The warmth of the shower was nice on her sweaty skin. The more normal temperature outside was very welcome, she could finally go for her daily run again. She had been surprised to run into Robert. She wondered what he was doing here again. Had he been lying about his Westminster home? No, that would be weird, because John had been the first telling them he lived in Westminster. And why would they lie about something like that? It did not make any sense, what also did not make any sense, was the effect he had on her. The moment she spotted him, her heart started racing and butterflies started to flutter around. How could she have these symptoms after only meeting him twice?

She had been writing a large part of the day. This afternoon, the piano music sounded again. She had been waiting for it, the whole week. But it did not matter, what hour of the day she opened her window. There had not been any sounds of somebody playing. When the music stopped, she went out for a run, she was full of energy.

The music made her feel like she was walking in green hills. Surrounded by forest animals. It helped her to sit down and write. She struggled to write the entire week. Frustrated she had called to postpone her deadline. She was not able to finish in time. But while the music had sounded, she wrote several chapters and the words had just kept flowing. She needed to find out who was playing and where, the fact that she could write so easily while that music sounded, made her want more. It was not only her writing that went easier, but she also felt overall at ease.

The one who played was maybe busy during the week and therefore only played on the weekends? She was convinced the one playing was a real artist, and she was confused about how they did not practice more. Next time the music sounded she would go outside and find out where it was coming from.

She got startled by her doorbell. When she opened it, she looked into the smiling face of Sorcha.

"Ready?"

Cora looked at her confused. "For what should I be ready?"

Sorcha stepped inside and glanced around the room. "You promised me to go shopping this afternoon." She looked at her desk, where the pile of papers kept growing. "You have been writing again. That is a good sign. I was getting worried your book would never finish."

"I found new inspiration." Cora smiled, while she worked towards the window. When she wanted to close, the music sounded again, and it stopped her in her tracks. It was again a song written by Einaudi. She loved that this person played so much of his music. It was the most calming music, she ever heard. Although the song from this morning was incredibly special too. Next time she would record and find out who the composer is. She had to fight the urge to sit down and write again. Something in this sound activated her brain and she wished she could send Sorcha away.

"Cora?" Sorcha had stepped next to her. "Are we still going?"

"Yes, yes we will." Quickly Cora closed the window. Blocking out the wonderful sound.

Sorcha looked at her with a puzzled expression on her face, she did not say anything.

"I really love that jacket that you bought." Cora said while taking a sip of her wine.

After their shopping trip, they retreated into the garden of a small pub. Cora loved these moments with her friend. Enjoying those trivial things that made life better. She was not the biggest fan of shopping, but she was a huge fan of going to pubs. She noticed that those small locations helped her with producing storylines. Her imagination came to life.

"Now we need these temperatures to cool down again and I can wear it." Sorcha emptied her glass. "Another one?" She asked.

Cora looked at her glass, she had only taken a couple of sips, and her glass was far from being empty. "I am fine for now."

Sorcha got up and walked back inside. Cora pulled out her notebook. It was a weird experience having that writer's block for weeks on end and even during this week she could not get a word on paper, and now she could not stop.

"It is quite special seeing an artist at work."

The voice that sounded made Cora's heart flutter; it was Robert's. She looked up into the smiling blue eyes of Robert.

"You are stalking me." She said semi-irritated.

Robert threw his hands up in the air. "I promise this is a coincidence, as was running into you this afternoon."

"If you say so." Cora was not sure what to think about it, but she also did not want to spoil her mood. She finished the sentence on her paper and closed the notebook.

"Robert? How lovely to see you again. Come join us." Sorcha said cheerful when she returned. "Where is John?"

"John and I do not come as a pack." He answered surprised, while he sat down. This made Cora chuckle. Robert looked at all the bags that surrounded their table. "You girls have been shopping I see."

"Sorcha has, none of those bags are mine," Cora answered while putting her notebook and pen away.

"I only needed a new jacket, but when you put a girl in a clothing shop, you end up with this." Sorcha pointed at all the bags.

"It did not happen to you?" Robert said, softly to Cora.

She felt her cheeks colour and then she replied. "Are you implying I am not a girl?"

Robert backed up. "There is no question if you are a girl. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Now Robert's cheeks coloured bright red. "I just stated that you are not going into a shopping spree once you are put inside a clothing store."

Cora touched his arm. "It is alright. I was joking." She loved the compliment he just gave her, was he feeling the same thing for her, as she was for him? "I am indeed not that type of girl that loves shopping. Only when it is a bookshop."

"I figured you would love bookshops. Where do you get your inspiration from may I ask?"

Cora contemplated telling him about the music, but she decided to keep that for herself. It felt to personal to tell him. "A bit of everywhere to be honest. Sometimes it is just things that happen around me, but sometimes I read a book and just know I want to use that in a different form."

Robert's phone rang, and he took it out of his pocket. "I am sorry, I have to take this one."

"And you are telling me he is not hitting on you?" Sorcha said on a soft tone. "Girl, you need to open your eyes."

Cora looked at Robert who had walked away from their table. His tall figure was attractive, he had a strong figure. His arms were not big muscles, but she could see he worked out. The way he stood, he exuded a certain status, which she liked. He probably knew that he was good-looking, but it did not make him arrogant. On the contrary, he had something incredibly adorable over him. Like he had no clue how handsome he was. She looked back at Sorcha. "He is just being friendly, that is all."

"How wonderful it must be to be so clueless."

Robert returned with an apologetic look on his face. He held his phone still in his hands, and Cora could see that the phone call was not ended. "I have to go, I am sorry. Enjoy your afternoon ladies." He turned around and immediately started talking in his phone again. "He is dreamy." Cora sighed. "I must admit."

"When are you going to ask for his number, because this way, you are tempting faith. What if you are not seeing him again after today. You are not the smartest relationship wise. I would have secured his details last time. But well, you are to innocent to realise that he was hitting on you.

Cora did not like this side of Sorcha; she treated her as if she were a little girl that needed to learn how the world worked. As if she came from a small provincial town and not New York. To be honest, her father had given her a very protective life and she had not had many friends to go out with in New York. That was also one of the reason she wanted to leave. She was not out going enough to fit in, she enjoyed the more laid-back culture that she found here in London. She looked at Sorcha again and saw that she was talking with a woman behind their table. Good, her attention was not directed to her anymore. She got her notebook out, the sounds from this morning were still in her mind and now Robert also helped getting words on paper. She did not want to wait and go home first. What if she lost the words again. She started writing and before she realised it, she forgot that she was sitting in a pub garden.