Jack & Jill Went Up The Hill..
Hello, everyone! I didn't think I'd be back this soon but special thanks to @moonlessmondays (@breakingunbreaking on Tumblr) for convincing me to take part in this #CobertWeek, I love you, big sister!
The prompt, I chose was AU pretend girlfriend/boyfriend, but I went on and changed it the tiniest bit to pretend husband and wife.
I'm glad I took part and even though I wasn't sure I'd be able to make it on time, I did and I'm absolutely thrilled. I honestly wrote it last night without any proper planning so I apologise if it sounds a bit off and has mistakes. I didn't have time to proofread, I'm sorry. I hope you all enjoy and I can't wait to read your feedback!
P.S: I know the name sounds strange and you must be like ??? but you'll understand it when you read it, so yeah...
Happy Reading!
Robert unlocked his phone once again to check the time. He was really late. It was his own fault anyway, he couldn't blame anyone. But it's not like he had planned to go back to London two days earlier. Initially he was meant to return on Sunday, but who can argue with Mama? Apparently dinner at Mrs. Shackleton's house was of 'utmost importance' all of a sudden and his presence was an absolute necessity. Now it was his fault that he couldn't find a flight back home. All planes were fully booked and Mama couldn't even wait until the next day for him to return. Thus he was catching a train from Glasgow to London, which was almost 4 and a half hours of travel.
He had been working hard, really hard for his company; Grantham Properties & Construction. He had attended four meetings back to back in two days and chaired two conferences in Scotland. He hadn't slept properly or had time to catch his breath. He was really hoping to take a day off afterwards and visit his favorite places in Scotland but now he was running to platform number 4, hoping he hadn't missed this train as well. This would be a long ride and probably not a very peaceful one. It was almost time for the holidays and even the trains were booked and he had found the only seat available the last moment, and that too in business class, which meant loads of people and noise thus no chance of sleep. Sighing he reached the platform and located his train.
Carrying his light suitcase up the train he searched for his seat.
"43B, 43B..", he murmured to himself. Finally successful in locating it he put his bag near the rest of the cases placed and slumped down on his seat. He was glad that he made it in time, he knew Mama would be furious if he had missed it. He unlocked his phone to text his sister, Rosamund that he had made it on time when he heard a voice.
"Um, excuse me?" a feminine voice called him.
A beautiful, tall and a dark haired woman who was struggling with a gigantic box of something stood next to his seat.
"I think you're on my seat.." she took out her train ticket and showed it to him.
Robert was completely dumbfounded, being highly distracted with her bright blue eyes.
"It's 43C" she further clarified, looking at him oddly.
Robert shook his head slightly "Yes sorry.." he took out his ticket again and looked at the seat number at the tiny screen above their compartment. "Oh, I'm so sorry, I just saw 43 and I just sat down, I really apologize, Miss"
Robert got up and gave her space so that she could replace seats with him. She dragged her box with her and tried managing her handbag simultaneously, which was dangling off her arm.
"Here, let me help you" Robert offered his help as he took the large rectangular box from her.
"Thank you so much" she said as she sat down "I wouldn't have bothered you but I really wanted to have the window seat" she added with a tiniest giggle, as Robert smiled at her excitement.
Robert gave her box back and sat next to her on the aisle seat. "That's alright, I'm sorry I'm just being very forgetful lately"
The stunning woman, Cora smiled a beautiful smile at him and for a minute Robert forgot all about his tiredness and annoyance. Robert then accidently hit his foot on the box placed against Cora's knees.
"Oh, sorry" Robert said. He thought about how dumb and clumsy he must be looking in front of her.
Cora shook her head, "I know I shouldn't have placed it here but there was no space on the trolley and I really didn't want anyone to put their luggage on it"
"Oh, I..uh, is it something made of glass?" Robert asked, suddenly tensed that he might have damaged something in it.
"No, it's a painting actually and it took me a long time to finish it so I'm just being extra protective" she replied shyly.
Robert raised his eyebrows suddenly more interested in the beautiful woman next to him "Oh, you're a painter?"
Cora blushed lightly, making Robert's heart melt "No, I just enjoy painting a lot. It's one of my favourite hobbies"
"Are you any good?" Robert asked rubbing his hands together. He himself was a big fan of pretty paintings. Although he didn't have much knowledge about art and its history but he always appreciated beautiful things, just as he was suddenly very intrigued by the beautiful creature sitting next to him.
"I don't know, you tell me" she said as she carefully opened the top of the box to slide her painting out. As soon as Robert saw it, his eyes went completely round. He could immediately recognize the place, it was one of his favorite places in the world and he had planned to visit it, before he was ordered to mark his presence at home. But what captured his interest more were the beautiful colors and the careful, very refined strokes. He could easily see himself buying it and hanging him in his office, or even the drawing room. The colors were bright; strokes of greens, blues and browns filled the canvas and he could easily imagine himself standing there that moment.
"This is stunning!" he finally replied.
Cora smiled, "I don't know about stunning.."
"No, I am serious" Robert cut her off "This is absolutely marvelous. You're very good" he exclaimed.
Cora lowered her eyes now and Robert admired her long black lashes, "This is.."
"Loch Lomond." Robert completed the sentence for her.
She smiled a bright smile "Yes, it is!"
"It's one of my most favorite places" he grinned back.
"Really?" her tone was so innocently surprising that he couldn't help but giggle a little.
"I actually came all the way to Glasgow to paint this. I saw a picture and I thought I really had to visit this place" she added
"It's my favorite when it comes to having some time to myself. I was hoping to visit it again this time but couldn't. How long did it take you to paint this?"
"About 12 days" she smiled.
"It's fantastic work" he appreciated once again.
"Thank you. You don't live in Glasgow then?" she raised her eyebrows in question.
"No, I'm actually from London. Technically Yorkshire but I was raised in London" he shrugged.
"Oh, I've never been there" she put a stray of her hair behind her ear.
"Oh, you should. It's beautiful and very peaceful" he smiled at her. "You clearly aren't from Scotland" he smirked.
Cora raised her eyebrows and acted clueless, "Hm, I wonder what gave me away" she replied speaking in her true American accent.
Robert laughed and she laughed with him as their eyes met. Cora felt a real tug, as if her heart just did a backflip. She coughed lightly and could actually see the handsome man's ears turning red.
"I am from Newport"
"Oh"
"Have you been there?"
Robert thought about it for a second, "I've been to New York but not Newport"
"You should, it's beautiful…and peaceful" she mimicked him and they shared another laugh. She really was full of life.
"So what brought you to UK? Loch Lomond?" he asked, laughing at his own dumb joke.
She giggled "Not quite. I study at Oxford. We had our semester break so I jumped at the chance of doing some exploring"
"Oh wow, I graduated from Oxford two years ago. I assume you study art?"
Cora sighed "I wish. But my father really wanted me to study business administration so I could join his business as a proper partner later on, thus I chose that"
Robert closed his eyes for a split second, being able to highly relate to her "I know how that feels." He sighed with her "I always wanted to study psychology but I am the only son which means I have to handle the family business"
"Oh, you're a businessman?" This time her eyes opened wide.
"Yeah. Don't I look exactly the stereotype" He referred to his coat, his always buzzing cellphone and a pen placed on his coat pocket.
Cora smiled "I don't know, you just gave me a vibe that you must be a doctor"
Robert raised his eyebrows again "A doctor? Haha, don't let my mother hear you"
Cora smiled back at him "Parents!" she rolled her eyes.
"Yes, they are the same everywhere, aren't they?" he added "So you're clearly a student"
"Yes" she said as she relaxed back in her seat. "Don't I look like one?" she grinned.
"You look like a teacher too, like a teacher just beginning her career at teaching"
"You know what?" she jumped back up "I always thought I would be a teacher until a few years ago. Probably a sad Monday-Friday 8th grade English teacher" she chuckled.
"Or art" he added.
"Yeah, haha!"
Neither of them had realized that the train hadn't started yet. Robert suddenly realized that when he looked outside the window. He looked at the time, they were 15 minutes over. He then suddenly heard a pure, thick Scottish accent as they both turned around.
A really bulky, blonde, middle aged woman walked towards them as she talked on her phone.
"I know Billy but we had planned this a month back..I know you can't but still…" she sighed "My sister will be really sad… No, no Michael is coming, he said he'd be there by Tuesday!" her pitch rose. "Yeahh.." she sat down opposite Cora as she continued to talk.
"You know I hate travelling alone and it's almost the holidays….. That's not what…I can't bear them when they act like lovebirds, what am I going to do Billy? We are supposed to be together"
Cora and Robert both just stared at her as she spoke. For some reason her conversation was very interesting, although both of them knew it was bad manners.
The woman looked up at them and Cora and Robert both diverted their gaze. "See, all couples here Billy, all of em. Not one single here. Besides me! I'm even sitting next to one" There was a long pause as Billy ranted on about something on the phone. Finally the train moved and Robert relaxed.
"I'll tell you when I'm there. Give Mr. Simpson a kiss, don't forget to clean the den. Yes..love you, too, you devil" she snorted at the end, that almost made Cora jump.
She put her phone down and sighed again "Sorry about that, eh" the blonde woman apologized.
Before either of them could respond, she spoke once again "Husbands, eh! They're all the same" she rolled her eyes.
Robert raised his eyebrows, suddenly flabbergasted at the stereotype she associated with the role while Cora just stared at the woman with confusion. The woman ran a hand through her neck long, really blonde hair and repositioned her glasses.
"They can be so annoying, I mean they make plans, they promise they'll make it and then they cancel last minute, aren't I right?" she asked as both Cora and Robert continued staring at her.
Cora coughed and sat more properly, trying to reply "Well, um, I wouldn't know..Ma'am I.."
The woman didn't hear her as she cut her off again "They know how to talk..my Billy is an expert, I tell ya"
Robert could see Cora getting super confused so he tried to take the lead so that he could explain to the woman that they aren't married…or even dating. He would date her though, he thought, if he had the chance, though he wouldn't but..Robert shook his head; that was an absolutely foolish thought.
"Actually, Ma'am.." Robert began to speak.
"Do you do that, too, young man?" the blonde questioned Robert and he was taken by surprise that he couldn't think of a reply.
"I..uh.."
"Course you do, you tell me, darling, does he do that?" she asked Cora, who immediately bit her lip. This was such an awkward situation. The woman kept asking them questions but didn't give them a chance to reply.
"Is it just my Billy?" she further clarified.
Cora took a breath "Listen, Ma'am, I think there's a misunderstanding.."
"What? No, there's no misunderstanding, Billy does that all the time" she emphasized with her hands.
Robert rolled his eyes, this was absolutely useless. Was this woman crazy?
"Yes" Robert heard his beautiful seat mate utter this and all hair on his body stood up. What?
"Yes, he does that too" Cora replied to the woman.
The woman bobbed her head in agreement as Robert just stared at both of them. The woman then looked out the window when Cora looked at Robert and squeezed her shoulders, silently gesturing that she wouldn't have shut up otherwise. Robert agreed and relaxed back into the seat, hoping this was the last he heard from the blonde woman.
The woman's phone beeped as her screen popped up a big image of her kissing a man's cheek, which Robert assumed was the famous Billy. Billy compared to the woman was tiny, bald and extremely thin. The woman smiled as she typed back to her text.
"But you gotta love them, don't you?" the woman now looked at Cora with a grin.
Cora who had momentarily relaxed went back into a state of surprise. "Um, what?"
"Marriage is a beautiful thing, though isn't it? I mean yeah they're silly spouses but you gotta love them" she said as she looked back at her screen. She really flipped her button in seconds. "Marriage is great!" she further emphasized.
"Yeah, I'm sure" Cora replied casually, literally having no clue where this conversation was going.
As soon as Cora replied, the woman put her phone down on the table between them and lowered her glasses as she stared at Robert "What do you mean I'm sure? You're not certain? Doesn't he keep you happy?" she asked "Don't you keep her happy, young man?" The conversation escalated quicker than the pace of the train. What had just happened? Honestly what was even going on?
Both Cora and Robert looked at her with blank faces, as if they just got a scolding from a governess for being naughty. Robert felt the sweat under his collar as he saw the woman glaring at him.
Robert put his hands on the seams of his coat and gulped "I uh.." there really was no other option, he just had to play along "Don't I keep you happy.." he then realized that he didn't even know her name and the way he said the sentence, he had to finish it with something, "…sweetheart" he completed the sentence and felt the blush on his face that he could feel spreading on the face of the lovely woman sitting next to him.
Cora gulped and felt a smile creeping on her face. The way he said sweetheart was so awkward and out of force but it was equally sweet and absolutely adorable. She looked at Robert and could feel the smirk on his face. They both were ready to burst with laughter at the whole situation, but Robert very subtly raised his eyebrows as he chewed on his lower lip, signaling that they have no way out. She didn't know him of course, she wouldn't even identify herself as someone who was particularly good at reading facial expressions, but something about this…handsome man's (oh boy! She didn't even know his name!) face was so comfortable and easy to read that she felt she had known him for years.
"Of course you do" she finally replied and then turned back to the woman "Of course he does, he's a good man"
Robert smiled a very satisfied smile and Cora wanted to laugh at how cute it was. The smile was similar to the smile of a boy in class who was awarded with biggest star on his homework. As if the appreciation he received for being a very good husband was genuine and he felt so very proud of his achievements.
Robert tapped his fingers on the table and settled in comfortably. Seeing him relax, Cora relaxed too. This was going to be a long ride. A long and a very interesting ride, since they've given in to the lie, they'll just have to go with it.
Robert looked at his pretend wife and smiled to himself, being happy that she got the hint and isn't offended that he gave in the act and called her sweetheart. She truly was a sweetheart, such a gorgeous person. Though he didn't know her well, although he would've if the blonde woman hadn't interrupted but he wasn't about to complain. They made a really funny team pretending to be husband and wife. And that too without any practice. In his mind, that had to be the best improv ever.
The scenery outside was breathtaking. He had travelled between Glasgow and London several times but mostly by air. It was the first time he actually travelled via train between these two cities and he felt genuinely happy. Although his plans got cancelled and he was highly annoyed with Mama and on top of it all he was tired and lacking on sleep. But still something about the views in front of him calmed him down. Of course the lush green background of his view was absolutely beautiful and so was the foreground, of the beautiful woman who stared out the window with so much fascination. He could see the reflection of her bright blue eyes in the glass, they had to be the most gorgeous shade of blue. After staring at it for a while, it hit him that she could probably see him staring at her through the glass too. He blushed and settled back down.
"So gorgeous!" Cora exclaimed as she continued staring outside, thankfully unaware of all the staring from her partner.
"It's beautiful, ain't it?" The woman spoke up again.
"It is..Ma'am" Cora replied, keeping her attention outside the window.
"It's Estelle, lassie. Estelle Lascombe" she mentioned her name.
Oh so this very interesting woman had a name too, Robert thought to himself.
"But you can call me Mrs. Lascombe, both of ya"
Cora and Robert nodded as Cora continued to look outside the window and Robert popped out his mobile to reply to his emails.
After a few minutes in silence, Mrs. Lascombe spoke again "Ay you see this area, there? Just there.." she pointed out the window as both Cora and Robert followed her finger. "A few miles to the north is where my Billy is from. I met him there about 47 years ago" she smiled at the memory.
Robert smiled at her and then smiled at Cora. Only the smile was really short-lived as another loaded question came bursting out. "How long have you two been married?"
Oh dear! The answers had to be quick.
"3 years" said Cora
"4 years" said Robert
They just happened to say it exactly at the same time. They both looked at each other and felt a panic attack. Cora but her lip again and Robert's eyes went twice their size.
"3 or 4?" Mrs. Lascombe asked scrunching up her nose
"Uh, 3 and a half" said Cora as she giggled in nervousness. She rubbed her hand against her upper thigh and continued "It'll be 4 in mid July" she smiled at Robert then and he took it as a sign to continue.
Already being flushed at the blunder they made, he gulped a few times "Yes, uh..time passes by so quickly, I just lose track" what a dumb reply, he thought to himself.
Cora put a hand on his forearm, a gesture he thought was for him to calm down and even though he was wearing like 5 layers, he could feel the current it triggered "He's being very forgetful lately" she added and then looked at him with a smirk.
Robert lowered his face and felt a smile, but for two reasons. First, her hand on his forearm! He had had many girlfriends before but never, ever had he felt the current he felt just then. And he was wearing 5 layers! And second, he smiled because of how attentive she had been when they talked earlier and he mentioned him being forgetful lately. It was a small detail but it really made him happy.
Cora removed her hand and could feel the blood rushing through it with fast pace. She put her hand on his arm to calm him down because he turned the color of an apple when they made that mistake. And as soon as she had done it, she felt like a fifteen year old with a crush. Gosh, she was being ridiculous. But she covered it up pretty quickly, a trait she learned from her diva of a mother.
"Oh, I see, I see. Still pretty new, eh? Any kids?" she further asked.
Of course, this question was coming. What else do women of her age (which was the age of their mothers) think about!
Cora almost rolled her eyes but then she looked at Robert who had another confused expression on his face. This time he was looking at Cora to reply. Mrs. Lascombe didn't sense the awkwardness as she continued "I have three sons, eh. All married. Big family, I have!"
"Oh" Cora smiled "We don't" she tried to reply very politely and was hoping that Mrs. Lascombe would change her topic. Or better still, stop talking entirely.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't have them too soon, yeah? Don't get overexcited" she said as she winked at Robert and that was it. Robert turned almost crimson at the comment. Honestly, this woman gave him shock after shock.
Cora too, was deep pink at the comment and dug her nails in the leather of the seat at the embarrassment. She couldn't bear to look at the man sitting next to her. Whatever his name was!
Mrs. Lascombe started to laugh, the same snort like laugh she did before and people around them started looking towards them "I'm kidding, eh. It's a joke" she replied "Nevermind, what are your names, I didn't ask?"
Well, they wouldn't tell her in the first place and second they can't, even if they wanted to as they didn't know each other's. Cora looked at Robert and Robert at Cora and through eye contact they agreed that they won't give out their real names. Robert moved his head ever so slightly from left to right and Cora nodded with the same carefulness. They couldn't risk it. What if she found them on social media and started harassing them with friend requests and messages?
"Sorry, what?" Robert asked Mrs. Lascombe.
"Names, dearies"
"Oh, I'm..Jack. Jack Andrews" he smiled with his best poker face.
Mrs. Lascombe now looked at Cora who looked at Robert. Name name name, she thought to herself. When she heard the man's most probably fake name, there was only one name that came to her mind.
"Oh, Jill. I'm Jill" she smiled.
Robert looked at Cora and Cora could see the look of absolute shock on his face. Could it be more fake? Of all the names she had to use the name that was part of the famous nursery rhyme.
"Jack & Jill, eh?" Mrs. Lascombe laughed.
Cora gulped and Robert knew he had to take over "Yes, haha" he laughed and carefully moved towards her and put her arm around Cora "we're meant to be together"
As soon as he did, Cora got a whiff of his cologne and was positively awaken and when he put his arm around her, she looked at him, her face was centimeters apart from his cheek. When Robert said those words, Cora felt her body tingle. She blushed so hard that she had to lower her head. Robert saw this and carefully let her go, equally flushed as she was. They made eye contact again and just smiled through their eyes.
"Sweet. What do you do to make a living?"
"Oh, um I'm a doctor" he said grinning, as he drummed on the table. Well if they were lying already, why shouldn't they go on and exaggerate the whole thing.
Cora just chuckled and subtly covered her mouth. Just because she had mentioned earlier that he gave her a doctor kind of a vibe, he'll of course go ahead and use it.
"Really, yeah My Billy is a doctor too! He's a vet!" Mrs. Lascombe almost jumped off her seat "I tell yeah, he treats animals in a snap. Horses, dogs, chickens, any kind, he's the best, my Billy" she bragged about her husband as Cora just shook her head at the ridiculousness of the whole thing.
"What kind of a doctor, are ya?"
"I'm…a.." well they hadn't thought this through "I'm a neurologist"
"Ah, I see, I see. You do anything, Jill?"
Cora who was busy trying to digest her laugher, sat right up at the question and sucked on her cheeks for a second to regain her control, "Oh, yes yes, I'm a teacher" she said looking at Robert, who in response smirked as a kid on Christmas.
"I'm an art teacher, I teach the 8th grade"
"I like the 8th grade, yeah. Better than the 9th grade and a lot more serious than the 7th" Mrs. Lascombe replied and Cora found no sense in her logics.
"You two make a cozy couple. Doctor and a teacher. Jack and Jill. Wonderful, I say" Mrs. Lascombe slapped the table in front of her for emphasis.
"Yeah..it's..great" Robert replied, trying hard to control his laughter.
"How did you two meet then?"
Oh of course! How did this question slip their minds? They couldn't mess up this story. Cora put a stray of hair behind her ear and coughed "Darling, why don't you tell this story?"
Robert nodded and gulped. Story story story, yes. "We..met at a conference" he said drumming his fingers on his thighs.
He didn't have time to think so he just crossed his fingers and started saying whatever came to his mind "We went to her school to give a lecture to the students on…on mental health, yes. Afterwards we had a conference with the teachers, telling them the importance of mental health and that's where I met her"
Underneath the table, Cora gave him a thumbs up, at an angle only where Robert would be able to see it and he sat back comfortably at her approval.
"Good on ya, good on ya. Was it love at first sight? My Billy fell for me at first look, that foolish man. He said he knew he'd marry me at the first glance" Mrs. Lascombe blushed at the memory and Cora and Robert looked at each other, only this time without any sense of panic and tension. They looked at each other, this whole thing is their first ever meeting and both of them could feel something. So what was this? And what will be their pretend story? Will it be on the same track as the real one? Or will it just be a funny story on a train with a stranger they once met? They wondered.
After a few moments in silence, Robert looked at Mrs. Lascombe and smiled at her "Well, Mrs. Lascombe, I exactly know how your husband felt because it was love at first sight for me as well" he kept his gaze at Mrs. Lascombe as Cora felt her heart soar with joy. What was going on? She hadn't known the man 3 hours and she was already feeling so attached to him. And boy oh boy, as soon as he replied to Mrs. Lascombe she felt out of breath. She had never felt this before and maybe it was because this whole situation was extremely unusual but whatever the reason, it felt good, it felt exciting, it felt like a beautiful journey.
Mrs. Lascombe put both her palms on her fat chubby cheeks "That make me so happy" she showed off her toothy smile and Cora chuckled and smiled back at her.
She looked at Cora for a response, who was already in a puddle with all this. She gulped and tried to regain her control "Yes, he was the most gorgeous man. He was very nice, very well mannered. And then.." she looked at Robert to help her create the rest of the story "then we went on a few dates, for a few months and then he proposed" they both kept looking at each other and then Robert nodded.
"Yes, I just knew then and there. Just like your Billy, Mrs. Lascombe" said Robert.
"Yeah" she snorted "just like my Billy"
Robert looked at Cora from the corner of his eye and could see her blushing and that made his heart melt. Just to cut the awkwardness, Robert changed the topic "Coffee?"
"None for me thanks, dearie" said Mrs Lascombe, although Robert didn't ask her.
"Um, yeah" Cora nodded.
Robert stood up and then suddenly realized that he didn't know how she liked her coffee and he couldn't just straight off ask her because he was apparently her husband and he would of course know these things.
Suddenly Mrs. Lascombe's phone rang with the most obnoxious ringtone and Robert bet on his life that it would be her husband, Billy. And of course it was.
"Hey, Billy!" Mrs Lascombe spoke as if she hadn't spoken to him in years and both Cora and Robert laughed.
Robert tried to ask Cora in signals as he stood, but Cora was too engrossed in the conversation Mrs. Lascombe was having with Billy. Robert coughed, two times but she didn't listen. He tried to gain her attention and failed but of course some other person caught him.
"What is it, Jack?" asked Mrs. Lascombe putting her phone on hold "Why are you standing here, get your wife her coffee"
Only then Cora saw Robert still standing there.
"Oh, I , uh, I am. I'm just…stretching" he then did some weird actions which were supposedly him stretching and Cora couldn't help but giggle out loud.
Mrs. Lascombe gave him an odd look and then put her phone on again "Hold your horses, Billy!"
Cora raised her eyebrows at him and he tried to murmur the words. Cora couldn't get it.
"What?" Cora murmured back.
Robert then just rolled his eyes and bent towards her that his face was nearer hers. Mrs. Lascombe was busy talking about some jar of jam she left behind.
"How do you like your coffee? Robert whispered to her.
"Oh, sorry" Cora covered her mouth "Cappuccino, one sugar" Cora whispered back.
Mrs. Lascombe gave them a strange look again and they both looked at her as if being caught.
"I, uh.." Robert said.
Cora squeezed his arm that he had put on the seat for support for his leaning body "Oh, he's just being silly" she fake rolled her eyes "Go, on now baby, stop being cute with me" she said and when Mrs. Lascombe still wouldn't drop her look, Cora gave him a flying kiss by joining their cheeks together "Go on"
Robert who was completely mesmerized, wasn't sure if his head was actually twirling with joy or was it just the bouncy train. He gulped and nodded and went off.
After a good five minutes of her talk with Billy about the randomest of things, Mrs. Lascombe turned her attention back to Cora. Robert still hadn't returned yet.
"You've got yourself a gem, Jill" Mrs. Lascombe commented.
"Sorry, what?"
"Jack. He's a good lookin man"
Cora smiled and actually felt happy at the compliment, as if she was talking about her real husband, "Yes, he..he's a very good man"
"That is so rare, I tell you, Jill. To find a man who's good looking and is good to ya. Someone who wants more than just your body"
Cora sighed, thinking back to her old relationships. She had had a couple of serious relationships. She never went through any traumatizing experiences, thank the lord, but she could understand why Mrs, Lascombe said what she did. Her ex boyfriends only got attracted to her because of her good looks and genuinely didn't care about anything besides that.
"I know, I am very lucky" Cora said that and for that moment she wanted to believe it.
Mrs. Lascombe scooted forward, "I see the way he looks at you. He is in it forever, trust me. My Billy looks at me like that" she added
This time Cora really smiled at the reference "Well if Billy looks at you the same way, then that's a good sign"
"Wonderful sign! Jack's a handsome man"
Cora blushed and dug her nails in her palm "Yes, he's a gorgeous man!"
"Ay, and those hands…"
Cora felt a new wave of embarrassment. Mrs. Lascombe had been looking at his hands and thinking all sorts of things. How dare she? But..why was she getting all angry? He isn't your husband Jill..I mean Cora, Cora thought to herself. Gosh, this whole situation was a mess.
Robert returned with two cups of coffee "What are you two talking about?" he asked as he sat back down.
"Oh, just..that you've got a beautiful wife, Jack" Mrs. Lascombe covered up.
Robert handed her, her coffee and smiled "I know, she's the most beautiful woman I've ever seen" and this time he didn't even say this for the sake of the act.
Cora who was already pink, turned a deeper shade and tried to hide her face behind the cup.
"Oh, I want to hear the rest of the story" said Mrs. Lascombe
"Which one?" Robert asked as he sipped his coffee.
"Of how you proposed of course"
"Oh.." he said.
Cora took a long sip and sat back up properly "He proposed at Loch Lomond"
Robert almost choked on his latte. Of course she would say that, what else. He tried to hide his smile by the froth of the coffee on his lips. He then looked at her and gestured her to continue. Cora smirked at him and giggled.
"So he called me one day and said Jill, I have to show you something and I asked what? He said it's a surprise. So we go on a long drive. We were here in Glasgow already, he had a…" she looked at him to help her fill the gap. "What was it, darling?"
Robert sucked on his cheek "Oh, that German delegation for the…Southern General Hospital" he said the first thing that came to his mind. He only remembered this place because one time when he was here with Rosamund, she managed to twist her ankle and he took her there.
"Right" Cora said snapping her finger "so we went on a drive and we went to Loch Lomond. We went up on the hill, you know the one that gives the full view of the lake?" she said remembering the angles as she had spent days there.
"Yeah, yeah, on the west side, I know that" Mrs, Lascombe answered.
"So he took me up on the hill and I was so engrossed in the view that I didn't see him going down on one knee and take out the ring"
"You must be so nervous.." Mrs. Lascombe asked Robert.
"Oh, I was…I was feeling goosebumps. I was sweating, even though it was really chilly that day." He said and looked at Cora who was so invested in the story, it made him smile "but I just looked at her, and I never felt so right about anything"
Cora blushed and bit her lower lip at the comment.
The announcement interrupted the wonderful moment "Virgin Train will make a stop at Crewe and then proceed to our final destination; London Euston"
Only then Robert realized how much time had actually passed. They had completed more than three-fourth of the journey and it didn't feel like that at all. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought that this day would turn out like this. He would meet the most enchanting woman ever and would pretend to be her husband for hours on.
The train stopped and a bunch of teenage girls jumped on the train, in their party dresses chatting loudly to each other. For the next 20 minutes, everyone else on the train was quiet besides the large group of girls chatting about things. One of them talked about her best friend's cousin engagement ring which was apparently the most beautiful ring ever.
Until this point Mrs. Lascombe was absolutely silent and then another question popped up in her head.
"Ay, Jill, where is your wedding ring?"
Oh shit! Yes, Jill, where the hell is your wedding ring? Cora thought to herself.
"Oh, my ring, yes.." she smiled, taking time to think about it "It is gone for resizing and polishing" she said as she twisted her ring finger.
Mrs. Lascombe made a strange face "I'm so used to mine, I never take it off. Never. Now I can't.." she snorted again "My fingers are so fat now, it's stuck" she showed her bear looking hands and truly her fingers have gotten quite large and her wedding ring seemed to be stuck on it.
Robert raised his eyebrows just thinking how uncomfortable it must be for her when he became Mrs. Lascombe's next target "What about you, Jack, where is yours?" she narrowed her eyes at him.
Robert gulped again, he had no idea what to reply to this. He just stared back at her dumbly when Mrs. Lascombe said "Not good, son. My Billy never takes it off. You should wear it" she added, suddenly displeased with the whole situation.
"Oh, I.." Robert started but couldn't find the right words.
Cora looked at him and chewed on her lip, clearly seeing that her intervention was needed.
"Oh, don't worry" said Cora, taking Robert's hand on the table in front of him "You left it on the bedside table, Jack. We were in a rush this morning, you forgot. Don't worry, I packed it in the case. You haven't lost it"
She covered up quite nicely and Robert felt blood circulating in his body again "Oh, thank god!" he said, wiping his brow "Jill, you're an angel, thanks" and she really was.
She smiled at him and then added "I told you, so forgetful" she said to Mrs. Lascombe and made a funny face.
Mrs. Lascombe snorted and both Cora and she laughed at him.
After a few minutes, Mrs. Lascombe excused herself and went to the restroom and for the first time on the whole trip, Cora and Robert sat back down comfortably.
"God what a day!" said Cora slapping her forehead.
"I still can't believe this is actually happening" said Robert slapping on the table.
They both started laughing at the whole thing and Cora put her head down on the table. When Robert recovered, he started talking.
"Hey, listen. Do you want to make a run for it?"
Cora looked back up "What?"
"I think, the kind of a person that she is, she will not leave us at the station if we don't give her our address and phone numbers. I bet she has planned on sending us Christmas cards every year"
Cora laughed at this "By this point, it could be anything"
"Yes" Robert leaned in closer to whisper "She'll be back soon and we're 5 minutes away from the station. I say as soon as the train stops, we storm out. Not giving her any time for goodbyes"
Cora bit her lip and then put a hand on his forearm "Can we do that?"
"Yeah, I mean why not" he shrugged his shoulders "Otherwise we'll be forced to attend her family functions and imagine more of her"
"No, please" Cora jumped up, suddenly realizing that it might actually be true. She shook her head "No, we're going with your plan. We're running off!" she ended with a laugh.
Robert laughed back and then looked behind her "Here, I'll take your painting. You take your purse. Do you have another bag?"
"Um, yeah" Cora pointed behind them at the trolley "The brown one on the top"
Robert looked at it and nodded "Good, I'm glad it's not a roll on"
"Yeah, I was well aware that this was going to happen to me one day and I'll have to run off. I always come prepared" she joked and they both laughed.
"Alright, can you manage that, is it too heavy to run in?" he asked
He was being so sweet "Um, no it's not heavy, I can manage"
"Okay, I only have this small bag so I can manage your painting and this. Right then"
"Aye aye captain" she said and smiled at him
Mrs. Lascombe came back from the restroom as she saw majority of the people standing up and grabbing their luggage. They were almost at the station.
"Oh, we're almost there then" she commented and went to the trolley and grabbed her cheetah printed bags that gave Robert a headache.
Cora and Robert along with a few other passengers stood near the exit door and Mrs. Lascombe joined them with her horrible bags.
"You were right, Jack. Time passes by so quickly" she sighed
Both Cora and Robert were now just yearning for the sight of the platform so they could just run off as soon as the train stops. He signaled Cora with his eye that be ready and she nodded.
"You'll be glad to meet my sister, Jill. She's full of life, she talks so much though, and it gives you a headache" she snorted.
Robert wanted to laugh. If she thinks that she doesn't give other people a headache, she was absolutely clueless. And boy, if someone gives her a headache, he wondered what kind of a creature that must be.
Cora just smiled and tapped her fingers on the bag in anxiety. Robert saw this and lightly put his hand on top of hers to calm her down. She looked at him and he squeezed it to reassure her. He was truly, genuinely the kindest man she had ever met.
He then raised his eyebrows as they entered the station and the announcements went off as they had arrived at their destination. Cora too looked at the platform and smiled. She had never been happier to see a platform before.
"..you don't know what the younger generation are on about. My grandson talks of such strange things, he has me worried. Hey, Jack, you're a neurologist, can you check if his brain's alright?"
"I'm sure it's fine, Mrs. Lascombe" Robert replied half listening to what she was saying.
"No, he keeps me up at night, he doesn't play, what kind of a kid is he? I'll tell Johnny to bring him to your clinic.." she continued talking as the train came to a halt.
The doors opened and Robert nodded to Cora who nodded back.
"I'll get my sister to make an appointment, are you open on Thursday, Jack?" she said as she moved behind to grab her bags.
The passengers in front of Cora and Robert exited the train and both of them stood on their toes to make a run.
"Hey, Jack, can you take my makeup bag?" Mrs. Lascombe shouted bending down to assemble all her things.
That was it, it was their turn next and as soon as she said that Robert jumped off and gave Cora a hand to get off.
"Hey, Jill listen my sister would love you…" Mrs. Lascombe said as she turned around and saw Jack and Jill exiting the train.
"Hey Jack, wait for me.." she said as Cora and Robert stormed off. They started running as fast as they could, bumping into people.
"Jill.." they heard Mrs. Lascombe's voice from behind and Robert took Cora's hand and they both started running at the same pace. It was also easier in case they both lost each other. This was nothing sort of the panic the McCallister family felt in Home Alone.
They ran and ran and ran until they reached the exit and by that time they were completely out of breath. Robert put his hands on his knees to catch his breath as Cora held the railing behind her to do the same.
They looked behind and saw no trace of Mrs. Lascombe and then looked at each other and burst into laughter. They started laughing so loudly that people around them gave them strange looks. Robert felt tears in his eyes and Cora felt that her legs were about to give away from all the laughing.
"Oh, my god" she said.
"OH MY GOD" said Robert.
"I can't believe we did that" said Cora wiping away her tears from her face.
"I can't believe this actually happened"
"We did it!" she said grinning and put out her hand for a high five which was well received. He high fived back and grinned.
"Oh, yes we did it" he replied.
Cora adjusted her bag again and looked at the people exiting the platform "What if she finds us here?"
Robert looked behind them and nodded "Yeah, let's not stand here" and they continued to walk.
"Never have I ever ran as fast as I did today" said Cora still mesmerized by the whole thing.
Robert laughed and nodded "I bet neither of us have even lied as much as we did today"
"And with that smoothness! I mean we should be applauded"
"I know" said Robert and Cora laughed at it.
Cora looked back and smiled "I do feel kind of bad though"
Robert scratched his head "Me, too"
Cora laughed again "What if she goes searching for a Jack Andrews in hospitals"
Robert's eyes popped out "Oh, dear god" Cora laughed again. "I just hope there isn't one" Robert thought back on the whole thing "By the way, Jill? Seriously?"
Cora covered her face in embarrassment and Robert thought she looked adorable "I'm sorry, I panicked. That's the first name that came to my mind"
Robert grinned back as they reached the final exit to the station and felt the chilly London air on their faces. It hit him that the beautiful day really came to an end and he wasn't ready to say goodbye just yet.
"So, Jill…" he started
Cora giggled "Yes..Jack"
"May I..uh, know your real name?" he asked shyly.
Cora smiled "I was hoping you'd ask" and that gave Robert encouragement "Cora. My name is Cora Levinson"
Cora, he thought. What a unique name. Cora. It perfectly fit her.
"Cora..I'm Robert, Robert Crawley"
Cora blushed and looked down "Well, lovely to meet you..and Jack, Robert"
Robert laughed "Yes, likewise"
They just stared at the concrete ground, wondering what to say next. It was strange, that even after all the drama they felt shy with each other.
Robert took a deep breath and gathered his courage "So, I got to know Jill very well. Is there any chance I can get to know Cora, too?" he asked, holding his breath.
Cora smiled a stunning smile and Robert knew that he just wouldn't let her go "I'd love that"
Robert didn't want to let her go, ever. He didn't want to say goodbye just yet but he knew he had to be home and mark his presence in front of Mama and only then he'd have a peaceful night out.
"Are you, uh, free tonight?"
Cora thought about it for a second "Yeah, I'm free. I'm free. How about we meet here at 7?"
"Great, I live in Belgrave Square and its pretty close. But uh, but I can pick you up…if you're okay with that?" Robert added immediately, in case she got offended.
"Yeah um, but I live all the way in Chiswick in my friend's apartment and that'll be a lot of trouble for you"
Robert smiled genuinely "That's alright. No problem" he said as they continued walking "And besides, I better be husband of the year" he smirked and Cora laughed out loud. Her cheeks pink and her red lips puffed out balls of smoke.
"Oh yes, definitely"
They came across the main road and exchanged items. Robert took out his phone and gave it to Cora "Here you go" and Cora did the same. They exchanged numbers and then prepared to say goodbye, if only for a few hours.
"Alright then.." Cora said "I'll see you in a bit"
Robert nodded and then moved towards her with all the strength that he had. He moved closer and planted a soft, quick but a sweet kiss on her cheek which made Cora close her eyes.
"Bye, Cora" Cora looked into his eyes and felt dizzy. The feeling that she felt was so beautiful.
"Bye, Robert. I'll text you my address" she said, gulping.
He called out a taxi for her and made sure that she got in safe and waved her goodbye. And so did she, through the back window.
Robert spotted his chauffer and sat back down with a smile. He had just met the most wonderful woman ever. Christmas truly came early for him this year. There was something about her that was so captivating, pure and beautiful that he wished he could just wrap her in a blanket and protect her from all harm.
He opened his phone again and laughed at what he say. Cora had saved her name by Cora Levinson and in the bracket she wrote 'Jill' and had put a ring emoji next to it. She was truly the cutest girl ever.
The radio played 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' and for the first time ever, Robert could actually relate to the song.
So there we go! And can I say, BASED ON A TRUE STORY! I'm not kidding. I actually travelled from Glasgow to London this August and I actually met a woman exactly like Estelle Lascombe. She kept asking me and my sister questions the whole journey and also had the funniest laugh ever. She was a woman full of life but a little too much, haha. And in the end, we switched trains from Crewe to save time, and she followed us, lol and we actually made a run. Although not as obvious as this one, of course this is an exaggerated account but we did, lol. Don't worry by the way, this is not her real name and there was definitely no Billy in her story, that is all made up for the sake of this story.
Well, anyways, I hope you like it. Please, let me know what you think, I'll be thrilled to hear your feedback! I'll be posting the picture of Loch Lomond that I took when I visited it on the same trip and that is the picture, I imagined Cora painted. I'll post it on my Tumblr/Instagram (@mcgonneville) so if you're interested, you can check it out.
All my love,
Zaibi.
