Because You're Mine (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic) #Wattys2016 #pfcc2k16

Chapter Sixteen: A Bow Tie a Bottle of Jameson and the Verdict.

I wonder if I'll ever see you again...
*****

As soon as I took a step inside my apartment I picked up the phone and called my dad. We talked for over forty minutes mainly about Rose. Every time I have to explain the details to somebody different I feel more and more at peace with the whole thing. The truth is that she seems really tired and defeated so I guess that if she is okay with her fate, then I have to be too.

When my dad and I were finally ready to say goodbye I got myself undressed and took a long, warm shower hoping that the water would calm my anxiety. It didn't.

Right now, I am sprawled in my couch watching some crappy reality show about rich people in London and sheathed in my pink suede sweat pants and my favorite T-shirt to sleep on.

The ridiculous love triangles on the show have managed to distract me a little from all the thoughts I have running through my mind but when my stomach growls at me, demanding attention and food I stand up with a great effort and take a quick trip to the kitchen.

With a frown on my face I scan my fridge only to discover that is dramatically empty except for some eggs and three different kinds of jam. I don't have to be a cook prodigy to know that there's absolutely nothing I can do with that.

My stomach complains once again and I slam the door shut, making the bottles inside shake and bump into each other. I go for the cabinets looking for some dry pasta so I can fix myself the only food I know how to prepare without making a mess.

I turn on the stove to boil the water and as it does, I open the can and heat up the tomato sauce I found deep in the pantry. I guess this dates from my times living with Harry because Ally considers any kind of canned food to be plain blasphemy.

When I go back to the dining table with my pretty decent meal and a glass of red I start eating really fast. I was starving.

The TV is still on in the background and once in a while I let out a giggle or a sigh of annoyance at some stupid comment or dialogue from the show. Those people are crazy and stupid but I am grateful for their company.

I finish my food way before I kill my bottle of wine so after I do the dishes and I leave the kitchen spotless I go back to the couch and I propped myself in the exact same position I was before I got hungry. The show is over and given that I am not interested on what comes next I just turn the TV off and decide to put on some mellow music on my phone. Before I go into my music library I check again for any missed calls or a text message I might have failed to listen. Of course, there's nothing.

So, with nothing interesting on the television and Ally gone for the week, the apartment seems bigger than usual and dead silent. I want to distract myself, think about something else but at this point I think I should just come to terms with fact that Tom is irremediably settled on my brain.

I think about the note he left in my car and how cold and impersonal it sounded, especially compared to the one he left in my pillow the morning after we spend the night together for the first time. But then again, the gesture of driving my car and park it in front of my house was really sweet and thoughtful. I am so confused right now. Maybe I should call him.

When I decide to give him a call I realize that my body was already ahead of my brain and my hands are grasping at my phone, scrolling down through my contacts looking for Tom's entry.

I put it on speaker since I am alone at the apartment and I just wait for him to pick up. When I hear his recorded voice I reflexively kill of the rest of my glass with a single gulp and pour myself another one.

I let him speak and I shiver at every word he pronounces so flawlessly with that perfect, sophisticated voice of his:

"Hello, you have reached Tom's number. I can't answer your call at the moment but you can leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you and have a nice day"