Tuesday, 31st of December at 21:16 pm.

Lola texts Sanjay: “Where are we meeting tomorrow?”

Sanjay replies: “Oh, no idea. Somewhere on the Jubilee line, maybe?”

Lola: “Or Chinatown?”

Sanjay: “Chinatown is crap.”

She pauses, shaking her head. But she decides to ignore it—some restaurants in Chinatown are to die for. What world does he live in now? In her thoughts.

She rolls the duvet over her head. With her other hand, she reaches for her iPhone, squinting at the screen. It’s 8:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day.

She grabs her phone and calls him. They agree to meet in London’s Chinatown, Soho, at 2 p.m.

Looking out the window, she watches the passersby—it’s cold.

After spending two hours digging through the cluttered mess in her flat, she finally finds her Polo Ralph Lauren Big Pony fleece pullover hoodie. She pairs it with a sleek pair of 7 For All Mankind stretch flare jeans and knee-high lace-up Guy Laroche boots.

Lola texts Sanjay: “Sanjay, please let’s make it 3 p.m.—just getting into the shower. Thanks ????”

Sanjay replies: “Ok, 3 p.m.”

She leaves her studio trailing the sweet, assertive scent of Very Good Girl by Carolina Herrera.

At the local train station, she boards and takes a seat, the platform slowly emptying as others file in. The hum of idle conversation and metallic screeches fill the air until the conductor’s voice cuts through the quiet:
“There is a delay due to a person on the tracks at Watford. We should be moving shortly…”

Sanjay text: “I’m at this pub. Let me know when you’re here and I can meet you wherever,” and sends the Google image

Thirty minutes later, a new message pops up:
“The train is terminating here. All trains to London Euston are cancelled.”

“Cancelled?” Lola mutters, clearly disappointed. Without wasting a second, she leaps off the train, simultaneously pulling out her iPhone to check Uber.

“£38 to London,” she murmurs. “Not bad.”

She makes her way to the ticket counter, asking for a refund on her now-useless ticket. As the staff processes it, she notices her Uber is 15 minutes away. Thinking quickly, she turns around and calls out loudly:

“Would anyone like to share a taxi to Euston Station?”

To her surprise, several people stepped forward.
“It’ll cost you £10 each,” she adds with a smile.

Sanjay: If you can meet me at that pub, that would be great. It’s not far from the station.

Lola: Okay. They asked us all to get off—sharing an Uber with some strangers. Just got into the car.

Sanjay:
Oh, wow, okay.
How far are you now?
Just deciding if I should get another drink…
Well, too late—I got another drink. Are you going to make it here? What’s going on, please? Any update?
????????????

Lola checks her phone and sees a stream of messages from Sanjay.

Lola: Just getting to Euston—should be there in 15 minutes!

At Euston station before alighting from Uber, she asks the people she shares the ride with to follow her YouTube channel. Nice meeting & riding with you guys

She hops on the Northern Line at Euston and gets off at Leicester Square. Following the Google map, she enters the Garrett Elms. Within a few minutes, she asks, “Hey Sanjay, how are you?”

He grins, swirling his glass. “Four rounds of Johnnie Walker Red Label with ginger ale. Very nice.” It’s sweet and Slightly Spicy.

“Wow. That’s a lot,” Lola replies, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course not,” he chuckles. “Would you like some, Lola?”

“No.”

Without another word, Lola reaches into her brown patent Louis Vuitton handbag and pulls out her iPhone. Her nails tap quickly on the screen as she types Golden Phoenix into MapQuest.

They follow the map, winding their way through the vibrant and lovely London Chinatown, eyes catching on the brightly colored sky balloons dancing above. The atmosphere buzzes with life and color.

Finally, Siri’s voice chimes in: “You have arrived.”

They order two dim sum dishes—Shumai and Har Gow (steamed shrimp meat in a flour wrapper)—and add a half portion of crispy aromatic duck with pancakes, cucumber, and spring onions as an appetizer.

The duck is so delicious that they both whisper in awe.

“To die for,” Lola says.

Sanjay, with a delight expression, replies, “Very tasty and nice.”

“Sanjay, the main menu isn’t even out yet. This is too much food!” Lola exclaims.
In Lola’s thoughts: My diet was supposed to start today… Hmmm. Failed New Year’s resolution.

Just then, the server brings out their main dishes—deep-fried prawns with salt and chili, Sizzling Chicken with Black bean sauce and the special fried rice. They both look up in surprise.

“It’s way too much,” Lola says, wide-eyed.

They gushed for hours, laughter bubbling up again and again as they caught up like old times.

Then, to Lola’s surprise, Sanjay’s tone shifts.

“I’ve been thinking about getting stem cell treatment,” he says casually, like he’s talking about trying a new smoothie.

Lola’s face lights up—half in amusement, half in curiosity.

“Stem cells? For what?” she asks, grinning. “You don’t need that, Sanjay!”

Do you have room for coffee?” Sanjay asks.

“Why not?” Lola replies, glancing around. “But not from here…”

Sanjay pulls out his phone and searches for the nearest café. A few options pop up. They start walking, following the route on Google Maps.

A few minutes in, Lola slows down, eyeing a place across the street. “Hey Sanjay, wow—this place looks amazing. Caffé Concerto. Let’s go in here instead.”

He nods, and they cross over to the charming Italian café. As they step inside, a sharply dressed man approaches them.

“Can I help you?” he asks, not unfriendly, but not exactly warm either.

“We just want to get coffee,” Sanjay says casually.

The man shakes his head slightly. “We’re full. Tables are only available if you’re ordering from the menu.”

Sanjay and Lola exchange a quick glance.

“No problem,” Lola says with a tight smile. “We’ll order dessert.”

The man nods and walks away to find them a table.

As they’re being seated, Lola leans in and whispers, “That’s strange. Was it just me, or… was he giving us a weird vibe? Like—is he racist or something?”

Sanjay raises an eyebrow but doesn’t answer right away.

A server approaches to take their order.

“I’ll have a Piña Colada,” Lola says, “and Sanjay a super berry smoothie.”

They scan the dessert menu and share a strawberry gâteau.

One might think that after a Chinese meal, drinks at the café, and dessert, they’d call it a night, but no, they top it all off with a Spanish latte.

All in all, a good night out.