Disclaimer: I don't own anything!
A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews!!
I did quite a bit of research about Liverpool, so hopefully most of it is accurate. If not, I'm sorry--I've never been there, but I hope to travel there someday… I also took liberties with where exactly in Liverpool Jude lives, because they don't mention it in the movie.
Also, an FYI--I just started college, so please forgive me if the updates come sporadically until I can come up with a way to balance my work and writing. Hopefully, you all understand!
Jude glanced to his left, and couldn't help but grin when he saw his daughter sleeping soundly beside him. The pillow the stewardess had given her a couple of hours ago was shoved in the corner to prop her head up, and she had placed Jude's old hat over her eyes to block out the light. Lizzy was curled up in her seat in what looked like the most uncomfortable of positions, and Jude couldn't figure out how she could possibly sleep like that. She must've been exhausted. He knew for a fact that she hadn't slept much the night before they departed, and for the first several hours, she'd been way too excited about the trip to take a nap. Now, it seemed that the sleep deprivation had finally caught up to her.
On his right, Lucy was reading a novel by one of her favorite authors. Her deep cerulean eyes were glued to the pages of the book, which sat in her lap. Lucy's left hand was intertwined with Jude's, and she vaguely noticed the circles he was tracing on the back of her palm. However, she became increasingly aware of his presence as her husband began planting soft kisses along her neck and jaw line, his warm breath making her hair stand on end.
Lucy smiled, still trying to keep her focus on the book. "Jude." she whispered, half-laughing.
His mouth continued to hover over her neck. "Mmm…what, love?"
"I'm trying to read, dear." she giggled.
"I'm sorry," he replied with fake sincerity, kissing her neck again, "Am I distracting you?"
"Just a little."
"That's too bad," he answered, pushing the book closed. Even after eighteen-plus years of marriage, Lucy found that Jude's accent still had the ability to make her melt. She was incredibly thankful that it hadn't faded one bit since he'd decided to live in the States. "because I happen to find you incredibly distracting as well."
Jude pressed his lips to his wife's and they shared a passionate kiss. When they broke apart, Lucy could see out of the corner of her eye that a mother sitting directly across from them was shielding her young son's eyes from their public display of affection. Lucy smirked, knowing that under the circumstances--they were on a plane, after all--she wouldn't have done it, but she couldn't be held accountable for her actions. It was Jude's fault. He just had that way of making her agree to anything. And she more or less loved him for that.
Lucy tucked the book away into her carry-on bag and held Jude's hand, resting her head on his shoulder. "I don't know how we're going to thank your mother. I mean, I can't believe she did all of this."
"We'll think of something."
Lizzy suddenly stirred and sat upright, stretching. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes, adjusting the hat on her head. She looked over at her parents, smiling.
"Sleep well?" Lucy asked her daughter.
Lizzy stretched again. "I'm kinda stiff…"
"I can't imagine why," Jude said sarcastically. "I couldn't figure out how you could sleep like that."
Lizzy just shrugged and gazed out the window of the plane, only to be met with the familiar and monotonous view of the sky. It was early afternoon. They had left New York's JFK airport at around six yesterday morning, and were due to arrive at the Liverpool airport at about two in the afternoon today after making two stops to change planes.
"Are we there yet?" Lizzy laughed.
"Almost, love," Jude said. "We have another hour to go."
An hour was not that long, really. To Lizzy, who was unbelievably anxious to arrive in Liverpool, it felt like ages.
"I had a great time, Paul." Clarabella stated, holding onto Paul's hand as they stood on the porch of her house. Like a gentleman, he had walked her to the front door once he had pulled into her driveway.
"Uh, me, too." Paul replied, scratching the back of the neck nervously with his free hand. The statement was true to an extent. They'd gone to dinner and seen a movie, and he did have a good time. Once he had gotten past all of the awkwardness, that is.
He hadn't been on a date since he and Lizzy had gone out together. So, when Clarabella tried to hold his hand repeatedly during the movie, he sort of panicked. At first, he'd attempted to shrug it off nonchalantly, but once she made the move for about the third time, he'd finally complied.
The movie-going experience with Clarabella differed a lot from the times Paul had gone with Lizzy. Clara stayed quiet for most of it, sneaking glimpses of him when she thought he wasn't paying attention, or sharing a smile with him (which he half-heartedly returned). He was somewhat thankful for this, considering he found himself unable to strike up a conversation with her.
Usually, Lizzy would mock-fight with him over the popcorn and whatever other junk they'd purchased. Then, the two of them would make stupid comments throughout the entire movie. He felt bad secretly comparing Clara to his ex-girlfriend, but he couldn't exactly help it. It wasn't like Clara was anything beyond a co-worker…well, yet. There was always that possibility…
Paul wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Clarabella laughed, brushing a piece of blond hair off her face. Paul didn't have that much time to react before she leaned in and placed her lips on his. He didn't know what to think about this, but he found himself kissing her back. The red flags went up in his mind and he felt like it was wrong to be doing something like this… Sure, Clarabella was a sweet girl, but…
But, what? he asked himself, fighting once again with his conscience.
…but she's not Lizzy.
Paul tried to break their kiss, but he wasn't able to stop himself. The truth of the matter was, he did like Clarabella on some level, even if he couldn't admit that out loud.
Of course she's not Lizzy! his mind yelled at him, You're friends now--nothing more. It's okay to see other people…
Finally, they parted, both avoiding each other's gaze. Paul cleared his throat. Clarabella squeezed Paul's hand with a slight smirk on her face.
"We should do this again sometime." she suggested, looking up to meet his bright green eyes.
"Uh, yeah," Paul agreed, albeit still hesitantly. "I'd like that."
"This would be the part where I'd say, 'I told you so', wouldn't it?" Clara asked, half-laughing. Paul stared at her, a bit puzzled. "For giving me a chance, I mean."
"Oh! Yeah, I guess so."
Clara bit her lip, then gave Paul a peck on the cheek. "Thank you," she said, letting go of his hand. "Goodnight."
"'night."
Paul watched as Clara disappeared into her house. Then, he went back to his car and silently drove home. His mother was waiting for him in the living room of their apartment when he walked in. She turned down the volume of the television and glanced over at her son expectantly.
"So?" she asked, raising her eyebrows.
"What?" Paul questioned.
"How was your date?"
"Good."
Typical male: short on the details. His mother sighed. "You mind elaborating on that, Paul? Was she nice?"
"She seems like a nice girl. Polite and all…"
"Good to hear. Are you two going out again?"
"I think so," Paul said with a grin. "Why? Got a problem with it?"
"No, not at all. I think it's great that you're seeing someone."
Lizzy couldn't help but feel butterflies in her stomach once she and her parents stepped onto English soil for the first time. She could hardly believe that they were actually here. Like finding her parents, it seemed weird to know that it had just started out as an idea, and now it was really happening. They exited the Liverpool Airport and were immediately greeted by one of the things the United Kingdom was known for: rain.
And lots of it. It was practically pouring.
Lucy and Lizzy stayed underneath the shelter of the outside of the airport with their collective luggage gathered around them while Jude braved the weather to find transportation to Martha Feeny's house. Once he hailed a taxi, he graciously let his wife and daughter climb into the backseat while he and the driver stowed their suitcases and such into the trunk.
They took off from the airport, and Lizzy found herself curiously staring out the window at her new surroundings. It was strange to adjust to everything, because much of it was so different. For one thing, she forgot that the steering wheel was on the right side of the car instead of the left.
It was a bit of a drive to Martha's house, considering the airport was on the coast and they had to travel toward the city of Liverpool. Lizzy didn't mind--it gave her time to take everything in, and listen to her father tell her and her mother about the lay of the land.
What Lizzy picked up--in between glances out the window--was that the city of Liverpool was one of the five boroughs that made up Merseyside, the name of the actual county where all of this was located. Jude explained that Merseyside was divided into two parts by the Mersey River's estuary, and that most of the county was on the east side, where they would be staying. Jude's mother, who still occupied his childhood home, lived in the suburb of Allerton, which was just outside the city of Liverpool.
He also promised to take Lucy and Lizzy to Wirral Peninsula (via the famous Mersey Ferry), which was situated on the west side of said estuary. He said that he went there a lot to spend time on the beaches, and knew that Lizzy would like the opportunity to do some sketches of the coast.
As they entered the suburb of Allerton, Lizzy immediately noticed how different the neighborhoods were. The houses, made mostly out of brick, were all squished up against each other without any room in between. They were also incredibly narrow, tall, and similar in structure. Lizzy was very curious to see the inside of her grandmother's house because of the outward appearance of these homes.
The taxi pulled up in front of Martha Feeny's house--a quaint, unassuming brick home in the middle of Allerton Road--and by that time, the rain had mostly stopped. Jude, Lizzy, and Lucy exited the cab, taking their luggage, thanking the driver, and paying the fare. Once they picked up their respective suitcases, the three of them approached the front door. Jude knocked, and they waited. Lizzy felt the butterflies returning to her stomach, eager to really meet her grandmother for the first time…
A/N: I know, a cliffy! But I wanted to post something because I hate keeping my faithful readers waiting. Please review! It's always appreciated!