bet that at least a fourth of the customers come here just to talk to her. I tease Mira about this fact constantly. Once she leaves to go serve and wait on other customers, I find my eyes wandering outside to the window. Cars of different models drive by in a variety of colors from reds to blues to blacks. You can't see the faces of the pedestrians as they walk by due to their umbrellas. It must be raining again. Well, at least my feet won't be soaked this time around, but my hair will have to pay the price. My hands finger-comb through my long chocolate locks as I wait. By now it's 11:50. Vi was one who was usually early so she should be arriving in a couple of minutes.

Just as Mira hands me my warm coffee cup, the doorbell chimes and Mira shouts a hello to Vi. She practically runs towards the booth with her hair awry and her cheeks bright pink from running. She quickly ordered a green tea and raspberry scones before turning to me with an expectant look on her face. I just stared at her for a minute in surprise.

"Is something wrong Vi? You hardly ever rush anywhere" I ask, sipping my coffee.

"Oh, Ace was just being a bother."

"What happened?"

"He was bugging me about what to cook for the Valentine's Day party, listing off at least 15 different items like quiche and steak and the like"

"Ace does have an impressive appetite"

"I know, so I was arguing with him about it until we decided on 10 dishes. That's about when I looked up at the clock and realized it was 11:30 and I was wearing sleep clothes."

"No wonder you rushed over here"

'Yes, sorry for making you wait"

"It's alright, I got a chance to catch up with Mira"

"That's good. Will you be coming to the party?"

"Yeah"

"Don't worry, I'll be sure to spend most of my time with you"

I looked up in surprise.

"Did I look like I was thinking that"

"No, but your tone when you said yeah was kind of obvious"

"Oh, well thanks"

"Anything for you Ari!"

"Oh, I want to tell you about my rose excursion!"

"You did sound quite excited over the phone!"

I told Vi every little detail, from the colors of the roses to the stepping on of the garden hoe. She laughed at that one but a glare from me silenced her to a giggle. I tried to describe the scent of the blooms to her, but it was difficult to find the right adjectives. Delicious and sweet just didn't cut it. I told her to imagine the most expensive perfume and then throw Mother Nature at it, and then you get the smell of those blooms.

As I told her about the garden, I began to feel a little uneasy. I felt like I didn't want to tell anyone about this place and keep it all to myself, but I knew that that wasn't fair. If Vi wanted to see this place, she should see it. She suddenly reaches into her purse and pulls out a $20 bill and holds it out to me, the diamond ring on her left hand glittering under the café lights. I'm confused.

"What's the twenty for?" I ask, her hand outstretched towards me.

"Buy a bouquet of orange roses from that garden will you?" She said with a smile.

"Wouldn't you rather go there yourself?"

"If I went there, it would attract attention and that garden would lose its magic, wouldn't it? I'll trust in you that you know what you're doing"

She gave me an understanding smile, like she knew what I was thinking for just a second. I gave her a grateful smile, taking the bill and putting it into my coat pocket. Maybe she felt the same way I did before.

"I know how you feel Ari"

"What?"

"I was like that when I first met Ace. I wanted to keep him away from the prying eyes of other girls and be the only one he saw. Luckily, I discovered my selfish mistake before nothing bad happened." She said with a sigh, " I couldn't be selfish around him for very long anyway"

I look up at Vi and something kind of hits me. Not literally like an object, but more like a realization. She's so mature. I mean, Vi was mature before, but she had her stupid moments as well and plenty of them at that, no lie. Now, she seems a little different. In a good way. Maybe that's what love does to people. My mother has her dotty moments too, but I wonder what she was like when she was younger. I guess this is what they call maturity.

Over our drinks and food, we talk about a wide variety of topics. Vi's upcoming wedding is a major conversation topic to be honest. I ma not be a girly girl or anything, but I'll pay attention and give comments if it's my best friend. She says that they plan to have the wedding sometime around September and the location hasn't been decided yet. We promised each other when we were kids that on one another's wedding day the other would be the maid of honor, so I already know my role. I even offered to go wedding dress shopping with her in the summer. We also talked about the upcoming party and planned gifts to give to our friends on the fourteenth. I obviously was going to gift roses this year, but Vi is the one you call when you need someone to go overboard. Last year, she gave everyone a basket personalized with their favorite baked goods, a homemade and hand written card, and red and white tissue paper to nestle the gifts into. For me she baked cookies, chocolate chip flavored. I'm simple like that. I smiled really big that day when she dropped by my home in person to give it to me.

"Oh my gosh, look at the time!"

"I can't believe that its 5 pm already!"

"Ace will be complaining for dinner by the time I get home"

"You're not overworking yourself are you Vi? If Ace is being lame I'll kick him to the curb for you"

She smiled and patted my arm, looking into my eyes to tell me that she was being honest.

"When you're in love, it's okay to make a couple sacrifices. It's actually even necessary"

"Does he make any sacrifices?"

"Oh yes. Don't even remind him about how many times I have to ask him to go to the grocery store or how many times he has to drop me off at the train station"

We laugh, remembering those times. I can see a dash of worry in her eyes at the thought of traveling. Right now, the Vietnam War is waging and Vi's been trying to get her family out of there for the past three years with no luck. I pat her arm supportively, completely understanding. She thanks me before leaving, paying the tab herself with a smile. I suddenly remember my mother's request for a pumpkin crumpet and ask Mira for one before leaving. Now I remember that it started to rain again and begin to worry just a little bit. Will the crumpet get wet? I have to wait for the bus to arrive too. I thank Mira when she arrives with the pastry, reminding her about the party on the night before Valentine's Day.

"Doesn't Vi usually have the party on the day of?"

"This year Ace is demanding her to spend the day with him being all lovey-dovey"

"Isn't he charming?"

"Love your sarcasm Mira"

"I've been practicing"

I wave goodbye to her and head out into the unfortunate cold. The rain is at a drizzle, but this could change at any moment. I hurry to the bus stop, hoping it would arrive soon before the gods decide that I would like an outdoor shower. I stand at the stop, waiting for the bus while I tap my foot out of nervous energy. I can feel the rain coming down harder to my dismay. Regretting not bringing that umbrella by now. I glance up and down the street, looking for the bright yellow headlights. None in sight.

As I'm standing there worrying, I notice loud footsteps of large boots that stamp on the ground, sending little water droplets flying about. I turn around and my eyes meet with blue ones. The eyes aren't important, but I notice a scent. It's those roses again. By now, I doubt myself. It seems like I smell the roses every where, from the bus to the streets. But there's even more to this person. This tall, heavy built, blonde man is wearing a large black fur coat that looks eerily familiar. It looks just like the hooded figures in the garden. I look up at the man's face and his eyes are wide. In recognition maybe? I didn't want to weird him out if he wasn't the same as the hooded figure from the garden, so I looked away, shivering a bit under the rain.

Finally, the bus pulls up to the stop. I couldn't have run faster to the entrance, handing the driver my 3 pounds and finding the front most seat. The bus is warm which is lucky for my shivering self. I lift my soaking hair up to my eyes, sighing. At least my coat isn't too wet. Now I'm scared that I'll catch a cold at this rate. As the other passengers board, I try not to stare at the black coated man. The scent wafts by even stronger when he passes my seat. The bus starts once everyone is seated and everything falls into the usual London thrum. The humming from the engine blends with pattering rain and murmured chatter to create a common melody of this old town. I personally love the melody. It feels homey. Too soon, the bus arrives at my stop and I have to leave. I cringe at the thought of going back out into the rain, but it's inevitable.

I file out, flinching as the droplets drop down on my head. I wish I had the courage to just run home, but I fear tripping and landing in the mud headfirst. As I'm making my way back to my home, a hand suddenly grabs my shoulder hard. A shock of fear pours down my spine as my mind immediately thinks mugger. I lash my bag out, aiming for the bandit's head. When I turn around, I realize my mistake. The bag makes contact with the man's face and I'm guilty. It wasn't a mugger, but the black coated man with an annoyed look on his face. Oh no.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were some kind of mugger!" I cry, reaching for a handkerchief in my bag to pat his throbbing cheek.

"It's alright, sorry for grabbing you so suddenly" he mumbles in a deep gruff of a voice.

"Did you need something?"

His face automatically turns a bright red from ear to ear as he struggles to find words to say. I hold back a giggle so to not embarrass him any further. Suddenly, he thrusts an umbrella towards me with his head down.

"Y-you'll get a cold if you get any m-ore wet!" He yells before rushing back to the bus.

I'm so surprised that I'm speechless for a couple precious seconds before remembering to thank him. I look up, but he's already on the bus. As the bus drives past me, I search wildly for his face and his blue eyes to make contact with mine to say thank you. I find his body near the back of the bus, but he's looking away, his ears still red. I'm disheartened. I really wanted to say thank you for the umbrella and for noticing my dilemma. I had to meet him again to properly express my gratitude. I hate owing and not properly doing things, so this would be annoying me for the rest of the day.

I lift the red umbrella up above my head and catch a whiff the roses on the handle and in between the spokes. I'll take this with me when I come back to the garden tomorrow. Let's see if this man is the same man that was in the rose garden. I walk home with a little extra skip. What an exciting day today. January 31, 1960. I'll have to mark this down somewhere as a special day. Key terms to include in my notes would be rose and daisy and umbrella. Once I arrive at my doorstep, I hesitate before opening the door. Will my parents question the umbrella? Just in case they do, I'll tell them that Vi let me borrow it. The moment I step inside, I notice an extra pair of shoes by the door. My father must be home! I look into the kitchen to see my father with a mug in his hands, chatting with my mother. I say hello and give them a hug before climbing the mahogany stairs to my room. I hurry to change clothes before I really do catch a cold, pulling on warm, dry, and comfy sweats that are fresh from the dryer.

A piece of crisp paper is soon filled with detailed notes of today's events. I remember to dedicate a couple bullets to the snack I had at the Daisy and at least half a page to describing the mysterious rose garden. To be honest, I don't think that I've looked forward to a day so much as I have right now.

Ooh I loved this chapter! Where I live it's been raining quite a lot so I've had lot's of inspiration! Please leave a review and thank you again for reading! -Mrs. Portgas D. Ace