Life Is What You Make It (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Part 23: Until We Meet Again

Holiday

Parking at last in the car park by his flat, Tom cuts the engine and turns to me. "I am so sorry, Mia. That was all my fault." "Unless I'm wrong, there were a number of Wonder Woman fans there as well," I say, teasing Tom softly. "Well, though that's true, I guess what I'm saying is this isn't how I had envisioned our day," Tom replies.

"So, let me get this straight. You envisioned the craziness that occurred yesterday?" I ask, with my best eyebrow raise, trying to imitate Tom.  Tom looks at me then laughs softly. He takes my hand and kisses it as if to say 'Thank you' for reminding him of the overall insanity of our relationship so far.

"Do you ever wish we could just run away from all of this, just for a while?" Tom asks. "To be just with you? If that's the question, then my answer is yes," I say, smiling at Tom. He reaches to caress my cheek then bridges the space between us to kiss me softly.

When our kiss ends, I say, "You know, we may not be able to run away, but I hear that Fiji is a great escape. What do you say we pinky swear that we'll take a little holiday there when we have a break." Tom smiles a goofy smile, reaches toward me with his pinky, and we swear just like two school kids, smiling like loons at each other. "Deal."

We exit his car and walk toward his building with our arms around each other. "How long do we have to wait for this holiday?" Tom asks. "Too long, Lover, too long," I say.

The Inquisition

We make it to Tom's flat undiscovered. As we enter, I feel a sense of relief  wash over me, like Tom's flat is my oasis in a desert of chaos. It's funny how I can feel this way so soon about this place, and this man for that matter. Tom is becoming the buoy I cling to, helping me weather the storm of life. If not for him, I worry that the onslaught I'll face in the coming months, with the increased fame and all that entails, would make my life unbearable. I hope beyond all hope that Tom decides to stick with me for the long haul.

Tom lets out a sigh like he's as relieved as I am to be back at his flat. He drops his keys and cell on the entry table. Just then, it starts to ring. He picks it up and looks at it. "It's Luke, my publicist," Tom says with a bit of a groan. As he steps away from me toward the stairs, I hear Tom saying, 'Hello, Luke. Yes, I know I said we'd talk later. Yes, well, we're talking now, aren't we?'  I try not to eavesdrop, so I head to the sofa to check my own calls.

There are a number of texts and messages that have gone unanswered. There are a few from my mom and even more from Mitch, my manager. As its approaching 1:00 p.m. in London, it's about 5:00 a.m. in LA - too early to call anyone there. I start scrolling through emails, and my phone rings. It's my mom.

"Hi Mom. Why are you up so early?" I greet her. "Hello to you, too. How about you start with, 'Oh, Mother, I have missed you so. How are you?'" Mom replies in a mock snarky voice. I laugh. "So sorry!  Let me start again. Oh, Mommy Dearest, I have missed you so. I am such a selfish daughter. I do not deserve an amazing mother such as yourself. Can you forgive my petulant disrespect and allow me to grovel at your feet when I see you again?" I ask, trying intentionally to be over-dramatic. "So sassy. I have no idea where you got so much sass," Mom replies, laughing quietly.

"Seriously, Mom, why are you up?" I ask, knowing that it would be next to impossible for me to get home if something has happened. "Oh, we just had a small earthquake, nothing big, about a 4.0, late last night, and the horses have been a little uneasy since then. I'm just checking on them to make sure they're okay," she says. I detect a note in her voice, so I press further. "Are you sure that's it?" I ask. Finally, Mom says, "Well, I was also wondering about the man my little girl seems to be gallivanting around with," she says, with a bit of a Mom tone to her statement.