ELISE

London was grey.

That was my first thought as we stepped off the plane into the drizzling afternoon. Grey skies, grey tarmac, grey buildings in the distance. Even the air felt grey somehow, heavy with moisture and the smell of petrol and rain.

A black car was waiting for us, the driver already loading our bags into the trunk. Sebastian's hand was on my lower back as he guided me into the backseat, his phone already pressed to his ear as he rattled off instructions in Italian to ...