Page 12 of London, Love, & A Little Something Irish

Will we ever feel like more than two people just trying to make something work?

We finish our drinks, gather our things, and head toward the airport. The flight back to London is calling.

And while the world keeps moving around us—bustling streets, rolling suitcases, honking cars—I can’t stop thinking about that one small question echoing in my head:

Is this it?

Or could there still be more?

6

Nataly

End of March, 2015, London

It’s been two months since I got back from Dublin, and I dove straight back into my normal routine: university, church, hanging out with friends, and binge-watching ten movies in two weeks thanks to my new unlimited Cineworld cinema card.

Romantic comedies being my personality made getting an unlimited card feel inevitable. I go by myself sometimes (why do people think that’s weird?), and other times I go with Joel. We’ve even got an Unlimited WhatsApp group, so sometimes we’ll join the others. There’s always good banter, and it always ends up being a great night.

Last week, we squeezed in one last movie before he jetted off to California for a few weeks.

“I can't believe I wasted my time watchingThe Best of Me,” I groaned. “I’m sure you’re thrilled you skipped it.”

Joel chuckled. “Not really my kind of movie. What was so bad about it?”

“Hediesat the end!" I threw up my hands. "Total heartbreak! It reminded me of the time my mom and I watchedRemember Me—and the main character dies in the Twin Towers. It was, like, 10 o’clock at night, and she started angrily vacuuming, saying, ‘Nataly! I can’t believe I wasted two hours of my life on that!’ As if I was to blame! I thought it was supposed to be a romantic movie with a very wonderful happy ending!”

Ugh. I hate movies that don’t have happy endings. I will forever be warning everyone off these two.

He chuckled. “Well, I’m definitely glad I didn’t watch it then. What are we going to watch on Friday before I leave?”

“I’m not sure. There aren’t that many movies left. I know they’re showing some oldies, though.”

He was already scrolling through the listings.

“There’sGhostbusters, Cinderella… and that’s about it,” he grimaced.

“I’ve already seen the newCinderella—so good. But I’ve never watchedGhostbusters,” I said with a shrug.

Joel’s eyes widened. “You’re telling me you’veneverseenGhostbusters?”

I shrugged again. “Honestly, I’m missing a ton of the classics.Grease,Dirty Dancing... they’re still on my to-watch list.”

“We’re fixing that.” He pulled up the times on his phone like it was his personal mission.

Friday came quickly, and as we headed in, he gave me a glimpse of his past.

“My dad used to take us to the cinema every other Friday,” Joel said, as we meandered past the cinema. “We’d grab the big tubs of popcorn and pretend we didn’t hear Mum telling us not to ruin dinner.”

I smiled. “That’s cute.”

“Yeah, I guess movies make me nostalgic sometimes.”

I nudged him. “So, you’re saying there’s hope you’ll one day willingly watch 27 Dresses?”

“Don’t push it.”

We laughed through the night, fueled by popcorn and my favorites—fizzy strawberry pencils. They are definitely one way into my heart.

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