𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗼𝘄 ━━━━ roman kemp

━━━━ twenty

Crossing over the legendary bridge she has seen so many people walk over on the television is just as thrilling as Mathilda Holland had always dreamed it would be. Her quick strides are slightly off-kilter due to the weight of the crown on her head but she finds that the unbalance is anything but unwelcome.

Fireworks spark every few metres along the bridge and the beautiful colours and loud sounds only serve to add to the magical atmosphere. Mathilda pauses on the golden star marker, beaming at the camera located a few feet away. The whole experience is nothing short of surreal, but Mathilda really thinks she may be dreaming when two very familiar faces round the corner and offer her dopey, tearful smiles.

"Tilly!" shrieks one Thomas Stanley Holland, grinning and running toward his younger sister with gusto.

From his arms, Darcy Rose Holland (perhaps I should consider making it Holland-Kemp legally now, she fleetingly muses) raises her hands and shows two rows of pearly white teeth as she lets out an enthusiastic: "Mama!"

Instantaneously, tears spring to Mathilda's eyes and she sprints to meet Tom halfway in a tight embrace, mindful of the toddler squashed between their bodies as her weight is shifted into the arms of her mother, who proceeds to pepper the little girl's face with kisses.

"I missed you so much, my baby," Mathilda gushes, carding her fingers through soft blonde hair and smiling even as she tastes the saltiness of her own flowing tears. "I'm never leaving you ever again. If you think you're ever moving out and leaving your mother, then you've got another thing coming, missy!"

Tom laughs at her over dramatic speech as Darcy only blinks up at Mathilda, not comprehending the notion of ever leaving her mother, which makes Mathilda insurmountably pleased. "Okay, mama."

Their reunion is quickly ushered away from the bridge, given that Roman Kemp has to have his own moment with his family. Mathilda spies who she assumes must be his sister, Harley Moon, and the two women share friendly smiles as Tom's arm around her shoulders steers her away and over to a nearby bench.

Darcy sits upon it, idly swinging her legs and singing the lyrics to Let it Go to herself as she does so. Meanwhile Tom does not hesitate in bringing Mathilda closer and into a second embrace, one hand cradling her head and the other at the small of her back. The gesture reminds Mathilda of all the times Tom has held her in that same way in the past whenever he has instinctively known that she needs support. Her big brother truly is a wonder.

"So, on a scale of one-to-ten, how much have you missed me?" Tom asks cheekily as they sit on the bench, Mathilda sandwiched between her daughter and her brother.

She pretends to think, humming as she taps her chin. Tom lets out a noise of indignance which makes her snort, conceding at last. "Eleven. Do you know how hard it was to share a camp with Ian Wright and not be able to call you to talk about it?"

The comment makes Tom huff a laugh, his hand finding hers as their pinky fingers wrapped around one another's - a strange habit the Holland siblings seem to have developed over the years which has simply never been questioned. "Well, you'll have to tell me everything once we're back at the hotel later," he says firmly, eyes light with excitement.

"Why not now?"

"Because, my darling sister, it's time for you to show your face on Extra Camp whilst I laugh from behind the camera as you make a fool of yourself in front of Joel Dommett."

"Wanker."

As it turns out, Mathilda does not humiliate herself by throwing herself at Joel's feet and rambling about how much she adores his work. That's a miracle in itself, really. However, that does not mean that she doesn't trip over nothing on two separate occasions, and stutter an embarrassing number of times as she is subjected to good-natured ribbing from her fellow celebrities on the subject of her relationship with Roman.