While we prepared for take-off the blonde attendant - whose name tag pronounced her as Rachel - brought bottled water and hot towels. As I wiped away some of the grime of my prolonged journey, I groaned at the luxurious feel of the hot scented moisture on my skin. God, that feels good!
"Wow! I'll have what she's having!" an amused voice murmured softly from behind me. Recognising the quote, I realised I must have groaned louder - and more suggestively - than I had intended.
"I understood that reference!" the geek in me replied, turning slightly to be heard in the row behind, though the layout of the seats made it difficult, as well as impossible to see who was there.
"And I understood that reference!" came back and I laughed aloud, knowing I had stumbled upon another Avengers fan.
After the safety demonstration we were served champagne and canapés and the two of us geeked out quietly between rows, discussing Marvel franchise directors and their differing techniques as well as the interweaving of superheroes throughout the Marvel Universe. When I introduced the subject of anti-heroes, his comments showed a depth of knowledge and character insight that surprised me. We were talking about Loki's many tricks and attempts to better Thor and take over Odin's throne when my fellow traveller quoted,
" 'And thus I clothe my naked villainy with odd old ends stol'n out of holy writ ...' "
" 'And seem a saint, when most I play the devil.' " I finished the quote with him - it came from Shakespeare's King Richard III - and sat without speaking for a moment as I absorbed the fact that he was apparently also familiar with my favourite playwright.
Having had a mother who was an English literature professor, I had been raised on Shakespeare practically from the time I was out of nappies. Our talk turned to Shakespeare's other great anti-heroes - Iago, Hamlet and Macbeth among them - and by the time it became apparent that dinner was about to be served, I knew he was pretty well versed on the bard. All the while I was growing ever more aware of the impact this man was having on me. I had no idea who he was or even what he looked like, but the soft tenor of his voice rolled around in my head and the passion with which he spoke made me feel...well, I didn't really know what I was feeling. Warmth, excitement, nervousness - they all warred inside me, jostling for top position. I only knew that I was enjoying his company more than any man I had met for a long time.
"I'm Tom, by the way," he said as I realised we had been talking all this time without introductions.
"Kate," I replied, sticking to first name only as he had.
"Kate, I would be honoured if you would join me for dinner." And there it was, an invitation to continue to get to know him without the awkwardness of airline furniture and space between us.
"I'd like that, thank you," I said after a moment and unclasped my seatbelt, moving the bits and pieces from my lap to the safety of the tray beside me. As I stood and turned I caught my first glimpse of him and stopped in absolute shock. Paralysed for the briefest of moments, I stared at him before sinking slowly back down into my own seat and exclaiming, "Oh, that is so not fair!"
"Kate, I'm sorry!"
"The Avengers! You had me rambling on about The Avengers! And Loki! Oh my god!" I groaned, covering my face with my hands in mortification. "And Shakespeare! You've probably played half of those characters!"
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"
Suddenly there was a flurry of movement behind me and I knew without looking that he was here, bending long limbs to crouch beside my seat and offer further apology.
"Kate, I didn't mean to embarrass you. I was enjoying our talk so much and I must admit, selfishly enjoying the anonymity too. It happens so rarely these days, but that is no excuse. Please forgive me, I really am terribly sorry."
His sincerity was evident in his voice. How could I not recognise that voice? I'd heard it live on stage several times, not to mention in movies - I could only blame weariness and having been out of touch of the 'real world' for so long. Plus, never in a million years would I expect... Lowering my hands, I turned to look at him. And there was that face, the face known by millions and admired by only slightly fewer. The face of one of Britain's most talented actors, a rising star in the glittering and glamorous worlds of theatre and cinema.
Tom Hiddleston.
For a moment I felt how I imagined a fan girl would - overawed, nervous, tongue-tied - and I bit my lip as my brain reeled and whirled, seeking purchase on a coherent thought. God, his eyes are so gorgeous! OK, not that thought.
"Kate?"
I blinked.
And suddenly, I was back in focus and he was no longer Tom, world-famous actor and movie star, Twitter-throb and sexiest man alive. He was Tom, the man whose (albeit anonymous) company and conversation I had been enjoying, with whom I felt at ease and who I definitely wanted to get to know better.
As if sensing my change of mood, his face relaxed and I realised he really had been anxious about upsetting me. His eyes crinkled and in a heartbeat he turned on me the most outrageously beseeching look known to womankind. Oh God!
"Does that puppy dog look always work for you?" I asked wryly, trying to look stern but knowing the corners of my mouth were lifting in the beginnings of a smile.
"Always," he replied smugly, a Cheshire Cat-sized grin now across his face.
At that moment the airline attendant appeared with our meals and Tom stood, holding out a hand to help me from my seat and before I knew it, I was beside him in the next row.
And there I stayed. Electronic entertainment and thoughts of sleep were long forgotten as we talked, joked and laughed together, discovering both similar and opposing opinions on a wide range of topics. Tom shared some hilarious stories of life on The Avengers set and had me clutching my sides in muffled laughter. I'm pretty sure I even snorted a couple of times, Go me! Occasionally one of us would go off to the restroom or to the bar for more water or tea (we drank a lot of tea) and as we flew over mainland US and the Atlantic, I found myself feeling more and more at ease in his company. Each time our eyes met I experienced a tingling and warmth in my core and once or twice - as we both talked a lot with our hands - we would touch the other lightly and briefly, causing me to wonder if there were something wrong with the oxygen supply in the airplane.
The connection I felt with him both scared and thrilled me.
When the announcement came that we would shortly be beginning our descent into Heathrow, I excused myself to freshen up. Catching sight of my mirrored reflection, I attempted to remove some of the travel grime, grimacing at the bags under my eyes, then untied my plait before making an attempt with water and fingers to tame the jumbled curls and comb it into some semblance of tidiness before re-tying it. I brushed my teeth and straightened my t-shirt, smiling to myself at the Avengers artwork and the memory it conjured of our earlier conversations.
Rachel the attendant was talking animatedly to Tom when I returned, so not wanting to disrupt them, I sat in my original seat and began packing my few belongings into my bag, grabbing a jumper to put on once I exited the terminal. April in the South Pacific and April in London were two very different creatures. Rachel was still there when the fasten seat belt alert came on so I stayed where I was and strapped myself in, my mind pulling ahead to the minutiae of our arrival. The bag I had with me was my only luggage, so at least I was spared the tedium of waiting at carousels, and I had managed to contact my best friend Davey before I left Tahiti so hoped he would be there to meet me and take me home.
"Scared you away?" came a teasing voice from behind me.
"You were busy with a fan," I teased back and he chuckled.
"Give me your number before we part?" he asked before explaining that he would be met and ushered out by security people.
I caught my breath. "Yes," was all I managed as a happy dance began somewhere in my chest.
As the wheels touched down and we were given the all clear to switch our phones on, I took mine off flight mode and was surprised when it rang instantly with an incoming call. I smiled as I answered.
"Davey!"
"Darling girl, welcome back to the bosom of dear old Blighty!" Davey was nothing if not dramatic. "I am here to greet you with bells ringing, trumpets blowing and a gorgeously hot knight on a white charger to see you safely ensconced once more in your humble abode!"
I giggled, knowing the "hot knight" he referred to was James, Davey's own knight in shining armour. They had been together for five years and were getting married in a fortnight's time.
"You darling man!" I replied, thankful I wouldn't have to make my own way home as I realised sleeplessness and jet lag were beginning to catch up with me. "Take me home and throw me into bed and I will love you forever!"
"Promises, promises!" he replied, "You know you'll love me forever no matter what. Now hurry up and get your cute little arse off that blasted plane! I've missed you!"
"I missed you too. I'll see you soon." And I disconnected, still chuckling at Davey's flamboyant words.
By now we had arrived at the gate and the seat belt sign was off, enabling us to begin disembarkation. I stood and turned to Tom just as Rachel came over.
"Mr Hiddleston, there is rather a large crowd awaiting your arrival, so security are here to escort you through immigration procedures as smoothly as possible."
I sent Tom a sympathetic smile and was about to give him the contact number he had asked for when the look on his face stopped me. Gone was the open, friendly and charming man I had seen over the past ten hours and I was now faced with a closed but courteous demeanour. His eyes didn't quite meet mine as he said in a voice that could have been talking to a complete stranger,
"Kate, it was a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for your company."
And with that, he turned to follow Rachel down the stairs and was gone.