Satan's Gift

Chapter Ten: Destination Reached

"Wake up, now," I opened my eyes to find Xenette looking at me with a wide smile.
"Good morning, sleepy head," she teased sarcastically as she chuckled.

"Are we there yet?"

"Almost," she replied. Just then, the flight attendant made an announcement saying that the flight was about to reach its final destination.
"Oh, thank God. I'm not a fan of airtravel," I said to Xenette who sat cross-legged while reading a magazine.
"Ugh, grow up, Ian," she said with a furrow.
"How was your window seat experience?" I asked Xenette as she insisted on having the window seat for herself.
"Quite good, actually. A sleepy head like you don't deserve a window seat," she retorted with a smile as she blinked multiple times in the process.
"Well, someone who always has her head shoved in magazines doesn't deserve it either," I used my sharp wit against her.
"Bitch," she muttered and looked away out the window.

Few minutes later, the flight had landed. Passengers made their way slowly for the exit. I stood up and took out our backpacks from the overhead bin and gave Xenette's hers before joining the line as Xenette followed. I was greeted by a cold breeze of wind touching my face and blowing through my hair. I squinted my eyes as the rays of a new sunrise directly hit my face as it was very early in the morning. Step by step I climbed down the steps. I slowed down to let Xenette catch up.
"Okay, now comes the hard part. I really hope they don't detect the bullshit I'm selling to 'em," I said to Xenette as she walks casually to my side.
"Just be as casual as possible. If the US didn't doubt then neither would London," Xenette replied. Luckily, all went well and we made it out in an hour. I came outside on the other end with our backpacks. I took a deep breath.
"This is my first time in London. I would like to go to Portsmouth on land. It would make our lives a little longer if we are to die by whatever we're looking for," I said to Xenette sarcastically.
"I'm not here to die... but I do like your idea," Xenette replied.
I walked on and an Arab guy stood near a cab.
"Hello, is this your cab?" I asked the man who was in his early thirties. He wore a black jacket and blue jeans. He had long facial hair and wore a cap.
"Yes, sir. Where can I take you?" The cab driver offered.
"Train station," Xenette answered.
"Get in then," the man smiled and got in himself.

I stared at London with an awe. It was an early morning rush.
"Is this your first time in London?" The cab driver asked in his Arab accent.
"Yes, it is," I replied.
"My name is Ahmed," he introduced himself.
"I'm Ian, and the lady at the back is my friend, Xenette," I introduced both ourselves.
"Hi, Ahmed," Xenette said from the back.

After few minutes on the road and miserable in traffic, we reached the local train station.
"Book two tickets to Portsmouth," I said to Xenette as she nodded and went to do the booking. Meanwhile, I went to a nearby ATM machine to withdraw some cash.
'In London with a lot of dirty cash. Can live an amazing life and yet here I am, chasing something I don't even know what to call' I thought to myself and smirked. Just then, someone put their hand on my shoulder, I immediately turned around to find Xenette standing with two tickets.
"Jesus Christ, A'hole," I murmured to myself.
"Here are our tickets. Train leaves at 11am. We can see London till then," a question hidden in her statement as she gave me a wide smile, seeking approval.
"Yes, we can see London till then," I agreed to her wish, slightly rolling my eyes in the process.
"Amazing! C'mon! You need some fresh air!" She said excitedly. I was actually quite happy about the fact that she was smiling again. She grabbed my hand and pulled me along as she walked outside quickly. I just kept looking at her face and her smile, thinking of how much I missed it. She kept walking and talking about everything she was fascinated about while I smiled and stared at her face. She didn't notice me as she was looking around.
"I'm hungry. It's just 9am. Let's go get something to eat," she said pointing to a nearby restaurant which was at its peak hour.
"You know I hate crowded places,"