Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(50) Left Behind

It was finally Christmas Eve. Decorations glittered all around, crackers were still being sold by the dozen every minute and amongst the festivities in London there was a young woman writing a note to her flatmate telling him not to worry and that she'd just gone to Southend-on-Sea for a few days to de-stress and clear her head. A year ago, Nina wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything like this but she had just decided to seize life by the tinsel-covered horns and go for it.

She slid out of her bed silently in the early hours of the morning and pulled out her small packed case from underneath her bed. All she had was a few spare outfits, toiletries, a good book and her presents from Tom under the tree, and in her handbag was her purse and some tissues. No phone.

As she got ready, the more Nina thought about Tom, the more awful she felt for leaving him behind and just as her hand touched the doorknob of the apartment, a sudden wave of second thoughts crashed over her and almost overwhelmed her. However she took a deep breath and let herself out silently after making sure her note was somewhere where Tom would see it. Nina just hoped she hadn't left anything too important behind.

She caught a taxi to the train station and sat quietly in front of a table on her own, placing her little case on the seat beside her as she stared out of the window and drifted off into her own world, not noticing the mother and rowdy child who claimed the seats opposite her. When she did began to notice the screeching boy who had sat at her table, she was so relieved that the journey wasn't a ridiculously long one and that she could just continue to zone out.

Nina was staying at a big chain hotel that was only a short walk from the train station and as soon as she had checked in, she made her way to a local cafe for breakfast before going for a walk onto the beach where she sat on her coat on the compact sand and watched the waves roll peacefully in and out. This was nice. Just her and her own thoughts- usually that would be a terrifying concept but here, Nina would find it hard to be negative.

Pulling out her book from her handbag, she rolled onto her stomach, facing the water, and began to read quietly. She ended up completely losing track of time, so 400 pages later, she went and found something else to eat mid-afternoon to keep her going until she could have a late dinner.

Since she'd arrived she'd thought about nothing but what she was going to eat or where she was going to go next and that was quite enjoyable. She nosed around a few local shops and at about seven she made her way back to her hotel and relaxed in her room with a long bath and some room service later on. It was almost midnight, four minutes to midnight exactly, when there was a sudden knock on her hotel door.

*****

"Nina? Nina, where's my advent calendar?" Tom called, shuffling into the living room in an old t-shirt and sweatpants. Nina was nowhere to be seen, and the living room was pristine, save for one piece of paper that was just laying by the Christmas tree along with his missing Advent calendar.

Gotcha!

Tom popped the final chocolate of the calendar into his mouth as he picked up the note and read it. The pen was a but smudged but the the writing still passed as legible.

Tommy-boy,
I'm sorry, I won't be home for Christmas, but I promise I'll be back soon. I need some time to clear my head. I need some 'me' time and I need lots of it. Have a nice Christmas. I hid your present under the towels in the boiler cupboard.
Love from Nina xx
P.S; give some carol singers some mince pies from me, would you?

Tom stared at the note, reading it over and over again. This couldn't be right. Why had she left? Was it his fault? Oh god, had he driven her away? He wasn't that bad, was he? He only occasionally left his socks on the floor, and he was an able cook, and...and... Why didn't she just talk to him? It wasn't like they didn't know each-other well enough.

Another piece of paper on the floor caught his eye, but this one was left a lot less strategically placed. It was a printed copy of a booking confirmation. Three nights in a hotel in Southend-on-Sea. Had she dropped this? Or did she want him to try and find her? He took the sheet and opened up his laptop immediately, searching up the place on the booking sheet.

He could easily drive there. That was it. He'd take his Jag and go and find her, to at least make sure she was okay. But what if he ended up staying there too? He'd need clothes- boots, and a motorcycle, his brain automatically finished before he shook his head, clearing out his thoughts and starting again.

He'd need other clothing items. At least his toothbrush. His iPod. And of course, Nina had left her best present behind, and he didn't want her to go without it... A small smile played across his lips before he picked up his coat, wedged the present into one of its large pockets and went to pack a few things.

But would he look too desperate? He stopped for a moment, conflicted, before his heart took charge and packed his bag, got him and his things into his Jag and drove them to the illuminated seaside. It was getting on for dinner time by the time Tom had gotten there - he'd stopped at a service station briefly for some lunch, his sunglasses on and his baseball cap pulled tightly onto his head - and he figured he needed to eat quickly and then look for Nina's hotel.

After a rushed dinner in a little seafront cafe, Tom got back into his Jag and prowled the streets in search of the right hotel. His eyes lit up when he saw the one but as he went to get out of the car he hesitated. Would Nina freak out? What if she was with someone else?

His heart sank and he sat back down. No. He was going in. He stood back up again, and as he shut the door he stopped. These weren't second thoughts, no, more like seventh thoughts. Then he realised he'd left his bag in the car and he sighed, opening the door for the final time to get it back out. He locked up the car, and turned around to find a bemused man sitting on a bench opposite the car.

"She must be pretty special, huh." He let out a throaty laugh followed by a series of loud coughs.

"Uh... Yes sir." Tom picked up his bag before smiling towards the man and heading off.

"Good luck!" The man called after him. Tom smiled to himself. That guy was very perceptive. He checked his watch as he walked into the hotel. It wasn't far off midnight. So maybe he would be able to spend Christmas with Nina.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd get to use the mistletoe.

He took a deep breath and slipped past the receptionist. Now or never, he thought to himself. Tom glanced quickly at the booking, and headed up to the very top floor, not being able to stand still in the lift. His hand was running through his hair, or his foot was tapping rapidly, or he was doing something to his case.

The doors opened and Tom rushed out as quickly as he dared, excited but still respectful of the people sleeping around him. There would always be politeness in him, no matter when or where. Even if the girl he'd fallen in love with was so close to him and he couldn't wait to be the first to say Merry Christmas to her.

He took a shallow breath and knocked gently on the narrow door.

[A/N] left on a slight cliffhanger! drop a vote if you're rooting for the mistletoe! but surely tom wouldn't need mistletoe? c'mon, just look at the gorgeous face...
yours truly :) x