When you tell the world you're mine

Chapter 11: Long time no see

The day of her trip came faster than she expected. Carol had to work overtime for two weeks to be able to have one off after Christmas, but it was going to be worth it. She was very much looking forward to her trip for two reasons: the first one was because she always wanted to go to London. It was her dream city to visit and she couldn't wait until she visited the Harry Potter studios. The second one was, of course, a certain ginger prince that was Carol's new male best friend. She missed him more than she would admit. She missed their laughter, their banter and their chats. Harry had been a very important part of her recovering. He helped her to stay strong whenever she bumped into Rodrigo somewhere (because, of course, he'd just be in the places she usually went to) and whenever she was about to give him another chance (only God knowing why she would), she'd call Harry and listen to him talking her out of it.

She boarded the plane with a huge grin on her face and sent a text to Harry that was still in Sandringham saying she was already on her way. He only answered "Have a safe flight and rest a lot, because we're going to party our way into 2017". She smiled and got comfortable in her executive seat. It was December 26th, she'd arrive in London in the morning and she was so excited that she didn't sleep much of it. The thing is: Carol hated flying. She loved to travel, but if that meant she'd have to be on a plane, she would get nervous and anxious and would think "Why am I doing this again?" for the whole flight. Thankfully she had a bit of medicine for nausea that put her to sleep for the last five hours of flight.

She landed in Heathrow and the first thing she thought when they announced their arrival was: damn this is cold. She left Brazil in high summer and arrived in London in the middle of winter. She put on two more layers of clothing, grabbed her luggage and walked the path to the immigration following the information on the signs. She was nervous about that part, there was a long line and she just took a deep breath and waited. The officer was a polite man in his fifties that asked her how long she would stay in the UK, the purpose on her visit and how much money she got with her. She answered all the questions and he only said: "Welcome". She thanked him and followed the new path to luggage claim. When she finally got through customs she said: "This is it. I'm really here.", she was out of the arrivals gate and found Bill holding a card with her name on it. She laughed a bit before going to him.

"Hey there Bill, long time no see.", she smiled and greeted him.

"Hello, Miss Nogueira. Hope you had a good flight.", he said.

"Oh, Bill... Still calling me by my surname? Please. Call me Carol.", she said to Harry's protection officer.

"I'm afraid I can't, ma'am.", he took her luggage and led the way to the parking lot.

"You can. You and I live in the real world most of the time. I'm not royalty or aristocrat. So, please, call me Carol.", she said and he only nodded.

They walked to the car and Bill opened the door for her, pretending not to listen to her protests against it. She asked him a lot of questions, for the last time they had seen each other was at Harry's Party in August. The 40 minute drive had Carol looking at the window non stop to not miss a sight of this dream coming true.

"Is Harry in London already?", she asked him.

"Yes, Carolina. He's home.", Bill answered.

"Did he tell you which hotel I'm staying at?", that was the part of the surprise he hadn't told her.

"No, he didn't. But you'll find out.", she smiled.

"I hope sooner rather than later... Can't get stranded with this weather..."

They got caught in the traffic for almost twenty minutes before Bill drove through the path that led to that famous gate. He asked for her passport and she gave it to him. He then got out of the car, without turning it off, and showed to another officer at the security cabin. After a few minutes he was back in the car and drove straight to Nottingham Cottage. He opened the door to her and returned her passport. She thanked him and looked around. She was in Kensington Palace. She was amazed by it's grandeur and beauty. Not the best photo could ever do Kensington's beauty it's justice. She looked around and Bill was getting her bag out of the trunk and asked her to follow him. She did as she was told and they walked the gravel path to Harry's apartment. The Prince opened the door before she got there and she didn't know what had gotten into her, she just ran and jumped on him, leaving all her weight for him to hold, which he did after a moment of surprise, hugging him tightly. He twirled her around before putting her on the ground again.