The cab ride was a wet, but beautiful one. I passed so many beautiful buildings and artwork. I’ve always been in love with London and its people. British accents are the coolest thing, I’ve been hoping that by the time I’m done with college I will have one! Which is probably unlikely, but whatever.

I guess I was really deep in thought because the cab driver asked me if I was okay. When I finally stopped zoning out, I realized we were at my apartment.

”Oh, I’m sorry. I guess I was distracted by the beauty of this town. Uh..here is the money and thank you.” I shakily handed him the money. I changed my US money to all Europe currency. I’m pretty excited.

”No problem. You can grab your luggage out of the trunk and if you ever need a lift, you know who to call.”

I nodded at him and got out of the car to grab my luggage. I had a duffel bag, a rolling suitcase and a miniature green suitcase. They were all pretty heavy but I managed to wave bye to the driver and climb up the steps. They had mailed the key to my house so I was all ready to go inside.

I walked through the lobby and went to an elevator. I punched a button with the number six on it, and when I heard the ding, I stepped out. I found room 113 and unlocked the door with my key. When I opened the door someone was already unpacking and loading their stuff around the apartment. This must be Cassie. She looked nice and she was very pretty. She had a round face and long brown hair, just like mine. She was dressed in a short skirt with a blue top. I had to admit, she had some fashion sense.

”Uh.. Hi! I’m Lucy, I’m your roommate. You must be Cassie?”

”Hi! And yeah, thats me! I didn’t pick a bedroom yet, I thought I’d let you have the first pick. Don’t you love how this apartment is? It reminds me of the apartment in that show New Girl with Zooey Deschanel.”

“Thanks, I will take the bedroom by the kitchen. And yeah, it does look like that. When it rains, it will be pretty to watch from the windows in the living room.”

Cassie nodded and went back to unpacking her things. I went into my room and it had to windows with long windowsills. I loved sitting on windowsills and reading at night or when it was raining. I opened my suitcase and started piling things onto my bed. I pulled out my One Direction sweatshirt, the one that reminded me and smelled of my mom. She bought it for me the night we went to their concert, the night the accident happened. 

I pushed the thought out of my head and went back to unpacking. I pulled out a bunch of clothes and put them in the dressers that were already there. I pulled out my Niall Horan poster and put it up. Niall was my inspiration. My one and only hope, basically. Cassie walked in right as I was hanging up the poster and screamed, “YOU LOVE ONE DIRECTION TOO???!!!!” 

“Haha. Yeah, Niall is my favorite. He’s gotten me through a lot of things in my life. What about you?”

“I am in LOVE with Louis. His bum is fantastic! Hah.”

I slipped on the sweatshirt of One Direction and laughed at Cassie. I’m starting to think this girl might be my new best friend. 

”Hey, wanna go make some lunch? I brought some bread and cheese, we can make grilled cheese if you want.” Cassie said.

”That sounds wonderful!” I said very excitedly.

My roommate is amazing. She loves One Direction and is very sweet. Everything will be okay. You can do this. 

After looking at London through the greasy window of the taxi for a good fifteen minutes, the cab finally rolls to a stop. The driver hops out and walks around to the trunk to get my bags for me. Wow, British people are way nicer than Americans. I thank and hand him the money. He’s actually pretty cute. No Cassie, you are not here for the boys. You are here to pursue your singing dreams. But a girl can dream, can’t she?

I turn towards the building where my apartment-like dorm is and make my way inside. I make my way through the lobby and towards an elevator. I push a button with the number six on it, and when I hear the ding, I hop out, a bounce in my step.

I am ready for this. I am so ready.

I find room 113 and unlock the door with my key, slowly creeping it open. What I see shocks me.

The first thing I see is plush, L-shaped couch with an assortment of colorful pillows arranged perfectly along it. In front of the couch is a square, wooden table with a glass top, across it a few coasters. In front of it all is a decently-sized flat screen television perched atop a mahogany case where you can put CDs, movies, video games, anything. I assume this is the living room. I finally turn my head to my left to see a coat rack, and to my right is a tall table where I set down my key and iPhone. I walk towards the couch and set all my bags down, and turn my back to the sofa and see a doorway that leads to a very elaborate kitchen.

I walk through and gaze around the room. To my left is granite countertop, and then I see an oven with four burners, along with a microwave with a variety of buttons with different cooking options. Then there is more granite countertop, until it ends at a wall. I look the right and see sliding glass doors that lead to a small balcony. I look to the wall opposite of the one with the oven and see a stainless steel sink, and cabinets underneath. On the left is what looks like two feet of countertop and then a stainless steel refrigerator. On the right is a dishwasher, also stainless steel. 

All along both walls are wooden cabinets. I open them up and see that they are empty. Guess we’ll have to buy our own silverware, plates, bowls, cups, and all that jazz.

I walk out of the kitchen the same way I came in and back into the living room. To the right of the doorway that leads to the kitchen is a hallway. I walk towards it and realize that there are three closed doors along it. I walk up to the first door, and push it open. What I see is another sight that shocks me.

On the far wall is a huge, mahogany armoire. On either side of the huge piece of furniture is a plush, pale blue chair. To my right is a double bed, covered in a white comforter and white and pale blue throw pillows to match the chairs. To my left is a desk along with a white wooden chair, also with pale blue cushions. At the bottom of the bed is a bronze chest, which I walk over to and open. I see blankets and spare pillows inside.

Now I’m facing the bed. The wall on my left is covered in windows. Not one inch of wall is visible, just window. I walk over to it and take in the view. It’s beautiful. I can practically see the whole city! I guess I’ll be doing plenty of people watching in my free time.

I turn to face the wall opposite of the windows. I see two closed doors. I walk up to the first one, and as I open it I see a walk in closet with and infinite amount of shelves and drawers, and on the bars where you hang your clothes are probably about fifty hangers. A closet and an armoire? How much stuff do these people expect me to have?

I open the other door, and realize that it leads to a bathroom. But this room is actually not that huge. There’s a normal sized shower with glass doors, a separate little room with a toilet, and a double sink. Finally, an average-sized room!

I so want this room. I got here first, so I get first pick, right?

I walk out of the bedroom and back into the hallway. I open the other two doors. One is a storage closet with cleaning supplies, including a vacuum, a mop, and a bucket with a few sponges inside. The other is another bedroom, arranged exactly like mine. The only differences are that the windows and closet-bathroom wall have traded places, and instead of having a color scheme of white and pale blue, it has a scheme of white and a very faint pale green.

This is what a dorm is supposed to be like? It’s like a freaking five-star hotel room. How exactly am I affording to attend this school?!

I go back to the living room to get my stuff so I can start unpacking, but then I decide that it would be nice to let my roommate choose which room she wants. That would be the nice thing to do, and it would be a good first impression!

I decide to just unpack some things that don’t go in bedroom, like some frames containing pictures of my family, friends, and especially my dad. When that’s done, I go get my phone from where I set it down on the table at the front door earlier, and go on Tumblr. I open a new text post and tell all my followers about how I’m here and about London just to pass some time while I wait for my roommate to arrive. Oh, and about my little encounter at the airport.

I wonder what she’ll be like. Man, I really hope she likes One Direction.

I guess I’ll just have to wait and see.

The airplane hits the ground with a loud thump, scattering the airline pretzels the flight attendant handed out all over the little pullout table in front of me. As the plane finally rolls to a stop, I unbuckle my seatbelt, grab my carry on from the overhead compartment, and slowly make my way down the isle. I was given a seat at the back of the plane, which had its advantages, and disadvantages. Take off and landing were pretty bumpy, but it was quiet in the back. It allowed me to think about a few things.

What will our dorm - which really is as big as an apartment, so I’ll just call it that - look like? What’s my roommate look like? Is she nice? Does she have the same interests as me? I wonder what courses she’s taking. Will she even like me at all? Does she love One Direction as much as I do?

Since I had sat in the back, it takes me a while to get all the way down the isle and off the plane. After I finally get off, I go to luggage claim and grab my suitcases. This takes a good 45 mintues. Ugh, could that have taken any longer?

Then, I realize something. I desperately need coffee. NOW.

So I make my way to the nearest Starbucks and purchase an iced coffee. This is when it dawns on me that I totally forgot to arrange how I will get from the airport to my apartment. Crap. I guess a taxi will do, I think. So I look up a taxi number on my iPhone and call it.

“Hello, thank you for calling Mason’s Taxi Service! This is Maria, how may I help you?”

“Hello, I am at London Airport and need a ride to my dorm at Wimbleton University of the Arts as soon as possible.” I really want to get there first so I had first pick on bedrooms.

“Well, we can have a cab come pick you up around 6:30 tonight, is that alright?” I pulled my phone away from my ear for a moment so I could check the time. 4:27. Ugh, am I really stuck here for two hours? Whatever, it could be worse.

”Yes, that works.”

“We will have the cab pick you up at Exit F, is that okay?”

“Yes.”

“Perfect. Thanks for using Mason’s Taxi Service!” And with that, the line goes dead.

Ugh, how I’m dreading spending two hours in this disgusting airport. Oh well, better make the best of it, right?

So I start walking around a bit, and decide to buy a magazine to help me occupy my two hours here. Preferably a One Direction one. They would definitely put me in a better mood. I find a gift shop and wander around until I catch a glimpse of magazines in the back. I make my way to the back of the store and pick a magazine up. I see the boys’ flawless faces on the cover, and involuntarily start walking to the counter to pay for it. I stop myself halfway and realize that I should proably get some gum, because it’s most likely my breath isn’t smelling too good right now. I also decide to grab a sweatshirt that says “I ♥ LONDON” on the front, mainly because it is cold in here and all I have on is a Delias t-shirt, some really short jean shorts, and a pair of gray worn-out Toms.

Satisfied with my items, I walk up to the counter, set down my items, and take out my wallet.

“That’ll be 23 pounds, love.” Did that guy really just call me love? Ew, he’s like fifty, and I’m eighteen. Then I remember that I’m in London, and everybody calls everybody ‘love’. I hear the boys say it all the time, and I sometimes have dreams where Louis calls me that on our dates…

Okay, forget I said that. When I think about the boys, I get kind of carried away.

I hand him the money, thankful that I previously exchanged my American bills into UK currency. The man hands me my items in a plastic bag that has the phrase “THANK YOU J” printed over and over again on the front. I smile at the man as a thank you and leave the shop.

I begin to wander the airport, looking for a spot to settle down and read my magazine. After a good ten minutes, I decide that some rough carpet under a dingy window will have to do. As soon as I put down my two heavy suitcases and set down my purse, I realize how much my arms were hurting. It isn’t until now that it registers in my mind how much stuff I brought with me.

I settle down under the window, pop my earbuds into my ears, and put my One Direction playlist on shuffle. I instantly hear I Want, my favorite One Direction song.

I finish the magazine in only 30 minutes, so I decide to take a little nap. I want to finish my packing tonight so I can go sightseeing tomorrow.

Finishing up the last few sips of my coffee, I lay my head down on my purse that I’m using as a pillow. Right before drifting off, I hear Louis’s melodic voice singing a lyric from Moments.

——-

At 6:00, I wake up drowsily and decide to start my journey on finding Exit F. I give up after wandering for a good 15 minutes and decide to ask a blonde-haired woman behind a desk. She pointed me towards two glass doors. I turn back to her and thank her, then make my towards the doors. I’m halfway there when I bump into something soft, most likely a person. It caught me so off gaurd that I fell back on my butt, causing me to drop all my luggage and for my purse’s contents to spill all over the floor.

“Shit!” I hear someone mutter, and I was positive it wasn’t me, because I do not have an English accent. Let alone an adorable English accent…

I ignore what I just heard and frantically start to pick everything up so nothing would get stolen. As I was doing so, I see two large hands start to help me. When everything was shoved back into my purse, I finally look up at who the mystery hands belong to. He’s wearing a sweatshirt and sunglasses, the hood of the swearshirt pulled up over his head. Unfortunately, I can’t see past the sunglasses. All I can make out was that he has long, light brown hair, but even that is hidden under a beanie. It’s like he’s trying to hide. From what, I had no idea. Hopefully, he’s not a terrorist or on the America’s Top 10 Most Wanted list.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! Are you alright, love?” Did he seriously just call me love? I swear to god, I knew that high pitched voice…

“Y-yeah, I guess I’m okay.”

“Oh, thats good. But I still feel really bad. I’m Louis. And you are?”

Did he just say Louis? I swear to god if he is the Louis I think he is…

“I-I’m C-Cassie.” Wow, way to go Cass. This is NOT the impression you want to make on this specific person, if he is who you think he is.

It was now that he finally took off the sunglasses, and all I can do is feel my jaw drop to the floor. Literally. He giggles at me, flashing that smile I have been so in love with since the first day I had laid eyes on his face. Which was unfortunately, displayed on my computer screen. Oh how long I had waited to hear that adorable laugh.

“Oh my god. A-are you-” Before I could finish my sentence, I felt him put his finger on my lips. I don’t blame him, I certainly would hate to have a few dozen girls run up to me in an airport on a Thursday night, especially with the mood I’m in.

“If you are going to say what I think you are, please don’t. I’ll do anything. Do you want an autograph? A picture? Just please don’t say my name out loud.”

All I can do is just stare up at his bright blue eyes, and say nothing. After a few moments, he slowly pulls his finger away, and I can see the desperation in his eyes. After a few seconds, I finally respond.

“No thanks. Meeting you is more than enough.” I manage to choke out.

As I say this, he smiles.

“Thank you so much.”

At this point, all I can do is nod. And that’s all I do.

Then, he conveniently pulls a black sharpie out of his pocket and writes his number on the back of my hand. When I see what he has written, I come so close to fainting. This certainly lightens my mood. I look back up at him, not even bothering to hide the surprise or happiness on my face.

“Call me sometime?” I nod.

He smiles at me, then slowly turns around and walks away. I’m too awestruck at this point to realize what’s going on, so I just pick up my luggage and walk out the two glass doors to find the taxi waiting for me.

I tell the driver my address, and feel the car start to move. I watch as the airport grows smaller and smaller, until I can’t see it anymore. When it is finally out of sight, I turn around, what really just happened at the airport dawning on me.

I just met Louis Tomlinson. THE Louis Tomlinson. Of One Direction. And I have his number written out on the back of my hand. Millions of girls would KILL to be in my position right now.

Wow, now I REALLY hope that my roommate likes One Direction. I really need someone to fangirl with about what just happened to me.

Cassie’s POV:

I felt the hot tears sting my eyes as I hauled the last of my luggage into the trunk of my silver buggy. I turned to face my mother and younger brother Dylan. That was when I saw the sadness in both of their eyes. Then the tears came pouring down my face, falling to the ground in little droplets. I didn’t know how I was going to do this. I was leaving all my family and friends, the place where I grew up. Leaving home. I had lived in Cincinnati my whole life, but now I was leaving for college. It felt like just yesterday my father was teaching me to ride my bike without training wheels. I didn’t realize how much I missed him until this very moment.

I found my mother embracing me into a bear hug, pulling me from my thoughts. Soon Dylan joined in. I bet we looked like freaks, sobbing in our long driveway. I pulled away, and my mom kissed me on the forehead, saying, “You will be just fine, Cassie. I know you will love college and make tons of new friends.” All I could do was nod as she hugged me one last time. I peered over my mother’s shoulder and back up our long driveway at our cute little farmhouse, one last time. Tearing my eyes away from my one and only home, I slowly got in my buggy, turning it on and rolling out of the driveway. Taking one last glance at my family, at their tear-stained faces, and red-rimmed eyes, I turned the steering wheel to the right and headed towards the airport.

I would be attending the University of the Arts in London, a whole ocean away. I was majoring in singing, my one and only passion. Last week I was positive that I could make something of myself, but right now, I wasn’t so sure.

Come on, Cassandra. You can do this. Get a hold of yourself. You are going to enjoy the ride to London, you will exit the plane with a smile on your face, and will have a blast at college. You’ll make tons of new friends. Maybe you will even find your soul mate. You will show everybody just how talented you are. You’ll show them that you’ve got real talent, and you aren’t just another ordinary singer. You’re different. You’re better. You will become something.

I really hope so.

Lucy’s POV:

I pulled out of the driveway with tears in my eyes. Leaving my Dad, family and friends was harder than I thought. I was down the road far enough to where I couldn’t see them and thats where I let loose. My tears went everywhere and I was running out of tissues. I had to pull myself together. My Mom was watching over me, everything was going to be okay.

When I got to the airport I was a mix of emotions; scared, nervous, excited and happy. I was looking on the board to find out where my flight was. Flight 17, Gate 5 to London. I was going to college at Wimbleton University of the Arts in London. I’m majoring in singing and I’m still shocked I got in.

I heard the overhead speaker say, “Flight 17 at Gate 5 to London leaving in 10 minutes!” This is my time, I thought, you’ve got this Lucy.

I stepped off the plane with a jump of excitement. It was 3:00 in the morning and London looked more beautiful than ever. I grabbed my luggage from the top shelf and got off the plane. I was so happy I didn’t have to sit next to that annoying girl again; all she did was smack her gum and chew with her mouth open. G-ross.

 Looking around, I found where to pick up my luggage and headed down the spiral stairs to the ground level. As I was going down the steps, I saw a bunch of gorgeous British guys. They were even hotter than I imagined. Okay, Lucy, you didn’t come here for the boys, you came here to carry out your career in the arts. 

 I got my luggage finally, I had to wait for 30 minutes before my luggage ever came around. Apparently I had to call a cab to come take me to my dorm/apartment room. At the University, they had apartments on campus, I mean they were huge from what I saw. You shared the apartment with another person on campus and in my case it was with some girl named Cassie. I wonder what she is like. What was she majoring in or if she was a crazy psycho who was going to kill me in the night… Who knows.

I found the number for the cab place, (020)-7568-9834, and called it. 

 ”John’s Cab Service, how may I help you?”

 ”Hi, I’m at the London Airport and I was wondering if I could get a cab to pick me up and take me to my apartment?”

 ”Of course! But the next cab going out to the airport is at 10:00 am.”

 I’m going to have to spend the night at the airport? Oh joy. Okay I can do this. I will just find a place by a window, set myself an alarm and everything will be okay.

 ”Ma’am? Are you still there?” The man said it with concern. I wonder why.

 ”Uh.. yeah. I will take the cab at 10:00 am. Where should i meet it?” 

 ” Meet the cab at Door C. The fee is €30. See you at 10.” The driver hung up before I could even say bye.

 I walked around the airport and got some dinner at a little Chinese place, got Starbucks and headed to find a window to sleep near.

 I found a place to sleep where no one was around, which was good. I turned on my IPod and turned on some music to help me get to sleep. Lord knows I probably wont get any sleep, its already 4:00 am. The first song was Just to See You Smile by Tim McGraw. I started to close my eyes when I heard someone say “Hello, I’m Tom.”

 I looked up to see a handsome, about 16 years old, boy. I stood up, trying to be polite I think, and pulled out my headphones. Not sure what to do, I shook his hand and said ” Hi, I’m Lucy!”

 He smiled sheepishly and said, “Mind if I join you, Lucy?”

 ”Of course not!” I said a little to excitedly. Only an hour here and I’ve already scored a new, hot British boy.

 We stayed up all night talking and laughing about silly things. We talked of our parents, family and friends. He asked me about America and what it was like. Everything was going great, hey I think we were going to make a great couple, until a blonde girl started to walk our way.

 ”Jessica! I’ve missed you so much”, Tom said as he ran up to ‘Jessica’.

 ”Lucy!” Tom said, ” I want you to meet my girlfriend, Jessica!”

 ”Hi, its nice to meet you”, Jessica said with a thick Scandinavian accent.

 Girlfriend? GIRLFRIEND? Girlfriend.. How could this be? He was hitting on me all night and I thought we really hit it off. I guess not.

 ” Hi Jessica, I’m Lucy. I better get going, my cab is picking me up at Gate C. It was nice to meet all of you, maybe I will see you guys around town! Have a good day, bye!”

 ”Bye Lucy! It was nice to meet you”, both Jessica and Tom said at the same time.

 I got to Gate C, hopped in my cab and payed him. I could feel a turn in a stomach, my chest got tight and my cheeks starting burning. I was crying, in a cab, with a man I didn’t know. This is a wonderful start to my career in London.  

 Don’t let Tom bring you down Lucy, you came here to win. Pull yourself together. Always believe Lucy. Always.