Taylor Swift and the Victoria line was the perfect cure to a bad day. Or a good day for that matter. Astrid couldn't quite pick out what made her day lousy. Maybe it was the long wait for the shower in the morning that made her late. Maybe it was the creepy looks she got from the old men on the corner. Maybe it was seeing her crush, Jessica, walking around with her fresh new boyfriend. But that's beside the point. She needed to blast 'Love Story' and watch as people get on with lives around her.
The London tube was always so diverse. Anybody from anywhere was there. A tall, dark-skinned man with a sizeable afro, tapping along to the beat of his music. An old woman with a floral hijab babying her grandchild. fluffy and ginger haired man, with long legs and arms, staring off into the distance. Astrid wished she knew he was thinking.
Her eyes fell on a pretty girl. Actually, no, a beautiful girl. She had thick, curly hair, and dark, dark skin, smooth skin. She has wearing a long coat, a cropped V-neck, checked trousers and and a beige hair scarf in her hair. Astrid couldn't rip her eyes off her. She was listening to music, drowning absent minded-ly in her sketchbook, creating intricate characters, and ignoring the world. Astrid wanted to give her the world. For the next three stops, Astrid's staring at the stunning girl went unnoticed. Until she reached her stop, when as Astrid was stepping off the tube, she heard a voice.
"hey, so I guess you took a liking to me."
Astrid froze with anticipation. The girl had a deep, soothing voice with an American accent, which gave her yet another interesting edge.
Astrid turned slowly to see who the voice came from, even though she knew the answer. She saw the face she fell in love with at first sight.
"Hi, I'm Courtney. I noticed you staring at me on the Subway."
Astrid could not think, let alone a witty response to this, so instead fell into an awkward silence, with other people bustling around them.
"I-um-I'm Astrid." she said, stumbling over her words.
"Oh, like the singer? She's so cool."
"aha, yeah, I guess..."
several minutes of uncomfortable silence ensued, until Astrid found it in her strength to say something.
"I love your drawings They're really cool."
"thanks. I take a lot of inspiration from an art gallery not far from here actually. Wanna come with?"
"Ye-yes. I'd love to come!" exclaimed Astrid, her face alight.
The pair left the busy station and started along the road towards the the gallery. Astrid's heart was pumping, and her hands and forehead were damp. Courtney grabbed her hand and skipped down the pavement.
"Your hands are a little clammy. Are you already tired?" She said with little creases in her eyes and a big Cheshire cat smile.
"no, no. I'm just a little hot, is all." Astrid replied, with a flash of pink to her cheeks.
"Hell yeah you are," flirted Courtney, with a quick wink and a giggle.
The light pink on Astrid's cheek rose and turned a deep red, like a beetroot.
The two rounded a corner and found themselves in front of a red brick terrace building, with glass pane windows along the the front and a white door, with a sign saying 'The photographer's Gallery'. There were pictures in the window of current exhibitions, and old ones too.
"this is probably my favourite place in London." Courtney exclaimed, her smile beaming sunlight.
"In London? So where's your favourite place in the world?" Pondered Astrid.
"I don't know. I'm leaving that until I'm on my death bed, So I can choose out of everywhere I've been in my lifetime, than in my seventeen years of living."
"So, does that mean you've been everywhere in London? 'Cus I highly doubt that."
"I mean, there aren't many places I don't know of. I like to wonder where I haven't been before, so every weekend I do to a different part. It's really freeing, because I associate a specific area with mood I was in," said Courtney softly.
A puzzled expression fell across Astrid's face after a few seconds of pure thinking.
"So what do you want to ask me?"
"What mood is this area, around the gallery?" brooded Astrid.
"This is my arty mood. I come here when I need inspiration or if I just had a bad day.|" said Courtney distantly.
Astrid stood there uncomfortably for several seconds while Courtney got lost in her thoughts, a perturbed character on her face.
"Should we go in?" She said softly.
With a brisk nod from Astrid, the duo went inside, but not with out a worried glance at Courtney.