Fixated On You (Torn Series #5) (33 page)

“Hi, I’m Georgina Wallace,” I smiled back and stood, reaching out to shake. “Pleased to meet you.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner in about an hour? I’m making pork chops and roast potatoes. I hope you’re not vegetarian. Are you? Or perhaps you follow a religious prohibition that won’t allow you to eat pork?” She asked, seeming genuinely concerned about the possibilities.

“Me?” I laughed, overwhelmed by her rapid speech and the slur of her charming Australian accent. “No, I love meat. Pork chops sound delicious. Thank you for the invitation.”

“Well, Gina—can I call you that?” I nodded as she continued talking. “I like you already. My last flatmate was vegan, and she gave me weird looks every time I cooked meat.”

“You won’t hear any complaints from me on that front,” I reassured her.

She flashed another grin and turned to head back to the kitchen. “I’ll let you know when it’s ready, okay?”

Over supper, Ashley told me about her family and her love of fashion. “I grew up in Australia, but my grandparents are English. That’s how I ended up in London. For my thirteenth birthday, my grandmother gave me a Louis Vuitton baguette and a dress from Missoni. That’s when I knew I wanted to be a fashion designer. My grandmother is a big fan of Valentino. She bought my mom a Valentino wedding gown when she married my father. And someday,
I
will wear that gown,” she gushed dreamily. “How about you? Who’s your favorite designer?”

“Me? Honestly, I don’t really wear designer clothes much. My dad gave me a Chanel bag for my last birthday. And I fell in love with this Rafe clutch once. I purchased one of his minaudieres last time I was in New York.”

“Oh, I love his collections! I should write to the buyers at Harvey Nicholls or Selfridges about stocking them. They’re so chic and trendy. But go on,” she prompted.

“I like classic outfits and comfy material, but I’m not really willing to spend an arm and a leg.”

She looked at me intently, as if I were a mannequin she had to dress for class. “Georgina,” she said at last, her face breaking into a wide, excited smile, “I think I’m your fairy godmother in human form. You have to let me take you shopping!”

“I don’t know, Ashley. My dad wants me to focus on my studies, so I’m not supposed to get a job or anything. I really shouldn’t spend the money.”

“Credit cards?” She asked with one raised eyebrow.

“For emergencies, not shopping.”

“Come on, Gina,” she pleaded. “Think of it as your uniform. It’s part of your university fee.”

I laughed in spite of myself. “Well…maybe just a couple of things. Like rain gear,” I added practically.

Ashley clapped her hands in delight. “I know exactly where to go,” she informed me with great confidence. “You’ve got to visit New Bond Street for the
uber
chic stores like Hermes, Burberry, Anya…d’you know her? She made those ‘I am not a plastic’ bags? And don’t forget Harrods. It’s a British institution; a landmark, if you ask me. You have to get lost in there and pretend you’re an Egyptian princess, and we simply
must
visit a café. You have to try the macaroons from Ladurée especially, and the isaphan is divine! But we can skip the café if you’re on a diet or have a date. Hey, d’you have a boyfriend back home?”

“No…to be honest, I’ve never really dated.”

“
Never
?” She asked skeptically. I shook my head.

Ashley’s eyes widened in shock.
“Are you serious?”

I shrugged. “I guess I’ve been…waiting for Prince Charming?”

She took my hand and patted it sympathetically. “Well, honey, London is the perfect place to find romance! There’re tons of hot guys in your department. In fact, there’s that guy Josh who lives across the hall. But I have first dibs on him. Then there’s Aaron. He lives on the sixth floor. Blue eyes, blonde hair. He has a flair for fashion that makes me wonder sometimes, but…” She squeezed my hand and smiled warmly. “You just wait. Prince Charming is sure to show up sooner or later.”

Georgina Wallace

It’s the first week of classes, and guess where I’m already hanging out?
—at Library - University College London

@ginawallace23

Library time! #
geek #iamanerd #booksarefun #studyingiscool

Georgina64
listened to

Hello, Goodbye—
The Beatles

I scanned the titles in the films and screenplays section, looking for the supplementary readings on the syllabus my professor had sent around via email a few days earlier. I grabbed a book on the rise of indie films in the 90s and began scanning the first page. I didn’t even notice that my free hand had begun to walk across the spines of the books on the shelf until my fingers grazed something unfamiliar.

I jerked and froze, as if caught doing something bad, then slowly looked up and into the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. They were bright but pale, almost translucent, like the blue of glacial ice. I glanced away quickly, blushing, but not before noticing his dark hair, cheeky smile, and adorable cleft chin.

“May I just say, that is the lousiest book you will ever have to read in your whole academic life,” he said. A fellow American, I noted by his accent.

Our eyes locked, and I could feel my blush deepening. He smiled, grabbed a book from the shelf, then turned and walked away. I stared after him with my mouth hanging open, realized what I was doing, and turned quickly back to the bookshelf.
Who was that?

I didn't have to wonder for long, because library guy was in my next class.
Beginning acting was taught by Professor Greer—a tall, slender, middle-aged English woman who truly belonged to the theatre. She was animated, dramatic, and strict.

“Hello, everyone. I know it’s rather juvenile, but let’s go around the room and introduce
ourselves. State your name, your undergraduate degree, perhaps a favorite movie or an interesting detail about yourself. So long as you don’t bore us with a monologue. Starting from over here,” she pointed to the girl on her far left.

“Hi, I’m Lisa Yoon. I’m from South Korea, and I have a degree in journalism. My favorite movie is
Eat, Pray, Love
and I once worked as a volunteer translator for a charity in Mexico.”

Lisa was followed by Albert
from Bedfordshire. He liked
Pirates of the Caribbean
and had a degree in videography. There was Ana from Spain with a degree in theatre and Ruth from Hong Kong with a degree in cinematic arts. There was a guy from Sweden whose name I forgot and Gareth Egerton from Wales. The girl next to me stood up to introduce herself. She looked like a porcelain doll with pale, creamy, perfect skin and long, shiny auburn hair.

“Hello everyone. My name is Victoria Ledbury. I graduated from Cambridge University with a degree in modern drama and theatre, first honours.” Her accent was so
affected, I swear she pronounced the
u
. “My great-grandfather is Sir Michael Ledbury. I was understudy to the role of Dorothy in
The Wizard of Oz
at the London Palladium last year.”

Okay, so what are you doing in a beginning acting class?
I though, instantly deciding that this girl was not the sort of person I wanted to get to know.

As if reading my mind, she continued, “I’m taking this class as a prerequisite.” Victoria Ledbury flashed her perfect white teeth like a celebrity posing for the Paparazzi.
Except we were in class—not at a press conference.

My turn. “I’m Georgina Wallace, but my friends call me Georgie or Gina. I’m from Los Angeles. My favorite movie is
My Fair Lady
. I have a degree in English literature, and no acting experience—unless you count ‘barnyard animal’ in a nativity play,” I blurted out in a rush. There were a few chuckles, and then the next person was speaking. I breathed a sigh of relief and let myself relax. My thoughts had begun to wander when library boy’s turn came.

“Hi, name’s Joshua Lawson. Got a degree in cinematography. My favorite movie is
The Godfather: Part I.
I like to work behind the scenes and I wanna be a director. And as you can probably tell, I’m American like Georgie here,” he winked at me. I just gazed at him like a toddler waiting to be spoon-fed.

Get a grip, Georgina,
I scolded, forcing myself to look away.

At the end of class, Professor Greer assigned us each a monologue to memorize and recite at the end of the month, plus a mountain of reading for the class discussion two days later. Lisa, the journalism student from South Korea, caught me on the way out the door and invited me to join her for lunch at a nearby café.

“I can’t believe how much coursework I have already—and it’s only the first week!” Lisa exclaimed as we walked across campus together.

“I know! It’s way more intense than undergrad.”

“Where did you get your degree?”

“UCLA. You?”

“University of Victoria. In Canada. So you’ve never lived anywhere but Los Angeles, then?” Lisa asked in mild surprise.

“No, but I’ve traveled.
With my dad. I’m an only child, and my mother died in childbirth, so it’s always been just the two of us.”

“I’m sorry about your mom,” she offered, her voice warm with sympathy.

“Thanks,” I answered automatically. It was always such an awkward subject. Of course it was sad that my mom was gone, but I’d never known her so it wasn’t like I missed
her
as a person, you know? More as a concept. I missed
having
a mother, but I couldn’t miss the woman who had been
my
mother because I’d never even met her. I quickly changed the subject. “So what made you choose to study here in London?”

“Well, after undergrad in Canada and volunteering in Mexico, I guess I caught the travel bug. When I got back to Korea, there were so many more places I wanted to go. Plus, going back to school in a different country keeps my parents from hounding me about getting married. All their friends’ kids are married or engaged, and of course they want me to marry some nice Korean boy,” she rolled her eyes. “Even though my mother thinks I won’t make a good Korean wife anyway because I can’t make homemade kimchi.”

We both laughed. I liked Lisa already, and was mildly amazed by her open, honest personality. She was as frank and forthcoming as I was, and I didn’t run into that often. It was a refreshing change from the lame, superficial answers you get out of most people.

“Fortunately,” she added, “I have a brother who is married with kids,
so it’s not like I’m their only hope.”

We reached the café and fell silent for a while as we perused the menu. Everything sounded delicious, and judging by the size of the crowd and the delightful aromas that filled the place, it was.

“So what about you? What brings you to London?” Lisa asked when we were seated, waiting for our food.

“I’ve
always
wanted to live here. I’m still kind of in shock that it’s actually happening!” I admitted, shrugging. “I guess I’m your quintessential Anglophile. I love everything English: Jane Austen, Shakespeare, David Beckham…I had a ten-year love affair with a boy named Harry Potter, and
My Fair Lady
is my favorite film of all time. So I begged my dad to let me study here, and eventually I won him over.”

“Was that hard to do?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “He knows how much I’ve always wanted to live here, and I made a convincing, logically sound argument. My dad’s a lawyer,” I added. “I know it was hard for him to let me come, though.”

Lisa was watching me intently. “You miss him a lot.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah,” I admitted. “But he’s coming for Christmas, and we talk on the phone almost every day.”

Our food came then, breaking the mood. Both the food and my café mocha were divine, and I gushed over them. “Oh my gosh, I really think this might be the best sandwich I’ve ever had in my life. Lisa, thank you so much for showing me this place!”

Lisa smiled. “Gina, my dear, this is only the beginning. You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Georgina Wallace

London, catching the sunrise might be hard, but you look wonderful tonight. —
with
Ashley Worthington
and
Antony de Lucca
at Westminster Pier

@ginawallace23

Start of term party! Time to wear my #littleblackdress #Londonatnight #autumn

Georgina64
listened to

Across the River Thames
—Elton John

At the end of the third week of classes, we had our start of term party. It was held on a boat on the River Thames, although we remained docked. It was a perfect autumn evening, and the view was spectacular. If you looked to the left you could see Big Ben and Parliament; to the right, The Shard, Canary Wharf, and St. Paul’s Cathedral; and almost within reach, the London Eye.
London is so beautiful at night
, I thought blissfully, still not quite able to believe that I was actually living there.