Author's note: Oomph… Well… I just realized my mistake back in chapter one. I forgot to have our heroine Renee change into some dry clothes. Well, let us see if I can work it into this chapter. Bear with me now.
"She told me that she never could face the world again
So I offered up a plan
We'll sneak out while they sleep
And sail off in the night.
We'll come clean and start over the rest of our lives."
– Satellite by Rise Against
Chapter 3
"Howdy there", the blond extended his hand.
It took a moment for Renee to fully grasp the fact that there was an American standing at her door, attempting to shake her hand. Also that the said American sounded strangely like a Texan, bring back memories. She smiled awkwardly and extended her hand out and grabbed his. "Hello", she said awkwardly, hoping her accent wasn't too noticeable. His smile widened and shook her hand enthusiastically.
"You're American! Dude, that's totally awesome!" the blond seemed to be oblivious of the rain pouring down on him. "Oh I'm Alfred by the way. Alfred Jones", Alfred smiled apologetically at her.
"You're not lost are you?" Renee was a little confused on why there was an American on her doorstep and not an Englishman…or a pizza delivery guy. "If you're lost, I suggest asking another house for directions. I just got here today", Renee stood awkwardly behind her door in an attempt to not get hit by the rain. Then again it wouldn't make much difference since she had been so concerned with food earlier, she forgot to change clothes.
"Dude, don't worry. I'm from next door. I saw that ya moved in today and thought that you deserved some Southern hospitality. My cous and I want to invite you over to welcome you", Alfred smiled. She looked skeptically at him and then the rain, before remembering he was still standing in the down pour.
"Shoot, I should have invited you in out of the rain already. Please come in Alfred", her accent slowly seeped out. He nodded and stepped in, creating a puddle of water on the floor. She hoped that she had ordered towels. She closed the door hastily behind him and looked at him questionably. "I'm Renee Hartfield by the way."
"Hey, you sound like you're from Texas, too! Nice to meet ya Renee", Alfred grabbed her hand and shook it again energetically. It was almost like he was a 4 year-old hyped up on too much sugar, she didn't know if it was endearing or just plain annoying. Maybe he had brain damage. "How long you been in England?" she could have sworn that he jumped up and down as he asked. Renee made a mental note to talk to his cousin about his sugar intake.
"Only a few hours actually", she took a step back when she saw his eyes widen. Renee already began to regret opening her door to the blond neighbor.
"Now you gotta come over, you can't spend your first night in a new country alone! I can't allow that, my cous wouldn't want that either", Alfred exclaimed. Renee felt she had already lost her first battle in London.
"Uhm, I ordered pizza not too long ago. It should be here soon, so I don't think tonight would be the best time Alfred", she hoped that would be enough to deter him from dragging her next door. She just wanted to eat, shower and go to sleep, that was it. She didn't want to bother with next door neighbors and their hyper cousins.
"Don't worry dude, I'll buy your pizza and you can join us. Oh and might wanna change outa those clothes…I can see your bra. Nice shade of yellow by the way", Alfred winked at her as Renee blushed a scarlet red. "You go change and I'll wait down here for your pizza", Alfred grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her towards the stairs. She had lost all her fight the moment he mentioned her bra and ran up the stairs without another word.
The moment she reached her room, she groaned to herself. If today had any say on how London was going to turn out, it was at least going to be an interesting experience. She leaned against the door and looked up at the ceiling. Did she make the right decision? Was coming here the right idea? What if everything backfired? She would be left with nothing, stranded in a foreign country with no one that she knew. She could feel her heart begin to race.
"Quit being stupid. If ya think like that, then that's how it'll be. Gotta believe I can make it and I will. This is my second chance, can't let it pass me up now", Renee took a deep breath and dug into her suitcase. Those sweaters she always wore were coming in handy now. She pulled out a pair of jeans, a random sweater, and some under clothes before she hurriedly put them on. She rushed to the bathroom and checked her makeup…what was left of it at least. She braided her hair quickly and deemed herself good enough. She grabbed her raincoat that she had bought in New York and the pair of matching rain boots and headed down stairs. She found her fellow American standing there with a pizza box in hand. "Well that smells good", she spoke up as she came down the stairs.
"Oh yah, their pizza is the bomb man. Hey how about I put this in your kitchen while you put those cute pink boots on and then we can head on over? I know you must have been looking forward to this an' all", Alfred seemed to have calmed down slightly as he eyed the bright pink blob in Renee's arm. Renee on the other hand was left with whiplash and just nodded and was left dumbfounded as he left in hunt of the kitchen. She shook her head as she sat on the steps and pulled on her boots, taking care to tuck her pants in good and tight. Just as she slipped her coat on Alfred came back out. "Your place is like the mirror opposite of my cous', kinda cool but kinda creepy", Alfred imitated a shudder before swinging his arm out towards the door. He never caught how Renee flinched on instinct. She pulled her hood up and went out the door first completely skeptical and already devising a plan on if things turned sour.
Upon entering the other house, she smelled something cooking that just warmed her insides. She shrugged off the jacket and Alfred hung it up on a peg before toeing off his shoes and motioning for her to do the same. He quietly waited for her to get her shoes off before leading her to the living room. His quietness sending chills down her spine. Maybe they were serial killers and she just signed her death certificate. Well, she thought it better to die this way then another. "Yo! Artie! Brought your new neighbor over", Alfred shouted making Renee flinch at the sudden change of volume. She could hear what sounded like something being dropped somewhere in the distance. She assumed the kitchen was that way. "You want something to drink Renee?" Alfred asked her a little more quietly. All she could do was nod dumbly and follow him into the kitchen. She determined the Alfred would get along well with Gilbert if they ever met and she prayed they never did. "Yo! Arthur, this is Renee. Your neighbor. Renee, this is my cous Arthur Kirkland, a native to London", Alfred spoke while heading to the fridge leaving Renee to stand awkwardly in the doorway to the kitchen.
"Ah nice to meet you Renee. I hope my blunder head of a cousin didn't annoy you too much", Arthur extended his hand and offered a warm smile. She felt a little more at ease seeing an actual Englishman.
"Nice to meet you too Arthur. He wasn't too much of a blunder head…whatever that means", she shook his hand and returned his smile. She noted the bushy eyebrows and thick shaggy blond hair that were hiding a beautiful pair of green eyes. He wasn't as handsome as Gil was, but she could see the good looks and the charm.
"You're American? How long have you been in England might I ask?" Arthur turned back to his stew on the stove. He hoped that everyone would be okay with this.
"She's been here for a few hours cous", Alfred handed a coke to Renee as he spoke. Renee raised an eyebrow at the can and suddenly knew where he got all that sugar from. Renee opened the can and took a sip of the stinging liquid. A loud knock sounded through the house, startling her, causing her heart to race. It's not him, it's not him, she reminded herself. Alfred excused himself, leaving the awkward two alone.
Arthur had been left to his own devices when Alfred had left to go drag the young woman over here. He decided he might as well start cooking something simple. Now he was left to admire the young woman out of the corner of his eye. He would be a wanker to not admit that she was stunning. Even with her hair in a messy braid and with her in a yellow sweater that looked too large for her, she was beautiful. He loved how deep her eyes seemed to be, like they could just capture your soul within them. When she turned her eyes toward him, his heart nearly stopped when he realized he had been caught staring and turned back to the stew. He stirred it and didn't look away from it as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.
Renee however was left thinking the same about Arthur. Her curiosity was peeked as she watched him stir the stew with vigor, when it wasn't needed. "What brought you here to England? Did your spouse get a job here or something?" he asked both out of curiosity and manners.
"Uh. No. Just me and the stuffed animal in my room. I came here on a whim really, thought I might try my luck at acting her in London", Renee stared down at the coke in her hand before smiling up at him cheerfully. Arthur however could see the sadness in her eyes, he could see something he knew all too well. Desperation, hurt, confusion, and most of all a fear he couldn't quite fully understand.
"Texas! Let me introduce Kiku to ya", Alfred clapped his hand on Renee's shoulder as he entered the kitchen. She jumped nearly a foot in the air and almost spilled her coke on her sweater. She was relieved when she caught herself from dropping the coke and not falling over. She was slightly confused on why he called her Texas though. "Renee this is my boyfriend Kiku. Kiku, this is Renee. She's Arthur's new neighbor and this is her first day in England too! Ain't that great?" Alfred laughed loudly like a child. And he's back to normal. Renee couldn't help but to feel relieved when she noted that Alfred was acting how he did when he was at her door.
"Konichiwa Renee san. Please forgive Alfred's lack of manners. Welcome to England", Kiku bowed and gave a slight smile.
The comment on her boots made sense now. "Those cute pink boots". She giggled to herself and returned the bow. "Don't worry Kiku, he was polite enough to force me over here so I didn't have to be in a new country alone", Renee snickered behind her hand as Arthur hit Alfred upside the head.
"You wanker! You don't annoy people into coming over, especially if their new to the country. It's already a lot to take in, wanker!"
"Arthur san is right. You need to be more polite next time."
This was going to be interesting for the lot, Alfred couldn't help but think to himself as he got yelled at by both his cousin and his boyfriend. He looked over to the brunette and gave her an apologetic smile. He couldn't help but notice how her eyes were focused on Arthur making him begin to come up with some plans.
