Wanderlust

“So, what have you always wanted to see in London?”
I looked up from my iced-coffee and into the olive-green eyes of the boy across from me. Harry had picked me up from the radio station quickly and bee-lined it straight to a cafe for some late lunch after I had mentioned that I was famished from the mere apple I had consumed all day. We were now seated in the very back of the ‘Brian’s’ establishment, surrounded by beige interior and soft music.

I hummed at the curly-haired boy, admiring the mop atop his head that wasn’t restricted by any beanie or hood. “Maybe The London Eye or Big Ben... Or Buckingham Palace!”

Harry chuckled at my excitement, surely not understanding it being a local himself. Being from across the pond as both Will and I were, it was fun to just go down the street, let alone wander around the whole city, so whatever was in store for the day would undoubtedly not be disappointing.

“We could probably see them all.” He glanced down at the watch sitting on his wrist quickly, looking back up at me with that glint that seemed to always be in his eye.

“Could we?” I questioned with a grin stretched across my face, “Aren’t you busy later on or anything?”

Harry shook his head, flipping his curls about while he adjusted one of the slightly rolled up sleeves of his navy blue tee. “Got the day off so I wouldn’t disappoint ya’. We’ve got all day and night if we need it.”

I attempted to hide my smile at his words but he very clearly saw it, returning his own cheeky version of it while he sipped at his drink.

“So, why exactly are ya’ in England, then?” He asked me, leaning onto his elbows much like he had at the club, giving me all his attention. I had come to find Harry was a very attentive listener.

“Looking for inspiration.” I confirmed with a raise of my eyebrows. I, myself, wasn’t too sure how well that was turning out, since I hadn’t picked up a guitar or hummed a tune or played a key in nearly two months. I just couldn’t find the spark I had once felt when I urged to make words into music.

“Inspiration?” Harry questioned, raising his own brows.

“Mhm,” I confirmed, finishing off my coffee, “I’m supposed to find it to make some music again, or at least try to... Haven’t done either of those yet, though.”

“You sing?” He was honestly bewildered. Creases formed along his forehead as his eyes focussed in on me as if unsure whether to trust my statement. “Like, proper sing?”

I laughed heartily, amused by his reaction. I tried to not feel surprised by his unknowing of my previous career before my acting, but I kind of was. When I was mentioned in interviews or specials or even the occasional ‘Spotted!’ tabloids, I was always referred to as the Australian ‘singer-turned actress.’ But then again, Harry didn’t seem the type to divulge in celebrity gossip.

“I did. I stopped when I got my first acting job. That was like... two or three years ago now...”

“What’d ya’ sing, then? Go on, giv’us a tune.” He almost teased, smiling at me with those dimples cratered into his cheeks.

“Hmm, ’Settle Down’,” I thought back, “’Good Intent’ was probably my favourite.”

“I’ll have to have a listen when I get back home.” He affirmed, leaning back in his seat with his eyes trained onto mine. I almost felt lost in that gaze.

† ‡ †

“It’s huge!” I exclaimed, eying up the enormous wheel Harry and I stood before. It was literally gigantic, easily three times the size of any Ferris wheel I had ever seen.

“That’s what they say.” Harry mused, looking up at the observation wheel wistfully as people manoeuvred around us.

We had ventured all through the city, hitting both Buckingham and Big Ben and getting pictures all the way in between. Harry had even taken my extremely cliché picture with a palace guard who hadn’t been tricked by any of my attempts at getting him to smile. And now the sun was escaping us. London of the evening was truly a magnificent thing, its natural lighting slowly fading into a magical glow of lanterns and street lamps. While the population never ceased, the loud chatter of the citizens was like a soothing hum against the incredible backdrop. I couldn’t believe I had yet to admire it.

The wheel we were yet to climb was now fallen against a hue of orange as the night crept up and Harry had informed me that once it had become solid night-time, the wheel would light up. The way he described it made it adamantly clear that this boy loved this city.

“Come on then!” I suddenly demanded, grabbing onto Harry’s arm and pulling him towards the monument that we would finally be able to climb into. The thought of reaching the top sent chills through me; perhaps it was also the drop of temperature London seemed to produce due to its decrease of daylight; Harry was lucking to have chosen long pants whereas I was still stuck in my high waisted skirt from the Capital FM interview.

We made our way through the crowds, heads down in hopes for no recognition and hands now latched so as to not lose each other in the hefty mass of people. We had been recognized quite a bit earlier through the day, not that we neither minded nor expected any less, but I could tell now that we both wanted to end our day as normally as possible.

After the general admission onto The Eye, we were soon within the large spherical-like carriage, which was huge in itself. For the most part, the area was made up of glass and white-steel, and I was quick to rush over to the side sure to give us the best view, my hands finding their way up onto the window.

The wheel began its way up, stopping occasionally to load more passengers into the carriages below. The sky had turned a darker shade along the journey and the wheel had indeed lit up, bright lights framing every inch of it, until soon enough we were at the top.

The view from the very top was insanely beautiful as I gazed upon it with Harry at my side doing the same. We could see every landmark we had visited in the day, except now everything was in an array of blacks and yellows from the artificial lights streaming across the city. The water nearby glistened in reflection below the bridge which Harry had confirmed was the ‘Westminster’ bridge.

“It’s amazing.” I breathed, inching my face almost close enough to touch the glass. “It’s... It’s just, amazing.” I troubled myself to find more adjectives but came up short while entrapped in this incredible site.

I looked toward the boy beside me, watching as he too tore his eyes from the view. “Thank you so much for showing me all this.” I said appreciatively, pulling him into a hug to reiterate the thanks.

He embraced me back before we parted. “S’no worries, love. Was a good first date, then?”

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked up into his gaze. “Is that what this was?”

I honestly hadn’t thought of this day like that. Then again, William had called it a ‘Lunch date,’ and we had gotten lunch.

Harry merely nodded, his confidence never faltering by my ignorance to the obvious.

“Oh,” I chuckled, crossing my arms over as I felt unsure of what to say. I felt the smile stay on my face, though, as I looked back over at the view while the wheel continued to spin and we slowly declined closer to the ground. “Well then, yes.” I assured, “It was a perfect first date.”