Drink Me

27. WILSHER

WILSHER

At 6:55 on Wednesday morning, Riley unlocked the shiny black door in Mercer street and entered the MI6 safe house.

As he knocked at number eight, Alice opened the door again.

"When I close the door, look into the peephole," she ordered and, without leaving Riley time to react, she slammed the door in his face.

Riley shrugged her peculiar behaviour but still followed her orders and crouched down until his right eye was staring into the hole. A few seconds later, the door opened again.

Alice appeared in a white and black tartan short dress and Dr Martens, that reminded Riley of the day they first met. It seemed like years ago.

"Good morning," the girl greeted him, closing the door behind her.

"What was that about?" Riley inquired, letting his backpack fall to the floor.

"I took your eye scan, you'll need it to open the door. Just look at the peephole to unlock it," Alice explained.

An amused look grew on Riley's face as he studied the door for a moment longer.

"That's pretty cool," he admitted.

"You ain't seen nothing yet, my darling," Alice chirped with some pride in her voice. "Coffee?" she offered then.

Alice's chilled behaviour confused Riley, but at the same time calmed his nerves a little.

As the woman disappeared in the kitchen, Riley took advantage of the moment alone to study the flat that under the grey daylight looked even more luxurious than the last time he'd seen it.

He noticed a computer that, in his opinion, must have been quite expensive and some Pollock prints on the walls. He walked to the big window and looked at the city, the St. Paul's dome stealing the view from above the rooftops.

"While the coffee brews, I'll show you the place," Alice's voice came from behind him.

Riley followed the girl around the flat as she showed him the kitchen which was modern and illuminated by a floor to ceiling window.

"You can help yourself to anything you like," Alice said, pointing at the cupboards. "Except for the orange juice," she added then, hastily. "I tend to overreact if I find out we're out."

Riley nodded and made a mental note of it.

Alice opened the next door into the bathroom and Riley appreciated the size of the black-tiled shower and the bathtub; then Alice walked across the living area where two more doors were.

The one on the right led to a big bedroom, also blessed with a floor-to-ceiling window, across from which was a king-size bed in grey silk linens. Alice walked inside and picked a pair of black trousers from the floor, neatly storing them into a drawer. "I keep some of Alice's clothes here, just in case."

Then as her gaze followed Riley's bemused one focused on the silk sheets, she shrugged. "What? I'm the only one who sleeps here when Alice is away for work," she quoted. "I like the silky feeling on my skin..." she explained.

Riley held his hands high. "I didn't say anything," he commented.

"Well, your face is quite eloquent. We need to work on that," Alice said, ushering him outside the room. "This is the gym" she declared then, as she opened the door to the last room.

A treadmill and a bicycle filled the space on one side while on the other were a weight with a big TV screen suspended on the wall.

Riley felt like a student being shown around a house share at Uni, not that he had ever had the pleasure of sharing a flat with anyone. Never in a million years he would have thought his first experience would be in an MI6 safe house.