Truth Or Dare

Your POV:

I am not spontaneous. Quite the contrary, I am what you would call the real-life version of Harry Bright from Mamma Mia. Rational, the kind of person that thinks everything through before acting on it, calculated. And usually, that worked quite well, it made for a good work ethic and all that other boring grown-up stuff. But even I couldn't be a rational adult for 365 days and every now and then all this pent-up raw energy just bursts out of me and I make one stupid decision. One stupid decision where I don't make any plans, where I just do whatever comes to my mind. Just this one time a year.

Last year I made my way over to the airport and asked for the first available flight. I ended up somewhere in Norway with the most depressing weather ever, but I drove cross-country anyway, got a tattoo from some guy called Isak, and found out that I am quite the impressive darts player after an Aquavit drinking contest. I still suck at pool though.

The year prior to that I went to a comic con dressed as Black Widow, where I found a group of Marvel Cosplayers and...made some regrettable decisions. Let's just say Steve Rogers really did not die a virgin. Neither did Bruce. Or Maria Hill...Or Bucky.

This year though, I had an idea where to go. I was knees deep in my work when I first got the notification that Chris Evans had posted something on Instagram. Knowing damn well that this man only posts when all the stars align, I immediately opened the app and checked out his feed. There it was, a picture of him in front of the London Eye. 'so excited for the #TheGreyMan premiere in London! Eye can't wait!'
Goof, I thought and giggled to myself like some dumb lovestruck teenager. I had been keeping up with his life ever since I first saw him on the big screen and it was no secret that I'd always wanted to meet him. Sure, I would probably be a dumb giggly mess, but for some to me unknown reason I longed to be in his presence - just once. His movies, his interviews, his presence, gave something to me that I could hardly put into words. He gave me this feeling of excitement that only my little getaways had ever given me. I look at him and I feel a sense of belongingness. Deep inside, in that rational part of my brain, I knew that I was being ridiculous and that he 1) didn't even have a clue I existed and 2) the concept of soulmates was make-believe, a fairytale for grown-ups who don't want to accept there isn't a Prince Charming for everyone. But that stupid part of my mind, the part that wanted so desperately to flee from the normality of my life, clung to the smallest bit of hope that maybe, just maybe he would lay his eyes on me and immediately fall in love. And well, it was that time of year again when my left brain decided to go on holiday and the left brain bought tickets to London minutes after seeing his post.

I looked up from my Desktop where I had subconsciously opened my emails and let my eyes roam. It was Friday afternoon and there were barely any people left in the office. Just the ones that had nothing to get home to, namely James, my boss, and me. A notification tone brought my attention back to the screen and I opened the mail that said 'thank you for booking with...'. I printed it out, stuffed all of my work into my backpack, and practically ran over to my boss's office that was nothing but four glass walls isolating him from us 'ordinary badly earning 9 to 5 people'. It was an office fit for Ben, who always reminded me a bit too much of a poor old iguana. Maybe it was the life-sized terrarium he sat in, maybe it was his goatee. Or maybe his bulging eyes. Who could tell? Speaking of eyes - I was sure he could see the crazy in mine and he immediately decoded it. "Another one of your spontaneous trips?", he asked the second I opened the door. Even his voice would perfectly fit an iguana. "Yes.", I grinned. "See you on Monday."
And with that, I was gone.

* * * *

My first pit stop in London was the hotel - or what was left of it - where I had rented a room. On such short notice, it was almost impossible to get a reservation, let alone in a part of the city where you didn't have to worry about being murdered, mugged, or molested. So yeah, the hotel was pretty run down with its old furniture and a 'please come back to flush a 2nd-time' sign next to the toilet, but the owner still had a free room for the night and that was everything I needed. I didn't want to pull a Donna Sheridan and move here, I just needed a place to keep my stuff and maybe get a couple of hours of sleep.