London Boy (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Flash

A few more days passed and Tom still didn't know when he would be back in London. He was seriously beginning to miss Lauren. The only down time he had he spent catching up on sleep.

He unlocked his phone and scrolled through his text messages between him and Lauren. They made him smile.

Tom was on his way to another quick interview. Luke made it a rule for Tom to sneak into the studios earlier to avoid the chaos of fans and then visit with the fans after the interviews were over so he wouldn't be the "bad guy" dragging Tom away from everyone.

He sent Lauren a quick text before his interview.

'I think it's time to retire and come back to you.'

He got a quick reply from Lauren which read, 'I would be okay with that!'

***

Lauren smiled at her phone. It has been her constant companion since Tom left for LA. She didn't normally keep it so close but now she had a reason to. She didn't want to miss any of Tom's texts. She wished they could Skype so she could see his smile and hear his adorable laugh again but he hardly had any down time. She didn't want to pester him since they were still in the beginning stages of their relationship, if that's what you would call it. She was afraid of pushing him away. As bad as she wanted to ask every second of the day, 'when are you coming home?' she played it cool.

Bzzz bzzz.

Tom had just sent her a picture of himself. One of his infamous selfies. He was giving her a wink and a big cheesy smile.

Lauren laughed and sent one of herself blowing a kiss to him.

Bzzz bzzz.

'Tease. Have to go, text you later.'

Lauren stretched out on the couch with her book. Work had been tedious. She was glad tomorrow would be Friday. So far the work week had felt like four Mondays in a row.

Bzzz bzzz.

Lauren's eyes opened. She was still on the couch and her book was draped over her stomach. It was pitch black in the sitting room. She must have fallen asleep reading. She fumbled around in the dark for her cell phone but came up empty handed.

'Where is it??' She sat up now and felt around the coffee table in front of her. Not there.

Bzzz bzzz.

The sound made her turn her head toward the kitchen. She could see the faint light of the iPhone screen on her kitchen counter.

Lauren stood there, confused. She could have sworn she had it on the coffee table, within reach...

She picked up her phone and saw she had two messages from her mother.

'You didn't hear it from me, but Kelsey got engaged last night! She will probably text you later and tell you.'

And:

'We miss you, Laurie!'

Lauren smiled. She was happy for her cousin, Kelsey. She was a great girl. The news brought her some sadness too, reminding her of wedding planning and, well, bad memories she associated with wedding planning. She shook her head, trying to think of something else. Anything else.

She heard a slight bump upstairs. Lauren froze. She even stopped breathing, listening for more sounds. All she could hear was her heart pounding. As quietly as she could, she grabbed a knife from a drawer in the kitchen and softly padded to the front door.

It was still locked, just as she had left it when she came home from work. She stood motionless again, listening. Nothing.

'Oh my gosh, get a grip,' she thought to herself. She wasn't used to living alone yet.

Still keeping the knife by her side, she headed upstairs, deciding her mind was messing with her and she needed to get in bed.

***

Tom's interview had wrapped up and he was making his way out of the studio with Luke and the security team. Masses of fans swarmed the exit, screaming for Tom. Cameras were flashing in his face, capturing his broad grin.

He took pictures with fans, signing everything they would put in front of him, constantly laughing at their jokes or little stories. He felt great amongst his fans.

"Hey! Back off, asshole, you're in my way!" a camera man shouted at another next to him. The flash of the camera went off in Tom's face just as he remembered something.

He remembered the trespasser he caught snooping outside of Lauren's flat. He assumed he was there for him, working for a tabloid. But Tom just realized he didn't have a camera on him... His heart sank and he knew he shouldn't have left Lauren alone in London.