Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(19) Repeating Apologies

Nina was up at near enough the crack of dawn the next morning, ready for the three hour-ish journey to Devon. She planned on going and waking up Tom if he didn't decide to show his face at her door once again- after all, he was generally the early bird.

She wasn't hung over as such, having not had much to drink compared to some other people, but she had a cracking headache anyways and that was probably brought on my her stress. Stress about Kyle. Stress about work. Stress about Tom and his attempt to kiss her. Was he really drunk? Did he have any idea what he was getting himself into? What was he getting them both into?

Nina did one last check that she'd got everything, pushing her worries aside for a brief moment, and she left the room, almost walking into Tom just down the corridor who looked like he was half asleep beneath his sunglasses and baseball cap, despite it not being sunny at all.

"Morning." He grimaced, walking with Nina down the corridor. "Please tell me I did not do anything regrettable last night."

Nina's breath caught in her throat for a moment. "I..." Think, Nina! "I don't think you did... I have your suit jacket in my case, by the way. You have it to me after-"

"After I made a complete fool of myself on the phone to your boyfriend." He groaned softly. "I understand if you don't want to forgive me yet, but I am really sorry."

"No, don't apologise. He needed putting in his place." Nina sighed, on edge at their close proximity when they got into the lift. "One day I feel like breaking it off with him, then the next day he's the best thing since sliced bread."

"That's not how relationships should be, darling." Tom looked at her as they signed out in reception, and she felt herself becoming red. What, was there something on her face? "He says he loves the rain, yet he opens his umbrella when it rains. He says he loves the sun, yet he stands in the shade when the sun shines. He says he loves the wind, yet he closes his windows when the wind blows. And you are afraid, Nina-"

"Because he says he loves me too." Nina mused. "Steady there, Shakespeare."

"What I'm saying Nina, is that you should be happy that you're in a relationship with him, not dreading the next moment you see him." He rested his hand on her shoulder and took his sunglasses off with his other hand, and Nina's heart stopped as he gave her a devastating smile, his eyes as blue as the sky. No, bluer. Nina opened her mouth slowly to say something but she stopped, only nodding.

Tom tucked his glasses into his shirt pocket and picked his bags back up, leading the way out to the car they'd be travelling in. He helped Nina throw her bags into the boot, and once again, opened her door for her. Nina was deep on thought, only muttering a 'thanks' as she clambered in.

"I'm really sorry about what I said, if I offended you in any way." Tom clambered into the car beside her and reached across to her, his hand resting lightly on her knee in a somewhat comforting manner. "And once more, I really do apologise for last night. I can't imagine having to escort me back to my room was fun at all."

"No, it wasn't." Nina sighed, gazing out of the window.

"You don't look at all pleased." Tom groaned, fiddling with his curls with his other hand. "Oh gosh, what did I do?"

"Nothing!" Nina snapped, and regretted it instantly. Rather than looking pleading, Tom rather resembled a hurt puppy, and Nina felt pretty bad. "I'm...I'm sorry..."

"No, no, it's fine." He withdrew his hand and put his sunglasses back on, and Nina took this as him wanting to be left alone. She sighed once again, pulling out her phone, because if she wasn't concentrating on something then she'd surely make a bigger idiot of herself. "But really, what happened?"

Nina dropped her phone onto the seat next to her, not noticing the missed calls from Kyle. "I took you back to your room. You insisted on hugging me, you didn't really want to let go, and then..." Nina trailed off, getting quieter and quieter as she spoke.

"And then what?" He didn't turn his head, he just kept on staring out of his window.

"You...you, uh..." Nina's voice was barely above a whisper. "You tried to kiss me..."

If the driver was hearing this, he was doing very well not to react as Tom jumped slightly, like he'd just received an electric shock. "I did what? Oh my goodness, Nina, I'm so, so sorry-"

"No, it's ok. I could tell you didn't really know what you were doing anyway..." Nina got no response from Tom as he sat quietly, probably embarrassed about what he'd done. As the silence grew longer, Nina began to wonder if he did know what he was doing last night after all.

*****

Everyone signed themselves in when they'd arrived at the hotel near the village where they were to begin filming in tomorrow. There was an awkwardness hovering in the air between Nina and Tom, but they were both hoping it would dissipate before they were around each other 24/7 again.

Nina collected her keys, gave a quick thanks to the receptionist and headed up to her room. It was only a small hotel, nothing extravagant, but it instantly felt quite homely. Nina unlocked her room, and as she did so she heard voices just down the corridor.

There was no mistaking those two familiar British accents and as they moved closer and closer, Nina realised that Benedict and Tom had somehow ended up with the rooms either side of her.

She shut her door quickly and threw her bags across the room onto the bed just across from her, before sinking down against the door and pinching the bridge of her nose lightly. She just hoped that they hadn't realised it was her sandwiched between them.

Eventually she mustered the willpower to pull herself up and unpack her things. She'd be in this hotel for a good two and a half weeks so she thought she may as well get relatively comfortable. Molly knew that Nina was relocating today and she'd told her that she'd text her when she arrived in Devon, but Nina groaned loudly in frustration.

It would be very difficult to text her sister when her phone was still in the car.

[A/N] ta-dah! awkward tom and even more awkward nina at your service. so, how would you feel being in between benedict and tom? hotel rooms, i mean. duh...drop a vote if you're still enjoying this humble little fic of mine?
yours truly :) x