Hello Sheffield

"I'll wash your bowl if it really bothers you that much, just finish getting ready," Becca said, taking my cereal bowl to the sink. I smiled gratefully at her and ran up the stairs.

I brushed my teeth again for good measure. I put on the clothes we'd picked out last night, denim shorts and a thin Drop Dead shirt with a black cardigan. I had done my hair and makeup before I ate in an effort to be timely.

A glance at the clock told me it was 9:25 so I pulled on my tennis shoes and went rummaging for simple jewelry. I had to keep in mind that this was still a date. I scrambled around, transferring my things from my regular bag to a small shoulder bag I had.

A tip from Becca (who'd heard from Matty) told me to dress comfortably. The boys had left before dawn, which hadn't left us much time to sleep. I sprayed myself with perfume and took one last look in the mirror before I heard the doorbell ring.

Ice-cold adrenaline shot through my veins as I ran down the stairs. I yanked the door open and found myself face to face with Oliver. He was dressed in his usual tight jeans and t-shirt ensemble, his hair in it's usual perfect state. He grinned when he saw me.

"Mornin' love," he said, kissing me on the cheek. I smiled and moved aside so he could come in. He stepped inside and looked curiously at the kitchen, where the water was still running.

"Good morning, let me just say bye to Becca," I said warmly. I went into the kitchen and she turned to smile at me. I rolled my eyes at how excited she looked. Someone might think she was the one going on the date and not me, despite her pajama pants and disheveled appearance.

"I'm leaving now okay? Just lock the door behind you with the key under the flower pot to the left," I said, hugging her.

"Have fun and always practice safe sex," she said, grinning mischievously. I rolled my eyes and gave her the finger. She laughed and followed me into the hallway. "Take care of her Oliver," she said seriously, giving him a stern look before cracking a small smile.

"Will do ma'am," he said, reaching for my hand. I held his hand as we walked out, waving to my best friend and shutting the door. I let go of his hand to get in the car, strapping my seat belt on immediately.

"It's a rather long drive," he said as he started up the car, "So it's alright if yeh want to sleep part of the way. Tom told me about his little stunt with Matty so I figured yeh were up pretty late."

"I'm not really tired yet," I said. It was true. I was too excited. I still didn't know where we were going though I had a few ideas. In any case, the music was probably too loud for me to fall asleep to. I contented myself with watching Oli drive.

He drove fast, really fast, but he was confident as a driver. He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel along to the music. His eyes flickered over the road consciously. Overall, I felt pretty safe in the car with him and I was pretty sure that wherever we were going, it would take less time with him than it would with any other driver.

"What're yeh lookin' at?" he asked, an amused smile on his face.

"I'm watching you drive, obviously. It's cute."

"I am not cute," he mumbled. I smirked and shook my head.

"You're adorable Olober," I mocked in a baby voice, "Such a cutie patootie."

He groaned and shook his hair out of his eyes. I laughed when he banged a hand on the steering wheel and protested.

"I am not adorable, okay? I am dangerous and mysterious and sexy," he argued.

"And so fuckin' adorable," I added nonchalantly. He tutted and glared in my direction. I raised my hands in the air. "I mean, I never said you weren't dangerous or mysterious and I never ever said you weren't sexy."

"I like hearing you say you think I'm sexy," he pointed out.

"I never said I thought you were sexy. I merely stated that I never said you weren't."

"So you think I'm sexy."

"I'm going to sleep now."

He chuckled as I leaned my head between the headrest and the window, the cool glass on my temple. He turned down the music and I focused on becoming drowsy by staring aimlessly at the road speeding in front of my eyes.

*

"Where are we?" I asked as I woke up. My neck was stiff and I wasn't sure where we were. The road looked exactly the same as it did when I fell asleep.

"Look who's up, yeh've been sleepin' for about two hours. We're about a half hour from our destination," he said. I narrowed my eyes at him. I figured if we were so close there would be signs to tip me off.

We talked about the band that was playing currently, a new metal band on the Sheffield underground scene, while I searched for signs. Apparently Oli was really into them and wanted to help them get signed.

It wasn't until ten minutes of Oli's rambling later that I saw the sign I needed.

"London?" I shrieked questioningly, grabbing his arm in excitement. He turned and grinned at me. I had never been to London, even on vacation and I was beyond thrilled to be seeing it. He turned and grinned at me.

"I thought yeh might like to see it."

"You're the fucking best Oli!"

"I know love."

I spent the twenty minutes it took to get into London babbling excitedly and asking him what we could see first. He apparently had everything planned out. It took a while for him to park but as soon as the car was stopped, I leapt onto the sidewalk.

"So where are we going?" I asked excitedly, clinging to Oli's arm, "Oh my, holy shit, Oliver, can we go on a double decker bus? Please?"

He laughed at me and shook his head. I grinned and looked around, lacing our fingers together and leaning my head on his shoulder. This date was definitely one of the best I'd ever had, and it really only just started.

We walked for a little bit and I just glanced around me. It was hard to believe that I'd never visited London in my time here. Oliver insisted that the trains were called the 'underground' which made me giggle considering they were called the subway back in New York.

I didn't argue with him though, I just sat next to him as the trains pulled out. It was amazing to think that I was in London, for the simple reason that it was such a landmark place. It didn't take too long on the underground and we were soon making our way up the steps into the daylight.

"Welcome to Trafalgar Square," Oli said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me into his side.

The square was beautiful, filled with fountains and statues. Both tourists and Londoners bustled through the square, glancing at the beautiful scenery. I wrapped an arm around Oli's waist and immediately steered him toward Nelson's Column. I stared up at it silently and then made my way to one of the lion statues. It was pretty surreal to be standing here but it was cool all the same.

"Wait, let's ask someone to take a picture of us," I said, pulling my camera out of my bag. Oli rolled his eyes but I stopped a brazenly American woman that was with her husband. She was kind enough to oblige and I wrapped my arms around Oli's middle, smiling widely at the camera.

"It came out nicely dear," she said, handing the camera back. I double-checked and liked the way it looked. I thanked her before returning to Oli and walking toward the fountains.

"It's so beautiful here," I commented.

"Would it be cliche if I told yeh it wasn't nearly as beautiful as you are?" he asked, wrapping his arms around me from behind. He rested his head on my shoulder and looked at the fountain. I felt tingly inside as I laced my fingers with his.

"It would be but I'll take it anyway."

He followed me as I wandered, snapping pictures of everything. I felt like a tourist and I didn't even care. We made our way to a cafe for lunch. I got a muffin and a soda, paying before Oli could pay for me. He glared at me when he realized what I did.

"Yeh do realize that I'm the one that's payin' today right?" he asked, as we sat at a table by the window.

"Oh shut up. I bought a muffin, it's not a big deal."

He still looked troubled by the idea so I smiled reassuringly. I hated when guys acted like they had to pay for every little thing. I didn't want him to feel obligated. Conversation picked up though, and he bounced back from his moment of solemnity.

"Want to see Big Ben?" he asked, when we were both finished. I grinned slyly.

"Are you talking about your penis, or the clock tower?"

"Yeh're not funny. I was talkin' about the clock tower."

"Okay, yeah. I'm all for that idea."

"But yeh're not all for seein' my cock?"

"I didn't say that."

I left him sitting at the table with a dumbstruck look on his face. I laughed and threw my garbage out, waiting for him by the door. He shook his head at me and grabbed my hand as we walked back to the underground.

This ride was longer than the other but I didn't mind. I spent my time tracing the tattoos on Oli's hands. Someone from his record label called him and I idly stared around at the people on the train. There was a small family at the other end and a few scattered business people. I loved people watching.

We got off the train and climbed the steps with a magnitude of others. When we broke into the sun, I was staring at Big Ben (the clock tower, not the penis) and I was in complete awe. I had seen it a lot in movies but this was unreal.

I took a picture of it from my phone and sent it to my mom and dad. They would definitely appreciate this sight, seeing as they'd never made it to London on vacations either. I was so excited to actually be looking at this amazing building.

"Westminster Oli, oh my good god we have so much to see!"

After that, I dragged him everywhere. He chuckled at my excitement a lot because honestly, I was like a kid in Disney World for the first time. I told him everything I liked and didn't like, which wasn't much. Overall, the date was a one-sided conversation on my part.

We ended up seeing nearly everything; the Cenotaph, Downing Street, and the horse guards. I forced Oli into taking a picture of me standing next to one, myself giving a thumbs up and cheesy grin to the camera.

From there, we walked to Buckingham Palace, which was a rather long walk but we talked about everything and anything occasionally lapsing into a comfortable silence. We finished the walk around the lake, discussing the next tour.

It was getting late and Oli produced tickets for the London Eye from his pocket. I was ready to kiss him then when I saw the line for tickets alone. It was sweet that he came prepared and I kissed his cheek before we got on.

It was an amazing 'flight' and really cool to see everything I'd just seen on the ground, from the air. I was well aware of the ache that was deep in my legs and creeping into my back. Thankfully, the restaurant Oli wanted to eat at was relatively close.

It was nice, but not dress-up nice. I got nervous flicking through the menu. I'd been on this date with Oli all day but now it was the typical, sit across from each other, watch every move they make, date and good lord the butterflies were full force.

We ordered and I was thankful we had a waiter and not a waitress. Jealousy and nerves don't mix, even a little bit. I sipped at my water, aware of his eyes on me.

"Are yeh having fun?" he asked. I stared at him skeptically.

"Get real Oli, I'm having the time of my life."

"Really? Matty said it would be a lame date," he said, and I could tell he was nervous too. I rolled my eyes.

"Don't listen to Matty, he nearly gave me a heart attack last night. This is the best date I've ever had in the history of ever," I assured him, to which a huge smile appeared on his face. I loved making him smile.

Salads came then and we ate. My mom called me but I ignored it, figuring I could call her later anyway. There was a good chance it would be a rude conversation and I didn't want to ruin the night. I was having far too much of a good time.

"Are you excited for Warped?" I asked, bringing up the topic we'd discussed earlier.

"Yeah, Warped is always a good time, yeh know? I'm gonna miss yeh though," he said thoughtfully.

"Oh please, I can't be that great. Music is what you love. Touring has to be better than bumming around in my house," I said non-chalantly, laughing at myself. He was very serious though.

"No, yeh mean a lot to me Liv. I don't think yeh realize just how much. I like yeh a lot and I'm not messing things up here."

I looked down at the table and blushed, wondering what made him get so serious. Of course, I felt the same way about him. I'd be pretty much alone except for Becca and Simone, who'd been appearing with Jona more often.

"I like you a lot too Oli," I confessed quietly, feeling awkward saying it. I knew it was obvious and that everyone knew but it still felt weird saying it straight to his face. It was kind of like falling.

"Good, because I'd probably die if yeh didn't."

"Oh be quiet," I scolded, "You're being overdramatic."

"Yeh'll never really know how much I care for yeh."

I was melting in his palm and I think he knew. I knew, though, that he wasn't just saying these things. Sincerity burned behind his thick lashes and I felt like he was looking through me into my very soul. It was an intense moment.

The waiter seemed to sense that too. He subtly removed our salad plates and replaced them with our entrees. When he walked away was when I broke my gaze with Oli, choosing to eat and pretend I hadn't heard the last bit.

"So how's your mom?" I asked after a while, bringing things down to a more normal level. Oliver could talk endlessly about his mother and his family in general. We talked about the family reunion a little bit and he started asking questions about my family.

It wasn't that I didn't feel comfortable talking about them but I didn't like to. It was simple really; a bitchy mom, a decent dad, my really smart overacheiving sister, and my dead brother. Not much of a conversation. An uncle on my dad's side and a grandfather. My mom's parents were alright.

Details were what killed me. I didn't like the details. So I left it pretty vague and he understood I didn't want to talk about it.

I let him pay this time and we walked to catch a train to the area where the car was. It took a while and I was kind of tired from walking all day. When I sank into the passenger seat and Oli started driving, it took a strong will to keep myself awake.

We talked about getting Tom and Matty back for their stunt last night and sang loudly and obnoxiously to You Me At Six so the three hour drive didn't feel as long.

It felt like minutes instead of hours that we were pulling into my driveway. He walked me up to the door and we stood there for a few silent seconds, waiting.

"I had a lot of fun," I said, feeling somewhat cliche. He grinned.

"Me too, I'm really glad yeh agreed to come with me."

"I wouldn't have missed this for my life."

We were quiet again, just looking at each other. It was dark now and the night air was chilly.

"I'll call yeh tomorrow okay?"

"Yeah, that's good. I'll pick up."

I felt lame saying it but it was my nerves fault really. This was the part of the date where you kissed. While I had kissed Oliver before (or maybe it was more heated than that) the first date kiss always had a significantly large amount of pressure on it.

When he leaned in though, my nerves vanished. His lips were soft and gentle against mine. I let my arm hook around his neck while his hand lightly touched my hip. It was the perfect ending of the perfect date. He pulled away, keeping the kiss innocent, and I could feel his smirk.

"Good night Liv."

"Night Oli."

I fumbled in my bag for my keys and unlocked the door. I waved before stepping into the house and dropping my bag on the table and turning on a light. I sat in the living room with Zeus, turning on the news.

A euphoric smile was on my face, the remnant of a date that was more like a dream than anything else.