It's Beginning to Look a Lot like Christmas

Sigrid sat in lounge room curtains drawn swallowing her house into darkness, her air conditioner was working in overdrive as she tried to keep the heat from invading her house. A lamp was on beside her lounge chair where she was spread reading a book. It was November and already the heat was becoming too much for the brunette to bare. She hated Summer, always had, she normally spent scorching days cooped up inside and only come out when it didn't feel like her skin was going to melt off onto the pavement.

As she sat silently reading she heard a harsh grumble of a truck, shrugging her shoulders she waited for it to pass. However when the noise remained at an annoyingly loud decibel she got to her feet walking over to her window and drawing back a curtain. Pulling into the drive way of the house next door was a moving truck. Smiling she let the curtain fall back into it's place.

A new neighbour, excitement bubbled inside her, the house next door had been empty for months and it was a strange yet wonderful feeling that she would be living next door to someone. Fingers crossed they weren't rude and inconsiderate.

---

Andrew sat on the plane, the buds of his headphones in his ears as he listened to his music to drown out the sound of people on the plane. The growl of the engine could still be heard but only slightly. Digging around in his pocket he pulled out his phone. Pressing the side button he checked the time but not before his eyes lingered at the photo on his home screen.

Anger and hurt swirled inside him and he was torn between throwing the phone harshly and bursting into tears. Slowly he slipped the device back in his pocket and shook away the tears that had begun to form in his dark eyes.

Bitch. he thought silently to himself.

[hope this is okay, wasn't sure how you wanted it started ]

[ it was fine hun! ]

Lochlainn sighed and ran his fingers through his curly hair when he finally climbed out of the moving truck. It was time to start unpacking boxes and getting moved into his new home, and honestly with the heat he wasn't exactly looking forward to it. But it had to be done, and he knew it he didn't get right to it that it wouldn't get done. All part of being a horrible procrastinator.

"Where're we puttin the boxes?" His friend, who happened to own the moving truck, asked once they'd gotten the thing open and started to unload.

"Just sit em where ever for right now and I'll figure out everything else later." He replied already knowing there was going to be a lot of figuring out where everything went and he'd rather just deal with that after everything was already in the house and he could spend a little time looking around and figuring out where he actually wanted everything. This was after all his house now, the first place he was going to own on his own since he'd moved out of his parents house, and while he wanted it to look nice he'd also wait until he could focus solely on that before making decisions.

---

Astrid laughed at her friends joke as they walked back into their hotel. They'd arrived in the beautiful city of London, England two days prior and were still very much enjoying the trip. It'd been the right choice to come here for the holiday's. Sure most people would rather spend Christmas and such with family than anyone else but Astrid and her friends were fine with this. With spending the holidays with one another and enjoying it while they could. And even if her family didn't understand she was already there and nothing was going to change that.

They didn't have long in college left and just wanted to spend as much time with one another having fun while they could before they were done and off getting jobs and getting settled down starting families of their own. And who knew maybe they'd all get lucky and find romance while they were on this little trip.

"Please Britt, all you've done since we starting planning this trip last year is talk about all the cute British boys you wanna meet. If any of us are still boy crazy it's you."

[ hope my reply was okay! I just kind of went with it ]

[it was great ]

Sigrid sat on the couch her book in her hand, her eyes scanned over the words but she wasn't able to concentrate. Her thoughts were elsewhere, she was too busy thinking about her new neighbour. The young woman wanted to go over and meet them but she knew she was moving too fast they hadn't even moved in. Placing her book on the couch she walked back over to her window drawing back her curtain and looking out again. This time she saw two men.

One seemed to be dressed in a more business manner, while the other was casual, board shorts and a black muscle shirt. Sigrid automatically assumed the more casual dressed one must have been the one moving into the house next door. From what she could see of him he had wild, dark curly hair and a thin frame.

Once again she let her curtain drop back into place before walking over and grabbing her mobile texting her best friend.

New neighbour, young, male, looking good... from what I have seen anyway. she hit send before going and standing in front of her air conditioner to cool her body off.

---

The plane landed finally, Andrew hadn't been able to sleep much on the plane, he never could, but his thoughts had been about Tiffany his ex and the fact that she had left him. She had ripped his heart out of his chest and stomped on it. The brown haired male was still trying to comprehend how the love of his life could run off with his best mate. How she could be so heartless. He had organised this trip for the two and he was going to get down on his knee.

Well that idea was shot down and shattered into a million pieces.

He watched as the people slowly began to file out of the plane, he smiled when a woman stopped allowing him to climb out and walk down the isle and bid goodbye by an overly perky blond haired flight attendant. He forced a smile and nodded his head before stepping out into the cold air.

This was going to be an interesting trip.

[ well that's good ]

Lochlainn wasn't sure why he hadn't expected it to be this hot, after all it was the middle of December, summer had just started and this was always the hottest time of year. He was telling himself it was because he wasn't thinking, or he could tell people he'd hadn't quite registered that the seasons were a little bit different here than where he was from. At least he'd chosen appropriate attire for the activities for the day, because he knew he would've regretted his decisions if he would've worn jeans liked he'd originally planned.

"Well this is the last of it." Lochlainn heard his friend say as they moved the last box out of the truck and into his new home. He really was glad to have a place he could call his own, and he was kind of excited to start unpacking and setting the place up the way he wanted it. It was going to be different, that he was sure of, but it was a different he was ready to start getting used to.

---

you gonna talk to him? ;) Astrid replied to her friend, sadly I haven't ran into any gorgeous guys here in Europe yet, but maybe I'll have a run in with one soon ;).

"Astrid who're you texting!" Her friend Brittany said laying her head on Astrid's shoulder.

"Just a friend Britt. And no it's not a boy." Astrid said laughing a little and smiling at the girl. She honestly couldn't have been happier to be there right now, in Europe with her friends. This trip had been just about all they could talk about for the longest time and now that it was here and happening it was exciting. Yes it was a lot colder here than it was back home in the states, and she was sure that if she looked out the window right now she'd see snow, but none of that mattered to her really. Because Astrid loved Christmas time, and she loved the snow.

"So do we have any plans for tonight guys?" She finally asked the others deciding that they should all decide on what they were doing later that night then.

[so sorry for the lateness, been hectic with work and Christmas and I have been trying to reply to all my role-plays when I get time ]

Sigrid felt her phone vibrate in her hand, opening her eyes she held the device in front of her face as she unlocked it and read the message from Astrid. A smile spread across her face, quickly she composed a reply to her American friend.

Probably, give him a day to get comfortable before I go knocking on his door :P. I am sure you will find someone, come on it's Europe it's known for it's gorgeous men :P she hit the send button before tucking her phone onto the pocket off her denim short shorts before walking toward her room. Entering the room she smiled as she saw the pile of presents she had yet to put out underneath her tree. Walking over to her wardrobe she pulled the door open scanning her clothing items for the work Christmas she was attending that night.

---

Finally Andrew had flagged down at black taxi just outside the airport, piling his bags in he jumped into the back and told the driver where he was staying. The man was an older guy, around fifty five, greying hair and a rather prominent gut. The car ride was silent which gave Andrew more time to think about what he was actually going to do by himself in London.

Clubbing? The brunette shook his head, all he really wanted to do was drink himself into a stupor and try to forget about Tiffany and the pain she had caused him. The humiliation he had felt when the truth had come out. Three days before their trip she had told him about her and Evan a work colleague. The two had been seeing each other for six months. Six months and Andrew had never suspected anything.

He really was stupid.

[ Girl don't even worry about it! I totally understand, it's been super hectic here too so I'm in the same boat. ]

Lochlainn smiled at his friend and thanked him again for being so helpful in getting all his stuff here to his new home. He honestly didn't know what he would've done if he would've had to do this alone, mostly because he hadn't realized how much stuff he had until he was moving it all into the house. Really if he wouldn't have had help he'd probably still be getting shit out of the truck and moving it into the house. Of course now that all the boxes were inside came the harder part, unpacking. That was for sure something that he wasn't looking forward to at all. He had no idea where he was going to put everything, he didn't really have this great sense of decoration like some people, and well really he didn't know what he was going to do with all his stuff. He'd figure something out though, he just had to.

---

That sounds like a good plan. xD. And you're totally right, I'm in Europe where there are tons of beautiful men which means I'm sure I'll find one somewhere!

Astrid wasn't exactly the most forward person when it came to people she found attractive, and out of their entire group she was the least likely to make the first move, that however was not going to stop her from enjoying here time here and hopefully finding at least one guy to enjoy some time with while they were here. "I think I saw a pub not far from here why don't we go there for tonight?" Brittany piped up, "I mean it's nothing big but it isn't like we won't have plenty of time after tonight to do everything else. So why not make tonight kind of low key. We can go to the pub and kind of relax. Order whatever the Brits eat there and drink a little. Plus we won't be that far from the hotel."

Honestly Astrid thought it was a great idea, and it wasn't exactly one she'd expected Brittany of all people to suggest but hey it was a good idea and that's all that really mattered. "I'm in if everyone else is." Astrid finally said before everyone else agreed and it was settled. The girls were going to the pub.

[how did you're Christmas go? ::cute]

Sigrid finished the final touches of her make up before leaning back and looking at herself in the mirror. A smile stretched across her face. Her brown hair fall down around her shoulders in curls. On her head rested a silver diamond crown and encircling her middle right finger was a floral ring. Turning she walked out of her bathroom grabbing her purse that carried her phone and key card for dinner. Turning her air con off she walked out of the house locking the door behind her.

As she stepped out onto front door step the she inhaled deeply at the shock of the heat. Instantly she felt tired and lacked energy to go to the party. Hot weather always managed to do that to her. Instead she soldiered on walking to her car when she heard something crash. Quickly she hurried over to her gate and gazed over.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

---

Andrew had lugged his bags into his room. He had rummaged the bar fridge but there was nothing in there strong enough for what he wanted tonight. Sighing he closed the fridge turning he walked over to the bedside table where he had chucked his wallet. He needed to find a bar and he needed to find one now.

He needed Alcohol and lots of it!

Closing the door to his room and slipping his key into his pocket he walked toward the elevators as he waited for a carriage to arrive.

[ my Christmas went great! how was yours? ]

Lochlainn looked up from the pile of things he'd now have to pick up off the ground and nodded his head. "I'm fine. Can't say the same about my stuff though." He said laughing a little and shaking his head. It was pretty much just like him to drop things and totally make a mess, or break things and what could he really do. "Thanks for checking in though." He added smiling at her when he finally stood up from the small mess he'd made. "I'm Lochlainn by the way, your new neighbor apparently." He told her assuming that she lived in the house next door to him given she was in the yard now and all.

---

It'd been decided by everyone that going out to a bar seemed like the best idea, which was how Astrid found herself practically running down the hallway to catch the elevator just so they didn't have to wait for the next one. And when she caught it, barely, she got in and smiled at the guy who was already there. He was definitely attractive, and well if Astrid really was going to step out of her bubble tonight and talk to attractive guys then she would not mind him being one of those guys.

[busy, very busy ]

"Sigird," the brunette smiled kindly reaching her hand over the fence to shake his in a proper greeting. "It's nice to meet you. Do you need help, I have a few minutes to spare," she smiled as her eyes looked down at the mess that was on the ground. Even though the young woman did have time she thought it would only be a nice neighbourly thing to do. The young woman detected a thick Irish accent in the males words and she couldn't help but like him that little bit more as shallow as that seemed.

---

Andrew had been standing in silence as he waited for the elevator to get the the ground floor. He watched as the doors began to close and was surprised when a hand quickly stopped it. A brown haired girl poked her head around the door shooting him a smile before her and her friends piled in. Andrew shot her a small smile before his eyes trailed down to his shoes. He listened as the girls chatted between each other about the possibilities of meeting hot new guys and all the fun they would have while they were out. Andrew's eyes slowly lingered back to the brunette and he watched as she stood with her friends smiling and talking when needed.

She was pretty, he couldn't deny that.

"Uh well I mean if you have time it would be nice to have a little help. But you don't have to help me if you were busy or anything. I'm sure I'd mange on my own." Lochlainn said not wanting to disrupt whatever she was busy doing. The last thing he'd want was for her to be late to something important because she'd decided to help him clean up a mess he was clumsy and made in the first place. It was nice though that he apparently not only a gorgeous neighbor, but a nice one as well. He couldn't really remember the last time he'd actually taken a liking to someone living so close to him. Usually they were all total wankers.

---

"Brittany! I think my ears are bleeding now. Thank you for that." Astrid said shaking her head and in total disbelief that her friend had just said what she'd said in the elevator, and with someone they totally didn't even know present too. "I'm so sorry about her. Sometimes she doesn't really know when it's best to just not say anything at all." Astrid said to the man in the elevator standing next to her, figuring she might as well apologize for her friend since it was doubtful that her friend would even think to do it herself. And sure it wasn't like the biggest deal in the world that her friend was giving details of her sex life to them since well they talked about things like this all the time but she'd went into a little bit too much detail this time around, and Astrid could've used without knowing those things, which she was sure the guy could've too.

"No, honestly it is no trouble, I'll come around the front and meet you," she smiled at the male before walking along her pathway before stepping onto the footpath. Her shoes clipped on the cement pathway. Turning she watched her stepping due the the strip of grass that lined the middle of his drive way. She didn't want her heels sinking into the ground causing her to trip. "Alright," she smiled before crouching down and beginning to pick up the items that coated the ground, they were records, mix tapes and a few random demo CDs. "You're into music I see," she smiled before standing up and following the male inside the house, quickly she kicked her shoes off before entering, not wanting to leave a trail of anything on the ground.

---

Andrew was surprised at how open one of the girls were, Brittany, he thought he heard one of the other girls call her. The young woman was openly talking about her sex life and partners. Andrew had to bite his lip to stop from making a comment. That was until the brunette turned and apologised for her friends behaviour and the fact that she didn't seem to have a filter, or any idea of when was the right time to talk about certain topics.

He allowed himself to smile and shrug his shoulders, "I understand," and he wasn't lying the brunette did understand with his circle of friends there was always one that would go around blurting out everything.

"Thanks." Lochlainn said totally having not expected her to be so friendly and help right away or anything given she didn't even know him. But things were different here than where he was from clearly, or maybe the people here were just all around nicer in general than what he was used to. "Oh, yea it's kind of a hobby. I mean I collect vinyls and well I've gotten and given so many mixtaps it's not really funny. I guess it's kind like a hobby I'm passionate about." He told her rubbing his neck. "If you ever wanna borrow something, or uh I guess come over and check out my collection or even just listen to some of it you're more than welcome to." He added honestly hoping he wasn't making a fool out of himself. He wasn't exactly the best when it came to talking to girls he thought were pretty, he wasn't the worst either though which he supposed was a good thing.

---

Astrid tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled at the guy she was standing next to. "I guess you have one of those friends to then." She said pretty everyone had a friend like that, and it wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It could make things a little awkward at times, and other times it could for sure make a person wonder why they'd befriend that person to begin with, but it wasn't always bad. Plus Brittany was one of the nicest people Astrid knew, they'd also known one another so long it'd probably feel weird without her around. "I'm Astrid by the way." She added to her earlier comment deciding pretty much on a whim that she was going to introduce herself to this guy while they were still in the elevator just in case they weren't going to the same place. They were after all clearly in the same country, and staying in the same hotel so they might've had another run in or so and well if this trip really was about going for it and just having fun then it was about time she stepped out of her totally comfortable zone of not really ever making the first move just because she really didn't want to pass up a chance with someone this gorgeous and in London of all places. She had no doubts that Sigrid would be so proud of her.

Sigrid smiled as Lochlainn spoke about his hobby, she noticed he seemed a little fluster, which she thought was cute. As she placed the box in her arms down on the kitchen table she turned and nodded her head before speaking to the male, "I will remember that when I am looking for something new to listen to." Running her fingers through her hair she couldn't help but have a quick look at the inside of his new house. "It's a nice place you have here," it was true, sure it was empty but it was definitely a perfect sized house for one.

Her phone buzzed in her purse, quickly she fished it out and saw that it was Elizabeth wondering where she was. Locking the device she looked up, "Well it was nice meeting you Lochlainn but I had better get going. If you ever need help again just shout out and I will be around," she smiled before turning and walking out of the house stepping into her shoes and walking off.

---

"Sure do," Andrew nodded his head as a smile spread across his face, "I'm Andrew. It's nice to meet you Astrid." he held out one of his hands waiting for her to take it. The male was surprised at how casual she was with talking to him. Normally people try to make little to no contact with anyone standing in an elevator. Not that the male was objecting, it was nice to talk to someone. Even better that she was from the same country as him.

"What brings you to London?"

"Thanks." Lochlainn said running his fingers through his curly hair smiling at the girl. The place wasn't really the best place to look at right now, only because it was pretty empty and in the spots that there were things it was mostly boxes and they were so unorganized it'd probably drive some people crazy. Of course he had just gotten there like an hour ago and was still unpacking. Hopefully it wouldn't like it did right now forever. "It was nice meeting you too." He said glad still that he'd been able to meet one of the neighbors at least, and she seemed really nice which was also nice. "And I'll keep that in mind." He told her also glad that he had someone he could invite over if he needed help with anything. Or maybe even just to chat he supposed.

---

Astrid shook Andrew's hand, "nice to meet you too." She responded still a little shocked with herself that she was being so forward and casual with this guy. And she almost had this gut feeling that he was from the same town as her, mostly because of the way he talked and well she'd lived in New York long enough to know what they sounded like. "Christmas break mostly." She said laughing a little. "And we've been saving up for this trip since we were Freshman. What about you? What brings you to London?" She asked pretty sure it wouldn't be the same thing as them, though she was also curious to why he was alone, since well it didn't seem like he was too interested in meeting up with friends or anything like that. She wasn't going to pry into that though, unless the door was opened she'd just leave that alone.

Sigrid got into her car and sped off toward her work Christmas party. She was only on the road for a few minutes before she pulled into a free parking space outside the hotel she was having dinner. Quickly she jumped out of the vehicle knowing she was already running late. Quickly she entered only to find one of her mates standing at the bar.

"Lucy!" she called out, a raven haired girl turned to look at her a bottle of beer in her hands.

"Hey Sigrid," she smiled as the woman walked toward her.

---

Andrew debated what to tell the girl, "Holiday as well," it was half true. He wasn't going to blurt out to her that it was in fact where he was going to propose to his now ex girlfriend. He went to say more but the lift dinged and the doors slowly rolled open. "Well it was nice meeting you Astrid," he smiled kindly at her when he noticed her friend tugging at her to get her out of the lift. "I might see you around sometime." he smiled before stepping out and walking off in the opposite direction.

Lochlainn honestly couldn't have been more thrilled that he'd already met his first neighbor and that she was not only gorgeous, but super nice. Though if he were being 100% honestly he hadn't doubted for a second that she would be nice. Actually before he'd decided to move here he'd done a ton of research, mostly because he wanted to pick the best place to move to, and well he liked to know a little bit about where he was going to be living rather than just moving and knowing absolutely nothing. Anyways, he'd done his research and one of the consistencies he'd found was that the people in Australia was that the people were really nice and welcoming. Which so far was pretty true. And he was even more sure now that he was going to love it there.

---

Astrid wasn't entirely shocked to find that he was there for the Holidays, after all London was a wonderful place to be during this time of year, she was a little shocked that he was alone. And she got the feeling he wasn't supposed to be alone, it wasn't her business to pry into that though. If he wanted to tell her he'd tell her. "You too! And I'm sure we'll see each other again." She said with a smile before letting her friends drag her off. She hoped that she was right about seeing him again however. It made sense they would see one another again though, they were after all staying in the same hotel, and she was pretty sure on the same floor. Which had to mean the likely hood of bumping into one another again while they were on this trip was high.

The Christmas party was going well, everyone was mingling, Sigrid was enjoying the company of her work mates but there was no denying she was beginning to feel drowsy. She wasn't sure if it was the three glasses of wine or the fact that she had started early that morning, but either way she knew she needed to go home soon. The brunette's thoughts wandered to the curly haired Irishman she had met earlier, her new neighbour. Sigrid was curious about him, he seemed so friendly. Was it weird that she wanted to get to know him more? She wasn't sure. However she was pulled away from her thoughts when Sophie walked over to her, her stilettos clicking on the ground. She wore a wide smile exposing her perfectly whitened teeth.

"Hey Sig, a few of us are going to The Lightening Room if you wanted to come, it'd be fun." The Lightening Room was a new nightclub in town.

"I think I am gonna pass Soph... starting to feel tired, I think I need to go home and go to bed. Maybe another night yeah?"

"Sounds good," she smiled before turning and flouncing off her blonde hair bouncing on her shoulders. Sigrid stifled a yawn and it was then she knew she had to go home. The brunette debated whether or not to drive or grab a taxi. She chose the later thinking it better then trying to drive home in her state. She would pick up her car tomorrow.

---

Andrew nodded his head and couldn't help the chuckle that left his lips when she was pulled away by her friends. Slowly he stepped out of the elevator and exited the hotel walking out into the brisk air. He gripped his jacket and pulled it tighter around him as he walked along in silence looking at his surroundings and drinking in everything with a smile now spread across his face. Even though he had only spoken to Astrid for a few minutes she had managed to lift the anger and annoyance from a little so he was able to breathe and enjoy everything more.

@ Sirius Black..

[ I honestly could've sworn that I replied to all our roleplays ]

After Sigrid left Lochlainn finished bringing all his boxes in and worked a little bit on actually unpacking them. Honestly, moving was already harder than he'd thought it would be. He stuck by his decision that this was what he wanted to do though. Mostly because he did really like it here already, and well he knew he couldn't live at home forever, and while he knew his parents would've preferred him stay closer to home he needed to find himself. And in order to do that he felt like he needed to get out on his own and explore the world. Or at least part of the world.

Luckily though the hardest thing he'd actually come across so far was unpacking. He had no idea how he wanted to decorate his new place, he didn't know what he wanted the place to look like, and he wished his mum or someone was there to help him. But he shook that off quickly, the whole reason he'd moved here was to have a fresh start. That didn't mean he couldn't at least call home though and check in. Plus he was sure they'd want to know how things were going, so he supposed he could take a break for a bit to call them.

---

"Oh my God you two were totally flirting back there Astrid!" Brittany squealed as she continued to pull Astrid along towards the bar they were all headed to.

Astrid just tucked her hair behind her ear and smiled. "Well he was really cute, and we did come here for an adventure," she said biting her lip. Astrid really wasn't usually the one in the group to be that open around a guy. Especially one she'd just met. There'd just been something about him that she'd felt drawn to. She couldn't really explain it, she didn't even know what it was really but there was something. Honestly, it all just led to her hoping they saw one another again. And well clearly they were staying at the same hotel so it was possible. That didn't mean she was going to be weird and go looking for him or anything, but she could always hope that they'd just bump into one another.