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“Yeah, you saved me from having to break a few nails, I’m Chloe by the way.” Chloe holds out her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you Chloe, I’m Damien.” Chloe smiles at me as if she knows exactly who I am. “Can I get you ladies a drink?”
The girls follow us back to the bar. Josh had been right behind me, just in case I needed back up. Josh always has my back, and vice versa.
The four of us talk well until the early hours. Chloe and Josh seem to get on well too. Josh deserves to meet someone nice. Chloe is an attractive girl, pretty face, darker hair than Bella with more of an athletic figure. She isn’t as attractive as Bella, not in my eyes anyway but I can see what Josh would see in her. We say our good nights and go our separate ways. I want to invite Bella back to my place but I know Chloe is staying with her so it isn’t an option. Another night, soon, I tell myself.
Chapter 9
Bella
“Oh my God Bella, you said Damien was hot but he is off the scale!” Chloe says as we stumble into my room. “and your knight in shining armour. Did you see how he just threw that guy to the ground and then punched him as if he weighed nothing? He’s like superman or hulk or something!”
I laugh- we are so drunk. I had such a good night with my best friend, I’ve missed her so much. We’d danced and laughed all night long.
“It’s not the first time he’s saved me from a drunk guy who got too handsy. Remember I told you about that night Graham had cornered me and then a guy stepped in and got rid of him? Well, that was Damien too!” I tell Chloe.
“Seriously Bella, Damien has been sent to you from Cupid, or God, or karma or whoever it is that sends people. It all makes sense- he is your prince,” Chloe says slurring whilst trying to undress.
“I’m not sure about that Chloe, I’ve only just come out of a relationship, I’m really not ready for another, I just want to enjoy being single.”
“Well, guys like Damien are never single for long Bella so you better know what you’re doing.” We both freshen up in the bathroom and then get into bed, falling asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillows.
It is now Sunday morning, and I am so excited for my day with Chloe. First, we are going on an open top bus tour. I cannot wait to see the sights properly. I have been in London a while now, but I haven’t done anything touristy yet. Chloe has never been to London before so we are both making the most of the tour. I am then going to take Chloe to an amazing restaurant by the river Thames. It has the best reviews on Trip Advisor and is all over Instagram apparently, which will impress Chloe. It isn’t cheap but I want to treat Chloe for everything she had done for me. Unfortunately, the waiting list for reservations is 6 months long. But the guys at work said if you get lucky and someone hasn’t turned up, they will allow walk ins so fingers crossed. If not, there are plenty of other places we could go to.
We both walk out of the hotel giddy and excited for our day ahead.
“Wow look at that limo Bella, I wonder who that’s waiting for? Some big shot millionaire no doubt. God I’d love to be a millionaire for the day, just to ride around London in one of those!” A huge smile spreads across my face…
“Miss White, Miss Smith, your carriage awaits,” George says as he tips his cap and opens the door to the sparkling, black, stretched Rolls Royce. I look at Chloe whose jaw is almost hitting the floor. I am so thankful I took Damien up on his offer.
We climb into the immaculate, cream leather interior to find a bottle of champagne on ice, two champagne flutes and a card which reads:
Ladies, I hope you enjoy your day. Please enjoy the champagne. George will be available all day if you may need him. D x
“Oh my God!” squeals Chloe as she grabs the champagne. It has a gold label and a name I have never heard of but I imagine it is very expensive.
“Where to ladies?” George asks as he re-enters the Rolls. I give George the location of where we catch the bus tour and we pull out into the London traffic. I explain the plan for the day and Chloe gets so excited about what we are going to see. I tell her about the restaurant and how we need to keep our fingers crossed.
“Bella this is already the best day ever, I don’t mind if we eat at McDonald’s!” she exclaims.
We have some time before the bus tour starts so George takes us on a scenic route around London. Not that we see much as we are too busy drinking the champagne and chatting excitedly. We arrive at the bus stop and I feel a little tipsy as the fresh air hits me. We thank George and just as he pulls away the open top red double decker bus arrives.
“Eeekk!!! It’s here!!” Chloe says has she does a little dance on the pavement. I could blame her over excitement on the champagne, but this is just typical Chloe. Another one of the reasons I love her. She is so confident, she doesn’t care what anyone thinks of her, she will talk to anyone and attracts people with her friendliness. I on the other hand feel constantly aware of people around me and what they may be thinking when they look at me. I’m shy and always worry about saying the wrong thing. I have to think about what I’m going to say before I say it so sometimes, I just don’t say anything. People mistake that for ignorance or rudeness.
Chloe has helped me so much with this anxiety over the years. She was the one who encouraged me in pursuing my dream of being a hairdresser. It was something I’d dreamed of as a child but I almost didn’t do it. I was so scared of the actual interaction with people I didn’t know. Chloe helped me explore lots of tips and techniques to help me overcome the anxiety. I still struggle with it but not as much. I know how to power through it now.
Other people arrive at the bus stop and smile at Chloe and she starts a conversation with an elderly gentleman who is on his own. You can see his spirit lift as she talks to him. I’m in awe of my best friend. We board the bus and Chloe asks the gentleman if he would like to sit with us. He explains that he and his wife had this trip to London booked for 6 months as it had been an anniversary present. He had bought it for her as she had never been to London. Unfortunately, she had passed away before she was able to see the sights. So, he had decided to come on his own and that he almost didn’t come today but meeting Chloe had cheered him up already and he knew he had made the right decision. This is just the type of person my best friend is.
We have a great day, hopping on and off the bus, taking selfies. We see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace. This was quite an emotional experience, something I will never forget and definitely a must see. Our tour ends with a Thames River cruise. We have such a great day. We make friends with the others on the tour (all thanks to Chloe) and laugh non-stop throughout. We say our goodbyes and head in the direction of the restaurant where I am hoping we can get a table. Chloe really wouldn’t mind just getting some chips and sitting on a bench but I really hope I can treat her. Plus, my legs are so tired now and I could do with a sit down for a while.
We enter the restaurant and the beauty of it dazzles as you walk in. It’s like a tropical garden as the walls and ceiling are decorated with impressive greenery, crisp turquoise leaves and colourful exotic flowers. There’s a waterfall by the bar which sends sparkles of light all around the restaurant. We are greeted by the very glamorous, albeit, snooty looking hostess. I explain we don’t have a reservation but wonder if they have had any cancellations or if they could just squeeze the two of us in somewhere.
“I’m sorry madam, but we do not ‘squeeze’ anyone in Le Jardin, and we do not have any cancellations. I can book you in at our next available time which will be in about 6 months?” she says much to my disappointment.
My heart sinks as I thought it would probably be the case but the hostess was so rude with her fake French accent. The high I’d been on throughout the day has completely disappeared.
“Never mind, I fancy fish and chips anyway. Come on let’s find a Wetherspoons and get tipsy!” Chloe says as she puts her arm around me and gives me a squeeze, making me feel much better and we head to the door.
