Tea for Two

Hello!

Tom paused, took a breath and walked into the hotel lobby. He'd been here before, even stayed once, but now? Now it felt like he'd never set foot in a hotel in his life. He felt vulnerable and self-conscious and every bit the nervous first-dater that he so wasn't. How could this have happened? One minute he was laughing and joking and teasing... and falling. Now? He felt like he was sixteen and waiting for a girl outside a cinema in Wimbledon. All sweaty palms and dry mouth.

Was it Sarah? Or was it something else? As he walked over to reception, the young man on the desk looked up and did a discrete double take. He smiled and nodded.

"Mr Hiddleston, how nice to see you. How may I assist you today?"

Tom smiled. This was more his territory, not this date malarkey. "I'm here to meet with one of your guests - Mr Goodfellow? We have a dinner appointment."

"Ah, if you'd like to take a seat, I'll inform him you're here. One moment please." The young man indicated a small sitting area to the side and Tom gratefully took a seat. Leaning back he crossed his legs and took out his phone. Like most of the present-day population, when faced with a wait, nerves - or both -it was the refuge that shut out the world.

He was busy deleting what felt like a thousand spam emails when a voice at his elbow dragged him back into the room.

"Hi Tom"

Sarah.

He looked up and she was standing smiling at him, looking every bit as beautiful as he knew she would. Her eyes shone and her smile was wide. She looked happier than she had in all the time he'd known her. His heart sank. It wasn't him that made her this happy, of that he was sure.

He was dead wrong.

When the call had come through that Tom had arrived, Sarah and Ty looked at each other and grinned. "Oh Crap!" Ty said with a swallow "I've never met British Acting Royalty before! Do I bow?"

"Oh you muppet! Don't be an ass. He's only a man, like you - well, no not like you, there's no-one like YOU Tyson Goodfellow!" she laughed and hugged him. "Now we don't want you going all fan-boy on him so I think I should be the one to collect him don't you? You stay here and try not to faint ok?" she pushed him gently out the way. "And anyway, I need to ask him something in private first ok? Not because it's a secret, I just don't want to embarrass him - or me if I'm wrong!"

"You? Wrong? Never crossed my mind!" he ducked as she picked up a cushion and threw it at him as she left.

Going down in the lift, she could feel herself shaking. Almost hear her teeth chattering. Good God, why was she like this? She'd done nothing wrong. Nothing at all. It was Tom that had some explaining to do. Why had he been at her house? Why hadn't he stopped. She really REALLY hoped she knew the answer, but equally she wanted to put the problem to bed.

Oh dear goodness woman, she chided herself, don't even THINK that word. Not now. Not within a fifty yard radius of the only man she would.... the lift doors pinged open and across the lobby she could see him. Face buried in his phone. She smiled. She loved that jumper, she had always wondered how soft it was, now she was about to find out.

Walking across the lobby, she glanced over to reception and saw the man on it staring across at Tom. His obvious attraction to him made her smile, Tom had an army of fans that crossed all genders, colours, ages and creeds. He was just that kind of man. The kind of man she wanted to be with. If he would let her explain. Taking a deep breath, she opened her mouth.

"Hi Tom."

"Sarah" he tried to sound cheerful. He knew he had to make this a special night for her, not spoil her moment with his own disappointment. He stood and leaned over to kiss her cheek. She put a hand on his arm as he did so and he could feel her shaking. Was she as nervous as him? It would seem so. "You look lovely - thanks for changing your plans, I'm sorry to have been such a nuisance." his lips lingered on her cheek, his breath dancing on it, making her melt.