Chapter Two
After hours of walking around the city the night before and seeing her get giddy about the simplest things, Cyrus was relieved when they finally got back to the neighborhood where the rented apartment was. They’d grabbed a few grocery items from a little store tucked along the outer edge of another building utilizing every last inch of available real estate. When they’d got to the flat, he’d crashed hard the moment his head hit the pillow on the sofa. He didn’t even notice the couch was a few inches too short.
He’d been up and showered for an hour before Kaitlyn dragged her cute self out of her room and blearily got a quick breakfast burrito and heated it in the microwave, eating it in the dark with her eyes closed.
“What’s the matter, sunshine?”
“Jet lag,” Kaitlyn groaned. “It’s way too messy.”
“We have less than an hour till we need to leave to catch the tour in time.”
“I know. As soon as Reese is out of the shower, I’ll hop in. Now leave me in peace to mourn my sleep.”
Cyrus laughed. He loved to see this side of her ― less than perfectly dressed and no makeup with her gorgeous dark hair a mess around her head. It was fun to see she wasn’t as bright eyed and bushy tailed as he’d come to believe, given her excitement of being in England.
She soon disappeared into the bathroom and took a lightning quick shower. She was dressed and ready to go, seeming a little more energized. They walked to the underground, caught a train to another station, made their way to a bus tour company, and stood in line for their reservation to be called.
Cyrus paused at the bus door, allowing the girls to enter first. Kaitlyn went right before him. He followed her up the few steps and down the small aisle to their seat. She slid in next to the window and rolled her jacket up into a pillow. She glanced at him. “If we go past anything cool, wake me up?”
“You got it,” Cyrus said, knowing he wouldn’t dare wake her up. Jem had often mentioned she turned mean when woken too soon from a nap, and the tour bus would have to drive more than an hour to get to the city of Bath. She might as well rest since they were up at such an early hour. A 7:00 a.m. departure time for a tour seemed a little excessive to him, but she was the one who scheduled it.
She was asleep before they had left the city limits. Cyrus smiled at the peaceful look on her face. If it were him, he’d probably have his mouth open and be snoring, but she looked cute, almost adorable. He focused his attention outside the window, looking at the sights. The closely built buildings soon gave way to more rural areas. He watched that more often than he stared at her, but when she shifted a little in her seat to get more comfortable, his eyes strayed to her and he smiled.
Knowing he could never tell her what he was about to do, he got out his phone and turned the setting to selfie mode. Leaning closer, he made sure to get a picture with her mouth hanging slightly open. Teenage him would have posted it on every social media account he had, but he would keep this one to himself. The mature him appreciated everything about her, even silly little things like sleeping on the tour bus.
***
Hours later, Cyrus found himself standing at the bus door once again, waiting for Kaitlyn to enter first. When they reached their seats, he asked, “What did you think of Bath? Was it everything you imagined it would be?”
“I can’t believe how nasty that water was,” Kaitlyn said as she got settled. “How could anyone stand to ever get in it?”
“It wasn’t that bad years ago,” Cyrus said. He’d spent most of his time reading all the information and plaques around the bath houses while Kaitlyn, Reese, and Cora went on the walking tour to see all the places Jane Austen had lived or visited while she was alive. “They had a roof over it that kept the sun from making the algae grow unrestrained.”
“That’s good,” Kaitlyn said. “But seeing the town in person, it makes me wonder why Lydia Bennett and all of Jane Austen’s characters were so obsessed with Bath. There really aren’t all that many things to recommend it.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Cyrus said, smiling inside at the use of her words. It reminded him of the movies he’d watched. “The buildings really are beautiful. And though we didn’t have time to go look at it today on the tour, the building where they had the dances is magnificent.”
Kaitlyn nodded. She turned to him, pressing her legs closer to him. “Have you noticed how in some of these older places, where the buildings have been for hundreds of years, that they are either really plain or over the top decorated?”
“It’s typical of the differences in the classes. The rich could afford to go all out. And often times, each generation of the new titled son would build on it, making it grander than the last.”
Kaitlyn tilted her head and raised an eyebrow at him. “Why, Cyrus, it almost sounds like you’ve studied up on all this old-fashioned girly, romancy stuff.”
Cyrus winced at the words he’d once said to her when he’d first learned of her obsession with Jane Austen and Regency stuff. He didn’t know it had bothered her enough she still remembered it. “Well, I thought maybe if I was coming, I might as well educate myself.”
Kaitlyn chuckled and squeezed his arm, leaning close for a moment. His chest tightened a little with her nearness. “I’m glad I could help give you a little culture, then.” She released his arm and looked out the window of the bus. He missed the touch and wished he dared take her hand, but it was too soon. If he didn’t find a way to gather his courage, he might run out of time.
He would have to plan it right. The ball that they’d be preparing for at the end of next week would be a good time to show her. He hoped that, in the magic of the night, he would have a chance.