I am so sorry that I haven't uploaded for ages! I knew where I wanted to get to in the chapter but I couldn't get there! Thank you all for reading, favouriting, following and reviewing... hope you enjoy the chapter :)
Tom's Point Of View
"Man, what a day. What a day." Nicki says, as we flop into the bus seats. |
"Tell me about it." I sigh. We've been walking around quite a lot today, seeing various sights, and we've also spent hours on the coach. Now, we've just finished watching the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony- thankfully, the kids managed to stay quiet. They were pretty good all day- obeying the rules, especially the ones about respectful silence and not standing on the grass (the attendants at some places were really strict about the grass). Nobody's gotten lost or run over, although Scout did come close to being hit by a bus when we had free time in Ypres. The other places we had been to were Notre Dame De Lorette and the trenches behind it; Vimy Ridge and Sanctuary Wood trenches (which were very muddy and made me glad that I had remembered my wellies). That took us to about 5.30pm, when we then let the kids loose in Ypres and met up again at half six for dinner.
Around us, there were kids with armfuls of sweets, and they were munching contentedly. They had got a special schools deal from the chocolate shop Leonidas, but they then found another chocolate shop just down the street where they bought another load of sweets, and quite a lot of them had gone to the ice cream shop as well. It looked like we were in for a load of hyper kids later... and everybody knows that sweets and buses do not mix.
"So, what was your favourite part of today?" Michael asks us.
"Hmm..." Nicki thinks about it, but she is interrupted by Kirsten, a Year Eight student, stumbling down the bus.
"Miss! Laura feels sick!" Kirsten says.
"Okay, I'll come and see her in a second. Go back up the bus, I'll follow." Kirsten darts back up the bus, and Nicki raises her eyebrows at me.
"Knew this was going to happen." She sighs.
"Well, go and sort it out before it gets messy!" I say, and she pulls a face before grabbing the 'sick' stuff from the overhead compartment and walking up the bus.
"Why did I have to deal with that?!" Nicki huffs, coming back 15 minutes later and sitting down.
"Because, Kirsten said 'Miss', which meant she wanted you to do it."
"Yes, but there are three male teachers! Why do I have to do it?! Why couldn't one of you lazy buggers have done it?!"
"It's the fact that you're a woman and more sympathetic."
She pokes me. "That is very stereotypical! Oh well, it's probably going to happen again and one of you guys is dealing with it..."
Later on, at 10pm, we have finally managed to get all of the kids from the random places they scattered to in the hotel (Rhona and Shona even managed to get into the dark basement by mistake, using the lift that was supposedly forbidden) and into their rooms. Will they be sleeping? Probably not. But at least they're now in their rooms and they may be tempted to sleep sometime before 6am when they have to wake up (5am English time, they are going to love us for that!). Now, without the interruptions from the students, Nicki and I are sitting in my room, chatting. We're quite pleased with how the day has gone... this has to be a record for a Waterloo Road school trip.
Nicki stifles a yawn. "Euh, I'm tired now. I think I'm going to go to bed."
"Okay, sleep well."
"You too." She grins, walking towards the door, while I follow, to let her out. She turns around. "Goodnight."
Then it all happens at once. We're standing just centimetres away from each other, and our eyes are locked. Without even thinking about it, I lean forward and plant a kiss on Nicki's cheek. Then, just as quickly, I move away, heart racing, expecting to be slapped or something.
But the slap doesn't come. Instead, Nicki stands there, looking slightly confused but quite happy. Neither of us speak, and the atmosphere is about as awkward as it gets.
"Call that a kiss?" Nicki says, breaking the silence. I laugh- the sentance is so very Nicki.
"Well, if you're going to say that..." I smile, and our lips meet. I've been wishing for this moment for so long, and when it comes, it's not a dissappointment. In fact, it's amazing. It's like traveling to the stars and back. It's incredible, it's magical, it's perfect... there are just not enough words to describe how good it really is.
Finally, it has to end, as all good things do. We smile at each other like fools. Then Nicki laughs and says "I'm actually going to bed now."
"Alright, see you in the morning."
"Yep, see you tomorrow." She walks slowly out of the door, then pauses. "Love you." She says softly.
"Love you too." I whisper, and I know she heard me. The door shuts with a soft click, and I fall back onto the bed.
If I was quite pleased with how the day went before... I'm extremely pleased with how it went now.