When I Met Tom (A Tom Hiddleston Fan Fiction)

Chapter Eleven

When James arrived at three o'clock to collect me and my bags I was waiting patiently for him, checking out of the window for when he showed up. I headed down the stairs of my apartment block dressed in dark blue skinny jeans, a cream jumper and black ankle boots, pulling a medium-sized suitcase behind me.

'Good afternoon Charlotte,' said James, greeting me as I came out of the front entrance of the building, 'how are you today?'

James took my suitcase from me and placed it carefully into the boot of the car.

'I'm fine thank you. How about you?' I replied.

To be honest, I wasn't fine. I was feeling anything but fine, but I didn't want to say that to James.

'I'm good. Now, let's get you to Mr Hiddleston,' as James opened up the car door for me and I climbed in.

Once James was back in the car and had begun the journey I saw him looking into his mirror at me. He did this a number of times but I didn't acknowledge it. I simply sat there in the back of the car in silence, until eventually James spoke.

'Are you sure you're alright?' he asked.

I found myself looking back at James in the mirror.

'I'm fine,' I lied.

'I don't mean this in an improper way, but I don't believe you. You're very quiet, you keep looking at your lap and you look a little panicked.'

I took a deep breath and decided to explain myself.

'OK, so I'm not fine,' I returned my gaze to my lap, not wanting eye contact while I told him, 'the truth is that I'm terrified. I'm scared of going to this event with Tom tonight. I'm worried about what I'm going to wear, what I'm going to look like, what is going to happen there, what the photographers will do and reporters will say. I'm utterly terrified and I don't know what to do about it James.'

I let it all out, the words just spilling out of me all at once. When I had finished there was no response at all to anything that I had just said. So I looked up into the mirror to meet James' eyes again, which were full of concern and sympathy.

Finally James spoke, 'well, I think the best thing you can do is talk to Mr Hiddleston about it. He will understand that you're worried.'

'But at the same time I want to go with him. It might be completely fine and I'm just being silly.'

'You're not being silly at all. Your worries are understandable. Talk to him, you will feel much better for it.'

Eventually we arrived at Tom's apartment building and James helped me up to the main entrance door with my bag. James entered a key code into a silver keypad that was to the left side of the main door and then a voice spoke.

'Hello.' It was Tom.

'It's James, with Miss Barks in tow, Sir,'

'Come straight up.' And the door buzzed, allowing us entry.

James carried my bag up the staircase (the lift was out of order – which was a pain seeing as Tom lived right at the top) and set it down outside Tom's door before knocking gently. The door opened and there he stood, looking as gorgeous as ever.

'Charlotte, how are you?' Tom asked beaming.

'I'm good, you?' I smiled back. Just he sight of him standing in front of me made me unbelievably happy.