Someone Else

Chapter 2

Soundtrack for this chapter
Just One Yesterday—Fall Out Boy
Little Talks—Of Monsters and Men
To be Alone—Hozier
45–Gaslight Anthem
Black Chandelier—Biffy Clyro

2

I hardly remember turning my key in the lock as I supported a half-asleep Lily on my shoulder. My mind was filled with thoughts of Jude and the fact that I hadn't stayed up that late since college.

Our little flat was perfect for the two of us, and the fact that our jobs gave us a housing stipend for making the move helped to get us a place that was big enough for us both to have our own space. While we had our separate bedrooms and bathrooms, as with most apartments we shared the living area and an eat-in kitchen. Having only lived there for a few weeks, we were still trying to make it feel like home, well, at least as homey as it could feel 3,000 miles away from our families.

Once we were through the door, Lily and I parted ways to head to our bedrooms. I went to call goodnight to her, but she spoke up first.

"Elle?"

"Yeah, Lily?"

"You do realize you spent the entire night with one of the best looking guys in London, right?"

I smiled to myself and called back to her. "Yep."

"And you didn't even bring him back here. I envy your self-control. Goodnight."

I rolled my eyes in her direction. "Night, Lil."

When I heard her door click shut, I turned the knob of my own and desperately wanted to crash into bed. With my alarm set to go off in roughly five hours, I knew my Saturday morning dance classes were not going to be nearly as enjoyable as they usually were.

As much as I wanted to just lay down and fall asleep, my inability to veer from routine forced me to drag myself into the bathroom to remove my make up, change into actual pajamas, and brush my teeth. When I was finished, I got into bed and clicked off the lamp on my bedside table. Though not my bed from home, it felt so good to hit the mattress and close my eyes that I fell asleep at once.

***

Sunlight poured through the slits in my blinds and the incessant beeping of my alarm broke through the deep sleep I found myself struggling to escape. I need to remember to pick up room darkening shades. My hand fumbled around for my phone to turn off the alarm, and I stretched across the full length of my bed with eyelids still firmly pressed together. Images from the night before flooded my mind, and I wanted nothing more than to just stay in bed thinking about the three hours I spent with the first friend I had managed to make in London, but dance class called, and the music waited for no one.

Dancing had always been my creative outlet. There was nothing else in the world that made me forget everything else that was going on in my life, and I'd been lucky to find a studio within walking distance of our apartment. I never had intentions of making a career of dance, and I kept my classes down to just one day per week. It was a time for me to just be; I never wanted to change that by making it a job or a chore.

The studio I joined upon my move to London was welcoming, and I was working on making new friends through it, but I hadn't connected with anyone like I'd connected with Jude. This was my own fault, and I take full responsibility for it; I'm literally the worst at trying to talk to new people, and I rarely ever break out of my reserved self. I'm still not sure who exactly I was when I was talking to Jude as I'd never been that comfortable talking to someone new in my life. 

Prying my tired body from the warm comfort of the bed was difficult, but willing myself to feel more awake than I was proved even harder. I slipped into the bathroom to fight my morning breath and splashed a bit of cool water on my face in an attempt to jolt my senses.