We Were Us

Brielle sat with a book perched on her lap, sitting against a tree in the park next to her flat. It was the only serenity that she got every once in a while when she could escape the tiredness of life. Brielle was a full time student at London University of Performing Arts and worked a part-time job at a local bar. She had to make money to live off of considering her parents didn't want her to move to London. They would have preferred their daughter stay in Texas and become a doctor like everyone else but Brielle wanted to be more than another family doctor, she wanted to be a musician or a producer which was hilarious to her family. So, after the countless arguing, Brielle applied to the school anyway with her perfect scores and grades, getting a full scholarship and using her college fund to buy a flat not far from campus. She has no regrets regarding her decision at all but she did get lonely every once in awhile. She had been in London for three months and still didn't really have any friends. The only person she did talk to was her boss's daughter, Andrea who was a little on the wild side for only being eighteen but was good company when Brielle wanted to chat for a bit. She just wished that she would find some long term friends and possibly something more than a friend.

Brielle looked at her phone and sighed, seeing it was almost six pm. She had to be at work at seven which she wasn't happy about but she had to if she didn't want to starve. So, she grabbed her book and walked back to her flat. She unlocked the door and walked in, going straight to her bedroom to get ready.

Brielle slipped on a plaid shirt and skinny jeans before allowing her dark curls to fall freely. She checked herself in the mirror and sighed. She was a heavier girl than most guys liked and knew that it seemed to be the issue with getting a boyfriend. Brielle does deeply and decided to stop torturing herself before walking out the door.

It was only a five minute walk from her house to the bar and before she knew it, she was there. Charlie's was a bar in downtown London that got business from mostly mid-aged people who have grown with the bar. It wasn't fancy like the night clubs that most college students went to and that is why Brielle liked it. She was around people who had stories to tell that weren't about parties or kissing boys. They were about life and what it throws at you.

Brielle clocked in and as soon as she turned around, Andrea was standing in the doorway. Andrea was drop dead gorgeous with blonde hair and model features. She was 5' 10" like Brielle but had curves in all the right places. Brielle envied her.

"How late is my father working you tonight?" Andrea asked and Brielle rolled her eyes. This happened often. Andrea would beg her to go to a party and Brielle would say no. It was a continuous loop.

"Two a.m as usual. Andrea, if this is your way asking me to a party, I'm not going. I have school-"

"In the morning, I know. It's all you do. This is why I am the only one you know in London, Bri," Andrea said making Brielle sigh deeply.

"I know Sam."

Andrea folded her arms across her chest. "Sam is a forty year old regular at the bar who keeps my father in business."

Brielle laughed, heading to the bar with Andrea hot on her heels. "But I like Sam," she joked and Andrea rolled her eyes before leaving for the evening.

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Brielle looked at the clock that read eleven and sighed deeply. Things had been rather slow and the only person sitting in the bar was Sam, drinking a beer quietly at the end of the bar. She rested her head on her hand before noticing that she needed to get a few more mugs from the back. Brielle walked to get some, hearing the door of the bar open as she entered the back room.

"I'll be right there," she yelled from the back before grabbing a tray of mugs by the sink.

She walked back to the bar to see five guys around their early twenties or so. She sat the mugs on the counter and started putting them away before smiling at the group. "What can I get you this evening?"

One of the boys with curls adorning his head smiled at her. "Start us out with five rum and cokes," he said in his accent that Brielle was still trying to get used to.

She nodded at the boy before grabbing a bottle of rum and started mixing drinks. "So, what brings you to this small empty bar?" she asked, trying to make light conversation and smiled when the dark complected one of the group spoke up.

"Just a bar that one of our friends spoke of. It's even better that there isn't anyone her," he said in a slightly different accent than the first boy.

Brielle finished making the drinks and sat them in front of each boy, noticing one of them with lingering eyes on her. "I just don't usually see anyone under thirty in this bar. So, I just had to ask. As for the emptiness, it gets kind of slow on Thursdays for some reason. Not this slow though."

The curly haired boy smiled at her with his dimples. "Well, we'll keep you busy for a bit. I'm Harry by the way," he said and Brielle smiled, making him another drink before going down the line to the dark complected one.

"I'm Zayn and the blonde on is Niall. The one in the blue T-shirt is Liam and-"

"I'm Louis," the boy with piercing blue eyes said in a slight hyper voice.

Brielle smiled and leaned against the bar a bit. "Nice to meet you. I'm Brielle but you can call me Bri if you'd like," she said and the one with the lingering eyes who had been pointed out as Liam smiled at her.

"Nice to meet you, Bri," he said and the all of the other boys agreed before Louis bet Harry that he could beat him at pool and Niall and Zayn ventured off with them, leaving Bri with Liam.

"Can I get you another drink?" she asked nonchalantly, noticing his first was gone.

Liam smiled at her and nodded. "A beer on tap is fine," he said and she nodded, grabbing a mug before putting it under the tap until it was full. She handed it to him and started wiping the bar lightly with a rag.

"So, Bri, where are you from because your accent is rather odd even though I bet you think mine is odd from your perspective," Liam said and Brielle laughed lightly.

"I'm from Texas. I moved here to go to college at London University of Performing Arts. I got a full scholarship so, I packed up my bags and headed to London."

He smiled at her answer. "Texas is quite a bit different from London. A lot in my perspective. I enjoy when we go though."

Brielle smiled when he mentioned that he had been to Texas. "It is but a good different. Why have you been to Texas though? I think I would rather be in London. "

"Well, when the guys and I tour, we are always destined to go to Texas for a few dates," he said and Brielle's face blanked as to who they really were. Liam smiled at this. "One Direction."

Brielle looked to the other guys and back to Liam and sighed. That's why they looked familiar. One Direction was plastered all over the world. "Sorry for not knowing who you were," she said with a bit of shyness and his smile grew.

"No, actually glad you didn't know. It makes this conversation with you that much easier and worth while," Liam said and she blushed lightly.

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Brielle and Liam talked nonstop while the others were playing pool and drinking and before they knew it, it was nearly two a.m.

"What are you doing Saturday?" Liam asked when Brielle mentioned that she was about to leave.

"Nothing that I know of. Why?" she asked, tucking a curl behind ear.

Liam smiled and took his phone out of his pocket before sliding it to her. "Put your number in and maybe we can do something," he said and she blushed before typing her number in his phone.

As soon as she was done, he stood up to leave. "I'll call you later, I promise."

Brielle smiled at him, grabbing his empty mug off of the bar. "I look for it," and with that Liam walked out of the door and she had a smile plastered on her face.

She put the empty mugs in the sink and clocked out before telling her boss that she was leaving. She started walking to her flat before feeling her phone buzz in her pocket. She took it out to see an unknown number.

"Hello?"

She heard a small chuckle on the other end before they spoke. "I was just making sure that you didn't give me a fake number,"

Brielle smiled as she heard Liam's voice. "Now why would I do that?"

"Well, you never know what girls will do when some guy hits on them at a bar."

She blushed as she heard him say that he was hitting on her and thanked god that he couldn't see. "Well, I thought about giving you a number to a pizza place but decided that you deserved some kind of chance," she spoke, reaching her flat and unlocking the door.

She heard Liam laugh and shuffle around in the background. "Well, I'm glad."

She smiled at his answer and sat her keys on the counter before kicking off her shoes. "Well, I hate to cut this short but I think I'm going to crash. You know how to reach me."

"That I do. Good night, Bri," Liam said before severing the call.

Brielle plopped on her bed and sighed looking at the ceiling. London was now her best decision ever.