Final Ticket

seven

Tying her hair up in a high pony, Maddie's eyes flitted around, in an attempt to catch a glimpse of either boy she saw in the photo that she kept in her hand. There were so many faces they blended together, and it was giving her a headache. 

She kept her bags close, one in each hand, and worked her way into the gift shop. A little retail therapy would cure what ailed her.

As she scanned the racks of tacky t-shirts with the Union Jack flag, a tall figure passed by and caught her eye. Most everyone was taller than her, but this person seemed even larger; with a long black coat, matching slacks and a stark white shirt. Springy black curls shaded his eyes, and he seemed to be holding something against his chest.. a rose?

But right as she noticed, he breezed back by to put it in the little box at the end of the aisle, and then make his way out of the store.

Wait... black, curly hair, tall? Who did she know who fit that description? Her eyes and mind drifted to the photo in her hand. Boy number two.

She watched the figure walk away slowly and disappear into the crowd; leaving her to watch the spot he walked towards and hope to catch a glimpse. But by now it was too late, she had to follow after him.

She finally saw him, and a faint smile drifted across her lips.

"Solomon?" She called out as she walked closer, but her voice was lost in the chatter of the crowd. After a few moments, she called out again, this time in a shout.

When she did that, she felt like everyone's eyes were on her, including the person who's eyes she did want.

Boy number two's eyes were a vibrant green, and the curls framed his face, which currently featured a blank stare. Maddie made her way through the crowd, which was slowly moving on with what they were doing, until she stood right in front of him. He seemed to stare for almost a minute straight without blinking, before the gears seemed to turn.

"Madeline," he said, closing his eyes for a long while and inhaling deeply, a faint smile across his lips. Despite the jet lag, Maddie couldn't help but beam and offer him a grin. She was rather surprised that he wasn't the blonde; he seemed so happy and carefree and silly online, but this Solomon looked tired and melancholic. The little twinge of happiness he showed on his face when he saw her was the sweetest thing she had seen in quite a while. "I was trying to figure out a gift, but I didn't know what to get." Rather than forming a reply, Maddie took in the sound of his voice. Deep, with a slight accent -- enough to be there, but not so much he wasn't understandable.

It was sexy.

"You already spent so much on tickets," she finally replied, moving as close as she could without invading his space. She wondered how antsy he still was; was she going to freak him out if she touched him? Or looked at him? She didn't know what made him tick or anything and it scared her a little. "I don't need a gift."

She could see his eyes were on the store still, and a dull roar took over her heart. The rose... was for her. No one ever gave her, or even thought of her her, a rose. A slight flush came across her face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, by the way." Maddie's eyes darted up. He had another little smile across his lips, and Maddie couldn't help but return it again.

"Same," she said. He was nothing like she expected, but it had only been what, fifteen minutes she had known him in person? But she was sure she liked this person better than the other.

But at this point, she didn't know what to do next. Hug him? Shake hands? Before she could spend much time thinking about it, he pulled her under her arm and mumbled in her ear, "stay close, too many people."

Nodding, the two walked to the parking lot outside, then to a black car; not bothering to note the brand or model. He pulled out the spot swiftly, staying dead quiet as he drove. She was thankful the AC was on full blast and the radio was on some 80s station. She wasn't a fan of silence.

"Do you like Harry Potter?"

Maddie's eyes drifted over to Solomon, who's eyes were locked hard on the rock.

"I love the series, why?" As excited as she was for conversation, she didn't want to overdo it; so mentions of her owning every book (in English and Chinese), each movie and a stuff Hedwig next to it all.

"Do you know of the Harry Potter tour?"

"Ya-huh."

"I'd like to take you on that then."

This time, her eyes widened. Those tickets weren't cheap at all, and had to be bought in advance at that. She had been fantasizing about the tour since she first heard of it, and never expected to go. "London has a lot of things to do and see," Solomon then added after a few moments. "I would hate for you to miss out."

"Have you been here your whole life?" she questioned, as they turned down an unnamed street. She knew asking "Numbers" this would've been futile but "Solomon" would perhaps be different.

"In the general area of London, yes" he replied, putting the car in park before glancing towards her. "Just not here." Maddie scanned her environment, in order to see what "here" was like. Immaculate, with what looked like oak trees on the sidewalk, and an iron gate surrounding them.

"Wow," escaped her lips. She didn't mean for it to, but too late now. She hadn't realised she spent so much time gawking; Solomon had pulled the keys out of the ignition, unloaded her bags, and peeked back in the window waiting on her.

"Hi..?"

She blinked, her hair falling in front of her eyes. She inconspicuously tried to blow it away before speaking. "Sorry, I was taking it in."

"No apartments in Michigan?" he questioned playfully.

"None this night," she replied, stepping out of the car and making sure she heard the click of the door's mechanism to signal it had shut properly. She had glanced over briefly to the hood of the car and the colours of the ornament caught her eye. Blue and white. BMW? Solomon never mentioned any kind of work, so when on earth did the money for all this come from? Maybe he was some kind of secret celebrity and that's why he never mentioned his name or anything. Or maybe he was royalty. Or maybe--

"Do you sell drugs?"

God almighty. She remembered the scene from Mean Girls where Cady spoke of "word vomit" occurring, and here was a firsthand experience with it. She wanted to jump into the trunk of the fancy car and curl up and hope she was forgotten.

After a few moments, she glanced up past her bangs to look at him. She expected fury in his eyes, but instead saw amusement.

"No no," he said with a light chuckle. "Sorry to disappoint but I'm not that kind of guy. Now, let's head in...unless you're wanting to take the architecture in more."

With a swift nod, she gathered her things, only for Solomon to take them from her hands and cart them inside the flat.