From Different Walks of Life

Christmas in London

    I fought to keep my eyes open as I stood on the pedestal in front of the surrounding mirrors, and was suddenly wide awake as a pin hit me in the waist.

    "Ow!" I cried, and jerked away.

    "Kat! For the last time, stop doing that, it's just a pin, not a broadsword." Ilaria huffed, frustrated at me, and I blushed.

    "Sorry." I mumbled, and tried to stand still. I glanced up at Wade, who was sitting comfortably on a couch in front of us, downing his second glass of champagne. We had literally landed at Heathrow, been hustled to a car, and driven directly to Ilaria's private boutique to do a fitting for my dress that I was to wear to the Tangled movie premiere in a couple of months.

    "Enjoying yourself?" I asked sarcastically, and his eyes widened as he stopped mid-drink. He smiled at me, and finished the glass, then set it down. I crossed my arms carefully, trying to avoid the pins in the bodice of the dress. "Are you even allowed to drink on the job?"

    "Are you kidding? You think two little glasses of cham-pag-née are gonna bother me?" He asked, proudly mispronouncing the name of the drink as he grinned at me. I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out at him, with him returning the gesture.

    "Well you two are certainly mature." Ilaria commented as she leaned back on her heels, checking her work along the bottom of the dress. She glanced up at me. "I don't remember Daniel Boone being with you at the first premier?"

    "Yeah, he joined us this past summer." I said. "He's my personal bodyguard."

    "Ahh." Ilaria drew out the word, glancing back at Wade, who gave her a wave. "Things must be pretty serious between you and Mr. Hiddleston, eh?" She asked me quietly. I looked down at her, suddenly quite wide awake.

    "Why do you ask?" I frowned. Ilaria had been in Tom's employ for a long time, and had been a friend for just as long. I was interested in what she had to say. She simply shrugged as she stood, her expert eyes looking along the bodice for any mistakes.

    "He goes public with you before you've even been together a year, gets you your own personal bodyguard, now you're here in London for Christmas with his family?" She clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth, and looked me in the eye. "What should that tell me, honey?" I opened my mouth to say something, and then shut it again. I didn't know what to say. I loved to think that Tom and I were pretty serious, but that lingering doubt sat at the back of my mind, always wondering when the fairytale would come crashing down around me. Ilaria smiled at me, gently turning me around so I could finally look at the finished product in the mirror, and I took a sharp breath in.

    She had outdone herself again. The dress was a soft purple, just as I knew the Rapunzel character from Tom's movie wore. But the beading throughout the dress was exquisite, so delicate as it traveled along my front and sides, like tiny whisps of light.

    "It's amazing," I whispered, and Ilaria hugged me, her face resting on my shoulder.

    "It is, isn't it?" She gushed. "I just love having you to dress! You've got such a natural beauty about you, and that hair!" She ran her hand down my messy ponytail, which caused me to blush. "It's perfect, don't you think it's not. But no cowboy boots this time, young lady." She wagged a finger at me as she turned away and jumped off the pedestal, disappearing behind the curtain for a moment while I looked back at the reflection in the mirror.

    I had agreed with Disney studios to be featured in the main song for the Tangled film with Tom, as long as I only received a small credit. 'Contributing musician,' is what I would be called. Tom had tried to argue with me, but I wouldn't hear of it, and had signed the contract before he could talk me out of it. I would receive small royalties for the song as well, but I would be arranging to have those monies to be put in my investment accounts back in Lander. I didn't plan to see a dime of that money, I didn't feel it was fair that I was receiving any for hardly any work, especially after all the work I knew Tom had put in to the film.