Because You're Mine (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic) #Wattys2016 #pfcc2k16

Chapter Forty: The One Where It All Really Begins.

Darling, save the last dance for me...

*****

"Damn! I guess that's done, then" I say with a chuckle while he holds the door open for me. I walk under his stretched arm, into the coffee shop, "If those girls do their job properly, the world will know about it in less than five minutes"

So far, his plan is unfolding perfectly and right on schedule, which is rather miraculous if we consider the fact that we barely made it out the house; you know, because of all the catching up and such.

But we did. We headed out and we walked, holding hands and strolling without any rush, all the way from his place to our first destination.

By the time the first giant Lion appeared in front of me, I could already tell that the place was overflowing with people, and I could barely hear the water pouring out from the fountains because of the noise of random conversations and the traffic.

I always thought, ever since I moved here, that this was the perfect place in all London, to tell the difference between the people who live and work in the city, and those who are just visiting. The former would walk past the square, phone in hand and a curse ready to be thrown at the air, never minding the beautiful open space around them. And the latter, well... You can see them climbing the lions as if they were the Everest, just to get the perfect selfie with them.

I should know, because I have mine since day one.

Tom was laughing like a kid when I mentioned that to him, whilst playing the Tell the difference between local and tourist game, and he insisted upon seeing it.

I have it on my phone so I thought it was best to be done with it, and show it to him.

"You're such a dork... I adore you" he'd say.

And that was the first time he kissed me in public. Out of the blue, way more naturally than I would've expected considering that it was the very first time we did something like that.

Because no matter how common or natural walking with your date on the streets may be for most people, for us, it was something strangely new.

But it felt good. It felt like, after all of the shit we went down with, we came out the other side; alive and together.

And if he was ready to let the whole world know, then I was too. I guess.

And it was a good thing that we were ready, because the moment he let me go I saw a tourist, or maybe a paparazzi, –with everybody owning a professional camera these days, I can't really tell the difference– snapping a few pictures of us.

At first, I thought to myself that I was being a bit paranoid or somewhat conceited, but considering that the really interesting traits of the square were right behind him, I ended up convincing myself that we were, in fact, his targets.

I told that to Tom but he just waved his hand at me, minimizing the situation and smiling widely while he would slide his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to his side.

I could tell that he wasn't actually as relaxed as he pretended to be, because there was something utterly protective about his embrace. But I just snuggled against him, and we kept on walking.

While we were leaving Trafalgar Square behind us, he began to tell me the story about how the four guarding lions would come to life and come down from their pedestals to pace around the place, if the Big Ben clock should ever chime thirteen times in a row.

Of course, like the proper London obsessed girl that I am, I already knew about that myth but I just let him speak. Because, with that smooth voice and perfectly polished accent, he was meant to sound one hundred times better and more compelling than any other tour guide in this city.