Sweet Somethings 6

I stood directly in front of the British Museum, gaping at the beauty of the building. I'd seen pictures, but they were nothing in comparison to the real thing. Large, stone pillars connected the base to the triangular bit at the top of the building. A tiny squeal escaped from my mouth, which was curved into a huge grin. Turning to Will, I tackled him in a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said, squeezing him tightly.

Will laughed softly, putting me at arm's length. "I also got the two of us tickets to the mummy exhibit."

I tackled him again, not caring about the spectacle I was making. "You're the best, William." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go!"

As we walked into the front entrance, I was mesmerized by the sheer size of the place; it was huge! There were so many directions that we could go in, so I was completely overwhelmed. Will laughed at my awed reactions. "Are you okay, Lex? Do I need to let you bask in this awhile?"

I took out my iPhone and took a panorama of the place. "I'm good.  But where should we go first?"

Will looked around, shoving his hands in his pockets. "How about we go to the mummy exhibit first since we have tickets? Then we can decide on another section after that one."

I nodded, motioning for him to lead the way. He smiled and grabbed my hand, pulling me this time. When we walked into the place where the special exhibit was housed, I felt my mouth open in pure awe. The exhibit itself was a collection of eight mummies, each with a specific story and history behind it. I was absolutely fascinated by their stories and the way that the archaeologists and historians could gain so much from the preserved remains. I think that my favorite mummy was the Christian woman from Sudan. Technically, she wasn't a true mummy. However, she had been naturally preserved somehow and had a tattoo on her body that proved she was a Christian. It was so flipping cool. And her mummy was pretty creepy, which was intriguing to me.

"This is the best thing ever," I said to Will as we looked at the mummies. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you."

Will smiled down at me, brown eyes crinkling around the edges a bit. "You're welcome." He held onto my hand for the remainder of our time at the museum, and I didn't pull away. I actually found that I liked the feeling of our fingers intertwined together.

We walked through most of the galleries, though it was impossible to see everything. But I was really excited when we passed a special exhibit about beauty in ancient Greek art. "Ooh, ooh. Let's go!"  I exclaimed, pulling Will toward the entrance. However, I stopped in my tracks when I saw that it required tickets. "Well darn. I wish this was free."

Will squeezed my hand. "You have time to come back, don't worry."

"Yeah, you're right." I pulled him in the direction of the museum's store. "So let's go here instead."

Laughing, Will followed me into the huge gift shop. I fawned over pretty much everything, especially the jewelry. All of the Celtic and Egyptian designs really caught my eye, but most of the items were too pricey; I couldn't spend too much on myself because I had decided to surprise Kath with something. "I'll be right back," Will said as I searched the store for the perfect thing for Kathryn. After fifteen minutes of browsing around the entire store, I found myself back at the jewelry section. There were two necklaces I was torn between: a Celtic cross and a Viking Boat. Both were undeniably Kath's style, but I ended up purchasing the Viking one because it was a bit cheaper...and I wasn't made out of money.

I looked around for Will after I bought the necklace, wondering where he'd gone to. Pulling out my phone, I waited outside the store for a few minutes. The Brit finally came walking out, a bag in his hand. "Hey," I said, smiling at him. "What'd you get?" I asked, motioning to the bag.

Will grinned and pulled out the cutest teddy bear. The stuffed animal wore a red  sweater that said "I <3 The British Museum." On the bottom of one foot was the Union Jack, and a picture of the actual museum on the other.

"Awe, that's so cute!" I replied, stroking the bear's fur softly.

My friend looked down at his feet for a second, then looked back at me, brown eyes happy. "Sort of like you, yeah?" He held the bear out to me, nodding as I made a hesitant motion to take it. "Take it...a reminder of how much fun we had today."

I blushed, several types of feelings bubbling up: gratitude, affection...attraction? Looking back up at my friend, I noticed that my heart began to race when his eyes locked with mine; this had never happened before with Will. These new feelings plus the hand-holding thing made me think: Maybe I was meant to come to London for Will. "Thank you," I said, snapping myself out of the torrent of thoughts swirling around in my brain. Hugging the bear to my chest with one arm, I threw the other around Will's neck.

Chuckling, Will wrapped his arms around my waist. "You're welcome, Lex." The embrace lasted longer than a usual hug, but then Will finally pulled away. "Why don't we get some food and go back to the hotel to chill?"

I nodded. "Sounds great."

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After we got takeout from Nando's, Will drove back to the hotel. Kath was with Colm (shocker), so we had the place to ourselves. Once we got all of our food sorted out, I turned on the TV to see what was on.  I flipped through a few channels before finding Sherlock, one of my favorite shows. "Oh yes," I said, grinning.

Will shook his head, sticking a fry in his mouth. "Is Cumberbatch another one of your obsessions?"

I rolled my eyes, chuckling. "Will, you know I'm a hardcore Anglophile. So of course I love Benedict." I dipped a piece of pita bread in the hummus, then stuck it in my mouth, relishing in the taste. "Thank you for buying me Nando's."

"It's a wonder we got in and out so fast. Usually the Soho one is packed."

I nodded, only half listening as I paid attention to the episode of Sherlock. "Mhmm." I set the hummus and pita bread aside and began eating the chicken breast and fries I'd ordered. I sighed in complete bliss; the nearest Nando's to my town in Virginia was almost three hours away.

About a half hour into the episode, there was a knock on the door. Furrowing my brow, I stood to see who it was. "Probably housekeeping," I said. Man was I off. I opened the door only to find Tom standing there, looking absolutely dashing.

"Hello Alexa." He grinned down at me, blue eyes happy. "I apologize for coming unannounced, but I have something to deliver to Kathryn." The famous actor chuckled. "If she is in, that is."

I smiled sadly, shaking my head as I leaned on the open door. "She's actually out at the moment."

Tom laughed quietly, looking down at his shoes. "Wow. She is quite the social butterfly, isn't she?"

"Oh yes. That's Kath's middle name." I chuckled, not knowing what else to say. Tom looked SO handsome in a white v-neck and dark blue jeans, a thin leather jacket adding a touch of edge to his outfit.

"So how are you?" Tom asked, those gorgeous eyes of his staring down into mine. "Has anything exciting happened today?"

I nodded, smiling. "Actually yes. I went to the British Museum today."

Tom cocked his head to the side, eyebrows knitting together. "You went alone?" His tone was one of worry, as if the idea of me being out in London by myself troubled him.

Before I could reassure him I was with a friend, Will spoke. "Don't worry, she was with me." I looked back to see him making his way over to Tom and I, face smug. I focused my attention to Tom once more, watching as something in his eyes changed. As soon as I tried to pinpoint the emotion, he masked whatever it was smoothly.

"I did not realize that Alexa had a friend here in London." Tom extended his hand to Will, who shook it firmly. "Tom Hiddleston."

Will smiled, though I could tell it was not genuine. "Will Madison. Amazing job in the last Thor movie, by the way."

Tom chuckled, running a hand through his auburn hair. "Thank you, Will. I appreciate that." He looked down at his watch, then, eyes widening. "I'm afraid I must run." Eyes meeting mine once more, he smiled sadly. "I apologize for intruding. Have a nice evening, Alexa." He nodded to Will. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Will." I watched him walk down the hallway, shoulders drooping slightly. What had just happened?