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

Chapter Nineteen: Three Simple Rules

Tuesday began pretty much the way I expected and it dragged along in the same way. I don't actually remember what I dreamed about but if I have to guess by the way I was cuddling the pillow when I woke up, it had something to do with a certain British man whom I happened to confess my love to yesterday. There was no smile on my face but I woke up happy and at ease. That was until, of course, my phone received a text message from Joseph. Things were going the same in the clinic and Rose was sleeping and stable. That was not precisely bad news but it most definitely brought me back to my reality.

And reality stroke me rather harshly which lead to the rest of the day unfolding exactly like I described it last night; I took a long shower while I cried under the water, I drank gallons of coffee which is the sole content of my stomach right now and even tough I couldn't get Rose out of my head, I managed to finish my pending research on the environmental impact of airline industries in the United Kingdom that my boss asked me to do before I went on vacations. I even send him an e-mail with all the data and he was more than happy with it. One less thing to worry about.

Now it is almost 8 pm and I am sitting in front of my dresser, dressed up and ready for Tom to pick me up for our very first date.

I let out a long sigh as I take a look around my room and my eyes stop at my bed which is now serving as some sort of messy showcase for the entire content of my closet. Every dress that I own is on display on top of the mattress along with some other items I can't even believe I considered for the occasion.

It took me two hours -one for me to try on different possibilities and another when I just stood there, in front of my bed, staring blindly at the pile of clothing in front of me- until I made my final decision and went for the red dress I bought a couple of months ago. I saw it as I was walking home for work and I thought it was cute and I might wear it for Valentine's Day with Harry.

Isn't it funny how things turned out at the end? Not only it is over with Harry and I will no longer be spending any festivities with him, let alone the most romantic day of the year but I am actually wearing the dress I bought thinking of him, on a date with a man I met ten days ago and I have already confessed my love to.

"What am I doing? Maybe I'm completely out of my mind" I ask my reflection.

The girl in front of me looks back at me with a frown and I can see a little fear shooting out of her green eyes. I shake my head to push those fears away and she does the same. When we look at each other again, I study her image.

The red dress fits her perfectly as it hugs her tightly from the waist up but floats around her like waves from the waist down. The neckline is so high that it seems to be strangling her but she is not complaining at all and the short sleeves are mantling over her shoulders. The skirt covers her from the middle of her thighs up, leaving the rest of her legs exposed. The black suede pumps she put on to finish the outfit give her the illusion of having long, endless legs, which she doesn't since she barely reaches a 5'2 on the height board. Her face is barely touched with a little foundation, pink blush on her cheeks, a simple hint of a very natural eyeshadow and a generous amount of mascara. I lean closer to her and she imitated me as I try to figure out if people could tell in the redness of her eyes that she has spent most of the day crying.

I think we will be just fine.

Overall, and with the messy bun made out of two even messier braids she is sporting as a hairdo, she looks cute and rather innocent and angelical.

The silence in the room is so deep that the soft purring of an engine car as it turns around the corner and stops in the street, three storey below, travels all the way to my ears. My heart stops for a few seconds when I hear the door closing and the footsteps on the asphalt as they get closer to my building door. Just when the clock switches from 7:59 to 8 pm, the sound of the doorbell breaks the quietness of the apartment.