Heart Beat

Dancing in the Rain

"Because, despite all my best efforts... I've bloody well fallen in love with you!"

The air left the room.

For a second, he looked at her, and then he closed his eyes and let out a shuddering breath.

Silence.

So this was why. Why she had reacted the way she did.   Why despite the fact she'd left on an excuse hours ago, she'd waited, alone in the cold and the dark for him to turn up. And why, after all they'd been through, she still wanted to see him.

"Oh, Angie." He swallowed, grasping for words, his feelings overwhelming him suddenly. "I - I don't..."

There it was finally, the denial. Her fears made real. 

She didn't wait. With a howl, she tore herself from his grasp and hurtled out the door into the street and the rain that now poured down. Devastated, disappointed, and humiliated, she made for her place of safety. Her pond. Their pond. Hers and Simon's, it would never now be hers and Tom's.

She stood, head tipped back, eyes closed with the rain pelting into her face. The needle sharp droplets hurt her almost as much as her heart. He didn't love her. He didn't love her. Of course he didn't, he was Tom Hiddleston, wasn't he? How could she have been so naïve, so stupid?

With a scream of frustration and shame, she clenched her fists and raged at the storm above. She fell to her knees in the muddy grass, not caring who saw her or what she looked like. She felt her insides tear themselves apart. It wasn't fair. Life wasn't bloody fair.

Soaked to the skin, she stood, calmer now. Where could she go now? Not back to the studio. He would still be there. Her heart was in little pieces at his feet, ready for him to stand on as he left her for good. No, she would wait here. Till she saw his car leave.

With a sigh and a shiver, she felt cold and soaked through now. Her hair plastered to her head, water running down her face, it hid the tears that wouldn't stop.

She turned to go and sit on the bench and looked into the face of a man. A desperate man, standing with rainwater running down his face, hiding his tears. Hair plastered to his head, shirt sticking to him, soaked to the skin.

"I wasn't finished." He said softly, walking towards her. She looked at him, biting her lip to silence the sobs. "Angie? Please, Little One?" He beckoned to her, and she trudged forward. Friends would be agony, but better than not having him in her life. He wrapped an arm around her and tipped her chin up to meet his gaze.

He was crying. It broke her heart and made her gasp all at once.

She reached up and made a futile attempt to wipe the tears away, her own still trickling.

"Angie, darling Angie." He whispered softly. "Do you really think I would ever let you go? How would I breathe? How would my heart beat?" He paused and stroked her face. "I was about to say I don't DESERVE you. That I love you. That I have loved you forever, before I knew what love really was, my soul has waited for YOU. For this moment. For us." His voice was barely a whisper, his face close enough for her to feel his warm breath.

"Tom...I." She was barely aware of her surroundings other than his arms, his body, his face, and his voice. He nodded, putting a finger to her lips. He whispered softly.

"I. Love. You."

She smiled, for the first time, she actually smiled. Tom smiled back.

"I'm so sorry, I thought..." she never finished the sentence as he pressed his lips to hers, hands now cupping her face. His lips warm, velvet soft, everything she remembered. Everything she ever wanted. They broke the kiss with a smile, their faces mere millimetres apart.

"Better?" He said simply.

"Better." She nodded with a smile.

"We have so much to say and forever to say it, but not now. Now, I just want...." he kissed her again, deeply.

His mouth - and his heart - searching her soul for the answer he knew would be there. Yes, she was the other half of him. Sweeping her up into his arms, he carried her back to the shop through the rain, ignoring the stares and disbelief of the few people around as they hurried through the downpour. She giggled and snuggled for warmth into his chest as he carried her, like a knight rescuing a princess from a monstrous dragon. Only this time, the dragon was her own self-doubt.

Walking into the studio, he set her on her feet. "We need to get out of these wet clothes. I'll run you home, grab your stuff." He kissed her again, and she sighed softly into his lips.

"Oh Tom, have you ANY idea what you've done to me?" She whispered.

"Nothing compared to what I'm about to." He said, his eyes burning. She swallowed.

"Two minutes, ok?" She walked away, and he grabbed her hand, pulling her back so he could kiss her again.

"Not one second longer, my darling girl." He growled, and her insides ignited. She smiled and moved away, their hands joined until the last second.

A minute later, she reappeared with her handbag, and they left, hand in hand again.

Simon had stood open-mouthed and bewildered throughout. As the door closed with a tinkle of the little bell, he let out a breath, "Well, I'll be damned!" he grinned. And grinned some more. His little sister and the live of her life had finally got their act together, and he couldn't be prouder.

All he needed to do now was make sure she got the happy ending she deserved.

"Jenny? You ok love? Yes, I'm coming home now. No, no, she's not. I don't think we'll be seeing her tonight." He smiled and nodded. "You too, sweetheart.  See you soon."

Tomorrow would be a big day for everyone. None more so than Jenny. He just prayed it would be a happy ending for her, too.