The Forged Fiancé

Eighteen whirlwind months, four tiring days and three excruciatingly lengthy hours: - that’s how long it felt like the world had been on temporary stand by while I attempted at pursuing my dreams and making the most of my life. It had been eighteen months since I last saw my parents after leaving sunny San Francisco for a job opportunity in cultural Tokyo, Japan; four days since I’d quit said job as a high end clothing designer to travel to the stormy UK to be with my fiancé after we decided to take a serious step forward in our relationship and three hours since I disembarked the plane at Heathrow Airport as I made my way into downtown London to try and find the address my parents told me they’d be meeting me at after so long apart.

Dragging my suitcase quietly behind it; it seemed like I was hauling every single piece of my life with me across the uneven sidewalk as I struggled to maneuver through the crowd of students who swarmed out of the local high school I passed. One hundred and twenty three, one hundred and twenty five, one hundred and twenty seven, I gently whispered under breath as I got closer and closer to – a bar.

Surely this couldn’t have been the place that my parents had been talking about? A long time, childhood friend of my fathers who owned a successful trading business lived above a bar? Checking to see that the address I had scribbled down was correct and that I hadn’t gotten anything confused, I spun on my heels at the sound of someone walking up behind me and met with a short blonde fellow who had a childlike smile plastered across his face.

“Did you need me to get the door for you so that you can get your luggage inside?”, he asked brushing his fingers back through his short hair. I was abruptly taken aback by his politeness although I must have still had a confused look on my face as, as soon as I turned to face him, he asked if I were lost.

“I don’t think so...”, I mumbled quietly, “This is one hundred and thirty three Kingston Road is it not?”

The blonde nodded eagerly before letting out a hearty chuckle.

“Let me guess, you’re here to see Alex”, he supposed, grabbing a hold of the handle on top of my suitcase before walking the two of us into the bar, conveniently named The Lost Voyage. Hesitant for a brief moment, I followed the blonde in only to be taken away from the real world outside and thrown into what looked like a deck of a pirate ship. The bar was covered in heavy docking rope and large metal anchors, all a dark stained wood which helped add a nautical sense to the overall feel. A line of men in business suits sat at the bar perched up on stools and I watched as the blonde wheeled my luggage over to a group of younger men all crowded around a television watching football.

“Um...”, I released quietly with a deep sigh unsure of whether or not I was at the right place.
“Wow, look at you – little Phillipa all grown up.”

The use of my name was enough to grab my attention as I spun around on toes to come face to face with a familiar figure I hadn’t seen since my 12th birthday. Immediately latching on to the taller fellow standing before me, I squeezed him tightly with a warm embrace and felt a sense of relief wash over me as familiarity kicked in.

“Uncle Alex..”
“It’s nice to see you cupcake. Grown up and all..”

Walking me over to the bar and pulling out a seat for me, Alex dealt with some of the patrons who were busy waiting to be served and after a few minutes wandered back over to me with a genuinely pleased smile on his face. Giving me a once over from head to toe he smiled before raising an eyebrow and inquiring on where my luggage was.

“Oh um... the blonde fellow over there”, I stammered pointing across the room to where the stranger who helped me out earlier had taken a seat, “He carried everything in for me.”
“Niall has always been one incapable of not assisting a pretty lady.”

“So...”, I giggled, feeling my cheeks flush at the statement Uncle Alex had just made, “On the phone dad mentioned something about you owning a trading company”, I paused for a moment, looking around the bar until eventually my eyes landed fixed on where they at first had been, “This.. doesn’t look like a trading company though.”

“No, your dad’s right – I do.. the lost voyage is just a little side project to keep me busy from time to time.”
“So you run a trading company and a bar – is there anything else you do---.”
“... just foster some kids and manage a local football team.”
“You’re an angel Uncle Alex you know that?”
“I try my hardest..”, he smirked, picking up the remote beside him on the counter and switching the tv off the group of boys at the back of the bar were watching, hearing endless amounts of sighs and frustrated huffs before a group of 20 something year olds wandered over to where we were seated.

“Fellas.. I’d like to introduce my niece Pippa, she’s flown in from Tokyo to introduce her fiancé to her parents.”

After a bout of awkward silence, the blonde who had introduced himself earlier snapped his fingers and took a seat beside me at the bar.

“Damn... the cute ones are always taken”, he laughed, reaching over the bar to pour himself a pint of beer. I could feel my cheeks start to turn a bright strawberry pink as I became instantly flustered. Placing a glass of white wine in front of me, Uncle Alex winked at me before I heard him clear his throat with a cough a settle everyone down comfortably.

“Fellas, honestly --- take it easy on her and Niall; watch what you say”, Alex instructed pouring two shots of whiskey into glasses over ice and serving them to two other boys who had walked over with Niall who was silently gloating to himself.

“So.. Pippa, coming to London sure is a huge step for a relationship”, a dark brown haired guy pointed out taking a seat beside me, “Sounds like you really love the guy.”
“Oh I do.. he’s perfect, just amazing—“, I started; words spilling from my lips in a tangent.
“Ah, I’ve heard that all before—“, the third boy mentioned, rolling his eyes while sneaking around the counter to try and find the television remote.
“You’ll have to excuse Louis; he’s a firm believer in the idea that true love and perfection within people doesn’t exist.”
“Okay, so... I’ve met Niall and you’ve introduced me to Louis but what’s your name?”, I asked quietly taking a sip of my wine.
“Oh, how rude of me”, he stammered with a grin, “Payne, Liam Payne”, he introduced himself holding out a hand for me to shake, “I work as an accountant and am goalie on your uncles football team.”
“It’s nice to meet you Liam...”, I replied taking his hand. The gesture made me fill with a kind of warmness I hadn’t experienced in a long time.

“So.. what’s this fella of yours like Pippa?”, Louis asked turning the tv on but keeping is attention on myself, “If you don’t mind me asking that is – I think perfect is an extremely strong word to use when describing someone.”

“Don’t mind Louis..”, Niall pointed out rolling his eyes while taking a sip of his beer, “He comes across as malicious although is extremely harmless.”
“Oh, okay..”, I mumbled, “Well.. he is, he swept me off my feet the moment I met him and it’s been a tumultuous romance every since. Although I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Checking my watch and nervously spinning it around my wrist like an anxious habit, Louis smirked before snickering a cold chuckle.
“Tumultuous hey?”, he asked with a raised eyebrow, “Interesting choice of words.”
“Oh Louis get out of teacher mode and just relax will you”, Liam instructed, “So, when is he meant to be getting here?”

“Any minute now I guess...”, I shrugged my shoulders in annoyance taking note of the time. Harry promised me that he’d be on time for the introduction to my parents which we’d organized for just before dinner at 5pm. We’d been planning this afternoon out for weeks now and everything in my mind just had to flow and roll out just the way it was intended to be.

Getting fidgety, I tried to picture Harry in my mind clearly; those lush forest green eyes, his dusty pink lips I craved right now more than anything else I probably had before in my life, the overall warm feeling I had whenever I woke up in his arms after spending the night together. Feeling my cell-phone vibrate in my pocket, I eagerly pulled it out and swiped the screen across with a smile on my face that quickly changed to an expression I never thought I’d ever hold once I opened up the text message Harry had sent me.















‘I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore.....’

Notes

Let the heartache begin!
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Also check out my other story Writing Cinderella. :) xx