Rise
by
Dylan Allen
The week of their visit goes by like a blur. I have taken the week off from work so I could spend it with them.
We do all the touristy things. The Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. Anthony is absolutely enamored by the London Eye, and despite the exorbitant cost we ride it twice in a row. I don’t mind a bit. The view of London is spectacular, and I love seeing the wonder of it through his eyes.
Cara meets us for lunch near Westminster on the fourth day of their visit. She suggests we all go down to Green Park and stroll to Buckingham Palace to watch the changing of the guards.
It’s a lovely day and we are all up for the walk. Cara’s been in London for almost four years now and she knows the city like the back of her hand. It’s wonderful strolling with her.
As we walk up Birdcage Walk, away from Big Ben and toward Green Park, I hear a deep voice calling Cara’s name. We all spin around to see two drop-dead gorgeous men walking toward us.
One of them looks he could be Chris Hemsworth’s doppelgänger, except he is covered in tattoos. And the other, well, let’s just say, I’ve never seen a man who looks like him before. Ever.
If Idris Elba and Chris Evans had a baby it would look like him. He is tall, and broad, and the color of a lightly roasted hazelnut. His eyes are the rich, dark brown of hot chocolate. My throat goes dry instantly.
I can’t stop myself from taking in his closely cropped hair, his cleanly shaved, chiseled jaw, and his generous mouth.
His T-shirt which says, rather bizarrely, “I Woke Up Like This” on the front is pulled tightly across his exquisitely muscled chest and his biceps are so defined I know this man plays a sport and works out.
The jeans he is wearing aren’t too tight, but they are tight enough to tell me he doesn’t skip leg day at the gym.
“Addie!” Cara calls my name like it’s not the first time she’s said it.
Oh my God. They have been talking while I’ve been staring and not listening. Now everyone is staring at me, including Mr. “I Woke Up Like This.”
One look at his face shows he is grinning at me. I immediately look at Cara, who is grinning too, the bitch. I try to sound as casual as I can when I respond with a chirpy “Yes?”
“I said, this is Louis and Simon. Louis is the ballet’s head set designer and Simon is his best friend.” She points to the Chris Hemsworth look-alike when she says Louis, and to the man of indescribable gorgeousness when she says Simon.
I smile up at both of them.
“Hi, I’m Addie.”
Anthony chimes in loudly, “They already know, Aunty Addie, Cara called your name three times, but you were staring at that man.” He points at Simon.
Everyone bursts out laughing—everyone except Simon. He’s watching me, still smiling, but his eyes are so intent on mine, that I can’t seem to look away from him either. There’s an expression in his eyes that is familiar and foreign and it makes me curious. It’s only when Lilly jabs me in the ribs that I realize I’m staring—again—and I look away.
Fuck!
I pray for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. I can’t battle the blush I know is spreading like wildfire across my face. “I’m so sorry,” I say and quickly try to recover. “I… I thought you looked familiar and was trying to place you.”
Simon flashes his stupidly perfect smile at me, displaying a row of white, straight teeth. “Believe me, we haven’t met.”
“Well, I…” I have no clue what to say. This man has caused my brain to melt. I have no idea what is happening to me, but I feel like I just stuck my fingers in a fucking light socket.
Cara comes to my rescue and fills the awkward silence.
“We’re headed to Green Park and then to Buckingham Palace. What are you fellas up to?”
Louis tells Cara they are headed to Piccadilly Circus for something or the other, but I’m too lost in my mortification to even try to pay attention to what they are saying.
They turn to say goodbye and we all shake hands politely, but when Simon shakes my hand, his huge, warm palm engulfing my much smaller one, my whole arm vibrates and I look up at him. When our eyes meet, something in his expression makes me feel like I just stepped off a ledge. Right now, I understand the expression “lost in your eyes” in a way I never have before.
“Nice to meet you, Addie. See you around?” His voice is smooth and deep. His mouth, with an upper lip slightly fuller than the bottom, is no longer smiling, but his eyes are full of mischief and sparkling.
“Yes, sure. Nice to meet you, too,” I say, then snatch my hand back. He winks at me, like we are sharing a secret. Except, I’m sure we are not. And I have a feeling he’s laughing at me.
As my group turns to continue our walk toward Buckingham Palace, Lilly links her elbow through mine and winks at me. “He was hot, sis… and you were struck stupid,” she says through a chuckle.
I try to disengage my arm, but she holds on tightly. “I was not. I said he looked familiar, I was trying to place him.” Everyone, including my mother, laughs out loud. I roll my eyes at them.
I’m sticking to this lie. I know no one believes me, but I don’t care. I have spent the last thirteen years of my life working to get to the place I’m at now. I’m not chaste, I’ve had lovers, but no one serious and no one who I care to see again. I’ve been on a mission to fulfill those promises. I haven’t had time for distractions and I certainly don’t want to lose my focus now that I’ve finally gotten to where I want to be. I’ve always been very good at keeping people at arm’s length. But, I can tell he would be challenge.
With just one look at Simon a million questions leap to my mind. Who is he? What is his last name? Where is he from? How does he know Louis? All of that sends warning bells clanging through my brain.
This is dangerous. Lingering means feelings, and feelings mean pain when they walk away from you or betray you.
I glance back at my mother who stopped with Anthony to tie his shoelace. I won’t ever let myself be like her. I’m not saying I’ll be alone, but I don’t want to be with anyone who can make me feel like I want to give up everything for him. I don’t want someone whose presence will linger when he is gone.
I catch up with Cara who is walking ahead of us. I shake off the wistfulness threatening to ruin my mood. I’ll probably never see him again anyway.
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