Finding one another (A Benedict Cumberbatch Romance)

It was one of those days. My hair hung low in my face and music from my headphones blasted in my ears. “Mind the gap”, I heard the loudspeakers faintly over the sound of my music. I stepped out of the train into the metro station, carefully minding the hellish gap of a few inches. It was crowded, as London always is, and I did my best to avoid having to touch people who walked by me. My eyes focused on the ceiling, I made my way out of the station and into the freezing air of the winter evening. I was shivering when I finally arrived at my hotel. I dug the key card from my pockets and, with shaking hands, finally managed to open the door to my room. I stepped inside, took my coat and shoes off and let myself fall on the bed a few feet away.

I must have lain there for quite some time, warming up, steadying my breathing and letting the past day pass in my mind.

It had started off quite well. I’d been to Madame Tussauds with Jackie, and together we enjoyed a day with the famous. It had been just marvellous. Excited as we were we talked to a lot of strangers, and Jackie eventually bonded with some blonde guy. I’d been a little annoyed when she said she would spend the day with him, but I was also happy that she’d found someone she liked on our travels. After they had left, I’d wandered around London for some time, before deciding to go to Harrod’s. I only lost my way half a dozen times in the enormous mall. I looked for a toilet for about half an hour before finally giving up and asking one of the employees. After that, I noticed that my phone was missing. I was sure that someone at Harrod’s had stolen it, and I was positively furious.

Now, here I was, in my room, and with no way to contact Jackie. I could only hope her day was better than mine. Grumbling to myself I got up and took a beer from the mini bar, opened it with my teeth and gulped down half of it in a matter of a few seconds. I sat down on my bed and decided to turn off my music. When I did, I noticed that there was a knock on my door. “Hello?” I heard a faint shout through the door. It was a man. Maybe room service? “Coming!” I yelled across the room, set my beer aside and walked over to the door to open it.

My jaw dropped. My heart skipped a beat. My lungs were suddenly empty and useless. It was Sherlock. It was Khan, it was Julian Assange. By God, it was Benedict Cumberbatch. It was all my dreams in one man.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but are you Miss Lilian Fredrickson?” he asked, his voice like velvet. I just stared at him. I stared into his icy blue eyes and lost myself in them. Was I still in Madame Tussauds? Had I perhaps fallen asleep on the bed? This must be a dream! “..you okay, Miss?” he asked.

“Oh.. Oh, sorry. Yes, I’m Lilian, but call me Lily. I’m so sorry, I know it’s rude to ask, but are you Mister Cumberbatch?” I asked, not being able to retain myself. “I am” he answered.

His smile remained polite, but I could see that he was prepared for whatever crazy fan I might be. Looking in his eyes, I decided then and there that I would not be that person. I cleared my throat and in the driest tone I managed, I said to him, “Well, I can’t say I was expecting you”. I couldn’t hold back a smile, though, and I saw one spreading across his face as well. “I’d be surprised if you had been”, he said. “But”, he stretched out his hand with a small black object in it “I believe I found your cell phone.” Indeed, there it was, the wretched thing. Oh, I’d lose a million cellphones if even one of them brought me you, I thought to myself. I must have dreamed off again, for he gently shook his hand, “Or I could just keep it, if you don’t want it anymore.” I then noticed that I hadn’t made a move to grab it yet. I stretched out my hand, careful not to touch him, for fear that I would faint if I did. “How on the earth did you find me? Not that I mind”, I said, still a little awed. “I was so rude as to go to your call list and found a young woman named Jackie. She told me whose phone it was and where to find you. I hope you don’t mind” he explained. “Not at all! Thank you for going to the trouble of bringing me my phone. How can I thank you? May I invite you for a drink at the bar?” I asked, my heart beating so fast I could hardly hear his answer over the sound of it.

“I’m really sorry, Miss, but I have to go. I am quite literally always on a schedule” he said, his smile still polite, but also a little sad. My heart broke a little bit, but I wasn’t going to press the matter. I was aware that he must get a lot of similar invitations, and I was just glad that he had even showed up here. “I understand”, I said, mustering a small smile. “Just let me say something. I admire you so much as an artist. When you play, you create something. You create a character, and you create the world around it as well. It was you who inspired me to pick up art again. Thank you so very much, Mister Cumberbatch. Also, know that you just made a girl very happy by bringing her a lost cellphone.” I said the last part with a wink in my eyes and a slight bow. “Thank you Lily, so much. That means a lot to me”, he said, also bowing and stepping back a little. “Goodbye then, Mister Cumberbatch. Have a nice night”, I said, closing the door. My heart broke a little for every inch of Benedict that the door blocked out.

“Wait!” he said.