I'll Be Okay

“You haven’t ridden on a Double Decker bus before?” Danny asked, completely shocked. I looked up from my spot next to the bus stop sign and shook my head, looking down at the pavement. Danny bumped my shoulder and I looked up, my brown eyes running over his face as he looked at me through his Ray Ban’s. “Wow, I’m seriously shocked.” He chuckled. We just finished our lunch and Danny told me we had to wait for the bus now, considering it was faster than driving and having to find a spot. It was a little past 3 at this point and I grew impatient. He won’t tell me his plans for today.

“I’ve never really had to considering I own a car like any other human.” I joked and Danny chuckled again, pointing off in the distance as a Double Decker bus came into view. “Can we sit on the top?” I asked, turning to Danny with my eyes wide. Danny chuckled even louder, nodding eagerly. I felt like a child. The bus pulled up right in front of us and Danny instantly got on, leading me to the top. It was only the two of us and four other people sitting in the front, so I chose the back. Sitting down next to the window, I turned as Danny plopped down right beside me. The bus started and I felt butterflies in my stomach; this bus rides a whole new experience for me. For some reason, the Double Decker bus made me happy.

“Look!” Danny explained, leaning over me to point out the window. I followed his finger as he pointed at a bunch of different things, explaining them to me or laughing at something someone did before we got to our destination fifteen minutes later. Letting out a deep breath, I followed Danny off of the bus slowly. “Alright, first stop; Big Ben!” He exclaimed, holding his arms out in emphasis. I raised an eyebrow and I actually felt my cheeks tug upward; as if I was about to smile. “Come on!” He exclaimed, pulling me toward the large clock tower. I followed in toe and I felt that funny feeling again.

“Whoa!” I exclaimed, looking up at the clock tower in awe. Danny chuckled from beside me, bumping my shoulder as he pulled out his phone, taking a picture. We stood in front of Big Ben for quiet some time, completely silent as we looked up at signature of London. I turned to him with a content look on my face, the feeling in my cheeks again. I felt a wave of emotions take over me at that moment and I just wanted to scream. I felt happy. And it was thanks to him. “Thank you,” I whispered, looking up at Danny as I bit my lip. It was this simple thing that was making me happy, which sort of bothered me. Why was I so afraid to be happy, again?

“Come on, our next stop awaits us!” Danny grinned in my direction before gesturing me to follow him. I stepped beside him, keeping up with his pace as I took one last look at Big Ben before we made our way back to the bus stop to wait for the next bus.

“Now where are we going?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as we took our seats on the top of the bus again. It was empty up here, our voices filling the empty air. Danny just smiled in my direction before he looked out the window. I looked over his expression before I looked out the window as well. It was starting to get chilly, meaning the night was coming up on us quickly. I bit my lip, turning to Danny as he sighed, the bus coming to a halt ten minutes later.

“Alright, this is kind of a long walk. Bear with me.” He chuckled, stepping off of the bus, followed by him offering his hand to help me down. We walked side by side down a path and I breathed out softly. “My dad left me, my mum, and my sister when I was 8 years old.” Danny said and I turned quickly, my mouth dropping at the new information. He looked over at me quickly before looking back ahead again. “He and my mum got in a huge fight one night and the next morning, he was gone. And he never came back. He never even called.” Danny whispered and I looked down at my feet as we walked.

“I never met my dad; if I should even call him that. He abused my mother when she was pregnant for me and he left a month before her due date. He literally left the grid; not even helping with child support.” I whispered, looking over at Danny sadly. “You were right about your mother, by the way.” I muttered and Danny raised an eyebrow, shoving both of his hands in his pockets.

“What do you mean?” He asked me, and I shrugged, kicking a pebble as we walked. I felt comfortable with him, but I knew that now wasn’t the time to talk about me.

“She’s a really good listener.” I uttered and he chuckled, nodding his head. We walked for another few minutes before I looked up, Danny smiling from ear to ear. “What?” I asked, and then I turned. Looking up slightly, my eyes grew wide and my mouth dried up.

“The London Eye; very popular. And we’re gonna ride it.” Danny said, pulling me toward the line. I’ve heard about this before, but I’ve never actually seen it in person. It’s a lot bigger than the picture portraits. I swallowed loudly, rubbing my arm as we were next in line.

“I mean, we don’t have to ride this-” I whispered, but Danny was already handing the man in the booth some money. He grabbed my arm once more and pulled me toward the pod, helping me step inside. It could easily fit twenty people, but it was only us two when the door closed. “Holy hell.” I whispered, walking over to the window as it started to move.

“Don’t worry; it lasts just thirty minutes. We’re perfectly safe. Just imagine it as a giant Farris Wheel.” Danny said, stepping beside me. I looked off into the distance at the sun, watching it slowly drop in the sky. It was really beautiful. I placed both hands on the glass, my mouth dropping slightly. The pod rose slowly and my stomach was freaking out with nerves. But I was paying no attention to it; the view was too beautiful. “Look, there’s Big Ben.” Danny said, coming up beside me, pointing to my right. I looked over, looking down at the clock tower. When we got to the complete top, the sun was nearly half set and all of London was lit up. I pulled out my phone and snapped a quick picture.

“It’s beautiful.” I whispered, looking over at Danny. He grinned in return, bumping my shoulder softly. I felt the pull at my lips but they never rose. Danny sighed, looking off into the distance as he leaned on the railing. I watched over his face softly and I watched his lips tug on his cheek. He looks so happy; so care free. Why can’t I be like that?

“I love coming up here with the lads. It’s the perfect place to get away from it all, you know? I’ve been lucky today. Usually we’re bombarded with paparazzi or fans whenever we go out. It’s nice to be able to get away from it all for a half an hour and just sit up here, looking into the eyes of London.” Danny muttered and I looked over at him, leaned on the railing as well. He turned to look over at me, and I saw the sadness in his eyes. “Don’t get me wrong; I love McFly and I love the fans. But sometimes…I just wish I could go back to normal for a little while; instead of being Danny Jones from McFly, I could just be Danny, the awkward boy from Bolton,” he sighed, leaning his chin on his hands as he looked out the window, his elbows holding his head up. I stepped closer to him, feeling that little pull to hug him to make him feel better.

“I wish I could go back in time too, Danny. You’re not alone.” I whispered, mimicking his stance. I felt him look over at me and I bit my lip, closing my eyes softly. I felt his eyes on me the entire ride down, but I didn’t let it affect me as I looked off into London, my eyes traveling over everything. I turned to him as the ride stopped to let us off. He gave me a soft smile before he held out his hand, helping me step out of the pod. Taking my place back by his side, we walked the long path back to the bus stop.

“One last stop, Lindsey, and this one is my favorite.” He whispered, smiling at me as we stepped onto the bus once more. The ride was quiet between us and I just looked out my window, watching over London as the sun finally falls down in the sky. It took us a half an hour to get to our last destination and I followed Danny off of the bus slowly. Ushering me forward, he made his way forward and I followed closely behind him.

“A bridge?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Danny rolled us eyes, pulling me the rest of the way. We stood off to the side as a few people walked beside us before Danny grinned at me, making his way down the walkway on the side. I looked up at the lights and my mouth dropped as we walked further onto the bridge. Danny stopped abruptly a little ways ahead and I caught up, standing beside him as he leaned on the railing, looking off over the water.

“The Tower Bridge. This is another one of my favorites, love.” Danny said, smiling at me before he looked back forward, his eyes traveling over the water and the buildings. I felt my cheeks heat up as I looked over his features before I looked ahead, my eyes traveling over the water as I watched boats float on by. Biting my lip softly, I turned to Danny.

“Thank you.” I muttered, looking up slowly to meet his eyes. His Ray Ban’s were folded and hooked onto the v-neck of his white shirt, so his eyes were looking into mine as he smiled, leaning his head to the side. “For all of this. I never get a chance to go out and just spending my day all over London has been great. So, thank you.” I whispered and Danny grinned, stepping closer to me as he chuckled.

“Lindsey, I’d do it all over again, trust me. It’s been wicked.” He said before he pulled me into a hug, catching me completely off guard. I felt the butterflies again but I pushed them away, hugging him back. “I’ve felt like Danny from Bolton when I’m with you, so I should be thanking you as well, Linds,” he chuckled, and I felt my stomach go into knots, resting my head on his chest. We pulled away a few moments after before looking back over the bridge, gazing over London as the night grew on. I’m not exactly sure how long we were standing there, watching the night grow on before I felt a shiver overtake me.

“We should probably head back soon,” I whispered, turning to Danny. I wrapped my arms around myself and as our eyes met, I noticed him shrugging off his leather jacket. He placed it over my shoulder before smiling, pulling down the long sleeves to his shirt. “Thanks,” I whispered, pulling it tighter to myself. He smiled softly before he placed his hand on the small of my back, walking me back to the bus stop. But instead of waiting for the bus, he hailed us down a taxi.

“They’re much faster.” He concluded and I nodded, sliding into back seat as I pulled his jacket closer to me, trying to gain warmth. Danny told the driver where we were headed before he turned to me, sliding in beside me. “Here,” he said, reaching over and zippering it up for me. Blushing, I thanked him quietly. The ride back to Covent Gardens lasted a little over 10 minutes and I sighed in relief as we quickly slipped into Danny’s car, cranking the heat. “Jeez, it’s not even that cold out.” Danny joked, rubbing his hands together. I raised an eyebrow, Danny chuckling in return. I directed him how to bring me home and we drove silently.

“I had fun.” I whispered, sitting back in my seat as he pulled onto my street. I pointed toward my aunt’s house and he swiftly parked in the driveway. He turned in his seat and grinned, nodding his agreement. He slipped out of his seat and walked toward my side, opening the door for me. Stepping out, I grabbed my purse and walked beside Danny up to the front steps. “Thank you.” I whispered, turning to face him.

“Did it keep your mind off of things?” Danny whispered, and I blushed, nodding slowly. “Good, mission accomplished.” He spoke, smiling softy. Without even realizing it, I let out a soft laugh, a smile escaping over my lips. Danny’s eyebrows shot up and he pointed over at me, a shocked expression on his face. I covered my mouth, my laughter spilling through. “I made you smile. Not even that, I made you laugh!” He exclaimed, jumping up and pulling me into a hug. Again, laughter spilled out between my lips and Danny joined in, laughing as well.

“Danny! Stop!” I exclaimed, laughing loudly as he set me down, smiling widely in return. My laughter died down and I felt my mouth with my fingers, my lips out just enough to show anyone my small smile. I blushed furiously, looking down at my feet. Danny reached forward, placing his hand under my chin and bringing my face up to face him.

“Don’t hide it. I haven’t seen it enough to see it leave again.” He said, and I felt my smile grow slightly. In return, Danny smiled back. “Perfect. Now stay like that forever, okay?” He asked, and I nodded, laughing softly again. “I’m glad I made you happy, Lindsey. I hate to see you hurt.” He whispered before he stepped back, smiling softly at me. “I should get out of here before my mates start to worry. I had a brilliant day with you, love. I’ll text you, yeah?” Danny asked, and I nodded softly, my smile staying plastered on my face. “Wicked.” He grinned and I chuckled, pulling him into a quick hug before I stepped back, grabbing the front door handle.

“I had a great time. Thanks, Danny.” I whispered, waving goodbye before I stepped through the door, closing it softly behind me as I watched him walk back to his car, jump in the driver’s seat, and pull away from the house. Closing it tight, I turned around and nearly jumped out of my skin as my Aunt Janette stood before me, her hands on her waist.

“Are you smiling?” She whispered and I covered my mouth, laughing softly before running up the stairs, shouting ‘goodnight!’ over my shoulder. What the hell has gotten into me?