For The Cameras (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 4

Hanna

Luke smiled and stood as he saw her approaching. He turned in his seat. Hanna's stomach did that annoying thing again. He was incredibly handsome in real life.

"Hanna! So nice to see you again!" Luke said brightly as she reached the table. He stood and smiled warmly at her. "I'd love you to meet Tom Hiddleston."

Hanna offered her hand and Tom took it in his, leaning in to kiss her on each cheek. Of course. That whole English gentleman thing. He smelled like fresh linen with a hint of something warm and spiced. She swallowed.

"Tom, such a pleasure. I'm a fan of your work."

"Oh bless you for saying that," he replied. He looked almost bashful. Who was this guy? "The pleasure is mine, Hanna. Please have a seat, I believe you're next to me." He pulled out the chair next to his and gestured for her to sit. She gathered her wits quickly as she sat and he pushed her chair in for her. That gentleman thing again. He sat next to her, smoothing his jacket's lapels and turning his full attention to her. "I must apologise. I have not seen your work. Luke assures me you are absolutely wonderful and I very much look forward to catching up on all I've missed."

Having this man's direct focus on you was like being caught in some sort of intense, near blinding, beam of light. She resisted the urge to squint. His eyes were a remarkable shade of blue and sparkled with sincerity as they looked into hers.

"No need to apologise," she responded quickly, willing herself to maintain eye contact. "I'm not sure our little crime drama made it across the pond." He smiled then, the outer corners of his eyes creasing with laugh lines, his tongue pressed between his teeth just slightly. Perhaps being paid to be on this man's arm wasn't such a terrible prospect after all. He certainly wasn't hard to look at. They made amiable small talk, both of them professional conversationalists (something you honed pretty quickly after a few press junkets and star-studded events). It was all very light and friendly, but Hanna couldn't help but notice Luke's focus barely left them for a moment, reminding her exactly why she was here. She scrutinized Tom as he spoke animatedly about his latest project. He seemed lovely. He was polite, charming, and practically bursting at the seams with charisma; why on earth would he need to hire a girlfriend? Tom's attention suddenly shifted and Hanna looked over to see a dark-haired man who rivaled Tom in the tall and lanky department approaching their table. Without warning, Tom was on his feet.

"Andy! Are you at our table?" Tom was... gushing? Hanna watched the exchange with one eyebrow slightly raised. "I'm Tom. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you!" Hanna narrowed her eyes at the newcomer, trying to figure out who he was, or why Tom was suddenly falling all over himself. Perhaps her initial suspicions were dead on after all. The Andy person seemed equally thrilled to meet Tom and the two chatted excitedly for a few moments before Tom cleared his throat quickly. "My goodness, I apologise. Andy this is Miss Hanna Lloyd, Hanna, this is Andy Murray."

Nope, the last name didn't help. Hanna stood quickly to greet him with an obligatory double-cheek kiss, and wondered if she should offer to swap seats with him so the two men could sit together. Thankfully, dinner was served quickly, giving her something to shift her attention to, and the speakers began taking the stage shortly thereafter. Her eyes kept drifting over to Tom as they sat, watching the stage. His jaw was set in concentration, his brows furrowed slightly, his eyes occasionally shining with emotion. Clearly this organization was something that meant a great deal to him. Hanna felt herself soften a bit. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, she didn't get any negative gut feelings about him, and yet the arrangement proposed still seemed insane to her. As if reading her thoughts, Tom leaned toward her, speaking softly.