I crossed my arms and leant on my hip, raising an eyebrow and stifling a laugh. "Whisky?"
Blake let out a roar of laughter at my stance and expression, doubling over as he sat on the edge of his bumper. "What, you don't like whisky?"
I let a single laugh out just as he was calming down, hands uncrossed and on my hips. "I like whisky, i'm just not so sure why we are in an empty car park with a single bottle of booze..."
Blake held his finger to his thumb and clicked, jumping up and shoving Velma into one of the bulky rucksacks. "Velma isn't just any bottle of whisky...she's travelled with me around the world! France, Spain, Iceland, Denmark...she's a global gal."
I stared at the bottle. Spoiler alert, it was the biggest anti-climax ever. Why carry a bottle around the world and not even open it? "...and now, London"
"Indeed!" Blake grinned, slamming his boot shut and pulling the rucksack over his broad shoulders and thick overcoat. "But not on this ground...come on, follow me"
He set off in the direction of the arena, a skip in his step. "But, where are we going...?" I shouted after him, grabbing my bag and running to catch up.
"No more questions, darling." He urged, the faint click of his cars lock echoing in my ears.
"But..."
He held a finger to his lips. "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"
I stared at his small smile, wondering what was going on in his head. I guess I'd come this far, it would be too late to turn back now. My phone was turned off and in my bag...which was hanging from my shoulder, and id already arranged for cover with Immy - I was officially off the map.
It was strange not having my phone in my pocket. For as long as I can remember, the block of filtered life was glued to my hand, and I wanted it to be. It held my family, my friends, my hobbies, my interests, my secrets...
Letting go of it, even for a few seconds, felt mildly unusual...but somehow freeing. Locked away, out of reach, and out of mind. I could now totally focus on taking in the beauty around me...this place was too fabulous to turn your attention away for even a millisecond.
Me and Blake walked towards the 02, crossing various other carparks, slowly filling with vehicles as the bubble grew in size. It was even bigger than id imagined, climbing higher and higher into the sky every step I took. There was a supersized billboard staring at us once we rounded the corner to the walkway, illumines letters of red and gold reading UK TOUR NHS, with a montage of doctors and nurses taking off their face masks.
Everybody knew about the NHS tour - a scheme provided by the government for doctors, nurses and all NHS staff to be rewarded for their efforts during the worst of out last few years. Every arena in the country, including football stadiums, filled with staff for one exclusive party. They provided red carpets, paparazzi, specialised awards and an open bar. Celebrities from all over the world had volunteered to entertain those who saved millions, names such as Bruno Mars, JLS and Nicki Minaj taking part in the performances.
The 02 show was supposed to be the greatest yet to be, headlining acts flying in globally to honour the NHS and have one massive celebration. Ticket sales were NHS only, but that was understood by everyone. It was something they all deserved.
I let my eyes linger on the words, taking in the true velocity of the landmark as Blake walked ahead of me, under a shelter and down a long path that led away from the dome. I ran to catch him up, pulling my coat close around me. "So, not the 02 then?"
"I told you, I don't do landmarks." He spoke, striding confidently still away from the arena. "Expect the unexpected."
We carried on, chatting about anything and everything until we reached an opening in the ground. "Here we are." Blake huffed, smiling up at me as he stepped down into the hole.
Above us was the big white circle, with a red rim and a blue stripe - UNDERGROUND - casting a ghostly shadow over his wide spread cheeks. The hole entrance was deserted, the late night leaving us alone. "The underground?"
"Bingo." Blake smiled, grabbing my wrist and pulling me down the concrete steps to the station below. We came speeding out onto a massive platform, vending machines laying dormant and fluorescent lights highlighting two corresponding train tracks. I spun around, taking in the industrial feel. To my left, a wall of benches lay vacant, looming on as far as I could see. Our side of the platform was empty, only a few overflowing rubbish bins and long-forgotten train tickets scattered the floor. Opposite us, platform two was nearly identical, except for a couple standing at one end, hugging and kissing under one of the broken bulbs and a homeless man with a bushy beard curled up under a poster for The Lion King that was framed above one of the metal benches.
Blake whistled as we walked along, jumping on the benches and balancing on the yellow line "Be careful!" I fussed, following close behind. The line was severely scuffed and worn, more a dirty lime than an illuminous yellow. "Blake..."
"Come on, darling! I'm no where near the tracks." He whistled, balancing like a circus act.
I smiled, leaning into his care free energy. He was right, there was at least a 10cm gap between us and the tracks, plus, there was no one around to tell us off...maybe letting loose wasn't a bad thing after all. I followed in his danger free footsteps, joining the act as I stumbled along the leading line. We half skipped, half balanced our way to the end of the platform, another set of stairs leading upwards drawn dark under the influence of another broken bulb. Blake spun over to an adjacent bench, draping his body over the rusty metal and panting with adrenaline. I flopped myself next to him, still wondering what the hell we were doing in this ordinary underground.
He read my mind. "So, now the fun begins..." Blake unholstered the bag from his back, rounding it into the gap between us and pulling Velma from the cushioning. He stared into the unicorns eyes, a slight look of wonder crossing his face. I watched in curiosity, his face quickly morphing to represent sudden sadness. I put my arm on his, watching as he pulled his eyes away from Velma's and latched onto mine.
He was sweating from all the running and jumping and skipping, a small hair falling over his ocean eyes. Insintictively, I lifted my fingers to curve the hair behind his ear, but stopped myself before reaching the slit of his lips. Suddenly, a flush of embarrassment rushed over me, red rising to my checks as I looked away and wrung my hands together. Blake seemed to notice, but sat unmoving. I sensed his head manoeuvre away from me, back onto the bottle.
Pop. I looked up, surprised to see Blake covering Velma with a paper bag and taking a swig from the now opened bottle.
"What a beauty!" He cooed, wiping rogue whisky from the cracks in his lips.
I sat a little astonished. "You opened it? I thought you said it...she...travelled all over the world with you?" Why in hell would he want her opening ceremony to be in a deserted London tube station, and not on top of a guzzling waterfall in Iceland?
"I did." He said, matter of faculty, holding the bottle under my nose. "Want a swig?"
I didn't take it, but stared up at Blake. I didn't say anything, but my earlier question hung in the air. He placed Velma beside him on the bench, and shuffled closer to me, knee to knee. Taking my silence as his answer, Blake spoke again. "You see, I've travelled far and wide. The world is a magnificent adventure, but one i've already lived. I no longer have the need to delve into different cultures. Believe me, they had enough bitter vino in France and overpriced beer in Switzerland...Velma here is born and bred British, so where's a better place to experience the speed than in the most ordinary place in London?"
Experience the speed? What the hell did that mean?
"I hate it when you talk in riddles...please repeat that in English." I sighed, confusion painted on my brow.
"I know i'm a little voluptuous, but you'll see. The world is a lot duller without colour to fill in the blanks."
Yet another riddle. I was seriously starting to think the crazy guy on the train tracks was just the crazy guy on the train tracks.
"Just trust me." He said, cutting into my thoughts. "This is our first stop on the adventure train."
"A deserted tube station?" I questioned, sarcasm oozing from my voice.
"I thought id start off where it all started...less than 48 hours ago, the train tracks were all we knew about each other. Our only connection." He sat back, brushing the uneven hair behind his ears. "I've got a lot planned for the next few days."
Song Dedication - Chained to the Rhythm, Katy Perry