Though Geoff’s place wasn’t too far from Allegra’s hotel, the couple didn’t arrive until about ten minutes past eight. Partly due to slow transportation but also from a genuine desire not to rush. Adam chose to make them walk a bit more than necessary, but they moved at a leisurely pace, more concerned with comforting their own and each other’s nerves and simply spending a bit of extra time alone before meeting up with their hosts. What Adam hadn’t taken into consideration when he led them out of the train and onto the streets was how not only relaxing but also tiring the remaining distance would be to walk. So they were only a couple blocks away from their destination when the boy suddenly stopped, crouching in the middle of the crowded sidewalk to allow for Allegra to climb on his back once her boots decided they should’ve probably stayed in the train for a few more stops. And to Adam’s fascination, no one seemed to notice the unusual couple walking through the crowds, their invisibility filling him with a sort of excitement over the newness of it. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to be with his favorite person without their classmates around, staring, whispering, starting false rumors. They were ordinary again, privileged with the rare gift of privacy.

The home of the oldest Kipling sibling was located on the topmost floor of of a small narrow building with no elevator, which left Adegra with the task of climbing up the stairs for five floors. By the time they reached Geoff’s floor, Adam carefully released Allegra and knocked on the door. He gently took her hand, and in that one second, his exhaustion from walking and climbing stairs disappeared completely to be replaced by a slight nervousness instead. But he didn’t show it, flashing Allegra a reassuring smile instead.

It didn’t take very long for the door to open, flooding the hall with light and revealing a familiar face, even for Allegra who’d never seen it before.
Geoff was quite different from his brother, and yet it was somehow obvious the two were related. While Adam was pale, Geoff sported a healthier golden glow; while the younger boy’s hair was so dark to be almost black, Geoff’s hair was a lighter shade of brown, almost passing off as dark blond under the right lighting, and while Adam was rather lanky, Geoff had a slightly more muscular build. But they shared the same deep blue eyes, and expressive eyebrows and boyish smiles. And despite Adam’s earlier commentary, his brother didn’t welcome him and Allegra in a coat and PJs. Though he still looked perfectly casual, in jeans and a black long sleeved top, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and revealing forearms tattooed in a familiar style.

“And here we were thinking you were going to bail,” said Geoff, raising his eyebrows at Adam in that same way the younger boy usually did to Allegra.

Adam rolled his eyes at the accusation but smiled, gesturing with his free hand to the girl at his side. “Geoff, this is Allegra. Allegra - Geoff,” he finished by gesturing toward his brother with playful formality.

Geoff smiled politely and took a step forward, greeting Allegra with a welcoming hug. “It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said. “Come in.”

Geoff opened the door wider and stepped aside to reveal a roomy loft with wooden floors and brick walls. Lights hanging from beams in the exposed ceiling bathed the space in warm, welcoming light and revealed a messy but cozy home. Some of the walls were covered in posters, their subjects ranging from 90s rock bands to obscure 60s French films. There were collages of intricate flower drawings on plain letter-size paper, of photographs of flowers in extreme closeup, and of candid shots of more personal subjects, like the boy’s friends and family. The lower half of these walls were covered in bookshelves filled with books on all things botanical, and on top of every bookshelf sat medium-sized plants in mismatching ceramic pots, so that there was an entire row of plants dividing the books below from the posters and drawings above. And there were more of them everywhere else throughout the home - plants hanging from the ceiling, standing shadowed in corners, sitting tiny and adorable on the coffee table and on short stools by the ceiling-high windows.

The open layout of the flat allowed no hiding spaces, so it was impossible to miss Geoff’s other company: a slender girl with honey-brown hair that fell only a couple inches past her shoulders in soft waves and matching brown eyes. She wore a soft cotton t-shirt that, based on the fade of the imagery on the fabric, must have been older than she was, and accompanied it with slim-fitting, high-waisted jeans. As her gaze fell upon the newcomers, the girl grinned and stepped out of the kitchen area, walking toward the new guests. She wore fluffy slippers but the sneakers under the coffee table revealed they were not part of her original outfit.

“Adam, Allegra, this is Bridgette,” started Geoff, gesturing from the new guests to the girl, “Bri, this is—oh. Wait, I meant—”

“Adam? Really? So you’re the one he’s been talking about for the past three years! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” gasped Bridgette with exaggerated politeness, stretching a hand out to Adam which the boy shook with a laugh. Geoff rolled his eyes with a sheepish smile but left his verbal typo uncorrected. “And you must be the one he’s been talking about,” she said, turning her gaze upon Allegra and gesturing toward Adam with a little movement of her head. “I’m Bridgette, but you can call me Bri,” she added, beaming as she offered her outstretched hand.