Everything You Never Had

Spiraling down

You just got out of the shower, and now stand in front of your closet. Mixing and matching different outfits have come to be routinely for you every time you meet up with Cate. Since you're going out again, and you know your way around London, you've told her she should only worry about having a good time, and let you take care of the venue.

After having dressed yourself into something danceable, you wait for the doorbell, which after a short while, sounds through your apartment.

When you open the door, the first thing you take notice of, are her gleaming, blue eyes, covered by a pink framed pair of see-through glasses. "Couldn't deal with lenses today." She says, explaining herself.

But you're busy admiring her whole presence. Her blonde locks which loosely fall on her shoulders, her lean figure elegantly wrapped in suitable clothes, her warm smile which makes you glow every time you witness it. "You look gorgeous." Are the first words you astoundingly tell her.

She steps inside, her smooth chuckle effortlessly filling up the space. "You're looking beautiful yourself." She responds, and leans in to steal a kiss. A simple peck on the lips, but nevertheless evoking sparks throughout your core.

"So tell me," She asks once you're both seated. "where are you taking me?"

"I won't tell." You respond with a smile. "Not until we get there."

"I see." She smirks at your mysterious behaviour. "Show, don't tell."

"Exactly." You chuckle.

You start the evening innocent. Talking, laughing, drinking. After a few rounds of alcohol, you're ready to go. Once you've reached the street level of your apartment complex, you head out into the evening. Despite the few drinks you've knocked down, you're fully present when Cate talks about her passions, when she laughs at some of the things you say, when your eyes meet, resulting in a shared, loving smile. And you're fully present when she at one point grabs your hand, carrying on with entangled fingers.

After having walked block after block, you make a stop at the top of a stairwell, which lead down to and underground metro station. "Is this the right place?" Cate asks confused.

You grab her hand and drag her along the stairs. "Trust me." You say, and when you look back, she smiles. A rather curious, but loving expression.

You lead Cate down the stairs and around the corner to a steel door plastered with old posters. A broad, tall man leans next to it.

"Venus." You say, and the man straightens, and pushes open the door, exposing a set of stairs that drops out of sight.

"Welcome to Anarchy." He says.

Cate shoots you a wary look, but you grab her hand and pull her through. She twists, looking back as the door swings shut. "What is this place?" She asks, and you flash her a grin.

"Wait and see."

This is what you love about a city like London. It is so full of hidden places, and if you have the time, you can find so many of them. Some you've found by accident, others in the course of this or that adventure.

One stairwell leads to another, the ceiling arches overhead, the tunnel lit only by a series of electric lanterns. The London Subway has numerous active station, but the amount of abandoned tunnels remains unspoken. Little hidden secrets.

"Y/N." Cate murmurs, but you hold up a finger, tilt your head, listening.

The music starts as an echo, a distant thrum, as much a feeling as a sound. It rises with every downward step. First a hum, and then a pulse, and then, at last, a beat. Ahead the tunnel is bricked up, marked only by the white slash of an arrow to the left. Around the corner, the music grows. One more dead end, one more turn and- sound crashes over you.