Chapter Text
"Good afternoon, Miss Bainbridge,"
"Have a lovely weekend, girls. I'll see you all on Monday morning,"
17 girls filtered out through the door and Emily began to pack up her bag to go home. A familiar face appeared in the doorway as she was about to walk out.
"Jamie, hi. How was your day?"
"Noisy, yours?"
"Lovely actually. I have a beautiful group this year. Year five are not at all what I expected personality wise."
"Haha year one are not at all what I expected either! Can I walk you out?"
"Yes, I just need to get my coat on the way out,"
The cold London air was like a slap in the face as Jamie opened the door for her and they stepped outside. He was tall, with curly brown hair and blue-grey eyes and if you listened carefully you could hear his Irish accent. It had faded a little after living around London for 15 years, much to his mother's despair. He and Emily had started the same day at Kensington Prep eight years ago and this was the first year they hadn't had the same age group. They had become fast friends, sharing notes and professional experience and generally looking out for one another. Jamie had just a month ago had his girlfriend Melanie move in, and they often went out on weekends as a group until recently. After ending a long term relationship Emily had felt a bit like a third wheel and had been spending time with girlfriends instead.
"Got plans for the weekend?" Jamie asked as they walked.
"I do tomorrow, I'm catching up with an old friend for lunch. It's been months and I'm really looking forward to it. You?"
"We're going out for drinks tomorrow night, you should come."
"Jamie, it's weird. It's like being a tag along. We see enough of one another at work."
"We need to get you a man," he said. "I have friends I could -"
"No. Thanks but no, not yet."
"Let me know when you're ready, I have a few suitable candidates."
"Yeah OK. I'll see you Monday morning,"
"Unless you change your mind."
Emily had a short walk to her small mews house. It was warm and light and she put down her bag and opened her laptop, letting it start up while she made a cup of tea. She was keen to get back to something she had been writing. It was an original fantasy, which was proving much more challenging than she had anticipated. She had done well with romances and suspense stories, but making up her own original universe was difficult. It was also the most fun she had had since she was a child playing pretend and making up stories in her head.
As she often did, Emily got lost in her writing and was surprised when she saw the time on her phone when it rang: 8:37pm. After a brief check in with Victoria, her mother, she made a toasted sandwich for dinner and went back to the laptop with a glass of wine.
Just after midnight her instant messaging beeped loudly, making her jump. She clicked on it and a window with a photo of Tom in it opened.
Tom: What are you doing up so late?
Emily: Writing :) what are you up to?
Tom: Got home this afternoon and now I can't sleep so I'm reading. We still on for lunch tomorrow?
Emily: as long as you're awake!
Tom: I will be, it's been way too long.
Tom: why does your Facebook say you're single?
Emily: did you just Facebook stalk me, Hiddleston?
Tom: you didn't answer the question. Did you and Liam break up?
Emily: yeah, a few weeks ago.
Tom: I'm sorry darling. What happened?
Emily: we were fighting all the time, and then he cheated, and that was the end of it. I'm ok, I'm good. Really :)
Tom: you really think you can convince me with a smiley emoticon? Really?
Emily: lol no. Go to bed, tomorrow you can see for yourself.
Tom: you should too, you'll get square eyes.
Emily: yes dad. Shutting down now. Good night.
A few minutes later Emily laughed loudly when another message interrupted her train of thought.
Tom: you forgot to log out so I'd think you'd actually gone to bed ;)
Emily: Damn!
She closed the laptop and went upstairs, putting on her pajamas and getting in to bed. She was used to sleeping alone now, she and Liam hadn't lived together but she had usually spent a few nights a week with him. They were two years in, and she loved him, but they were very different and she had always feared that would be their ultimate demise. He was loud and obnoxious, a mechanic originally from Manchester. The polar opposite of Emily, a book nerd prep teacher with a degree in Classics who would rather be on the couch with a book than out at the pub. But they had been instantly attracted to one another and fell hard and fast, both hoping it would all just work out. In the end after months of being at one another's throats because they saw everything differently, and a drunken one night stand, it was all over. They had both agreed with heavy hearts that it was for the best to go their separate ways.