Escape to London: A Roleplay

Alyssa nodded. "For as long as I want. I don't plan on heading back home any time soon. I like it here."

They go into a craft store and down the aisles. He's looking around and not really sure what she needs, "I meant to say the jewellery is really good, by the way.....how about this?"

Holds up something not for jewellery,

Alyssa couldn't help but laugh. "That's actually for-"
Oh no. It hit her hard and fast. The pain was unbearable. It shot through her chest like fire, burning, stinging. She curled over and fell against a shelf, letting the victim's vision become her own. There was a group of men, three of them, two holding knives. The other studied something small in his hand. My wallet.
Through the fog of pain, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Liam. Shit, I never told him. He was panicking. Employees were rushing over. She tried to speak, but another wave of agony hit her. The victim had been stabbed again. She saw through his eyes as he took in his attackers for the last time. Neither wore masks. She saw them clearly. Two with dark brown hair, cut short, and one with red curls. She took in every feature she could see, every flaw, every tattoo and piercing, and committed them to memory. She would write them down later.
"Alyssa!" Liam's voice broke through the fog. The pain was fading, and in seconds, gone. The man had bled out quickly.
Shaking herself free of the horror she'd just seen, she began to stand, her knees weak and body trembling. Her gaze found Liam's, and his brown eyes were wide with concern. She quickly looked away, humiliated, and focused on an array of fake flowers. His hand remained on her shoulder, warm and strong, and the crowd around them remained.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I get these headaches."

Liam looked at her, concerned and helps her stand. He keeps a firm hand around her waist, "headache did all that? We are going to the hospital, right now."

He wasn't up for a discussion, looking at her to not fight him on it.

Liam's tone brooked no argument, and neither did his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She froze. "No!" He turned his head to look at her, stopping in his tracks if only for a moment. "It's a cluster headache. I was diagnosed years ago. They come and they go; there's no fix."

His eyes searched hers, and though she knew she was lying, she'd told the same lie enough times to sound convincing. Somehow though, in Liam's presence, she stumbled over her words. "I- I should have told you before and I forgot. They just happen and I have to ride them out. I'm fine now. The hospital can't help me."

He looks at her, not sure but she just walks out of the store anyways. He goes after her, "At least let me walk you home...?"

She seems to agree with that and they go to her building. Which is a nice one he can see and go to her apartment. They walk in and he shuts the door behind her, "You work at my crappy music store and live here?"

Looking around it, he sees her go to the kitchen. "Hey...what do you think you're doing? Sit.." He sets her on the couch and asks what she wanted, he gets her water and a pill for her headache and sets it down on the table for her.

Alyssa gave him a "sorry I'm a mess" sort of smile and reached for the Tylenol. She didn't really need them, but she appreciated the gesture. Because he was watching, she popped the pills and chased them down with the glass of water. "Thanks," she said, watching him take in the apartment. "Those are Charlie's."

When he raised a brow in question, she pointed toward the pieces adorning the walls of their flat. "My roommate. He's a photographer."

Liam wasn't given much time, when Charlie walked in.

"Oh my god...the day I have had. I rather take pictures of the oranges in my kitchen than supermodels, we need margaritas big time!" You hear him say, as he comes more into the room and sees Alyssa, also most importantly Liam.

"Hello...." Charlie offers his hand, Liam shakes it and Charlie takes his hand back just standing back in awe of the amazing spectacle in front of him,

"You must be the roommate...., great pictures." Liam says, watching the guys eyes. Charlie looks at him in the eyes," yes, I am. Charlie but friends call me Charlize..."

"Liam..." Saying his name, Charlie gasps "You are Alyssa's boss..., my my. You must stay for dinner?"

Liam smiles politely, "thank you but I have plans with my girlfriend...., take it easy okay? Take the day off tomorrow even, store will be fine."

He finishes, looking at Alyssa.

He leaves.

Charlie watches and then looks back to Alyssa with an eyebrow raised, "you were holding off...on saying how hot your boss is. You said cute. Honey....that was classic sex on a stick"

Charlie



Alyssa sighed. "Yes, and he's taken. I can't get close to him, anyway. What happens if I'm found?" She looked around the apartment as if she'd find a hidden camera or a strange face. She shrugged. "And yes, he's insanely hot. Really intense. But it didn't help that I had an attack. I forgot to mention that in advance."

Charlie looks at her and frowns, he sits next to her "You still have to live, come out with me tonight...if we can't party with mr.sexy,well we can find plenty more!"

She starts to smile and he's won her over!


------------
The next week, they are selling a lot of her jewellery. Liam is at the counter, next to Alyssa one night and leans back, looks at her "Kate's birthday is coming up, any suggestions on what I should get her....? She's hard to shop for, half the time I don't know about the things she's talking about?"

Alyssa liked that Liam seemed comfortable with her, and in turn, she was slowly opening up to him. She still didn't care much for Kate, but half of it was probably jealousy. She could admit it.

"What does she talk about?" she asked, busying herself with counting the money in the register. The jewelry had sold surprisingly well. She needed to start making more, stat.

"I don't know her well, but I'm guessing clothes?"

Liam chuckles a bit and nods, "Yeah..., it's been two years and I figured I have to get her something special?"

"Screw it, I'll just break and buy some perfume...." He decides.

She laughed. "This is where I stop being useful. I've never spent more than thirty bucks on perfume."

Liam was busying himself with doing something and hears what she said," Smell great to me..."

Then realizes what he said, "I mean, you smell like someone who bathes and you know..,, takes care of..,I have a few emails to respond too, actually" he walks to his office and hides in there till he can face her again.

Alyssa spent more time than she'd like to admit thinking over what he'd said. It was nothing big, but everything he said afterward sealed the deal. He had backtracked. For a man so assertive and dominant, he'd surely tried like hell to take back what he said and get out of dodge.

She spent two hours analyzing his every word when they went out to a pub to check out the newest local band on the scene. He sat watching the band, pounding beers, until he was way past plastered. She had no clue where he lived or whom to call, so she took him back to her place. She placed him on her bed, removed his boots, and buried his body beneath the down comforter. Of all people, she mused, Liam was the last one she'd have imagined lying drunk in her bed. Her gorgeous, stony-faced boss with eyes that could freeze her where she stood, was snoozing amidst a sea of lavender sheets, gone to the world.

She watched him for a moment, pondering just how her life had changed so quickly, and then left, closing the door gently behind her. Her thoughts on the mysterious man down the hall, she curled up on her sofa and drifted off to sleep.

Liam feels the sun light come in next morning, groaning slightly and he opens his eyes. He looks around and notices he's not in his room. How drunk did I get? He thinks.

He gets up and uses a washroom when he finds one, right in the bedroom and comes back out. Out of the corner of his eye, he finds a picture of Alyssa in nothing but a blanket. Interested,he goes up to it and looks more at it.

Hearing movmemnt, he backs away and goes out into the kitchen. He sees her buttering some toast, as he slides into a breakfast stool at the counter and looks at her," did we at least book the band?" He sees she even has marmalade for him, as she's seen him put it on his toast before.

Tea of course, bacon and eggs.

Alyssa nodded. "Yes," she replied, setting a napkin beside his plate and taking a piece of bacon for herself. "They're booked for the first Saturday of next month. You were mostly sober when you made the offer."

She handed him a bottle of Tylenol. "Returning the favor."

Liam looks at her, "This is returning a favour....to the extreme, you didn't have to do all this." He eats it anyways, thinks about Kate never has cooked for him.

He takes the Tylenol and drink some tea down, puts some marmalade on his toast and sees her kind of watching him. He looks at her, suddenly hit with an idea "I do have to say, you're not as shy as you come across...."

She looks at him confused, he then smirks slightly "Nice picture in the bedroom...."

She could feel her cheeks turning as red as the coffee mug in her hand. She forced herself to swallow before she spat it all over the kitchen floor. "Oh god, I forgot about that. It was for Charlie's last photography project. He begged me to do that shoot and gave it to me, framed, as a thank you."

Desperate to change the subject, she sat down in the chair across from him. "How are you feeling?"

He focuses on her expression and just smiles, " I'm feeling okay, this helped...thanks again"

His cell phone makes a noise and he knows he has a text, he goes to grab it from the coffee table. It's Kate, he's late meeting her.

He doesn't freak out, instead doesn't respond and tucks his phone in his back pocket. Looks at Alyssa, " I also noticed a keyboard, what other instruments can you play?" He sits back down and drinks his tea, looking fat her.

"Guitar and cello. Funny that your uncle played the sax; that was my instrument in the high school band."

Minutes turned to hours, and soon enough it was the late evening. They'd stayed up all day talking. Alyssa didn't want to take note of how amazing Liam was, of how easy he was to talk to, but she did nonetheless. And she enjoyed every second with him.

Liam found himself enjoying the conversation. He learned everything about her from her likes to dislikes, information on her parents and he shared stories about his. It was so much laughing, almost couldn't stop when Charlie walked in.


He comes in and walks over, "Hello Liam.." Liam looks at him, "Hey..., what time is it anyways?"
Charlie looks him, "8:05...."

He stands up, "I should get going, I'll...I'll just see you tomorrow." He says, looking at her. Seeing her in a whole new light.

He bid farewell to Charlie and left.


-------------

20 minute bus ride later, he walks into his place. Kicks off his shoes and goes straight for a beer from the fridge. He chugs a bit of it back and stops for second, hearing noise. He knew two of his roommates were out.

The sound became more clearer as he went upstairs and didn't take Liam long to know a girl was in there. A loud girl. Liam heads to his room and before he closes the door, he makes out Kaleb shouting out Kate's name.

Suddenly, no more thoughts entered his mind as he goes over and barges into his bandmates room. There they were, Kaleb had Kate up against a desk from behind, they both stopped when they saw Liam, who at first was simply shocked by what he saw.

He backs up for a second, Kate goes over to him and he can see she's speaking but he doesn't hear what she says, he locks in on Kaleb and lunges. He punches him in the face. Photo men fight, causing a lot of noise and police soon show up.

They bring both men to the station to cool off and put into separate cells.

-----------
Next morning, Davina was wakened early by her desperate brother asking her to open the store. He tells her what happened and she agrees to do it. By the time Alyssa gets in, their is 3 empty Starbucks coffees on the counter and Davina sitting at the cash.


"My brother was in jail all night, so..here I am! Don't even think about touching my coffee." She drinks some more of her current one.

Alyssa paused. "What?" she shrieked. "How? Why?"

Davina looks at her,"Well you might have a chance with him now! As long as you don't turn into a whore. He found Kaleb fucking Kate last night, beat the shit out of him and was hauled off to jail for the night."

Alyssa's heart sank. Poor Liam. She stepped forward and placed her purse on top of the counter. "Where is he now? Is he okay?"

Liam's voice stopped Davina before she could answer. "Did I not tell you not to tell anyone?"

Alyssa spun around to find Liam standing there, his face unmarred, the only change being the dark circles under his eyes. His fists were banged up pretty badly; she didn't want to guess what the other guy looked like. Liam didn't seem like the kind of man you wanted to mess with.

"Can I get you anything?" Her voice came out as little more than a squeak. "Ice? Ointment?"