The Bachelorette
First Impressions: Part 1
First impressions are the most lasting
Clara’s POV
The first thing I saw was his smile. It was a perfect smile. White and healthy. His body was clothed in a black suit with a black tie and matching shoes. His hair was styled in a perfect quiff and his smile only widened as he got closer to me. I couldn’t help but return his smile, giggling a little.
“Hi.” I said.
“Hey there. Wow, you look stunning.” He responded when he halted in front of me. I thanked him as he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. When he pulled back, I noticed his eyes were a sparkling blue, like two pools of a crystal ocean. He had stubble and was undeniably gorgeous. I was so caught up his looks that I almost forgot to introduce myself.
“I’m Clara.”
“Louis.”
“Is that an English accent I hear?” I asked in a flirty way.
“Yes, I’m from Doncaster.” Louis answered.
“Oh really? What brought you here to Australia?”
“One of my half-sisters got married to an Australian man a couple of years ago and after the wedding, I fell in love with the country and decided to stay. I’m glad I did.” He grinned at me and I felt my heart melt. He’s so charming. I couldn’t stop smiling when he was standing in front of me. With my heels, I wasn’t much shorter than him but I already felt an attraction crackle between us.
“So what do you do, Louis?” I asked.
“I’m a part-time school teacher.”
“Wow! What subject do you teach?”
“I teach both Music and English.”
“Hmm, very interesting.” I gave him a smile and he chuckled, looking into my soul with those beautiful blue eyes of his. I already felt comfortable around him.
“Well, I’ll see you inside and hopefully, we can continue our chat.” Louis said.
“Absolutely. See you soon.” I smiled and we exchanged a kiss on the cheek, my hand resting on his elbow. He smiled at me as he walked around the edge of the fountain and into the mansion, my eyes watching him until he disappeared through the large doors.
“He’s cute.” I whispered to myself, the grin never disappearing from my face. Louis. His name just rolled off my tongue perfectly and he had captivated me with his eyes, his smile, his English charm, everything. He seemed so genuine. He had definitely made a good first impression but I still had to meet 13 more guys. However, Louis had set the bar high. I wondered if any of the other guys could beat it.
0*0
The next three guys were wonderful but I didn’t have that same connection as the one I had with Louis. They were all sweet and I looked forward to seeing if I could spend some more time with them during the cocktail party. I fixed my dress for the tenth time as I waited for the next guy to come around the corner.
And sure enough, he did.
His suit was completely black apart from white piping along the sleeves and lapels of the jacket and on his trousers but he pulled it off very well. His hair was the colour of chocolate and lay in long curls a little past his shoulders. I smiled as he walked up to him and I noticed three rings decorated his long slender fingers.
“Hello there, love.”
He’s English too? Oh, wow! What is it with these beautiful English men? I knew there was no Bachelor or Bachelorette in the U.K. but I still didn’t know why all these English men decided to come on the show. When he stopped in front of me, I found it hard to believe this man was single. He was so handsome.
“I’m Harry.” He introduced himself, kissing my cheek and I felt the blood rush to the surface of my skin.
“Clara.”
“What a beautiful name. It suits you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“Right, I want to make a good first impression so…” He reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a red rose with a short stem. I could smell its fragrance and I thought the gesture was incredibly sweet.
“I know you’re going to be giving out roses tonight but I think you deserve a rose yourself. And hopefully, I’ll get one in return.” Harry whispered, handing me the rose. I took it from him and our fingers brushed momentarily. I felt sparks.
“Thank you, that’s so kind.” I said, sniffing the rose, keeping my eyes to Harry. He was much taller than me, definitely around 6 foot, but I had already fallen for his stunning charm. When he smiled, dimples engraved in his cheeks, and his eyes, which were a beautiful shade of green, sparkled as he looked at me. I felt a connection with Harry and butterflies swarmed in my stomach when he gave me a hug before promising me that we’d talk more at the cocktail party. So far, both Louis and Harry had made the best impressions and I couldn’t wait to learn more about them later on tonight.
I greeted each guy as they all tried to impress me. One of them, Jake, wrote me a poem. Another one, Mikey, made me a paper red rose but it was Harry’s real rose that beat that. I appreciated how calm many of the guys were while my heart still beated at a million miles an hour. All of them would be wanting my attention, my affection. They all wanted to go on dates with me, hug me and kiss me. I never had so many men around me before so it was definitely going to be an experience.
A young man with blonde hair (it had so much more volume than mine) walked towards me, a pair of glasses resting gently on his nose. His smile was like the sun and immediately made me feel at ease. His dark navy blue suit hugged his figure perfectly and his embrace was warm and friendly. He told me his name was Niall and I gasped when I distinguished his accent.
“You’re Irish.” I laughed.
“Yes, I am. I moved here to Australia about three years ago. I actually have family down in Melbourne.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” First, it was English charm. Now, it’s Irish charm. I felt Niall take my hands in his own and look at me through his glasses (which suited him very well, might I add).
“I’ve got to do something though.”
“Oh, no. What is it?” I asked. Niall sighed and my mouth dropped open when he went down on one knee. He must be joking! There’s no… I couldn’t even finish my thought. His blue eyes glittered as he looked up at me, tightening his fingers around mine.
“Clara, I’ve thought about this wholeheartedly. And I do have to say it so…Sorry, I’m just really nervous.” Niall said, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief that he had produced from his suit pocket. I could only smile at him and I wondered what he was going to say.
“So, Clara, would you mind if I tie my shoe?”
I laughed out loud and my heartbeat slowed down a little. He’s a joker then. That’s a very nice quality in a guy. I should have expected it since he was Irish.
“I saw it was untied when I got out of the limo. I don’t fancy tripping over myself tonight.” Niall smiled and let go of my hands to grab his shoelaces and tie them together. I grabbed his hands and pulled him up to his feet and grinned as he wrapped his arms around me, his hug as warm as the first one he gave me.
“I just wanted to get off on the right foot with you, if you know what I mean.”
“Of course, Niall, I’ll see you inside.” I said, rubbing his back. He let me go and walked up into the mansion, his silhouette disappearing as he walked through the doors. I still had the image of him down on one knee in my head. That’ll sure be in my mind for a while! So far, I had met 10 men and there were 4 to go. I took a deep breath as I waited for the eleventh man.
When he came around the corner, I saw that he was just as gorgeous as the others. Brown hair styled in a quiff with stubble around his thick lips. His suit made him look impeccable and when he got close enough, I got lost in his warm brown eyes.
“Hello.” I said.
“Good evening. You look absolutely beautiful.” He said with a smile, giving me a hug and kissing my cheek gently.
“I’m Clara.”
“Liam.” He answered in an English accent. Another Englishman? Seriously? But I definitely wasn’t complaining. Liam and I hit it off really well. I found out he was an athlete and he loved the outdoors. That didn’t surprise me and I wondered what his body looked like underneath his suit. Maybe some abs? A few muscles? I thought cheekily.
After Liam went into the mansion, I met Rick and Peter. Both were Australian and had blonde hair but Peter’s eyes were blue and Rick’s were green, though not as captivating as Harry’s. After those two came number 13. His name was Lee. Tall, at least 6 foot 2, with dark blue eyes and bronze-coloured hair. He was definitely attractive and the black suit brought out his tanned complexion. Then, there was only one more bachelor left. I took a deep breath and threw my hair behind my shoulders, awaiting the final man. I looked up and saw him approach me.
The first thought that came to me was He’s mysterious. His suit was completely black as were his shiny locks. His facial hair looked soft to touch and his dark olive skin glowed in the soft light. He had that brooding look that made me want to fall to my knees. He was beautiful and I could see his dark eyes sparkling.
After a kind hug was shared and compliments were given, I found out that his name was Zayn and he was half-Pakistani half-English. He had moved to Brisbane in Queensland to get a change of scenery and his two younger sisters were living with him while his older sister and parents were still in England.
“What occupation are you in, Zayn?” I asked him.
“I’m currently working as a model.” His voice was gentle and soothing. I could tell that he was a softly spoken person but hopefully, I could coax him out of his shell. It didn’t surprise me one bit that Zayn was a model. He was bloody gorgeous and I couldn’t believe he wasn’t taken already. But I looked forward to getting to know him more.
After Zayn disappeared into the mansion, I was left alone again. I had just met 14 great guys and one of them might be the one. My husband, the father of my children, the love of my life. All of them would be vying to get my attention, go on dates with me, maybe even kiss me. It made me blush. Mark came up to me and clapped his hands together.
“So, Clara, you’ve met all the bachelors. What do you think?”
“They’re all great. I can’t wait to talk to them more tonight.” I smiled.
“Right, well, let’s go inside.” Mark placed his hand on my back and we walked up to the mansion.
0*0
Louis’s POV
I sat on one of the couches in one of the main living rooms, surrounded by 13 other men. You could smell the testosterone from miles away, mixed with different colognes. It was the first cocktail party so every guy wanted to steal Clara away and chat to her.
I brought the glass of wine to my lips and looked around the room. Some men were standing and some men were sitting on the couches like me, talking about the beautiful young woman we had all met. I came into the conversation when one of the guys, Harry, spoke up.
“Isn’t she beautiful, mates?”
“Absolutely gorgeous.” Rick said.
“Better than my imagination, that’s for sure.” Niall smiled and chuckles echoed around the room.
“She’s the definition of beauty.” I said and many of the guys wolf-whistled.
“Oh, do we have a poet in the mansion?” Liam asked, patting my shoulder. I smiled and shook my head.
“Just stating the truth.” I said, taking another sip of my wine. Before anyone else could respond, Mark Evans walked into the room, clinking a silver spoon on his wine glass. All of us looked at him, eager to see Clara instead.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
There was a chorus of “Good evening”s back as Mark gestured to us with open arms.
“So you’re all here for one reason. To fall in love with…”
“…The Bachelorette.” I whispered with him underneath my breath.
“Well, here she is.” Mark smiled and stepped to the side. All of our gazes were locked to the long hallway. Soon enough, there was the sound of heels on the floorboards, coming closer and closer. Her silhouette appeared as she walked towards us, her sparkly blue dress clinging to her body beautifully. All the bachelors stood up and clapped as she walked into the room, waving nervously at us but the smile never left her face.
“Hi, guys.”
She was stunning in every sense of the world. Just the way she spoke was beautiful. She seemed down-to-earth, cute and kind. I really wanted to know more about her. What her interests were, what her life was like, what she wanted in a partner. I hoped we could talk more tonight but then again, there were 13 other men who wanted to do the exact same thing.
“Uh…thank you all for coming. For taking the time out of your lives to come here, it means the world to me. We’re all here to find love and I ask to you to be honest with me. Be open with me and I’ll be open with you. I am nervous but also excited to talk to you guys tonight.” She laughed and it was like an angel had just serenaded me. Her laugh made me laugh and smiles glittered around the room. Clara picked up her wine glass from the table in her small hands and held it up.
“So let’s get this party started.”
The men cheered in agreement and we all clinked our beer and wine glasses together in celebration. The night had begun so I took my chance and got my foot in the door early.
“Clara, would you like to have a talk?”
Clara’s POV
The first thing I saw was his smile. It was a perfect smile. White and healthy. His body was clothed in a black suit with a black tie and matching shoes. His hair was styled in a perfect quiff and his smile only widened as he got closer to me. I couldn’t help but return his smile, giggling a little.
“Hi.” I said.
“Hey there. Wow, you look stunning.” He responded when he halted in front of me. I thanked him as he gave me a soft kiss on the cheek. When he pulled back, I noticed his eyes were a sparkling blue, like two pools of a crystal ocean. He had stubble and was undeniably gorgeous. I was so caught up his looks that I almost forgot to introduce myself.
“I’m Clara.”
“Louis.”
“Is that an English accent I hear?” I asked in a flirty way.
“Yes, I’m from Doncaster.” Louis answered.
“Oh really? What brought you here to Australia?”
“One of my half-sisters got married to an Australian man a couple of years ago and after the wedding, I fell in love with the country and decided to stay. I’m glad I did.” He grinned at me and I felt my heart melt. He’s so charming. I couldn’t stop smiling when he was standing in front of me. With my heels, I wasn’t much shorter than him but I already felt an attraction crackle between us.
“So what do you do, Louis?” I asked.
“I’m a part-time school teacher.”
“Wow! What subject do you teach?”
“I teach both Music and English.”
“Hmm, very interesting.” I gave him a smile and he chuckled, looking into my soul with those beautiful blue eyes of his. I already felt comfortable around him.
“Well, I’ll see you inside and hopefully, we can continue our chat.” Louis said.
“Absolutely. See you soon.” I smiled and we exchanged a kiss on the cheek, my hand resting on his elbow. He smiled at me as he walked around the edge of the fountain and into the mansion, my eyes watching him until he disappeared through the large doors.
“He’s cute.” I whispered to myself, the grin never disappearing from my face. Louis. His name just rolled off my tongue perfectly and he had captivated me with his eyes, his smile, his English charm, everything. He seemed so genuine. He had definitely made a good first impression but I still had to meet 13 more guys. However, Louis had set the bar high. I wondered if any of the other guys could beat it.
0*0
The next three guys were wonderful but I didn’t have that same connection as the one I had with Louis. They were all sweet and I looked forward to seeing if I could spend some more time with them during the cocktail party. I fixed my dress for the tenth time as I waited for the next guy to come around the corner.
And sure enough, he did.
His suit was completely black apart from white piping along the sleeves and lapels of the jacket and on his trousers but he pulled it off very well. His hair was the colour of chocolate and lay in long curls a little past his shoulders. I smiled as he walked up to him and I noticed three rings decorated his long slender fingers.
“Hello there, love.”
He’s English too? Oh, wow! What is it with these beautiful English men? I knew there was no Bachelor or Bachelorette in the U.K. but I still didn’t know why all these English men decided to come on the show. When he stopped in front of me, I found it hard to believe this man was single. He was so handsome.
“I’m Harry.” He introduced himself, kissing my cheek and I felt the blood rush to the surface of my skin.
“Clara.”
“What a beautiful name. It suits you.”
“Thank you.” I smiled.
“Right, I want to make a good first impression so…” He reached into the inside breast pocket of his suit and pulled out a red rose with a short stem. I could smell its fragrance and I thought the gesture was incredibly sweet.
“I know you’re going to be giving out roses tonight but I think you deserve a rose yourself. And hopefully, I’ll get one in return.” Harry whispered, handing me the rose. I took it from him and our fingers brushed momentarily. I felt sparks.
“Thank you, that’s so kind.” I said, sniffing the rose, keeping my eyes to Harry. He was much taller than me, definitely around 6 foot, but I had already fallen for his stunning charm. When he smiled, dimples engraved in his cheeks, and his eyes, which were a beautiful shade of green, sparkled as he looked at me. I felt a connection with Harry and butterflies swarmed in my stomach when he gave me a hug before promising me that we’d talk more at the cocktail party. So far, both Louis and Harry had made the best impressions and I couldn’t wait to learn more about them later on tonight.
I greeted each guy as they all tried to impress me. One of them, Jake, wrote me a poem. Another one, Mikey, made me a paper red rose but it was Harry’s real rose that beat that. I appreciated how calm many of the guys were while my heart still beated at a million miles an hour. All of them would be wanting my attention, my affection. They all wanted to go on dates with me, hug me and kiss me. I never had so many men around me before so it was definitely going to be an experience.
A young man with blonde hair (it had so much more volume than mine) walked towards me, a pair of glasses resting gently on his nose. His smile was like the sun and immediately made me feel at ease. His dark navy blue suit hugged his figure perfectly and his embrace was warm and friendly. He told me his name was Niall and I gasped when I distinguished his accent.
“You’re Irish.” I laughed.
“Yes, I am. I moved here to Australia about three years ago. I actually have family down in Melbourne.”
“Oh, how wonderful!” First, it was English charm. Now, it’s Irish charm. I felt Niall take my hands in his own and look at me through his glasses (which suited him very well, might I add).
“I’ve got to do something though.”
“Oh, no. What is it?” I asked. Niall sighed and my mouth dropped open when he went down on one knee. He must be joking! There’s no… I couldn’t even finish my thought. His blue eyes glittered as he looked up at me, tightening his fingers around mine.
“Clara, I’ve thought about this wholeheartedly. And I do have to say it so…Sorry, I’m just really nervous.” Niall said, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief that he had produced from his suit pocket. I could only smile at him and I wondered what he was going to say.
“So, Clara, would you mind if I tie my shoe?”
I laughed out loud and my heartbeat slowed down a little. He’s a joker then. That’s a very nice quality in a guy. I should have expected it since he was Irish.
“I saw it was untied when I got out of the limo. I don’t fancy tripping over myself tonight.” Niall smiled and let go of my hands to grab his shoelaces and tie them together. I grabbed his hands and pulled him up to his feet and grinned as he wrapped his arms around me, his hug as warm as the first one he gave me.
“I just wanted to get off on the right foot with you, if you know what I mean.”
“Of course, Niall, I’ll see you inside.” I said, rubbing his back. He let me go and walked up into the mansion, his silhouette disappearing as he walked through the doors. I still had the image of him down on one knee in my head. That’ll sure be in my mind for a while! So far, I had met 10 men and there were 4 to go. I took a deep breath as I waited for the eleventh man.
When he came around the corner, I saw that he was just as gorgeous as the others. Brown hair styled in a quiff with stubble around his thick lips. His suit made him look impeccable and when he got close enough, I got lost in his warm brown eyes.
“Hello.” I said.
“Good evening. You look absolutely beautiful.” He said with a smile, giving me a hug and kissing my cheek gently.
“I’m Clara.”
“Liam.” He answered in an English accent. Another Englishman? Seriously? But I definitely wasn’t complaining. Liam and I hit it off really well. I found out he was an athlete and he loved the outdoors. That didn’t surprise me and I wondered what his body looked like underneath his suit. Maybe some abs? A few muscles? I thought cheekily.
After Liam went into the mansion, I met Rick and Peter. Both were Australian and had blonde hair but Peter’s eyes were blue and Rick’s were green, though not as captivating as Harry’s. After those two came number 13. His name was Lee. Tall, at least 6 foot 2, with dark blue eyes and bronze-coloured hair. He was definitely attractive and the black suit brought out his tanned complexion. Then, there was only one more bachelor left. I took a deep breath and threw my hair behind my shoulders, awaiting the final man. I looked up and saw him approach me.
The first thought that came to me was He’s mysterious. His suit was completely black as were his shiny locks. His facial hair looked soft to touch and his dark olive skin glowed in the soft light. He had that brooding look that made me want to fall to my knees. He was beautiful and I could see his dark eyes sparkling.
After a kind hug was shared and compliments were given, I found out that his name was Zayn and he was half-Pakistani half-English. He had moved to Brisbane in Queensland to get a change of scenery and his two younger sisters were living with him while his older sister and parents were still in England.
“What occupation are you in, Zayn?” I asked him.
“I’m currently working as a model.” His voice was gentle and soothing. I could tell that he was a softly spoken person but hopefully, I could coax him out of his shell. It didn’t surprise me one bit that Zayn was a model. He was bloody gorgeous and I couldn’t believe he wasn’t taken already. But I looked forward to getting to know him more.
After Zayn disappeared into the mansion, I was left alone again. I had just met 14 great guys and one of them might be the one. My husband, the father of my children, the love of my life. All of them would be vying to get my attention, go on dates with me, maybe even kiss me. It made me blush. Mark came up to me and clapped his hands together.
“So, Clara, you’ve met all the bachelors. What do you think?”
“They’re all great. I can’t wait to talk to them more tonight.” I smiled.
“Right, well, let’s go inside.” Mark placed his hand on my back and we walked up to the mansion.
0*0
Louis’s POV
I sat on one of the couches in one of the main living rooms, surrounded by 13 other men. You could smell the testosterone from miles away, mixed with different colognes. It was the first cocktail party so every guy wanted to steal Clara away and chat to her.
I brought the glass of wine to my lips and looked around the room. Some men were standing and some men were sitting on the couches like me, talking about the beautiful young woman we had all met. I came into the conversation when one of the guys, Harry, spoke up.
“Isn’t she beautiful, mates?”
“Absolutely gorgeous.” Rick said.
“Better than my imagination, that’s for sure.” Niall smiled and chuckles echoed around the room.
“She’s the definition of beauty.” I said and many of the guys wolf-whistled.
“Oh, do we have a poet in the mansion?” Liam asked, patting my shoulder. I smiled and shook my head.
“Just stating the truth.” I said, taking another sip of my wine. Before anyone else could respond, Mark Evans walked into the room, clinking a silver spoon on his wine glass. All of us looked at him, eager to see Clara instead.
“Good evening, gentlemen.”
There was a chorus of “Good evening”s back as Mark gestured to us with open arms.
“So you’re all here for one reason. To fall in love with…”
“…The Bachelorette.” I whispered with him underneath my breath.
“Well, here she is.” Mark smiled and stepped to the side. All of our gazes were locked to the long hallway. Soon enough, there was the sound of heels on the floorboards, coming closer and closer. Her silhouette appeared as she walked towards us, her sparkly blue dress clinging to her body beautifully. All the bachelors stood up and clapped as she walked into the room, waving nervously at us but the smile never left her face.
“Hi, guys.”
She was stunning in every sense of the world. Just the way she spoke was beautiful. She seemed down-to-earth, cute and kind. I really wanted to know more about her. What her interests were, what her life was like, what she wanted in a partner. I hoped we could talk more tonight but then again, there were 13 other men who wanted to do the exact same thing.
“Uh…thank you all for coming. For taking the time out of your lives to come here, it means the world to me. We’re all here to find love and I ask to you to be honest with me. Be open with me and I’ll be open with you. I am nervous but also excited to talk to you guys tonight.” She laughed and it was like an angel had just serenaded me. Her laugh made me laugh and smiles glittered around the room. Clara picked up her wine glass from the table in her small hands and held it up.
“So let’s get this party started.”
The men cheered in agreement and we all clinked our beer and wine glasses together in celebration. The night had begun so I took my chance and got my foot in the door early.
“Clara, would you like to have a talk?”
Notes
First of all, I updated so quickly because I couldn’t resist! I finished the chapter and wanted to post it almost rightaway so that’s what I did! Secondly, thank you to everyone who has already voted, subscribed and commented! You guys are the best! If any new readers could do the same, that would be amazing!
The POVs will change within chapters and the only POVs you will read from are Clara’s and the five boys. Does that make sense? Anyway, next chapter is the cocktail party! Any thoughts on what might happen?
blankspace1 xx
Can't wait!!
10/15/16