Right. Sorry this one took a bit longer to write... I just haven't been in the mood to write Lorikki so I got distracted by writing a short Lip Service fanfic. Not that any of you are particularly bothered about that. Anyway... This is basically me fangirling over the Les Misérables stage show and channelling it into Nikki and Lorraine. I'm rambling now. Leave a review if you want. I don't know. Hey... have another chapter which is probably way longer than necessary. X
Midday in London is scary when you're not used to the hectic lifestyle. Any time of day is scary in London. People run like they're running for their life. Get in the way of a business person on the phone or a tourist running for a train and nobody cares, they'll just carry on. New York's the city that never sleeps and Nikki had decided that London is the city that never slows down... not quite as catchy, but true all the same. Nikki and Lorraine had already spent just under an hour poorly navigating their way around the same area of London. Trudging along the same tarmac-covered roads, passing the same buildings multiple times. They'd passed the same shopping centre four times by now and they were both getting frustrated, Nikki especially. She was getting slightly more irate each time round because she hated not knowing where they were.
"How the hell do people manage to live here?" Nikki mumbled, attempting to cross a road but giving up as soon as a car drove straight past without even slowing down.
"Quite easily, once they get used to it." Lorraine replied quietly.
"Any ideas how long that takes? Are you even used to it yet?" Nikki laughed.
"Well... no, not really." Lorraine responded coyly.
"You're kidding... right? You grew up in London and I swear you spend half your life here for meetings." Nikki replied awkwardly.
"It's not like I get much chance to hang around the shops and theatres Nik, I'm not exactly familiar with this part." Lorraine retorted, slightly too sharply, too harsh.
"I know, Lorraine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Nikki answered quickly, feeling bad.
"No, no, no. You're fine, honest." Lorraine replied with a smile, her perfectly white teeth glistening in the faint sunlight. There were greying clouds obscuring the sun and threatening to pour with rain.
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Nikki questioned Lorraine quietly, after eventually managing to negotiate her way to the other side of the road.
"Um... Well... Um..." Lorraine fumbled with her words, not wanting to admit she was totally confused as to where they currently were.
"I'd take that as a no then. Well... shall we look for a map or something?" Nikki suggested, looking into Lorraine's bright blue eyes as she leaned against a redbrick wall. She had to stop for a moment, she was totally disorientated by the sheer speed everything was moving around her. How does anyone appreciate anything in this city if they don't slow down?
"Map? Map. I'm not going and buying a bloody map. Might aswell just get in a taxi." Lorraine replied with a smirk.
"Oh listen to you, eh? What've maps ever done to you?" Nikki responded light-heartedly, pushing Lorraine childishly.
"Nothing, smarty pants. Just don't see the point in them, when you can just get a taxi driver to drop you right where you want to be." Lorraine answered, glancing awkwardly at the ground.
"Oh, you are sly Lorraine." Nikki muttered, knowing full well what she'd just said didn't really make sense, and then prodded Lorraine roughly in the arm. She stepped forward and thrust her left arm out towards the busy road to confidently hail a taxi. After a few moments, which seemed like hours to Lorraine, a taxi quickly pulled up at the side of the road. Lorraine turned to face Nikki with a smile and beckoned her over. The taxi driver asked them where they were going and Lorraine took the liberty of answering, her accent already sounding stronger now she was around other people with one similar to her's. Nikki's stomach twisted as Lorraine looked at her, however she couldn't quite be quite sure if it was caused by Lorraine's glance or by the fact the taxi had just done a U-turn in the middle of one of the busiest streets she'd ever seen.
"This all feels so weird. I don't know why, it still feels sort of like I'm just here with my boss." Nikki whispered awkwardly, her cheeks flushing a delicate pink.
"Well I'll try to be as unprofessional as I can, but I can't promise anything." Lorraine giggled, smiling shyly at Nikki.
"Rebel." Nikki replied flirtatiously.
"What's got into you today?" Lorraine responded, biting her bottom lip slightly, causing Nikki's stomach to flip somersaults again.
"Same could be said for you, Lorraine. Perhaps it's lack of sleep." Nikki replied, smiling accusingly.
"Don't blame me for your sleep deprivation. If you'd stayed at mine last night I wouldn't have needed to be awake at 4am so I was ready in time to pick you up!" Lorraine shot back, her voice now laced with mock accusation.
"Excuse me? You don't know that. You have no idea what time you'd have been awake." Nikki responded suggestively as Lorraine prodded her in the ribs.
"Oi you!" Lorraine laughed. Nikki looked out of the window to see the sights they were passing, her experience of London was so far very limited. A school trip and one day trip to the London Dungeons doesn't really stand you in good stead. The taxi shot past rows of large, Victorian-looking houses. Pillared porches. Polished brass door handles. Centralised front doors. They looked grand and Nikki couldn't help wondering how much they'd cost to buy. She knew Lorraine must be able to afford a place like that and it made her think. She knows Lorraine's house on the outskirts of Greenock isn't exactly small, but surely a grand place like that in the middle of London was more her style? Nikki suddenly got distracted from her deliberations, by the constant clicking sound she could hear.
"What the hell's that?" She asked quietly, not wanting the driver to hear and think she was stupid. Lorraine reached an arm down to the door and tapped a red light which was flashing on and off intermittently, adding incase Nikki wasn't looking, "Security lock."
"Well it's bloody annoying." Nikki added after a moment.
"Don't worry, we'll be there in about two minutes." Lorraine told her, with a hint of excitement lacing her voice.
"I thought you didn't know your way around here?" Nikki responded accusingly.
"No, I don't. I can read road signs though." Lorraine smirked, her smile lighting up her face and causing Nikki's heart to race.
"Oh okay, okay. I'm still half asleep." Nikki laughed, awkwardly looking away to try and hide her embarrassment from Lorraine. Almost immediately, as soon as Nikki stopped speaking, huge drops of rain began to fall against the body of the taxi. The sky was now consumed by dark grey clouds. Both women looked out the windows, then back at each other in disbelief.
"That should do the trick, wake me up a bit." Nikki mumbled eventually, a smile dancing across her lips. Lorraine wasn't smiling, her brow was slightly furrowed. Nikki looked at her attire properly for the first time that day and couldn't help smiling at what she saw. A tight-fitting, slightly pleated dress, snow white in colour and patterned with red and white polka dots. With that, she was wearing a pair of skin coloured tights and cherry red heels, the heel was only small but it was a heel all the same. Nikki took notice of the tiny capped sleeves of this dress and then looked outside at the pouring rain.
"Please tell me you brought a coat or something?" Nikki asked eventually, pre-empting the reply. Lorraine shook her head like an embarrassed teenager, she knew she was an idiot for leaving the house without any sort of coat.
"Ladies, 'ere you go. That'll be £15 please." The taxi driver announced as they pulled up just down the road from the theatre. Nikki raised her eyebrows in surprise at the price but Lorraine just fished around in her bag for her purse, took out the money and handed it over.
"That's not actually that expensive." Lorraine whispered. Nikki disagreed though, in her opinion, £15 for a taxi one mile across anywhere was fairly expensive, even if it was London. The rain wasn't slowing down and as they stepped out of the taxi they felt that the pavement was almost slippery with rainwater.
"Oh. My. God." Lorraine muttered under her breath, as the rain poured down on her. Nikki noticed that Lorraine had the front curls of her luscious blonde hair clipped back off her face, making her delicate features more prominent.
"Here, borrow this." Nikki responded, pulling her arms out of her leather jacket.
"No. Nikki! I'll be fine." Lorraine replied, attempting to protest but just really wanting to take it out of Nikki's hands.
"Shut up you, you're like a sugar mouse...you'll melt in the rain." Nikki giggled, winking nonchalantly in Lorraine's direction as they practically ran up the street, holding her jacket out to her. Lorraine took it quickly and held it over her head, not even bothering to put it on properly.
"Thank you... and remind me not deprive you of sleep too often. You're mental." Lorraine laughed, still cowering from the rain.
"I don't mind," Nikki started with a smile, "You love it really."
"Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. It's so weird hearing you like this. I still didn't think you really did... whatever you're doing." Lorraine replied, suppressing the urge to kiss Nikki's enticing lips. I know it's London, but I'm still not going to do it.
"What? Flirting?" Nikki replied.
"Well... Yeah... No... I don't know." Lorraine giggled awkwardly. Lorraine looked at Nikki. Without her jacket on, she was left wearing black skinny jeans which were extremely tight on her, her favourite pair of white leather boots, a tight white shirt with the sleeves rolled up past the elbow and a burgundy coloured scarf. Lorraine's stomach fluttered as she observed Nikki's attire.
"What's the time Nik?" She asked, aware that if she didn't distract herself she was going to end up kissing her.
"It's... ha'past one." Nikki replied matter-of-factly, looking at the chunky white watch she was wearing around her left wrist.
"We've got half hour of standing in this rain then." Lorraine sighed.
"Get under there then." Nikki laughed, pushing Lorraine under the very small overhang of the theatre roof. Lorraine smiled and took Nikki's jacket off her head and pulled it on properly. It was slightly too big for her slim build but it almost fitted. Nikki couldn't resist letting a smile creep across her lips as she looked at Lorraine. She really suits that, I wish I hadn't leant it to her. Lorraine was watching Nikki's facial expressions silently, not wanting to speak because she wasn't sure what she'd end up saying. Both women stood there in silence watching the people pass by. Nikki being far less accustomed the ways that London worked, found it strange seeing how many different people were milling around. A woman casually walked past carrying a bike wheel. A man walked past wearing a beret. A woman with Japanese-style flowers painted on her cheek walked past. Wow. You do see some strange sights in this city. More people were arriving outside Queen's Theatre by now and Lorraine was quietly humming to herself. Nikki couldn't quite make out what tune Lorraine was humming but she was watching her lips intently, whilst trying to distract herself at the same time. Nikki ran over something several times in her head, she wanted to hold Lorraine's hand but she was nervous. She didn't really do public displays of affection, but Lorraine looked so beautifully vulnerable leaning against the wall that she couldn't resist. She shyly brushed her hand against Lorraine's, not looking at her face to avoid making a fool out of herself. Lorraine felt a rush of anxiety as Nikki's touch sent shivers through her body. She stopped humming the tune; which happened to be Do You Hear The People Sing?; and chewed absent-mindedly on her bottom lip, nervously deliberating whether to hold Nikki's hand or not. Damn it, just do it. You're past the stage of being embarrassed by all this stuff now. Lorraine decided she didn't care what anyone thought, after all, these people were just strangers that she'd never meet again. She quickly grabbed hold of Nikki's large hand, their fingers interlocking easily. It felt strange, neither woman was all that used to such a casual gesture... Lorraine wasn't used to it at all. The theatre doors were just being opened by ushers in smart waistcoats and perfectly shiny shoes. As Lorraine fumbled in her handbag for both of their tickets; with one hand as she was still holding onto Nikki with the other... Nikki was nervously looking around because she felt totally out of place in such a posh environment. Lorraine turned to look at her and saw the nerves flitting across her eyes.
"Nikki, you're fine." Lorraine told her awkwardly.
"I could never come to a night time performance here, it's too... posh." Nikki replied, not quite being able to express what she really meant.
"C'mon you, you're totally fine. You look completely worthy of being here." Lorraine whispered, slightly provocatively.
"Shhh you, and give the guy our tickets." Nikki laughed, disguising her appreciation.
Nikki and Lorraine sat themselves down in their seats, both were surprised at how small the theatre was. Nikki was looking around in awe, she looked up at the ceiling and saw the ornate sculptures and large, crystal chandelier.
"Shit, look at this place Lorraine. It's gorgeous." Nikki breathed, not being able to take her eyes of the ceiling.
"It is... but not as gorgeous as you are." Lorraine giggled shyly, her eyes skirting across every part of Nikki's face, fixated by her lips. Nikki noticed where the woman's eyes were gazing and closed her own eyes anxiously, she knew she could quite easily kiss her there and then but was scared that Lorraine wouldn't want it. She didn't know what was acceptable to do in such an environment, she didn't know whether their fellow theatregoers would be offended. Lorraine was now distracted by reading the program, being her typical self and needing to know every detail about something before it starts. Suddenly, a voice came over the intercom announcing that one of the parts was going to be played by the understudy during the performance and then the lights began to dim. Lorraine and Nikki looked at each other with excited smiles on their faces, preparing themselves for the brilliance of the show ahead. Lorraine's heart was racing as the orchestra began to play and the words 'Toulon, 1815' were projected on the theatre curtain. Nikki knew that she was going to end up in tears by the end of the performance, she knew she was going to be overwhelmed by the beauty of the whole show. After a few minutes, Nikki briefly looked out of the corner of her eye and saw Lorraine miming along with the songs, knowing every word. A smile danced across her lips and she could help reach an arm out and place it on Lorraine's thigh, causing her to tense up her leg muscles momentarily and then once she got used to it she just continued to mime along with the songs. By the time it got to I Dreamed A Dream, Lorraine already had tears welling up in her eyes but she managed to contain them for a bit longer... until the orchestra began to play the music for Come To Me and she could no longer stop them falling. A single, delicate tear meandered down her cheek, going unnoticed by everyone; including Nikki; as they were all fixated on the stage to watch the actress' emotional portrayal of Fantine as she died. Lorraine didn't care if anyone could see her, Les Misérables is one of the things she can't prevent herself getting very emotional about. A young girl began to sing Castle on a Cloud whilst sat on a chair, playfully swinging her legs. Nikki now felt her eyes suddenly fill with tears, a shiver running down her spine as the girl playing the young Cosette sang flawlessly. She wondered for a moment if Lorraine was crying. She wondered how many other people in the theatre were crying by now. After a while it was time for the introduction of the Barricade Boys. Strange as it might sound, growing up, Nikki had always wanted to be a Barricade Boy... or at least be friends with a Barricade Boy. Most children grow out of having imaginary friends quite quickly, but Nikki had always imagined being friends with the Barricade Boys... that's why she named her cat Jehan, it was the closest she could ever get. She laughed quietly as she stopped thinking about her obsession with Les Amis de l'ABC. The voices of the men on stage were amazing, causing Nikki's emotions to become far more heightened. Lorraine had edged forward slightly in her seat, but now acknowledged Nikki's touch slightly more than she'd previously done. Both women knew exactly what song was coming up as soon as the orchestra played the first few notes and turned to each other and smiled simultaneously. One Day More is a song that never fails to make both women smile insanely, only enhanced by the astounding acoustics and spectacular staging.
One More Dawn. One More Day. One Day More.
A wild round of applause and the lowering of a curtain later, the lights were back on and everyone was bustling around trying to get to the toilet or the bar during the short intermission. Nikki and Lorraine stayed in their seats and began to peruse the program together, seeing if they'd seen any of the performers in anything else before. A few names were familiar to both women and they smiled as they thought about being in the same room as these people. Breathing the same air as these people.
"This doesn't seem real." Nikki breathed, rather out of the blue. Lorraine smirked slightly and then looked into Nikki's eyes which were slightly glazed with tears.
"I know... I've been to see shows in other theatres before, but nothing's been like this." Lorraine responded, totally agreeing with Nikki.
"Nothing could ever really beat this though... or at least not that I can think of." Nikki replied warmly.
"No... I'd probably even say Les Misérables is my favourite musical." Lorraine told her with a smile, tidying her curls as she spoke.
"Operetta... not musical." Nikki stated, suppressing a giggle that was beginning at the back of her throat.
"Stop being so pedantic." Lorraine ordered, failing miserably at trying not to laugh.
"Pedantic. That's a fun word." Nikki responded, looking around the theatre again as people began to mill back in from their visits to the bar or toilet.
"I don't know what's got into you today... It's really strange." Lorraine replied, marvelling at how scatty Nikki was being. Nikki wasn't used to daytrips. Nikki wasn't used to relationships. Combining the two things made her ridiculously nervous. In her attempts to make sure she impressed Lorraine, Nikki had become slightly childish again. She felt as though she'd regressed to being about 16, the first time she'd really tried to flirt with a girl.
"Good strange or bad strange?" Nikki asked, almost choking on her own laughter as she began to embarrass herself further.
"Umm... good strange I guess." Lorraine replied, unsure which was which. Nikki laughed, neither women had any idea what they were talking about anymore. The lights suddenly dimmed and the theatre immediately descended into silence as the curtain was raised and the orchestra began to play the first few notes of Do You Hear The People Sing? Time passes differently when you're watching something as captivating as Les Misérables, the 3 hours feels like only an hour... but it also feels like forever. Éponine's death had reduced both Nikki and Lorraine to almost hysterical tears and neither cared the slightest bit. The final hour passed with lots of tears. Lorraine had purposely worn very little make up so she wouldn't look a total mess when her cheeks were streaked with tears. Lorraine reached out for Nikki's hand as Éponine and Fantine joined hands on the stage, suppressing a sob at the profoundness of the scene. Nikki held Lorraine's hand tightly, a lump forming in her throat as she also tried to resist the urge to cry. All the cast were on stage to sing the Do You Hear The People Sing? reprise and it gave Nikki shivers. Quite a few audience members were singing out loud, not being able to contain their emotions any longer. Lorraine contemplated joining in, but decided against it because she didn't want to embarrass herself. On the final note half the theatre rose to their feet to applaud the cast. Nikki felt a warmth burning inside her. For a show with 29 on stage deaths, Les Misérables really is such an uplifting thing. After roughly wiping the tears from her own eyes, Nikki looked to the side of her where Lorraine wiped her tears away and tried desperately hard not to smudge her make-up. That was an impossible feat. As the lights came back on they shone down onto Lorraine's pale skin, capturing her cheeks which were lightly streaked with mascara.
"Well that was... brill." Lorraine breathed. She felt ridiculous sniffing back tears. It's only a show. Nikki smiled at Lorraine but she didn't notice because she was too busy picking up all her stuff off the floor. As they walked away from their seats, Lorraine heard a large number of people sniffing and saw them wiping their eyes and suddenly didn't feel so stupid for crying. Looking around, she saw couples holding hands and wrapping their arms around each other's waists. Fuck it. I'm joining in. Lorraine tactfully leaned into Nikki and slid her arm around her waist. The woman squirmed slightly as she felt Lorraine's touch but then let her rest her head against her shoulder. Lorraine was worried that Nikki felt awkward but she couldn't resist staying where she was. Everyone was bustling past trying to get out of the doors so they could hop in a taxi or catch their coach. Nikki could feel herself panicking, she wasn't in the mood to publicly humiliate herself by hyperventilating.
"I need to get out of here." Nikki breathed, her voice laced with an urgency that she hadn't expected. They pushed their way out of the door just like everyone else was doing, until they got outside and felt the fresh air blow against their skin. It had stopped raining by now and Lorraine began to pull the leather jacket off to hand it back to Nikki.
"No, you're fine. Keep it on. It suits you." Nikki replied, smiling at how attractive she found Lorraine in that jacket.
Lorraine was nervous. It felt strange as she stood on the pavement of Shaftesbury Avenue with Nikki. She'd been out to bars and restaurants with her in Greenock, but this wasn't the same as that. In Greenock, if anyone she knew approached her she knew that she could hide behind business to stop herself getting into awkward conversations that she didn't want to have. Stood with her arms around Nikki in front of the droves of people who were passing... she had nothing to hide behind. However, she wasn't sure if she wanted anything to hide behind. Nikki looked at Lorraine and whispered, "It was brilliant. I don't know what else to say."
"Yes. It was." Lorraine replied.
"What shall we do now then?" Nikki asked her, tidying Lorraine's curls so they lay flat on her back.
"What's the time?" Lorraine responded, looking away from Nikki.
"The time by Accurist..." Nikki began mockingly, "What am I, your own personal speaking clock?" She finished, teasingly. She made sure she kept her tone happy and light, as it was intended.
"Time." Lorraine retorted, with a glint of mischief in her eyes.
"Alright. Alright. It's almost half five." Nikki laughed.
"Right... Come on then. I've got just the place." Lorraine responded, matter-of-factly.
"Intriguing." Nikki giggled.
"D'you like Chinese food?" Lorraine asked nervously.
"What a way to spoil a surprise," Nikki answered, rolling her eyes sarcastically, "I like all food, Lorraine."
Lorraine shook her head, trying to disguise her amusement. It didn't really work. Both just women ended up laughing at each other...not even really knowing why they were laughing.