Page 4 of Meet Me at the Metro

“So are you!”

I love her bright-teal-dyed pixie haircut and the colorful piercings on her ears, eyebrows, septum, and nose. I also adore the way the eccentric,colorful makeup she chose to wear today not only accents the small features of her face but also coordinates perfectly with the outfit clung against her short, petite, dark-skinned body: a ripped, whitewashed denim dress, a cropped lime-green and purple striped shirt underneath, and a pair of black, well-wornDoc Martenson her feet.

“So here she is in the flesh.” I turn to the calmer, deeper voice behind us. Harvey smiles when he sees me, stretching his long, pale arms around me. “I think Evie, here, might have had an actual seizure if she had to wait another second longer to meet you.”

“Yeah, I probably would have,” she huffs.

Harvey’s tall, slim body steps away and takes the suitcases and bags at my feet. He swings his dark brown hair away from his striking green eyes and carries them through the front door. “Welcome to our humble abode, Ellie.”

The words are a welcoming sentiment. These two have managed to make me feel so genuinely welcome in only a matter of minutes.

“I’m so happy to finally meet both of you in person. And this place!” I gawk, admiring all the colors and unique details inside the apartment. Everything about its interior looks so fun and full of life—a physical representation of the two people before me.“FaceTimedidn’t do it justice at all. This is incredible. I’m speechless.”

I notice how everything in the flat blossoms with character as my eyes take in all the eclectic decor scattered charmingly throughout the living space. Bright, abstract artwork covers the walls, and behind the living room lays a tiny kitchen with fairy lights strung around its ceiling.

“You wanna see your new dominion?” Evie suggests.

“Yes, please!”

“Come on then!” The hardwood floor creaks beneath her excited skips as she yanks me to the last room at the end of the small hallway.She opens the door for me to see inside and says, “It’s pretty bland right now. Theo never really decorated much when he stayed here, but hopefully, you can change that.”

Theo?

“Think of it as a blank canvas for you to play with. Go crazy. Make it your own. Hell, install a stripper pole if you want!”

I giggle, “I’ll consider it.”

“As you should. We could use a little bit of entertainment around here.”

I let myself carefully look over the room, quietly appreciating my new living space despite its small size.

There’s absolutely no room for a stripper pole.

It really is an empty canvas, though—so opposite from the rest of the house. Light beige walls, a full-size bed, and a bedside table are all that exist in the room, aside from two framed, vintage photographs hanging above the bed. One picture features tattered and worn piano keys, while the other captures the beauty of the London skyline. My fingers lightly trail along the photos’ dark, wooden frames, and my mind wonders if these images might have belonged to the guy who stayed here before me.

The sound of luggage dropping to the floor startles my attention away from the images.

“You hungry?” Harvey asks, standing in the doorway. “Evie, Theo, and I were just about to head out and grab something to eat. Want to tag along?”

“Yeah, sure. Some food sounds amazing, actually. I’m starving.”

“I bet you are. You’ve had a long day today.”

“But would it be okay for me to shower real quick?”

“Yes, you can wash your stank arse up before dinner. I insist,” Evie chastises.

“Ignore her,” Harvey chuckles, rolling his eyes as he gives her a reprimanding shove out of the room. “It’s what I have to do about 99% of the time.”

“Oh, fuck off, Harv,” she laughs, skipping off down the hall.

“Loo and shower are right outside of your room, here. Take your time. We’ll leave whenever you’re ready,” he says, leaving with a smile.

Once Harvey and Evie’s footsteps disappear, I let myself fall back against my bed and stare off into the ceiling above me. I still can’t believe all of this is happening to me—can’t believe that after all these years of dreaming, I’ve finally made it to London.

Really, actually, and truly made it.

I could so easily allow the soft give of this mattress to lull me to sleep right now, but my heart cries to see more of this great, big city. So, I hitch myself up off the bed and head to my suitcases. I ruffle through them quickly, loading my arms with clothes, a towel, and my toiletries bag.

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