A pair of sparkling blue eyes opened and looked at the light streaming from the window.
"I guess I had better get up then." Mumbled the blonde girl. Anne Neville was average girl. She had been average all her life, always in the shadow of her sister Isabel. Her sister was the star of the family with looks good enough to allow her to drop out of University and land her a modelling job, so many boyfriends she might as well install a turn-style in her bedroom.
Anne had the classic school crush but her boyfriend, Edouard, turned out to be a jerk who spiked her drink and tried to force himself on her. The event traumatized her so much, she was still a virgin…at 27! If her sister knew, she would never let her live it down so here she was a London girl trying to make it in the big city.
She did have one up on her sister though. Anne's awkward manner meant the few friends she had were genuine and hanging out with the geeks meant they all supported one another as they forged their careers. Her best friend, Francis went to medical school and was now a GP whereas Michelle ended up as a lawyer. Anne on the other hand took on management and now worked as a compliance officer at Michelle's law firm.
Her best friend was a fantastic roommate, but she wondered for how long she could keep up her rent after Michelle moved in with her boyfriend. Things were getting serious and it was a matter of time before a proposal would be made. Not only that, but it made Anne think about getting her own place and the idea appealed to her more and more. Having little to no social life allowed her to save quite a bit and she was sure the bank would give her a mortgage – push came to shove; she could ask her parents for a loan and formalize it but given the unspoken tension that came from being the runt of the family made her want to explore every other possibility first.
Sipping her Lemon and Ginger tea, the blonde made her way to the small table in the narrow hallway and grabbed her keys, felt her jacket pocket for her oyster card and headed out the door. On the way down the stairs, she remembered the commitment she made to her mother and swore "Why the hell did I sign up for this shit? Ah right, Isabel is finally getting serious." It turns out her elder sister started to hear the cock ticking and got serious about the boyfriend she currently had and they were supposed to go to his house so the families could hang out. She was still lost in her thoughts when a car horn and a strong hand grabbing her waist rudely got her back to reality.
"Don't you ever, cross like that again, do you hear me?" said a voice behind her in a menacing tone. Turning around to thank the male voice and to give him a piece of her mind about people telling her what to do, she found herself speechless and staring into a pair of blue eyes so dark, they looked like the midnight sky. She was sure she had seen those beautiful blues before. But where?
Before she could do anything about it, the man was gone and she was being carried along with the crowd, heading to Southbank.
Who the hell was he? "I know you" she muttered "I know that look...who are you?"
Richard POV
Jesus, he thought the army saw action, London was a bloody jungle. A jungle with girls so busy being in their own heads, they cannot spot a BWM doing a 60 and coming on to them head on. Not to mention the fundamental need to look at the lights before you cross. He could have so easily let her have it and telling her that on top of being rudely awakened by his brother did not put him into a mood to seeing an idiotic girl splattered across the tarmac but something about her made him stop. She looked like she was about to eat his face off when she turned but suddenly looked so vulnerable, he just didn't have the heart and so he let her go.
However, as he climbed up the steps to the teacher's room, he could help but feel that the girl he'd saved was familiar. Something about the look she gave him, her feistiness, her vulnerability, the way she fit into his arms…
'Damnit, Richard. You need to stop this. Chances are you will never lay your eyes on her again. Besides, the last thing you need is an awkward blonde distraction when you're trying to get your life back in line.'
He shook his head as if to shake his thoughts away and opened the door. He thanked his lucky stars for the solitude, at least he could correct and immerse himself in his students' essays about the wars of the roses. Thank God for history.
His gratitude was short-lived when his cellphone started buzzing. It was his beloved mother and one of his main sources of stress.
"Mom make it short, I have class soon."
"Liar. Okay listen to me, don't forget we have George's dinner today."
"God mom what have I got to do with it? Aren't Edward and Liz and their brood enough? Besides this is weird, George has bedded half of London and he never brought anyone home."
"It's not weird, it's a blessing. George might finally be done with his harlots and is looking to settle down." Cecily lectured down the line. Had Richard rolled his eyes more, they would have popped out of his skull.
"Besides the brood will be with the nanny this evening so it's only Edward, Liz and myself. Richard this is about family, I expect you to be there...you actually know this girl from many years ago when you were children, we used to be neighbours."
Richard's eyes narrowed as he tried to remember. After his father's death, they had moved through various estates before settling down ad they nearly always had girl neighbours their mother tried to push on them but before he could ask her for the girl's last name, she informed him that her cab was finally there and hung up.
What do you think? Have not started the next chapter yet but I have a feeling these two will make it a fun 'reunion'
