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Chapter Seven - Something Just Like This

11th June 2020

The next day, I barely talked, even in the make-up room. When anyone asked about me, which happened often, I just shrugged and acted like it was all fine. 'Cause it was. I could handle my own problems, thank you very much.

Jodie kept giving me worried looks offscreen but I just ignored them. I loved her, so much, but she had way more important things to worry about than me. I was just a little 26-year-old with mental problems. Nothing to see here.

On the 11th, Chris decided we should all have a day off to explore the place, since Scotland was one of the most beautiful places Doctor Who had ever filmed. All I wanted to do is stay in the hostel and sleep, but Jodie and Mandip pulled me out of bed at 8am and said I was coming or they were gonna chuck me in the sea.

So, I reluctantly agreed, and we set off at 9 with our bags and hats to the village.

It was a lovely, stunning June day. The sun sprinkled warm rays on us with not a cloud to cover it, reflecting off the water. The grass and trees were a bright, brilliant mixture of greens, yellows and some specks of red amongst the leaves.

Almost everyone stopped to have a photo or say hi to us, either by the abbey or outside their cottage. A couple even found us a boat that was named 'Tardis'*,which we took a picture of just the three of us paddling in it, to be posted on social media by Mandip and I.

In the end, we decided to get everyone who wanted a photo to stand at the ferry port together, with us at the front, and have a huge photo together. I also decided to send it to the team, who later posted it on all the official Doctor Who social media accounts with a caption reading:

Looks like Jodie, Mandip and Y/N have been caught by the villagers! 🤣🤣🤣 #DoctorWho #IsleOfIona @MandipGill @xY/NxL/Nx

Luckily, none of the fans asked how I was, so I didn't have to lie. I was fine lying to my co-stars, but the public? No. Something could easily slip out, and then get everywhere. Not gonna happen.

We went to a Spar shop, got some ice cream and got a large cone each; I got plain ol' vanilla, Mandip got strawberry and Jodie went for mint choc chip. We took another pic showing us sticking our tongues out with three different colours of ice cream all over them.

We sat outside the Matyrs Restaurant together, facing the sea. I was on the left, Mandip on the right, with Jodie squished in between us. I was unusually calm that she was this close to me.

"Wow. This ice creams great!" said Mandip, taking a large lick from her strawberry.

"It's gotta be the best in Scotland!" Jodie exclaimed, having a lick but then getting some on her nose.

"You've got some...oh Jodie!" Mandip rolled her eyes.

"What? What have I got?"

"Ice cream! On your nose!"

"Oh. Well, I suppose Y/N is gonna have to lick it off for me, aren't you Y/N?"

I turned to her from the sea landscape, eyebrows raised. "Er....."

"Don't you like mint choc chip? If not, I'll happily do it for you." Mandip suggested.

"No! I mean, yeah I do. Come on then, show me your nose." I said.

Jodie did so, her face extremely close to mine. The green cream only covered the tip of her nose, with a tiny chocolate chip in danger of falling. She looked so cute with it smeared on her skin like that.

"Come on, it's only a lick." urged Mandip, but I didn't pay much attention to her.

Jodie's eyes softened as we got even closer, a few centimetres apart. Every inch of her looked perfect in the golden sunshine. She smiled gently at me and her tongue flickered round her mouth before darting back in again. I felt my heart beat faster and faster until...

"Hey guys look! I think that's a seal!" Mandip yelled excitedly.

Her sudden outburst caused Jodie and I to bump into each other, our foreheads banging. Just for a tiny, tiny second, our lips met. Just for that millisecond. A small, tender touch between us. I blushed a bright scarlet but she didn't seem to notice, which I was slightly disappointed about.

"Oh yeah! Y/N, look!"

I shook myself and looked. Sure enough, there was a shiny grey head bobbing in and out of the waves. But I honestly didn't really care about a seal. We had........we'd just kissed.

*THERE IS ACTUALLY A BOAT NAMED 'Tardis' ON THE ISLE OF IONA IN SCOTLAND. I'VE BEEN THERE AND HAVE A PHOTO WITH IT. JUST THOUGHT I'D LET YOU KNOW.