Chapter 5- Updated and Finished

He was now a shade of what I would call ‘Ferrari Red’. The only thing I could do is smile shyly at him. After a few minutes of just looking into each other’s eyes, and the color in our faces dismissing a bit I spoke, “Not many people tell me I’m beautiful. Unless you count my mom and dad, which I don’t because they’re your parents, they have to say stuff like that.”

James gave me a sincere smile, “I mean it, you are so beautiful. I honestly think the mountain and the ocean and the beach are jealous of you. I’m so grateful that the sky decided to be kind today and clear up. I’m sure you’ve heard of our English weather. Rain, Rain, and more Rain. But sometimes, not often, we get a clear day.” I lay back down and looked up at the sky. It was amazingly clear. Not a cloud in sight. I closed my eyes and basked in the warm sunlight. Then the light was gone.

I opened my eyes to see why the warmth had gone to see James hovering over me. “Hello,” I said looking at him. “Hello,” he replied. I giggled and so did he. “Would you like some lunch?” he asked. He moved back and I sat up, “I’m famished.” He opened the basket and took out two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine. “I hope you like wine,” He stated as he uncorked the bottle and poured it into the glasses. He handed one to me and I looked at it, “Well, I’ve never really had wine. I mean I’ve had a bit at family dinners and such but never enough to know if I like it or not.” He smiled and held his glass up, I did the same, “A toast to a wonderful day with an amazing woman.” I added, “And an amazing man.” We both take a drink, and James keeps his eyes trained on me.

I make a bit of a funny face, and James cracks up. “It’s…um….different….I think I like it…..sort of,” I say after a bit. “It’s an acquired taste, you seem like you may like a sweet wine more,” He says after composing himself. He then pulls 2 small plates out of the basket and places them on the blanket in front of us. He then removes a small try with several cheeses on it, and then a small container is revealed containing slices of French bread. “I hope you like cheese,” He says getting everything situated on the blanket. “I love cheese. Wine and Cheese, seems a bit French,” I said watching him. He nodded, “Yes, a bit. But so good.” Once he had finished he took a small slice of cheese and placed it on top of a piece of bread. “Try this, Brie. A soft cheese has an interesting taste.” He held out the morsel and I leaned in and took a bite. I don’t think he was expecting that, but he went with it. As I ate, he watched me. I made a funny face as I swallowed then said, “Well that was, um, interesting.” He chuckled.

We ate more of the cheese, I loved finding out what I liked and what I didn't  After we had finished, he lied back and asked, “So, do you, um, have a, um, boyfriend or anything like that back home?” I laughed and shook my head, “No, that’s not to say I haven’t had a boyfriend. None of them have really worked out. They all think I’m strange. But I’m ok with that. I won’t change who I am for some guy.” He sat up and looked at me, placing his hand over mine, “You shouldn't have to. If someone can’t accept you for whom you really are, well, to hell with em.” This made me smile. Then I had to ask, “Do you have anyone?” He looked out to the vast blue ocean glittering before us, “No, I did have someone for a while, but it didn't work out. I suspect she got tired of me working in my shop all the time, my OCD, and me cleaning motorbike parts in the kitchen sink.” I had to let out a snicker. I shifted so my back was toward the sea, but I was facing James. “Well, why didn't she just join you in the shop? Unless it’s one of those ‘no girls allowed’ kind of things. And as for your OCD and cleaning your motorbike parts in the kitchen sink,” I paused and shrugged, “It’s just you. I would help you clean them actually. I’ve always wanted to fiddle with things like that. I’ve never had the chance though.”

James listened to me and sipped his wine, now on his second glass, while I was still nursing my first. “Why?” he asked. “Well,” I started, “My dad wasn’t around much as I was growing up, and my grandfather wasn’t much of a car guy. I never had anyone to teach me, and I never thought to teach myself because I would end up covered in grease head to toe and still have no clue what I was doing. My uncle is a mechanic, but wouldn’t teach me because I’m a girl, and fixing cars and bikes isn’t something girls do. So I just never learned, but, I think you’re never too old to learn something new.” James smiled at this. He sat up and put a hand on my knee, it sent goose bumps up my spine, “Well, I would be happy to teach you, given the time. My shop is usually ‘no girls or Clarkson’s allowed’ but for you I could make an exception. I think its rubbish that mending and tinkering with cars isn’t for girls. That’s like saying that girls can’t do Airfix.” He paused a moment then looked at me quizzically, “Do you have Airfix in the US?” I took a sip of my wine, made a funny face,  then said, “No, but I know what you’re talking about. Remember, I’ve seen Toy Stories.” He laughed and nodded his head, “Ah yes. That was a fun project. Maybe we’ll have to put together a Spitfire while we’re at it.”

He finished his glass then got out a can of Coke and offered it to me. I gladly took it, thankful that I wouldn’t have to drink anymore of that wine. Although I enjoy trying new things, that was not one of them. He took my glass, “I’ll finish the rest of it. You don’t seem to like it much,” he cucked as he spoke. I handed over my glass and stated, “Not really. Like you said, it’s an acquired taste.” Smiling he took a sip as I open my can of soda, taking a drink as well.

We talked for hours more. I could talk to him forever. It started getting dark and James looked at his watch. “Wow, it’s already 8 o’clock. It’ll be past midnight by the time we get back to London.” I sighed, sad our time here was coming to an end. I helped him gather everything back up, as we stood he wobbled a bit, “Ah. I seem to be a bit pissed.” I laughed, “You can’t drive in this state, and I don’t have a license over here. Now what?” He put an arm around my shoulder and said, “Well, we’ll have to get a room here for the night. If you don’t mind that is. There is a bed and breakfast in the town. I’ve stayed there before when I was testing a car, um, I don’t remember which one at the moment, but it was nice.” I nodded helping to steady him, “You sure you can manage the walk back?” We laughed together before he said, “I may have had too much to drive, but I can still manage a walk. Just the standing made me a bid dizzy. I’m ok now.” He removed his arm and I was a bit disappointed at that. He picked up the basket and  I the blanket. “Right then. Onward?” I nodded and we set out back to the tiny town.

We walked, and after a while I looked out toward the ocean, “My God, it’s so beautiful.” James stopped, as did I. He put the basket down and took the blanket from me. Spreading it out on the ground he sat, then patted the ground next to him as a sign for me to join him. I sat beside him and he put an arm around my back, moving closer to me. He looked to me, and our eyes met. He spoke softly, gently rubbing my back, “A perfect end to a perfect day.” We both smiled and I looked back to the sunset, “When watching a sunset, it’s hard to imagine anything more lovely.” James was still watching me, but I hadn’t noticed until he said, “I can think of at least one thing.”

I didn’t look at him I just answered “What?” I felt a gentle hand on my cheek turning my head toward him. Our blue eyes met, he held my gaze for a moment without speaking. After several moments he spoke, “An American I met in a pub only yesterday, but feel like I’ve known for years.” I couldn’t help but smile. I ran my hand through his hair and whispered, “I would love to meet her.” This earned a giggle from the man, “She is lovely, and I can’t wait to spend the next 3 weeks with her. Hopefully more than that if she decides to stay in England longer.” I hummed at the thought of spending the next 3 weeks with James. Getting to know him and getting to know England.  And the fact that he wants me to stay longer makes me smile like a fool. Just as I was about to speak he pulls me toward him and places a gentle kiss on his lips.

I was a taken back for just a second until I realized what he was doing, then returned his kiss, my hand still in his hair. He pulled back, looking deep in my eyes as he spoke softly, “I’ve been wanting to do that all day.” I giggled and smiled at him. “I know what you mean,” I retorted shifting closer to him and resting my head on his shoulder. I looked out towards the sunset, it was getting dark now.

James looked at his watch and tutted, “we best be getting back before dark.” I nodded and got up. He folded the blanket and I took it from him deciding I would carry it back. He shot me a glare and I just smiled, causing him to crack one as well. He took my hand and led me back to the village. We deposited the basket and blanket in the car, and I grabbed my bag. I may not have brought a change of clothes with my but I had some basics, toothbrush and so on, just in case.

We made our way to a small building and James held the door for me to walk in first. It was quite a charming little place, with an old woman sitting at the desk. “Hello dearies!” she called cheerfully. I couldn’t help but smile.

James and I approached the desk and he said “Hello,” the looked at me as if knowing what he was going to ask I nodded, “We’d like a room please.” I smiled as he pulled me close and kissed the top of my head. “Ah, a bit of a weekend getaway?” She asked as she pulled out our room key. James paid the woman and took our key. He held my hand and guided me up the steps.

When we had reached our room James stopped “Ah, room 6,” and unlocked the door. 

Chapter 4

James and I talked about everything, again, as we made our way down the M4 towards Bristol. He told me about his childhood, and I told him about mine, and what it was like growing up in the states.

Before I knew it, we were to our first stop, it was about noon. “Just have to pick something up real quick, then we’ll be off again,” James said as we pulled up to a lovely house. He put the car in park, got out and made is way to the front door. I, meanwhile, looked over the interior of the car. It was so beautiful. The seats were quite comfy; the dash was a lovely shade of grey with a hint of blue, a bit like the paintjob. The top of the dash was black and so were the carpets.  I was so busy admiring all the little buttons and knobs that I hadn’t even noticed James had returned, until I heard the hood shut.

I jumped and looked up. He opened the door, got in and said “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” I shook my head, “its ok. I was just admiring how the inner beauty of this car,” I gestured toward the paddles behind the steering wheel, “I thought all you guys hated the flappy paddle gearbox.” He chuckled as he buckled his seatbelt and put the car in reverse, “Its best in this car though. Makes the gear changes so smooth, you don’t have to worry about the clutch with one. Maybe the rest of the way to our destination I’ll open her up so you can see what she can do.”  I giggled like a little kid. This was perfect.

We got back out on the highway, and kept heading to our destination. The roads were surprisingly clear; it must have been a couple hours later when I realized we weren’t on the main highway anymore. Looking at my watch, sure enough it was almost two in the afternoon. The view here was amazing. We were somewhere in the country, but that’s about all I could tell. James pulled off on the side of the road. “Something wrong?” I asked, a bit worried. “Oh no, I just wanted to tell you that we were almost there and this is about 6 miles of straight road. Would you like to drive?” I looked at him wide eyed and  I got a bit giddy. “Oh no, James. I better not. I’ll crash into a tree and we’ll die. Plus I’ve never driven anything but an automatic.”

“Oh, well then, Sit back and prepare yourself, I’m going to let her rip.”

“Ok, go for it,” I said excitedly. He pulled back out onto the road and turns a little switch on the wheel. He looked at me and revved the engine. That noise was amazing. Then he let up off the break and we were off like a shot. “60,” he said after a few seconds. Still gaining speed, “100” was the next speed he called out. “120” I’ve never gone this fast in car before. “140” He had a huge grin on his face, as did I. The noise coming from behind us was absolutely intoxicating. “This is incredible,” I half shouted to him. He nodded and began to slow down. Gradually he came down from about 160 to a reasonable 80. I’ve never seen James drive like this. He was like a little boy.

It was great seeing this side of him. On TV he’s all logic and ‘Captain Slow’ but here he was a whole other man. He smiled a glanced over at me, still smiling, “How’d you like that?” I couldn’t think of anything to say. “How do you describe something like that? It was thrilling and terrifying and intoxicating and electrifying all at once. I’ve never felt anything like that. I could feel the rumble of the engine in my seat, not to mention the sound coming from that monstrous V8.” He giggled and slowed even more, we were coming into a small town.

There were some cute little shops around, mostly nautical themed it seemed. It was late September, had he brought me to a beach? It is far too cold out for something like that. He pulled into a nearly empty car park and found a spot. Turning off the engine, he turned to me and said, “Now, It’s a bit of a walk, do ya mind?” I shook my head, “No, fine with me. Where are we anyway?”  Getting out of the car, he opened the bonnet and extracted a basket and blanket, “We are in Broad Haven, Wales.” He gently shut the hood and gestured for me to follow him. “That didn’t tell me anything, James,” I said coming up beside him. He looked at me, then back toward the horizon, “Don’t worry, dear, you’ll see soon enough.”

We walked a bit, I heard waves crashing, but I didn’t see any water. Walked a bit more, I saw a vast blue ocean, but not much more. Finally he stopped and looked toward the sea. “Stay here,” he said as he walked toward the never ending blueness that stretched out before us. I was glad I had worn my jacket, the one I had bought just for this trip. It was light brown leather, like the one James wore. I hadn’t noticed before, but he was wearing that very jacket today.

I waited for what seemed like a very long time, when James came back toward me. “Ready to see what almost 5 hours in a bloody car with me was for?” I nodded my head and added, “I’m not complaining about the car ride. Brilliant car and a brilliant man.”  He smiled and turned a bit red in the face and said, “Come on.” He held out his hand and I took it. As we walked toward the blanket he had set up he stopped me, let go of my hand and covered my eyes again. I let out an annoyed sigh, “This again?” He laughed and said, “Yes, I want it to be a surprise. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let you fall.” I simply said, “Ok. I trust you.” We started forward, I couldn’t see a thing but his hands. After some walking, and wobbling, we stopped and he said, “Ready?”  

“Yes,” was all I could mutter. He removed his hands and I was taken aback by what I saw. The most sight I had ever seen. We were perched on top of a cliff, covered in the greenest grass I had ever seen facing the most beautiful beach. I never thought rocks could be so lovely, but when the sea crashed into them it was amazing. I took a step back and bumped into James. Turning around I put my arms around him and said into his ear, “than you”. He returned my hug and said “you’re so welcome.”

He pulled back from me and gestured toward the blanket lying on the ground. We made our way over to it and had a seat. I lay back and look up into the surprisingly blue sky. Then I look over to James, who had done the same. I propped myself up on an elbow and looked down at him. Our eyes met and for a moment I got lost in his the amazing pools of blue. I then said gently, “A picnic with James May in the most beautiful place I’ve ever been, after riding in a Ferrari. What more could a girl ask for?” He gave me a little laugh, “An Aston Martin and someplace besides Wales and a more handsome man than I” He mimicked me, and propped himself up on an elbow. I pushed small piece of hair out of his face and said quietly, “No. The Ferrari was amazing, this place is stunning, and you are very handsome.” He blushed again, “Thanks for that. Not many people think this place is as awesome as it is. I’m glad you got to see it and that I’m the one who got to show you. This place is beautiful, but I think it’s jealous”

I looked at him confused, “Jealous of what?” He looked down at his hands, fiddling with his fingers, turning a bit redder “Of you.” I was stunned. He thought I was beautiful? “You think I’m beautiful? Really?” I asked, now I was turning a bright shade of pink. Our eyes met again and he just said, “Well, yes.” I melted. All I could do was smile at him. After just lying there smiling at each other I leaned over to him and planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

Chapter 3

He walked back over to me, smirking slyly. “What car did you drive?” I asked, very curious. “Oh,” He started, “Nothing special, just one I had in the garage at home.” That told me nothing. I knew he had a Porsche 911 Carrera S, a Fiat Panda, a Ferrari F430, and a whole host of bikes.

I smiled and shook my head at him, to which he chuckled. I turned around to see what was coming up the drive, but James put his hands over my eyes. “Excuse me, what are you doing?” I asked mockingly. He just laughed, “I want to see if you can tell what car I brought just by the sound of the engine.”

I huffed and said “Fine.” I crossed my arms acting angry, but he saw right through my veil and laughed again. Suddenly I heard a low rumble of the car approaching.

“Well,” I said, “That noise rules out the Fiat Panda.”

“Yes, if my Panda made that noise there would be something very wrong with it.”

I hummed in thought, the sound becoming louder that means it had to be a super car. “If you brought an Aston, I may just die,” I told him. “Well, I didn’t bring an Aston; we don’t have to worry about that. All of the sudden I had a bit of a fangirl moment. James Mays hands were on my face, and I could feel my back gently pressed against his chest. Calm down, Jamison, get ahold of yourself.

“Ok, its here,” He said as the engine revved. “Um….” I had no clue so I decided to take a shot in the dark, “Ferrari F430.” He removed his hands, and to my astonishment, it was his Ferrari F430. I actually squealed. “You’re good,” he said, amazed that I had actually guessed correctly. I ran over to it and walked around it a few times. This car was stunning. Everything about it was beautiful. “I just narrowed it down and took a guess. I knew you had a Panda, a Porsche and a Ferrari. Since I had mentioned the F430 last night, I hoped it was the one you brought. This is stunning.”  I walked around the car a few more times before James came over and opened the passenger door for me. I got in; it was even stunning on the inside. This can’t be happening James got in and said, “Well, what do you think?” I took a moment before answering, “It’s incredible. I don’t know what to say. Thank you.” He buckled his seatbelt, and buckled mine before he said, “Thank you for what?”

I was generally amazed, “For this, taking me out, well, to see England. Do you take all girls you meet in pubs out in your Ferrari?” He put the car in gear and we set off. As we made our way out of the car park he answered, “Only American girls from Ohio, who love cars and tea and are on their first trip to England, and who were sitting alone in a pub and caught my attention with stunning blue eyes.”  I couldn’t help but smile. He thought my eyes were stunning? We were stopped, waiting to turn out onto the main road, our eyes met. “You know,” I said holding his gaze, “your eyes are quiet beautiful.”  

Immediately after I had said that I blushed. “Well, thank you. No one has ever really mentioned my eyes before,” he said as he pulled out into the traffic. This made me feel less like a complete ass. I looked out the window and said, “I don’t know how you’ve avoided it. They are the most magnificent shade of blue.” I looked over to him and he smiled. As we made our way through the London traffic something occurred to me so I had to ask, “Why did you offer to do this? I mean take me to see the country?”

After a moment’s pause he said, “Well, it was nice to meet someone who had similar interests to mine and I thought that this would be a good way of getting to know one another a bit better. Plus I couldn’t just let you get lost out there. I may not have the best sense of direction, but I do have sat-nav.”  I giggled. He wanted to get to know me better? “Well, I trust you.” I replied, “I mean I just met you last night, and today I get into a car with you and let you take me wherever you please. It does seem like I’ve know you for years though. Not just because I’ve watched Top Gear,…and Man Lab…..and Toy Stories….and Things You Need To Know……and James May in space……and James May goes to the Moon, but because I feel very comfortable with you. Like an old friend.”   I looked over to him and he smiled, “I know what you mean. I feel like I’ve know you for years, though I haven’t watched just about everything you’ve done on telly,” I blushed a bit, “but you just seem very familiar to me. Does that make sense or am I just rambling?”

This made me extremely happy to hear. “No, you’re not rambling. Even if you were I wouldn’t mind. I like listing people talk. Well, when I say people I mean English men, like yourself or Stephen Fry. It’s just something about your voice that could make anything sound intelligent. Like that episode of Top Gear when you said ‘Is I bling’,” I had to stop because I started laughing remembering, “Not many people can do that.” James was laughing too, “I remember that. It took 4 takes, we kept cracking up. Like the time we tried reading a bit of ‘Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’ that took 9 or 10 because of Jeremy and me.” I had watched the outtakes from that particular incident. “It seems you all really have fun, or annoy the piss out of each other,” I said looking out the window. The scenery had changed now. I hadn’t even noticed that we had gotten on the highway. “We do have fun. I mean we drive expensive cars ridiculously fast, how is that not fun?” He asked matter-of-factly. I gave a short laugh and then asked, “So, where are we now? And where are you taking me?” He glanced over at me with a smirk. He wasn’t going to tell me where we were going until we got there. “We’re on the M4 heading west, and that’s all you need to know for now.” I let my head fall back against the seat and let out an annoyed sigh, which was rewarded with a little chuckle from James. “We have to stop off in Bristol, but that won’t take long.” I simply nodded my head then asked, “How long is it going to take to get there?” He thought a moment then said, “About 4 hours or so, I hope you didn’t have any plans for tonight and maybe tomorrow depending on what time we get back.”

I looked over at him and said, “Nope, I’m all yours. The only thing I want to do is just see this beautiful Country. I’ve only been here a week, and haven’t been out of London, but I’m already in love with it.” He just smiled. We sat in silence for a while, I just watched as we passed cars, and got looks from their drivers. You think they would be used to these guys driving their amazing cars on the highway, but guess not. I enjoyed it, the look of jealousy in their faces as the Ferrari passed them. 

Chapter 2

I smiled as I put the phone in my pocket and completed my journey back to the hotel. I entered my room as quietly as I could. There was no need for such care for she was still awake.

“Have a good time at the pub…or where ever it is you went,” She asked when she heard the door shut. I hung up my coat and answered, “Yes I did, I may just go back tomorrow night, and you should come with me.”

She chucked and said “How ‘bout no, I’m tired on England.” I was baffled. “We’ve been here a week, how can you be tired of England already? We’ve just spent time in London; don’t you want to go see the county side?”

“Eh,” She retorted, “Not really, we have country sides back in Ohio.”

“Well, we have 3 more weeks here, so you should just enjoy yourself.”

“3 more weeks?” She said, wining, “I don’t think I’m going to survive 3 more days, can’t we just go home?”

“No we can’t. If you want to go home so badly then go, I’m not going to stop you. There is a reason we didn’t buy return tickets, that way we could spend as much time here as we wanted. I want to stay as long as I can, take in this wonderful country, but if you really don’t want to stay then you can go back home. I’m a big girl; I can be on vacation without a chaperone.”

I think I may have hurt her feelings a bit because she gave me this glare, burning me with her mind. “Ya know, I think I will go home. All you want to do is see sights and go to pubs. They have clubs in London ya know; would it kill you to have fun?”

“My dear Lydia, we have different ideas of fun. I think the pub and seeing sights is fun.”

Lydia wasn’t having any of this, “Yeah, for the first week maybe, what after that? Ugh, I knew this would be boring, why did I even agree to come with you? I’m leaving for Ohio in the morning. At least there I have friends who know how to have fun.”

“Ok, I’ll go with you to the airport and see you off. I don’t want to make you unhappy,” was all I could say to her. This was kind of hurtful to hear. I brought her along because she said she wanted to get away. I guess we should have talked it through more. Oh well, I can manage on my own. At least now I don’t have to hear her babble on about every cute guy we pass in the street.

I showered and climbed into bed with her, we had only gotten a room with a king size bed, big enough for 2 girls, and said goodnight to her. In the morning when we awoke, I helped her pack and saw her off to the airport.

“Are you sure you want to go? We have 3 more weeks paid on the hotel room.” I said as we walked into Heathrow airport. She gave me a weak smile, “Yeah, this isn’t as fun as I thought it was going to be. You just have fun; I know you will with all your boring sightseeing and stuff.” I smiled and hugged her, “I’m going to miss you, and tell my mom I miss her.” Returning my hug she said, “I’ll miss you too, and I will. Have fun.” And with that, she was off to buy her ticket back across the Atlantic.

After I lost sight of her I went back outside and hailed a cab to take me back to the hotel. The ride seemed to take forever. Once back in my room I had a bit of a breakdown. I just sat in the big armchair our….my room had and cried. I can’t believe I just let her leave like that. I was alone now, alone in a strange country, 3866 miles from my home.

I had to stop this. I had to stop worrying about what had happened and focus on what was ahead of me. At least 3 more weeks in England, and it was only 9am, so I had the whole day ahead of me. I packed up my day bag, threw it over my shoulder and set off.

Today would be great. I could do all the things that she hadn’t wanted to do, like ride the London Eye, and just enjoy the city. I caught a cab to the Eye and as I exited the cab my phone buzzed.  I removed it from my pocket, expecting a text from my mother asking how my trip was going. To my great surprise it was not a message from my mom, but that man I had met in the pub last night. I had honestly thought I dreamt it; it seemed too wonderful to be true.

‘Good morning, I hope I’m not bothering you, but I have the day off today actually’

 I had to keep myself from jumping around. I simply did a dance inside my head and quickly sent a return message. ‘You’re not bothering me at all; actually I was looking for something to do today.’

I didn’t really move from where I was standing, I looked like a fool just standing there smiling. The gentle buzz of my phone brought me out of my daze. I opened the message and read what Mr. May had said, ‘Fantastic, where are you staying so I could pick you up?’

He was going to pick me up. This time I actually did do a bit of a dance, and was awarded with some strange looks. Before answering, I hailed a cab and went back to the hotel. On the way we worked out the details. He would pick me up in about an hour, so I told him I would wait in the lobby.

I must have gone through a dozen outfits before finally settling on one. Simple, jeans and a striped shirt. A dawned my jacket and took one last look in the mirror, to make sure my hair, makeup and cloths were perfect. Satisfied I made my way down to the lobby of my hotel. I sat in a big leather chair and took out my phone to check the time, also to have something to do with my hands. I was nervous. What if the pub was a fluke, what if it was just the drink talking and he thought I was horrible company, or what if he thought that I just wanted to be seen with a celebrity. As all these thoughts raced through my mind I felt a tap on my shoulder, and couldn’t help but jump.

I looked up and saw him standing there. He was so handsome, even more so now that we were in a properly lit area. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” he said kindly. I smiled and stood up saying, “It’s fine, I was just thinking.” He smiled at me and gestured for me to lead. As we walked toward the door he said “I hope your friend doesn’t mind you going off and leaving her.”

A twinge of pain in my gut, “Actually,” I began, “She’s not here anymore. We had a bit of a disagreement on how we should spend the reminder of our vacation here. She decided that I would be best if she just went home. Luckily we hadn’t bought round trip tickets. She left this morning.”

“Oh,” he said, sounding a bit sad, “Sorry to hear that. I’m glad you decided to stay. I would have felt like a clot texting you as you were over the middle of the ocean.” He got a laugh out of me as we exited the building.

As we stepped out I turned to him and asked, “So, where are you taking me?” He looked toward the horizon and said, “Well, just around I guess, didn’t really have a plan. You just said you wanted to see the country side. There’s a lot of it here.” I smiled and said “Sounds good to me.” Giving me nod he handed a small slip of paper to the Valet and muttered something like “careful with her”. 

Chapter 1

Vacationing in London is everything I dreamed. I’ve been here for a week but still had 3 more to go. I’ve met so many interesting people and seen so many exciting things. I had a cup of in a small café, and went for a boat ride on the Thames. Tonight I was trying to convince my friend, who has done nothing but complain about how Germany was better the entire trip, to come to the pub with me.

“Do I have to go? We’ve been out all day, I just want to relax.” She said with a whine. “Oh, come on, how many times are we going to have the chance to go to a London pub? And it’s a Friday night. Maybe you’ll meet a cute guy,” I retaliated. She just gave me an eye roll and shook her head “No, I’m not going. You’re a big girl; you can go on your own.”

I shrugged and as I was walking out of our hotel room I heard her shout at me “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” That’s not saying much, given her past history. I tried not to think of her as I got to the pub. Not as full as you would think on a Friday night, but I was ok with that. I walked up to the bar and the bartender came over to me and smiled “What’ll it be dear?”

I look at him shyly; he was an older man, slightly balding with kind eyes, “To be honest, I don’t know.” His smile widened as I spoke, “Oh you’re from the states! Well, I would have to recommend a pint of London Pride.” I smiled and shook my head and he poured me a pint. I paid the man, and took my glass to find a seat.

 I finally settled in a small table towards the back. .A bit nervous I took my first sip. To my great surprise it was quite tasty and very smooth. For a bit I just watched as people came and went and before I knew it I was out of beer. Wow, I never thought I would enjoy beer I rose from my seat in the corner and approached the bar for another pint. “Enjoy it?” the bartender asked warmly. “Oh yes, much better than the stuff we have in America,” I replied. He scoffed and said “If you can call that beer.” I gave a chuckle as I received my second glass and retuned to my seat to continue to people watch.

Not long after I had sat down a man walked in that I recognized almost immediately. It wasn’t the long, messy hair or those piercing blue eyes, no it was that pink and purple striped jumper. James May. I squealed on the inside, but kept calm on the squealed on the inside, but kept calm on the outside with a wide smile. He was alone; I always thought he would be surrounded by people.

The bartender greeted him warmly, apparently he came here often. I couldn’t help but stare at him, he was lovely, more so in person. As the man behind the bar was pouring him a pint, he looked around and caught my eye. He just stood there and looked at me and smiled. He thanked the bartender for his drink as he picked it up and moved towards me.

Oh God. Ok….keep calm……oh he’s coming over here

I watched as he came closer to me. When he was nearly to my table he said “Hello, is this seat taken?” gesturing toward the empty seat at my table. All I could do was shake my head no.

“Mind if I,” he began as he pulled out the chair. “No, go ahead,” was all I could say. I was smiling, and looked like a fool.

After seating himself and taking a drink, he held out his hand across the table to me, “I should probably introduce myself, I’m James. You’re from America, aren’t you?” I took his hand and shook it “Yes I am, how did you guess? Oh, and I’m Jamison.”

He smiled at me, still shaking my hand “Nice to meet you Jamison. And your accent gave it away.” I laughed, “You know, I’ve never thought of having an accent myself. But, then again, I forget that I’m not in my native land, I’m in yours.” He smiled at me, still slowly shaking my hand and stated “Yes you are, here you have the accent and we talk perfectly normally.” I giggled, our hands had stopped moving now, but were still together resting on the table. “You’ll hear no complaints from me; I love your perfectly normal talk. I love listing to people talk, especially non-American’s with wonderful accents.”  

This was fantastic. I was sitting here, talking with James May like we were old friends. He took another drink and asked, “So, is this your first time in London?” I lifted my glass as well and as I was setting it back down I answered, “Yes, my first time out of the country actually.” Our hands still sat on the table together. He looked into my eyes, and I into his, and I leaned in and said quietly “I know who you are.” He looked surprised, “Really? Who am I then?”

I looked deeply into his eyes, “You are my favorite Top Gear presenter.” He blinked and said with genuine astonishment, “Wow, you Americans get Top Gear? I mean Top Gear UK, I know you have a version of it over there.”

I chucked, “Yes we get it, and as far and I’m concerned it’s the ONLY Top Gear. The American version just isn’t watchable. Not without you and Jeremy and Richard.” He smiled, “I’m glad someone from over there has descent taste in telly, now what about cars?”

Cars. Was I really sitting here, in a pub, talking about cars with James May? I hummed quietly and looked at the table, then pulled my hand away from his, just realizing that they were still together. “Well, I think my favorite car is an Aston Martin DB9. The V12 engine, 469 break horsepower, naught to sixty in 4.6 seconds, and a top speed of 186 miles an hour. It’s everything I want in a car. And it’s a good looking car to boot.”

A sigh of relief came from the man sitting across from me, “And a fine taste in cars as well I see. I was afraid you were going to say a Mustang or some silly American sports car.”

I took another drink, “No, American’s don’t know how to make cars. Sure they look nice, but they can’t handle the corners. I also like the Ferrari f430. It’s a beautiful car, not to mention the 4.3 liter V8. The noise that car makes is almost intoxicating.”

James listen and hung on every word I said. “You know your cars,” he said as he finished his drink.

I smiled and fiddled with my hands in my lap, “I know cars, I can tell you the specs, but I’ve never been in one, or even seen one, except on Television and on the internet.”

“Ok then, what car do you drive back home?” he said resting his elbows on the table.

I looked at my drink, this glass was barely gone, “Well, I drive a 1999 Dodge Stratus,” I paused and picked up my drink and said into it, under my breath, “Named Oliver.”

He burst into laughter, and I had to set my beer back on the table because I had begun laughing as well. “Really? You named your car Oliver?”

I shook my head “Yes I did, after Richard’s Opel Kadette.” He laughed a little more before saying “That’s great! He really loves that car, I’m guessing you love yours? I mean to name a car is something special.”

“I do,” I said after a brief pause, “he’s the most reliable car I’ve ever had. That being said, he’s the only car I’ve ever had.”

We must have talked for hours, because it was 10 when I came into the pub and it was 2am when I was leaving. It was like talking to an old friend, very easy and seemed right. We talked about everything, my life back in Ohio, his life here and of course we talked a bit about Richard and Jeremy. We didn’t really drink much, I had 2 pints, I never bothered to get another one after James showed up, He had 2 maybe 3. We were just too busy talking.

As we were leaving he looked at me and asked, “How long are you going to be in London?” I pulled my jacket around me against the night air and said, “About another month or so, I don’t really have any plans. I’m booked in my hotel for another 3 weeks, after that I might go to Ireland or Scotland or somewhere. I just have always wanted to come here, no real reason, just to come and be here.” He smiled, “England is lovely, and you should see the county.”

I looked at my feet then back to James, “I want to, but given my sense of direction, if I went out I would get lost and end up in Germany.” He laughed and said sweetly, “If you need a guide I might be able to help.” He pulled out his phone “Do you have your cell on you?” I pulled it out of my pocket and said “Of course, I don’t go anywhere without it.” He held out his hand and typed some numbers in and then handed it back to me.

I smiled and so did he, “Well, I better get going,” I said reluctantly, “It was amazing meeting you Mr. May.” He held out his hand and I took it, as we shook hands he said “Please, call me James. I’ll see you around.”

With that, we let go of each other’s hands and he hailed a cab and I began walking toward the hotel. As I walked I wondered what he had put into my phone. So I took it out and looked then stopped dead in my tracks. He had put his number into my phone. I was so excited I did a little dance. Being 2 in the morning, no one was around to see me acting like a loon. Quickly I texted him, ‘This is Jamison, I didn’t get a chance to give you my number.’ I put the phone back in my pocket and a few minutes later it buzzed. Stopping again I took it out and looked at the new message, ‘Fantastic. Give me a ring when you want to see the county side, I would be happy to show you.’ My stomach did flips. James May, whom I had just met, was offering to take me to the English Country side. I texted back, ‘Sounds great. Just let me know a good time for you. I’m free all week.’