Whirlwind

I couldn’t help but blush as I spotted Tom, patiently waiting for me in the lobby of the hotel. Thinking of the events from the other night, and yesterday morning… It was kind of hard to believe. He just didn’t seem like the type to easily take to casual sex, though it was still early in my vacation and only time could tell what kind of effect this whole situation might have on him. I had found myself in plenty of situations where a guy insisted that casual was fine, perfect even, and then turn around spouting off about how much they loved me and wanted to be with me. Let’s just say, they didn’t get any more of my time.

I was perfectly happy and content when I found a guy who I could sleep with for a while and who was content to stay unattached. Things just worked out better that way. There were no hurt feelings in the end. No broken hearts. No failed attempts at love. I was always amazed to see someone get there heartbroken and then going right back out there and finding someone else to love, who in turn broke their heart again. To me, it just didn’t make sense to go after something that was doomed to fail. And sure, there were people who made it last, or appeared to make it last, but I was sure, deep down they felt stuck. Having been in the relationship so long, there was no point in getting out.

There were just so many failed marriages and relationships, it just seemed plausible to me that love didn’t exist. I just didn’t want to be like everyone else, searching the world in hopes of finding my true love.

Tom turned to me as he noticed me approaching, and I smiled at him.

“So are you going to give me a tour of London, or what?” I asked as way of greeting. Tom laughed that unique laugh of his, and I joined in… It just couldn’t be helped.

“Right this way, miss,” he said, offering me his arm which I gladly took. “I’ve got a few places in mind that every tourist should visit while in London.”

“Wonderful,” I said as we left the hotel. “Let’s not get distracted with shopping this time, tour guide.”

“I would never!” Tom joked. We started down the sidewalk. “I parked my car over here. I figured it would be easier if I just drove us to our destinations.”

“Sounds good,” I said, as we headed straight for a black car that must have been his. “Just don’t be surprised if I stare at you in awe. I’m not used to the whole driving situation here in Europe.”

“You want to give it a try?” he asked, smiling at me. I shook my head quickly.

“No, thanks,” I said, smiling. “It probably wouldn’t end well.”

“We’ll give it a try sometime,” he said, opening the passenger side door for me. “It’s really not that bad.”

“Says the guy who’s been driving this way for who knows how long,” I said.

“Good point,” Tom said, smiling as he closed my door before heading over to the driver’s side.

“So are you going to tell me where we’re going first?” I asked as we pulled away from the curb and onto the street.

“No,” he said. “It’s a surprise.”

We rode in silence, which thankfully was comfortable. I hate being in those situations where you feel you need to talk, yet have no idea what to say. Why do so many silences need to be awkward, anyway?

It wasn’t much longer until Tom was parking his car on the street yet again. I got out of the car the same time as he did and I could tell by the look he gave me that he had wanted to open my door for me. I gave him a look of my own, trying to remind him that this wasn’t any sort of date and that I could open my own door.

He opened the trunk of his car and pulled out a basket.

“Are we having a picnic?” I asked.

“Maybe,” he said. “Follow me.”

We walked a bit up the street and finally I saw we were headed to a huge park. I smiled, taking in the many people there enjoying the nice day.

“Is this Hyde Park?” I asked as I followed him to a shady spot under a nearby tree once we were in the park.

“That it is,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind just sitting on the grass. I didn’t bring a blanket or anything.”

“That’s fine,” I said, sitting down so I could lean against the tree trunk. I watched as Tom sat down beside me and opened the basket.

“Nothing fancy,” he said, handing me a sandwich before pulling out one for him. There was also a bag of potato chips and two cans of Pepsi.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, as I unwrapped my own sandwich. “This is a pretty classy lunch.”

“I worked very hard on putting it together,” he said, smiling at me.

“Well, I must say you make a pretty good sandwich.”

---

After eating, we returned Tom’s picnic basket to his car before returning to the park. He showed me a few of his own favorite spots around the park and we stopped to watch a few of the street performers who were there.

“So what’s next?” I asked as we left the park, returning to Tom’s car.

“Still a surprise,” he said as we drove down the street in his car.

When he finally parked his car again, I could see a gigantic Ferris wheel nearby.

“What is that?” I asked once we were out of the car.

“That is the London Eye,” he said. “Highly recommended.”

Tom had me wait by the gate while he went over to the booth and talked to whoever was working there. He returned a moment later and offered me his arm, which I took, and we headed inside. I could see the line was long; there was a lot of people.

“It must be good if anyone is going to stand in line that long,” I said.

“Definitely worth the wait,” he said. “But luckily, I know a few people and we get to jump ahead of the line.”

I looked up at him and he smiled at me as we walked by all the people waiting. When we got to the front, he handed the man there our tickets.

“It will be just a few minutes,” he said. “They’re just about done.”

“Sounds good,” Tom said. The man looked at me and smiled.

“This your first time?” he asked me.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You’re in for a treat,” he said. “You’ll enjoy it.”

After waiting for a few minutes, the man finally let us through and Tom led us to what looked like a round bubble type room. (How else do you describe it?) We entered through an open door which was closed behind us by another worker and I looked around. Glass windows went all the way around it and I looked around. This thing was huge.

“Did you request we have this whole thing to ourselves?” I asked as it started to move. Surely they could fit a lot more people in here.

“Maybe,” Tom said, smiling. “I didn’t want to be interrupted during this. People may recognize me and we’re stuck in here for thirty minutes.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him.

“You really didn’t have to do that,” I said. “I wouldn’t have minded. Besides I feel bad because I’m sure this isn’t cheap.”

“Really, don’t worry about it,” he said. “It’s the tour guide’s treat.”

I walked around the room, looking out the windows and watching as people were loaded onto the next… pod, I guess I could call it. We moved again, more people got on, repeat. Eventually we were almost to the top, and I was starting to see why this was so amazing. You could just about see all of London and it was gorgeous. I moved around the pod to look out each of the windows, repeating this action each time we got a little higher.

I shot Tom a playful glare when he laughed at me. He stayed in one spot by the middle of the windows, watching me more than he was the scenery.

“Oh wow,” I breathed when we finally reached the top. “This is amazing.”

“Told you it was good,” Tom said. I laughed and smiled at him.

“You are definitely a good tour guide,” I said, returning my gaze to the sight in front of me. Tom pointed out a few nearby landmarks. We started moving again, though this time going down. I did the same as before though, going to each of the windows to take in the view that I could.

Eventually though, we were back at the bottom and the door to our pod was being opened.

When we got back to Tom’s car, I turned to him.

“Thanks for bringing me here,” I said. “So far, this is by far my favorite tourist attraction.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said, smiling at me. We got back in the car and started back down the street. “If you don’t mind I thought we’d grab some dinner. Nothing fancy, of course.”

“That’s fine,” I said. “I’m actually really hungry.”

---

After a casual dinner, Tom brought me back to my hotel.

“Thanks so much for today,” I said, turning to him. “I had a fantastic day.”

“I’m glad,” he said. We smiled at each other and I glanced at my hotel.

“Do you want to come in?” I finally asked.

“As tempting as that is, I’m unfortunately going to have to say no,” he said. “I have to get up early to meet with a few people.”

“Okay,” I said, pulling the handle on the car door to open it slightly. “I’ll see you later, then.”

“Sarah?” I turned to look at him again. “I know there are probably certain rules, in this situation, but could I kiss you?”

I stared at him for a moment, surprised. I looked down for a moment before meeting his gaze.

“Normally, I’d say no,” I started. “But I’m going to say yes, just this once, because you earned it.”

He smiled and I leaned forward, eyes still on his. He moved in slowly until I could feel the breath on his lips. I shivered slightly in anticipation. There was just something about that moment right before your lips meet someone else’s that is amazing. We stayed like that for a moment, until I couldn’t take it any longer and I quickly closed the gap between us, lips pressing softly to his.

Of course, it didn’t stay soft for long. It didn’t take long for fire to spread and his fingers were tangled in my hair as my tongue forced its way hungrily into his mouth. I was mildly surprised, and happy, when his own tongue began battling mine for dominance. I let him win and enjoyed the feeling of his tongue now exploring my mouth as I gripped onto his own hair, pulling his face closer to mine, if that was even possible.

Way too soon we were pulling apart, breathing heavily and sitting back in our own seats in the car. When I had regained some composure, I pushed the car door open and climbed out. I leaned down to look at Tom.

“See you later,” I said, running one hand through my hair in an attempt to smooth it out. He smiled at me and I closed the door, heading inside.

As I smiled at Elizabeth behind the desk on my way to the elevators, I couldn’t help but think that that man was going to be the death of me.