Smile Please

Hiding Away

The plane landed in Palma the following weekend and Lizzie looked out to the bright Spanish sunshine with a heavy heart.  The past few days after the newspaper article and the twitter backlash had been hell.  Although Luke was as good as his word, and the newspaper retracted the article, the social media frenzy against her didn't die down.  If anything, the retraction made it worse.  She was now seen to be buying silence.  Between the three of them, they decided it was time to tell Tom and she would be the one to do it, face to face.

Having learnt from their last airport reunion, Tom wasn't there to meet her and for once, she was grateful.  The reception for her on her own was bad enough, local paps having been tipped off by the syndicated nationals.  If Tom had been there, she would have had a lot of explaining to do in a very short space of time.  At least this way, she could tell him at her own pace.  In private.

Walking into the Arrivals hall, she kept her sunglasses on and her head down.  A few journalists tried to get her to comment but she had been well briefed by Luke.  Smile and walk on.  Nothing more nothing less.  Within a few feet, she saw the sign with her name and the driver stepped forward to take her bags.  He was the size of a house and had the demeanour to match.  He nodded to her, and she briefly thanked him as they walked to the car.  Getting in, she sat back and sighed.  This wasn't how she'd imagined her arrival, she only hoped the visit would get better.

On the plus side, in a few short minutes she would be reunited with Tom.  God, how she'd missed him.  The facetimes and the calls just hadn't been the same.  She felt like an actual part of her was missing, not just her boyfriend. It scared her to think how much she had come to depend on him.  How much she loved him.

She sat back and watched the scenery as they drove along, unaware that her driver Jose was becoming a little concerned by the car that had followed them from the terminal building.  It was getting nearer and nearer, definitely following them and not simply heading in the same direction.  He took a detour, trying to shake them but they followed.  As he glanced in the mirror again, he could see a telephoto lens.  Paparazzi.  God's truth, did they never give up?  He decided to take an alternative route.  It was longer but afforded less opportunity for the car to draw level in the way the main dual carriageway would.  

He caught Lizzie's eye and smiled.  She smiled back, seemingly unaware.  He wanted to keep it that way.

Tom paced up and down in his trailer, waiting.  He checked his watch for the millionth time, she was late.  It only should have taken 20 minutes to get from the airport to here and it was now over an hour since the plane had landed. He was just about to call her to make sure everything was ok when he heard a car draw up.  Bursting out the door, he was just in time to see her get out and look around.  Jose stood next to the car looking a little flustered.  Tom made a mental note to ask him about the delay later, nothing was going to spoil this moment.

He ran across to the car and as she turned around, he grabbed her waist and lifted her off her feet, kissing her passionately as he swung her round.  Her arms wrapped themselves around his neck and they held each other tightly for a couple of minutes, just bonding again.  Eventually he put her down, 

"Oh Lizzie, I've missed you so much.  Thank you for coming to me darling." he kissed her again and she laughed, all worries briefly forgotten in her delight to see him. 

"I've missed you too love" she said, resting her head on his chest " there is so much to tell you later, but let me just hold you for now" she hugged him round the waist and closed her eyes. Tom smelt of his usual aftershave and she felt it comforting her racing heart.

After a few moments, Tom said "come on, let's go home. I've arranged dinner to be sent to us at my villa tonight so we can be alone.  Hugh is taking us out tomorrow night, but tonight is just for us."

"Hugh?  You mean actual Hugh?" she looked up at him and he smiled, his eyes twinkling mischieviously.

"Yes, actual Hugh.  He was very flattered to learn you had such a huge crush on him!"

"OH TOM, YOU DID NOT!! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T SAY..."  she blushed furiously and covered her face with her hands as she took in what he'd said.  Tom roared with laughter, shaking his head.

"No, actually I didn't, but if I'd known I'd get THAT reaction, I think I would have!" he opened the door and helped her into the car. "Jose, back to the villa please?"

"Si Senor" Jose closed the door after them and slid into the driver's seat, looking at Tom in the rear-view mirror.  If he hadn't known better, he would have said Jose looked almost nervous, as if there was something praying on his mind.  That and the fact they'd been so late made him even more determined to speak to him.

"Jose, why were you so late?" it wasn't an accusation, more a genuine enquiry and being totally honest, Jose was glad he'd raised the subject.  Part of Jose's dilemma was how much to say and how to say it. Now he had a valid opening.

"There was a car Senor" he started as they drove off "I had to, how you say - loose him?" Jose glanced in the mirror again and saw Tom's eyes narrow and his face become pinched and pale.

"What do you mean LOSE?" Tom said in a low voice, "What's going on?" he looked at Lizzie who was now biting her lip and looking between the driver and him.

"Eh Tom, I had something to tell you and you're not going to like it but let me just say it's going to be ok, we dealt with it.  Today would seem to have been a delayed reaction. " She had no idea that anyone had been following them but after the events back home, she wasn't really surprised.  What did surprise her, however, was how scared she now felt.  Both of the potential disaster they'd avoided and the angst she could feel bubbling within Tom.

They arrived back at his villa, rented for the duration of the shoot, and walked straight round to the garden at the back.  Sitting down on a shaded sofa next to the pool, Tom gently took her hands in his and looked at her with his piercing blue eyes narrowed and his mouth set in a grim line.

"Ok, so tell me and hold nothing back." 

She took a deep breath and began - this wasn't going to be easy or pleasant she guessed.

Fifteen minutes later, she knew she had been right.