All Roses Must Wilt (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 22- Grocery Shopping

My cheeks redden. "Ah, excuse me for a moment..."

I go to slide out of the booth, which I do with a little bit of difficulty on account that Tom's legs trap mine. Not on purpose, of course.

The minute I manage to get out of the booth, I head for the bathroom. This is too much. I mean, wasn't this what I wanted last week? For Tom to like me? But now that he actually liked me, I couldn't help but think differently. Why does he do this? Why does he decide a little nobody like me will be good for him? Why doesn't he understand what I would do to his career and social life?

I sigh, holding my head in my hands. Now I had a headache. I need to try to figure this out. What was there to figure out? As much as I cared for my best friend, I couldn't stay. If I stay in London instead of moving here to the States, that might lead Tom on. He'll think I chose him.

I must have been standing in the bathroom for a full five minutes, and the only solution I could think of was to move away. Tom is probably getting a little nervous out there... I exit the bathroom and start to head to our table.

I guess this wasn't exactly the response he had in mind. He tells a girl he likes her and she makes a quick escape to the bathroom. I'm such a terrible person.

"I guess I made it weird, huh?" He asks as soon as I settle back into the booth, once again trapped between those legs of his.

"Nah, it's fine..." I mumble, starting to eat my food again. I don't want it to get cold.

"Are you sure?" He asks gently. "Because I really didn't mean to ruin our trip to New York together. We can get a separate room now if you'd like."

"Woah, Tom. Settle down. Just because you tell me a little secret, doesn't mean I feel any differently about you. You're still my best friend, and I completely trust you. Sharing a room isn't a problem," I explain.

He looks relieved. "Good. I'm thinking that I should have waited to tell you, but I thought it might be a little rude to not inform you."

"Yeah, I understand." I take a sip of my tea, and Tom continues to eat. Yeah... he totally didn't make this awkward at all.

"So before we do anything else, I need to stop at a store," he says. "You might find something you like in there."

I nod. "Alright. What do you have to get?" I ask.

"Oh, multiple things," he says, smiling. "Some groceries for instance."

I send him a questioning look.

"I promised you that dinner, and I don't want to break my promise."

I roll my eyes lightly. "You and your... gentleman-ness..." I sort of struggle with finding a good word to use, so I just go with gentleman-ness.

That makes him grin. "My gentleman-ness? Hm. Never heard that one before."

"Oh, I'm sure you have."

"Alright, maybe I have," he says.

I smile lightly. Why can't things just stay like this forever? Just the two of us as friends, not having to worry about his celebrity life.

After we finish eating, and Tom pays for the meal, we head out onto the street once again. Tom really knows more about New York than I do. He occasionally points out different buildings and places. Then, at one point, he pulls me into a department store, meaning it pretty much has everything. Like a Wal-mart, but more expensive and better quality.

"So, grocery section, right?" I ask, looking around.

"Oh, we have time. Let's look around for a bit.