smaller stained glass windows. There is a fan-vaulted ceiling, which makes it look as though the ceiling has been crotched. Little shields stud the ceiling occasionally. Red chandeliers hang in a line above the pews and there are flowerpots and stands of candles everywhere.
Jayce is looking at me shyly, possibly waiting for my opinion, and I smile.
We sit in one row of the pews, and after a few minutes of silence, a blonde teenager showing off a tailcoat suit appears and talks to a loitering priest nearby.
“ No one has paid for the tour today I’m supposed to do at eleven. Can I come back in an hour or so? ” the blonde boy has a very cut-glass voice, which I haven't really heard before. They talk a little more, and seem to come to an agreement. The boy turns to walk away.
“ Former choirboy , ” Jayce explains. “ They always get them to do the tours. You know, the slavery job no one else wants to do. ”
Unfortunately, it seems the boy overhead that and turns to stare at us as he walks past. His dark blue, heavily lidded eyes widen a little when he sees me and he stops walking. He gives me a crooked smile, and I can feel myself blushing. I swear I always do when a stranger looks at me, but now it’s even worse that he is smiling at me. Jayce, who has seen this encounter, looks irritably from the boy to me and back to the boy again. He suddenly slumps back and crosses his arms.
“ Can we help you? ” he spits. The boy shuffles, and light pink taints his dimpled cheeks. Jayce turns to me.
“ So you like posh boys? Well, did you know I was a choirboy here too? Did all the singing and stuff. ”
“ I don’t remember you, ” the boy mumbles. Startled a little, Jayce looks up at him, probably not expecting the boy to talk to him.
“ I wasn't talking to you, ” Jayce snaps. “ Go back to whatever posh boys do. Go back to drinking tea and watching horse races. ”
“ That’s not very nice, ” he mutters indignantly, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air. He is probably the same age as Jayce and his posh voice makes him sound older, but with the way he acts you’d think he was a toddler.
“ I’ve never been 'nice.' Now would you care to stop ogling my girl? ” That breaks the boy’s ‘too cool’ façade, and he looks down again, his cheeks burning even more. And did he just call me ‘His girl?’ What is Jayce playing at? I glare at him, but he just grins at me.
“ Sorry. She’s… She’s very pretty, ” the boy says sweetly, but I am too shocked at what Jayce just said to register it.
“ What’s your name, kid? Let me guess, Jeremiah? Jonathon? Jerome? ” “ Jeffrey. ”
“ I swear that was one of the options. ”
“ And don’t call me a kid. I’m probably older than you, ” Jeffrey ponders over something for a few seconds, and then shrugs his shoulders, seemingly coming to a conclusion about something. “ Anyway, I’m bored, so do you want a free tour? ”
“ Why would I want a tour of a place I have been in a million times? ”
“ I wasn’t asking you. I was asking the lady. Do you want a free tour? ” he turns to me with a softness in his eyes. I nod just to annoy Jayce and feel a glimmer of triumph when Jayce rolls his eyes and slumps back in his chair . Jeffrey grins , stretches out his arms and loudly addresses all the pews, as though speaking to hundreds of people, even though it’s just the two of us.
“ Welcome to the Abbey! I’m Jeffrey and I will be your tour guide for this morning. We are going to climb a lot of stairs today, so be prepared! ”
*****
2:00 PM
I learnt so much, like how since 757 AD three different churches have occupied the site of the Abbey, those being an Anglo-Saxon Abbey Church in 757 but pulled down in 1066, a Norman cathedral begun being built around 1090 and the present Abbey Church which was founded in 1499, but was only completed in 1611. I also learnt it has a lot of stairs.
When we finished the tour, I invited
Jayce is looking at me shyly, possibly waiting for my opinion, and I smile.
We sit in one row of the pews, and after a few minutes of silence, a blonde teenager showing off a tailcoat suit appears and talks to a loitering priest nearby.
“ No one has paid for the tour today I’m supposed to do at eleven. Can I come back in an hour or so? ” the blonde boy has a very cut-glass voice, which I haven't really heard before. They talk a little more, and seem to come to an agreement. The boy turns to walk away.
“ Former choirboy , ” Jayce explains. “ They always get them to do the tours. You know, the slavery job no one else wants to do. ”
Unfortunately, it seems the boy overhead that and turns to stare at us as he walks past. His dark blue, heavily lidded eyes widen a little when he sees me and he stops walking. He gives me a crooked smile, and I can feel myself blushing. I swear I always do when a stranger looks at me, but now it’s even worse that he is smiling at me. Jayce, who has seen this encounter, looks irritably from the boy to me and back to the boy again. He suddenly slumps back and crosses his arms.
“ Can we help you? ” he spits. The boy shuffles, and light pink taints his dimpled cheeks. Jayce turns to me.
“ So you like posh boys? Well, did you know I was a choirboy here too? Did all the singing and stuff. ”
“ I don’t remember you, ” the boy mumbles. Startled a little, Jayce looks up at him, probably not expecting the boy to talk to him.
“ I wasn't talking to you, ” Jayce snaps. “ Go back to whatever posh boys do. Go back to drinking tea and watching horse races. ”
“ That’s not very nice, ” he mutters indignantly, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air. He is probably the same age as Jayce and his posh voice makes him sound older, but with the way he acts you’d think he was a toddler.
“ I’ve never been 'nice.' Now would you care to stop ogling my girl? ” That breaks the boy’s ‘too cool’ façade, and he looks down again, his cheeks burning even more. And did he just call me ‘His girl?’ What is Jayce playing at? I glare at him, but he just grins at me.
“ Sorry. She’s… She’s very pretty, ” the boy says sweetly, but I am too shocked at what Jayce just said to register it.
“ What’s your name, kid? Let me guess, Jeremiah? Jonathon? Jerome? ” “ Jeffrey. ”
“ I swear that was one of the options. ”
“ And don’t call me a kid. I’m probably older than you, ” Jeffrey ponders over something for a few seconds, and then shrugs his shoulders, seemingly coming to a conclusion about something. “ Anyway, I’m bored, so do you want a free tour? ”
“ Why would I want a tour of a place I have been in a million times? ”
“ I wasn’t asking you. I was asking the lady. Do you want a free tour? ” he turns to me with a softness in his eyes. I nod just to annoy Jayce and feel a glimmer of triumph when Jayce rolls his eyes and slumps back in his chair . Jeffrey grins , stretches out his arms and loudly addresses all the pews, as though speaking to hundreds of people, even though it’s just the two of us.
“ Welcome to the Abbey! I’m Jeffrey and I will be your tour guide for this morning. We are going to climb a lot of stairs today, so be prepared! ”
*****
2:00 PM
I learnt so much, like how since 757 AD three different churches have occupied the site of the Abbey, those being an Anglo-Saxon Abbey Church in 757 but pulled down in 1066, a Norman cathedral begun being built around 1090 and the present Abbey Church which was founded in 1499, but was only completed in 1611. I also learnt it has a lot of stairs.
When we finished the tour, I invited
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