Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(6) Sleepwalking

Packing was done. Goodbyes had been said. And contact had been made with Nina's parents over in Devon for the first time in a while. Since Nina would be local very soon, her parents had taken the opportunity to invite her around and extended the offer to any friends that she might want to bring. Nina had thanked her for the offer, but she was usually shy and didn't like talking to normal people, let alone famous actors who could probably kill her with a wink and a cheeky grin.

"Are you ready, Nina?" Kyle said for the thousandth time. Nina couldn't quite tell whether he was genuinely concerned or whether he was desperate to get rid of her.

"Yeah." She said softly, not wanting to say much more and trigger any obscure reactions, and also not being able to think of much more to say due to her lack of sleep. Kyle had been even more protective and somewhat jumpy over the past day, and he'd constantly been reminding her to call him, text him, whatever. Nina still hadn't said anything to him about the moment in the coffee shop, and she wasn't planning on doing so any time soon.

The journey in the car to the train station was quite long but blissfully silent, save for the radio. Kyle occasionally sang along to bits of different songs that came on and sometimes encouraged a near-silent Nina to join in but she was lost in thought. Thought of what her first time away from Kyle for more than three days would be like. It would be odd, but Nina wasn't particularly opposed to change.

They soon arrived at the station and Kyle stayed faithfully with Nina until they got to the platform. He gripped her gloved hand almost too tightly, awaiting the train more anxiously than she was. Headlights soon appeared in the dim distance and Nina smiled. Her smile soon disappeared as Kyle pressed his mouth to hers and she became lost in the kiss.

"Kyle..." Nina pushed him gently away with a breathy laugh. "Kyle, we're still in public."

"I know, I know..." He sighed. "I'll miss you, baby. Call me as soon as you get to your hotel, ok? And don't go making out with any handsome film stars."

"I won't." Nina laughed softly, but it felt alien and fake to her lungs. "Goodbye, Kyle." He helped her to push her case onto the train and into a luggage compartment and then he hopped off, standing on the platform with his hands stuffed into his pocket, gazing up at her with his stunning blue eyes.

Nina took a seat by a window, staring out at the platform, at the tall walls behind Kyle's scruffy head. He waved, holding his car keys up to her and Nina knew he had to go. The train set off with a jolt and Nina waved one more time before relaxing into her seat.

The train rattled past a few country lanes and Nina stared in wonder at the wildlife that surrounded the tracks. A few cars went past here and there, but other than that it was quite serene-looking. Nina turned to the ticket collector, handing him her ticket and as she took it back she noticed a car catching up with the train, a car alarmingly similar to Kyle's.

But Kyle wasn't alone in the car. A busty blonde sat beside him, her red-painted lips wide with laughter, and Nina tensed up.

Marie.

*****

It was a good three and a bit hours later before the train arrived in Hampshire. True to his word, Steven had sent a driver to pick up Nina and take her to her hotel, and he greeted her with a handshake and a smile before politely offering to take her case for her as they walked to the car.

"I've got another client in the car if you don't mind, miss." The elderly driver informed her as they crossed the car park but Nina felt half asleep, responding with just an 'mmm' and a nod. "He arrived a little earlier than you, miss, and he's staying in the same hotel as you. I believe he's also working on Dartmoor."

"What's his name?" Nina replied quietly, pushing her belongings into the boot of the car.

"Thomas, I believe." The driver opened her door for her, allowing her to climb into the backseat, before shutting the door and getting into his drivers seat.

Nina buckled up her seatbelt with a sigh, leaning back for a moment and closing her eyes, before a soft voice spoke up from beside her. "Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm Tom." Nina opened one eye, and then the other, as she realised the very man that Molly had been obsessing over was sitting beside her in a fancy car and waiting for her to shake his hand. "Sorry, did I disturb you? Did you want to sleep?"

"No, no..." She shook his hand gently. "I'm Nina. Nina Ferguson. I'm new to this whole film thing. Fresh from the theatre."

"Oh, me too!" His hand held hers for a moment longer before he moved it away and ran it through his glorious, glorious curls. "Tell me, what do you think of Shakespeare?"

*****

They arrived at the hotel a little while later after a good conversation about English literature. It turned out that Tom also lived in London but spent some time away from his flat due to filming commitments, but he didn't mind because he enjoyed visiting new places.

"So this is the hotel?" Nina muttered to herself, stepping out of the car as her door opened for her before realising it was Tom who had let her out, not the kindly old driver who was in fact pulling their cases from the boot of the car. "Whoops!" Nina realised too late that she wasn't concentrating on her own movements as she fell over a stone on the floor. A hand grabbed her arm quickly.

"Hold your horses." Tom grinned, his eyes sparkling as he helped Nina regain her balance before striding with his long legs over to the driver struggling to pull out Nina's case. "Steady there, chap, I'll get that."

Nina watched for a moment before pulling out her phone and seeing dozens of texts, mainly from Molly and Kyle. Ah well, she thought, heading to where her case now sat. I'll have plenty of time to answer those later.

[A/N] hooray, tom's here! and he's only been here for seven paragraphs and he's already said sorry! good ol' tom. drop a vote for gentlemanliness...chivalry isn't dead, you know.
yours truly :) x