I have all my bags packed, and enough clothes to last at least a month. My suitcase is crammed into the boot of the taxi as we drive down the quiet early morning roads. It's quite dark out, the occasional bird tweeting. The air is cold and moist, setting dew on the grass ready for morning. With the window open I find it quite relaxing breathing in the fresh air, despite the slight taste of petrol fumes lingering on my tongue. It clears my lungs of the stuffy indoor air and fills them with coolness. It's a nice feeling.
An even better feeling was that I was going to be able to see Matt again in a few minutes. He'd be waiting at the airport for me, and then we'd be whisked off to Spain. And we'd probably end up getting the Business Class seats, which would be awesome. I've only ever been in Economy Class every time I've travelled, because I didn't have the money to splash out on First Class tickets. All of the film crew would be there, cameras packed. I'm surprised that they didn't go over the baggage limit. But I suppose it's different for film crews, they must get VIP luggage allowances or something. But at the moment my brain can't be bothered to think about it.
So I lay back in my seat, letting the cool morning air chill my skin and weave its way through my hair. My thoughts drifted to Matt (this wasn't a rare happening, I thought about him a lot) and our relationship. All I could think about was how perfect he was, and how much of a lucky girl I was to be able to have him. Yeah, I'm getting rather cliché now, aren't I?
The trouble was that any minute I thought that I was going to wake up from some dream. That's the trouble with watching Inception twenty times. The idea of dream worlds becomes even more real to you. And the life I was leading seemed so surreal; my dream man and the coolest, if not slightly annoying sometimes best friend.
I'd wake up and find myself in the real world, a world where I was living the boring day-to-day life of any ordinary twenty eight year old. Considering how some people lived their lives at this age I was quite lucky. In most ways I was a child or teenager in a grown woman's body. I hated being mature, mature was boring. I did my dream job: acting. I may not be the best actress in the world but I enjoyed it. Since I started I've always lived in the hope that one day I'd be a movie star that everyone loves. Even now that seems a bit far-fetched.
After a few more minutes, the taxi pulls up outside the airport. Even now I get that rush; that pit of nerves in my stomach whenever I visit an airport. It seems like a big adventure. In a way I love it, however I've always hated flying. My stomach is doing somersaults as I get escorted round the back of the taxi with the driver alongside. The Sherlockian side of me is wondering if he's going to take me inside the airport and make me choose one of those deadly pills. But this isn't Sherlock, this is real life so I tell my fandom-obsessed brain to shut up for the time being.
He lifts the suitcase out of the boot and hands it to me. I smile and thank him, fishing out my purse and thumbing my way through the notes until I find the right amount to give him. Exchanging goodbyes and 'have a good trip' 's, we both go our separate ways.
Letting out a long sigh, I look up at the massive building. To the left I see a plane taking off, the screeching rumble of the engine echoing through the air. Dodging people in a hurry, I finally manage to get inside, the automatic doors parting to allow me inside. The wheels of my suitcase rumble across the thin carpet as my eyes scan around for any sign of Matt.
The corners of my lips curl into a smile as I spot a large group in a seating area, tons of baggage on trolleys and in suitcases and bags. It looks like they're going on a freakin' hiking trip up Mount Everest. My eyes widen when they drift across Matt, who's chatting with Karen and Arthur. Squealing with excitement, I begin to speed-walk towards them.
Matt, who's facing in the same direction as I'm heading in, spots me and immediately looks up, eyes lighting up. He shoots out of his seat and smiles as I barge through the crowd, stepping over bags and suitcases in order to get to him. When I finally reach him, I throw my arms around him and bury my head in his shoulder. He nuzzles into my hair, kissing my temple affectionately.
"Beth," he grins, breaking from the hug. "You made it! We've all been waiting for you."
"I can't believe we're going to Spain... together!" I squeal happily, and surprise him by pressing my lips to his in a brief kiss, gently pulling away after a few seconds. For a moment he looks shocked but his expression melts into a smile as he looks me up and down, admiring my patterned dress. I giggle cutely and blush.
"Right, is everyone here?" Moffat announces, standing up from his seat and ticking people off from a list. "Good. Let's get moving."
Everyone begins picking up all their bags and throwing them over their shoulders, or putting them onto trolleys.
On the way to the aeroplane, I eagerly get chatting with Matt, Karen and Arthur. Karen and Arthur are actually interesting people to talk to and I wanted to get to know them better. We'd be sitting on a four-seat row in the middle, so I'd be able to talk to them more on the plane.
After making our way through security and getting the small train to our terminal, we waited patiently in the boarding lounge for about ten minutes. Us four were laughing our heads off at something Karen just said about Matt. The crew looked at us like we were a bunch of kids.
Finally we manage to get on the plane and sit down, the low hum of the engines starting up filling our ears. Somehow all planes seem to have a distinct smell. I can't really describe it, but every time I get on a plane they always smell of this certain odour.
Putting our bags up into the overhead lockers, we all sit down in the middle of the plush Business Class seats, and boy are they comfy. They're thick blue and cushioned, with plenty of leg room and air conditioning. Matt sits on the end, me to the right of him, and Karen next to me with Arthur on the other end beside her. The rest of the crew and other actors and actresses take the other seats around us.
Letting out a shaky breath, I grab hold of Matt's hand and he looks to me, confused. I gaze up into his eyes, my pupils wide and dilated with fear.
"I don't like flying all too much," I admit sheepishly, hoping I don't sound too wimpy.
He smiles comfortingly. "It's OK, sweetheart. I'll be right next to you."
I return the smile and lean my head on his shoulder. I clear my brain of stray thoughts and concentrate on the fact that in a few hours, we'll be sunning on the beach in Spain.
/\\\
No words can describe the relief I feel when the plane touches down. I let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back in my seat, my hand still held tightly in Matt's. Karen and Arthur are chatting animatedly and don't seem to notice that the plane has even landed. Finally it stops, and the seat belt lights turn off, and everyone begins unstrapping and standing up.
An announcement comes over the tannoy and everyone retrieves their luggage from the overhead lockers. Matt reaches up and gets mine for me, and I mutter a thank you. After some pushing and shoving we finally reach the door to exit, and start walking down the flight of stairs. My lungs are immediately hit with the hot, humid air of Spain. A slight burning sensation sparks inside my chest, beads of sweat forming on my forehead. I slip my cardigan off and sling it over my arm.
When we reach the bottom, all the crew gather round in a big group and discuss what we're all going to do. The crew are going to go to the main set and start setting up all the cameras and equipment, whilst us lucky people get to stay in a hotel near the beach for a few days while they set everything up.
The crew start trudging in a different direction to get their bus to the set, whilst us, along with the other actors and actresses for the episode, start going inside. Moffat is going with the crew to tell them how to set everything up, so we have his second in command joining us to keep an eye on us for the next few days. It's compulsory that the actors and actresses actually practice their lines during these next few days, after all this is work and not actually a holiday. Although I'm treating it like a holiday.
The next few hours go by in a flash of going through security and retrieving our bigger bits of luggage, waiting for hours for it to come round the baggage collection travellator. Then we get a minibus which takes us to our hotel for the next few days. And blimey, was it hot. I put some sun cream on myself along with a pair of sunglasses. Good thing I was wearing a short sleeved dress because if I'd worn anything else I would've baked.
Matt had taken off his jumper to reveal a short sleeved shirt, a few buttons at the top undone. He was wearing a pair of funky sunglasses, and along with the bus window rolled down and the wind blowing through his hair he looked incredibly hot. To be honest I wasn't looking at the scenery on the way there, I was looking at him.
We are all so relieved when we reach the hotel. Seagulls squawk to let us know we're near the beach. The hotel is actually opposite the beach with a nice sea view, and all of us pick up our bags and trudge through reception, hot and sweaty. Matt and I get a room to share, room 23. After walking up a flight of stairs which is ten times harder in this heat, we finally reach the door of the room.
Karen and Arthur say their goodbyes to us. Karen's in the room next door and Arthur one room down from that, so we're not all that far away from each other. It's such a relief when we step inside, the cold air from the air conditioning chilling our skin. I let out a long sigh of relief, we're finally here.
There's a brilliant view of the sea out the front, a double bed in a grand room with a en suite. We have our own kitchen and table, and a TV area with a sofa and a coffee table. There's a balcony with two chairs and a table overlooking the sea. This is all I've dreamed of. It's perfect. It really is a shame we're only going to be spending a few days here.
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