Chapter 1: Flutter

Author's Note:

This is my first fanfic. I recently became a big fan of Matthew Goode because he's an incredible and underrated actor, and he's absolutely GORGEOUS. Because of this, I've been watching absolutely everything he has ever been in and I came across this gem of a movie. I fell in love with it but was disappointed to find only a couple of fanfics for it so I decided to write one myself.
I don't know how many chapters there are going to be in total but I'll try to post chapter 2 soon.
Advice is always welcome. I'd love to hear your thoughts and honest opinions. Also, let me know if you have any suggestions or if there's anything you'd like to see in later chapters. I'm always open to hearing what you have to say.
Enjoy!

The wind whips by as Ben and Anna drive away from the Opera house. Her hair, which has grown since the last time they saw each other, flies wildly behind her as they ride through the London streets.

Having reunited just minutes earlier after months of agonizing separation, Anna can't help but smile at the proximity between her and Ben. She's sitting on the back of his bike, arms wrapped around Ben's wait and chest pressed against his back. After meeting in Prague, they'd spent the next several days together, with him as a constant companion, always by her side. When she found out that he was actually a secret service agent assigned by her father, the President of the United States, to look after her, she had felt so angry and betrayed that she left him behind in Berlin without saying a proper goodbye. But even though she'd only known him for a short time, his absence had left a giant hole in her life that nothing seemed to fill. Ben Calder, this gorgeous, charming, protective, sarcastic man had taken root in her heart and there was no way of removing him without causing damage. The following months had been hollow and lonely, as if a piece of her was missing. So, when her father had told her that Ben had quit the secret service and was living in London, she knew she had to take the leap. She transferred to Oxford for the semester, making the 'big gesture' that Ben's father never made.

Almost immediately after arriving in London, Anna had found out from her father where Ben was working as a photographer and surprised him at the Opera house. Upon seeing him, the hole left in Anna's heart caused by Ben's absence instantly began to mend, and when they kissed, any doubts about his feelings for her were quickly washed away.

Recalling that perfect, lingering kiss, Anna smiles wider and tucks her face into the warm crook of Ben's neck. Closing her eyes, she breathes deeply, inhaling his scent mixed with the spicy but understated cologne that she recognizes from the night they spent together in the sleeping bag under the stars in Austria.

A vehicle comes around the corner behind them and Anna sighs as she recognizes the familiar black SUV following them closely. She had become accustomed to Weiss and his new partner following her every move, but their presence could still be an annoyance during these otherwise perfect moments.

Suddenly, Anna grins. She leans forward towards Ben's ear and shouts above the noise of the traffic, "You wanna lose them?"

Ben's lips turn into his charming, uneven smile, one corner of his mouth rising higher than the other in a look of amusement. "You know," he replies, "I don't exactly relish the thought of getting on your father's bad side."

"Oh c'mon!" Anna says. "Live a little!" She feels him chuckle against her chest as he shakes his head slightly.

"Hang on tight," he calls back to her before turning sharply into a narrow alley that's not quite wide enough for Weiss' large SUV to fit through.

Ben inwardly grins as he feels Anna's arms wrap further around him, gripping him more firmly as she leans closer into his back.

Unlike in Prague, where Ben only had a rough idea of the layout of the city, he knew London intimately. He was familiar with every side street, one-way road, and back alley. After making a few more turns, he slows to a stop in a quiet, narrow alleyway, waiting to be certain that they had lost their pursuers. "Looks like we gave them the slip," he says after a few moments, when Weiss doesn't show.

Anna jumps off the bike laughing. Raising both hands in the air in a sign of victory, she lets out a loud "Whoooooo!" of excitement. "That was awesome!"

Ben rolls his eyes as he climbs off the bike but can't help the grin that crosses his face. Her excitement is infectious.

"Weiss is probably calling DC right now to warn my dad that we're running off to Venice or Berlin again," Anna says.

Ben leans against the parked bike and smiles, remembering how they'd accidentally boarded a train going to Venice while trying to get to Berlin for the Love Parade. "Well as much as I enjoyed that, I think we better stay in the country this time. I don't want your father thinking he can't trust me with you and banning you from ever seeing me again," he jokes.

"Oh, don't worry," Anna says, taking a step closer. "There's no way he could keep me away."

Ben chuckles. "I don't doubt that."

There's a pause as they stand there, looking into each other's eyes. Anna bites her lip as she feels a slight flutter in her stomach. "So," she says suddenly, breaking the silence. "This is where you grew up, right?"

Ben nods. "Yeah, after moving here from Wales with my mother. Spent most of my life here, really. Even after I joined the secret service it's still the only place that ever really felt like home." He pauses, looking around at the buildings surrounding them, as if recalling the years he spent here. After a moment, he looks back at Anna and asks, "What about you? Have you ever been to London before?"

Anna shrugs. "Oh you know," she says with a sigh. "I've been here with my parents but with my dad it's always been this dreary series of brunches and chocolate mint on my silk pillow at these 5-star hotels." They laugh, remembering his sarcastic comment about her "numbing" privileged life on the night they met. "I've never gotten to actually experience London. There was never time to actually have any fun, and even if there was, the massive security team he always insists on sort of takes away from the whole, genuine experience, you know?"

Ben is quiet for a moment as he seems to consider something, then he smiles. "Well in that case, c'mon," he says, climbing back onto the bike and patting the seat behind him.

"Where?"

"To experience London."

Anna grins and quickly jumps onto the bike behind Ben, wrapping her arms around his waist again. She feels the flutter in her stomach return as she places her hands on his firm abdomen and her eyes close momentarily, enjoying the feeling. She opens her eyes again at the sound of Ben revving the engine and a moment later they take off, turning back onto the busy late-afternoon London streets.