Bound to You
Blatantly Rude and Insanely Uncomfortable
We all grow up eventually; some faster than others. Being an only child, I thought my parents would be happy when I decided to move out. They'd finally have the house to themselves to do as they pleased. But when I told them I was moving, my mom burst into tears, and my dad just about blew a gasket. They'd kept me sheltered for quite a while. I attended the best schools throughout my childhood and finished my educational career at Juilliard.
I didn't know whether it was the reality that their little girl was all grown up that made them upset or if it was the fact that I told them I was moving to London. It was probably the latter of the two, but I liked to think they were just going to miss me. My parents always made a point to support my dreams, so they didn't try to stop me. They made sure I knew that if I needed anything, all I had to do was call. I was lucky.
"Excuse me. You look a bit lost. Do you need help finding something?" Walking around London for the last two hours hadn't gotten me anything but lost. I was almost sure I'd walked in a complete circle at least 3 times.
"I'm not looking for anything in particular. I just moved here, and I kind of wanted to get a feel for the area, but I'm afraid I'm lost." I looked around helplessly, sighing as I ran my fingers through my hair. I cursed when my nails got caught on the strands, deciding it was time to go get them done.
"You don't sound completely American. Where are you from?"
"New York, technically, but I was born here. We moved away when I was 2, and I come back with my parents every year. I just finished university and decided to move back for good." I shrugged and let a small smile spread across my face as I finally took the time to look at the stranger that was speaking to me. He was tall, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes. He had an easy smile on his face, and he seemed friendly enough.
"Welcome back."
"Thank you."
"I'm Rhys." He stuck his hand out, and I placed mine in his, giving it a quick shake. Even though it was summer, it was one of the cooler days. The wind blew, and a small chill took over my body. I wrapped my arms around my midsection, attempting to keep myself warm. I needed to find my apartment soon or I was going to freeze.
"Arielle."
"That's a beautiful name. Well, Arielle, I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Would you care to join us?" I was hungry, and I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. I'd planned on ordering Chinese for dinner and unpacking a bit more of my stuff. The furniture had already been delivered, but there were boxes of clothes and dishes that I hadn't even touched.
"I don't want to intrude. I really should be getting home anyway."
"Nonsense. You're not intruding. He should be here any minute." Like clockwork, Rhys' face lit up. He grinned at whoever was behind me, and I heard him before I saw him.
"Must you always be so punctual? You make me feel like a tosser for being late all the time." I didn't know what I was going to see when I turned around, but the deep, raspy tone of his voice made my body hot and the tips of my fingers tingle. I tried my best not to look like a frightened child as I spun on my heel.
"I'm not your wife, mate. I'm not going to yell at you for sleeping in." I wasn't prepared for what I saw. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, and I clenched my jaw shut to keep my mouth from dropping open. He glanced at me, but only for a brief moment before raising his eyebrows at Rhys.
"You've got a new girlfriend already?" I felt a bit insulted, and suddenly I wanted to run, but I didn't know which way to go.
"No, you arsehole. This is Arielle. She just moved back, and she's going to be having lunch with us." Rhys gave me an encouraging smile, but I felt insanely uncomfortable. And then something dawned on me like a huge bucket of cold water. GPS was created for a reason, and I felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, typing in my address. I was only about ten minutes away. I could make a break for it.
"Moved back from where?" I looked up, and the stranger's eyes were on me, a bored expression on his face.
"New York," I spoke quietly, shifting my gaze to Rhys, "Hey, I'm gonna head home."
"Don't let Harold's sour mood get you down. His bird probably did something to piss him off, and he's taking it out on you. Ignore him." But I couldn't because I'd never had someone be so blatantly rude to me. I blamed my parents. All my life, I'd been around people who only said "yes ma'am", "no ma'am", "yes sir", or "no sir". No one got the opportunity to be impolite. Even at Juilliard, my name was enough to make sure the few people that spoke to me were nothing but polite. I was on my own now, in a place where no one really knew who I was, so I was going to have to get used to people being assholes.
"No It's fine. I've got a lot of unpacking to do, but thank you for the invitation. I really appreciate it." I gave him a soft smile and tried to move past him.
"Well, at least let me have your number. I'll be your first friend in London." He'd been so sweet that I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I reached my hand out for his phone, quickly typing my number in before slipping away.
Harry
"What's got you in such a shit mood?"
"I get that you're not a fan of Natalie, but please stop trying to set me up with someone else." It was the fifth time in a row that Rhys invited a random girl to eat with us, and I was sick of it.
"I wasn't trying to set you up, you idiot. She really did just move, and she was walking around looking like a lost puppy. I was being nice, and thanks to you being an egotistical prick, that was probably the last time I'm going to see her."
"Sorry," I muttered, the guilt settling in my stomach. I'd been on edge lately with Natalie breathing down my neck about every little thing. I couldn't blame her though. She was stressed. She was getting ready to take her last exam before she finished medical school. It was important to her, and I could understand that.
"Damn right you're sorry. You're paying for lunch, dickhead."
I didn't know whether it was the reality that their little girl was all grown up that made them upset or if it was the fact that I told them I was moving to London. It was probably the latter of the two, but I liked to think they were just going to miss me. My parents always made a point to support my dreams, so they didn't try to stop me. They made sure I knew that if I needed anything, all I had to do was call. I was lucky.
"Excuse me. You look a bit lost. Do you need help finding something?" Walking around London for the last two hours hadn't gotten me anything but lost. I was almost sure I'd walked in a complete circle at least 3 times.
"I'm not looking for anything in particular. I just moved here, and I kind of wanted to get a feel for the area, but I'm afraid I'm lost." I looked around helplessly, sighing as I ran my fingers through my hair. I cursed when my nails got caught on the strands, deciding it was time to go get them done.
"You don't sound completely American. Where are you from?"
"New York, technically, but I was born here. We moved away when I was 2, and I come back with my parents every year. I just finished university and decided to move back for good." I shrugged and let a small smile spread across my face as I finally took the time to look at the stranger that was speaking to me. He was tall, with wavy brown hair and hazel eyes. He had an easy smile on his face, and he seemed friendly enough.
"Welcome back."
"Thank you."
"I'm Rhys." He stuck his hand out, and I placed mine in his, giving it a quick shake. Even though it was summer, it was one of the cooler days. The wind blew, and a small chill took over my body. I wrapped my arms around my midsection, attempting to keep myself warm. I needed to find my apartment soon or I was going to freeze.
"Arielle."
"That's a beautiful name. Well, Arielle, I'm meeting a friend for lunch. Would you care to join us?" I was hungry, and I hadn't gone grocery shopping yet. I'd planned on ordering Chinese for dinner and unpacking a bit more of my stuff. The furniture had already been delivered, but there were boxes of clothes and dishes that I hadn't even touched.
"I don't want to intrude. I really should be getting home anyway."
"Nonsense. You're not intruding. He should be here any minute." Like clockwork, Rhys' face lit up. He grinned at whoever was behind me, and I heard him before I saw him.
"Must you always be so punctual? You make me feel like a tosser for being late all the time." I didn't know what I was going to see when I turned around, but the deep, raspy tone of his voice made my body hot and the tips of my fingers tingle. I tried my best not to look like a frightened child as I spun on my heel.
"I'm not your wife, mate. I'm not going to yell at you for sleeping in." I wasn't prepared for what I saw. He looked like he belonged on the cover of a magazine, and I clenched my jaw shut to keep my mouth from dropping open. He glanced at me, but only for a brief moment before raising his eyebrows at Rhys.
"You've got a new girlfriend already?" I felt a bit insulted, and suddenly I wanted to run, but I didn't know which way to go.
"No, you arsehole. This is Arielle. She just moved back, and she's going to be having lunch with us." Rhys gave me an encouraging smile, but I felt insanely uncomfortable. And then something dawned on me like a huge bucket of cold water. GPS was created for a reason, and I felt stupid for not thinking of it sooner. I pulled my phone out of my pocket, typing in my address. I was only about ten minutes away. I could make a break for it.
"Moved back from where?" I looked up, and the stranger's eyes were on me, a bored expression on his face.
"New York," I spoke quietly, shifting my gaze to Rhys, "Hey, I'm gonna head home."
"Don't let Harold's sour mood get you down. His bird probably did something to piss him off, and he's taking it out on you. Ignore him." But I couldn't because I'd never had someone be so blatantly rude to me. I blamed my parents. All my life, I'd been around people who only said "yes ma'am", "no ma'am", "yes sir", or "no sir". No one got the opportunity to be impolite. Even at Juilliard, my name was enough to make sure the few people that spoke to me were nothing but polite. I was on my own now, in a place where no one really knew who I was, so I was going to have to get used to people being assholes.
"No It's fine. I've got a lot of unpacking to do, but thank you for the invitation. I really appreciate it." I gave him a soft smile and tried to move past him.
"Well, at least let me have your number. I'll be your first friend in London." He'd been so sweet that I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I reached my hand out for his phone, quickly typing my number in before slipping away.
Harry
"What's got you in such a shit mood?"
"I get that you're not a fan of Natalie, but please stop trying to set me up with someone else." It was the fifth time in a row that Rhys invited a random girl to eat with us, and I was sick of it.
"I wasn't trying to set you up, you idiot. She really did just move, and she was walking around looking like a lost puppy. I was being nice, and thanks to you being an egotistical prick, that was probably the last time I'm going to see her."
"Sorry," I muttered, the guilt settling in my stomach. I'd been on edge lately with Natalie breathing down my neck about every little thing. I couldn't blame her though. She was stressed. She was getting ready to take her last exam before she finished medical school. It was important to her, and I could understand that.
"Damn right you're sorry. You're paying for lunch, dickhead."