pt. 1 Ch. 3
He met me at a train station with flowers in Southern France in late January. I wasn’t sure how he had found out where I would be but I was so happily surprised to see him that I wanted to scream in joy. It took all of my will power not to throw my arms around him when I finally went up to him.
“What are you doing here?”
“I saw you getting on the train. We were going to the same place so I called ahead to surprise you with flowers. Do you hate them?” He confessed with a twinge of what I took as nerves.
“They’re beautiful!” I squeaked, hugging them to my chest after he handed them to me.
“Do you have a hotel booked yet?” he wondered, rubbing the back of his head, “I am staying at this great bed and breakfast on the edge of town. It has some amazing views and the couple that run it are American ex-pats.”
I smiled. “That sounds awesome but I have a hostel lined up for a couple of nights. The map I read on the train said it should be two blocks from here.”
He nodded in understanding. “How about meeting for dinner later tonight then? My treat.”
I bit my lip as I smiled up at him. How could I say no? “Dinner would be nice. Where should we meet and when?”
“Let me think about it as I walk you to your hostel. I may have to ask around to find out what the best place is for a first date.”
I blushed and we wheeled suitcases down the sidewalk together to my hostel. Introducing ourselves properly along the way.
His name was Blayne. He was originally from Scotland and he was taking a holiday, as he called it, to travel before heading back to start working for his family business which he wasn’t entirely clear about and I didn’t have time to ask about because we had arrived at my hostel by then. Before we parted, we agreed to meet at my hostel at seven giving him time to decide where we would go and me to explore the town on my own to take pictures. I checked in with my parents to tell them I had made it safe and that I was excited about having a date later that night.
My father freaked out. He said I wasn’t being safe and that he was going to buy me a plane ticket home. I was lucky that my mom was there to talk him down and encourage me to have fun but be safe. I told them I would check in again via text when I got back to my hostel that night and mom was happy for this compromise.
I made friends with another American in my hostel room while I tried to decide what to wear on my date. She suggested a sundress and gladiator-style sandals but I was worried about the chilly night air so I showed her a combination with the same sundress, leggings, ankle boots, and a jean jacket that seemed to be a winner. After that, all I had left to do was race the clock as I did some lite makeup and ran my fingers through my air-dried hair. It wasn’t fabulous but it was comfortable and I was a few minutes late.
He met me in the lobby of my hostel as promised, wearing casual jeans, a button-down lavender-colored shirt with a leather jacket slung over his shoulder. I thought he looked like a model.
“Ready to go?” he asked grinning from ear to ear.
“I guess so,” I answered as I nervously adjusted my crossbody purse to lay the way I wanted it to. Then I took his offered hand and we went outside to a horse-drawn wagon and driver.
“I asked for some help with arranging things and we may have gotten more than I intended,” he explained when I looked at him in confusion. “This is Franco, he will be our driver tonight. He owns a vineyard near my bed and breakfast where we’re headed for dinner.”
I smiled at the driver who tipped his hat in greeting then took Blayne’s hand to climb into the back of the wagon. The wagon took us down a dirt road to what looked like a little stone shed with a patio in front of it and a fire lit in the firepit to one side. Blayne explained that this was Franco’s wine store but it was our restaurant for the night.
The owners of the bed and breakfast served us a fancy chicken dish with potatoes and asparagus. It was delicious and gave us a chance to talk. He asked about why I was traveling and I asked about his family. We found out that we were both into photography and he asked if I wanted to go with him the next day on a bus tour of some local castles. He said that there were better castles in Scotland but since we were in France we should take in some local sites. I agreed without hesitation, slowly overcoming the feeling of being overwhelmed by his voice and smile.
So the next day, we did a bus tour with a bunch of Americans who were only there for the wine and the sun but it was a cheap tour and I got in some good photography when the tourists finally moved away from the monuments.
I agreed to go with him through Eastern Europe and then travel back to Scotland with him. Looking back, this seems like a really stupid idea, but I was dazzled by him at the time and agreed without hesitating.
For Carnival in Venice, he took me to the most amazing shop and bought me a renaissance style dress so that I would fit in with the locals when we celebrated. He bought himself something as well but I didn’t realize that we were on our way to a masked ball via gondola until we arrived at the glittering ballroom. I wanted my camera so badly that night but somehow his smile distracted me from fully realizing that until we were back at the hostel for what remained of the night.
In Romania, for my 23rd birthday, he threw a party in a local bar with the locals as the party guests. I told him I didn’t want to make a big deal about my birthday but he surprised me with the party anyway. It was the most fun I had ever had for my birthday; drinking champagne, eating bar food, and learning to sing the local songs.
We arrived in London during the week of Easter. Early March.
I had asked to travel by rail instead of by plane because I wanted to see more countryside before London where I would finally fly back to my parents after almost a full year away. Blayne was acting a little strange as we left the train station in Bucharest but I figured he was just as upset about me going home as I was about leaving him. Long-distance relationships weren’t exactly known for working out very well.
He insisted on getting us a nice hotel room for the night and taking me out on a pub crawl so that as he said I could “leave Europe on a high note.” I would have been okay with a quiet night in the hotel room with him but I went with his plan because he seemed excited to do it. I even bought a new dress and heels so that I would really go out with a bang.