In the Interlude

Chapter 10 - The Phone Call

Aïcha was enjoying her Saturday. She didn't remember the last time she stayed lazily in bed, reading a book or a magazine. Mia was meeting some friends by the pool but had promised her mother to meet for lunch.

She was halfway through Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies, enjoying it as much as she had enjoyed the TV show. Grateful for this small moment of bliss, she decided, on a whim, that it was the perfect timing for a facial mask.  She hopped out of bed, her bare feet pounding against the cold tiled floor. Rummaging through her toiletry bag, she found what she was looking for: dried henna and Argan oil. In a matter of seconds, the mixture was prepared and applied it to her face.

Before she could lie back in bed, her phone started to ring.

Unable to answer with the mask on her face, Aïcha held the phone to see who was calling. An unidentified number that she could not place. As long as this is not Mia, it can wait.

A little 'ping' indicated a voice message was left. She played it on speaker.

"Aïcha? This is Tom, Tom Hiddleston... I hope you're doing well. Listen, I was wondering if we could talk? Can you please call me back when you get this message? Here's the number you can use." Tom repeated the phone number twice, enunciating slowly. "There's no international code. So yes, as you may have guessed, I'm here."

Aïcha sat on the bed her heart thudding and thumping. Why is he calling now? And when he said here, did he mean Morocco or Marrakech? But how could he mean Marrakech, he doesn't know I AM here. Her mind was running in circles.

Aïcha replayed the message over and over, shivering at the deep, husky note in Tom's voice. It had been weeks since she last saw him in Paris. She was sure he forgot all about her and was never going to hear from him again.

She didn't know what to do. It was rude not calling back, but what could she say? Sighing loudly, she went to take a shower, rinsing off the facial mask and preparing herself for lunch with Mia. Calling Tom back would have to wait. After all, it took him almost a month to call her after they last saw each other.

* * * * *

It was late afternoon when Tom looked at his phone for the tenth time that day. He checked again the number he dialled in the morning against the one on the business card and couldn't understand why the hell she didn't call him back. He wondered if it had something to do with her being a mother - if the girl he saw was indeed her daughter. She could also be a niece or a younger sister.

And even if it was her daughter, why wouldn't she tell him? Why would it stop her from calling him back? Tom was not a parent and not likely to be anytime soon even if he wanted that someday, preferably not in the near future. He admitted that he couldn't really relate to or understand what was going on in Aïcha's mind.

He was nevertheless growing impatient and Vanessa noticed that straight away.

They were sitting at the hotel's bar having a drink and discussing some of the scenes they were having together but his mind was drifting, his eyes coming back to the phone on the table. "Hello Hiddles, Earth to Mars!"

Running his fingers through his hair, Tom apologised."I'm sorry Vanessa. A bit distracted."

This was new, she told herself. Tom was usually very focused, always giving his full attention to anyone he was interacting with. "I can see that. Well, why don't we take thirty minutes and reconvene in my room? We can rehearse our first scene for Monday before going out tonight?"

"To be honest, I don't feel like going out. I was thinking of going for a run. It has been days since I did that, and the hot weather here isn't helping. But let's meet later to go over the scene together. I'll call you."

* * * * *

Aïcha and Mia had spent the afternoon in a water park and were just coming back to their hotel. Both exhausted, a fresh shower and room service was all they could think of. Aïcha didn't stop fiddling with her phone. She knew she had to call eventually but didn't feel she would be able to contain her nerves. Mia finished her shower and went back to the car to retrieve the phone she forgot. It was now or never, said Aïcha to herself.

Taking a deep breath, she hit the dial button. "Allô, Tom?"

"Oh, Aïcha, nice to finally hear your voice!" Tom said panting.

"Are you alright? You seem out of breath."

"Yes, I'm fine. Just came back from a run."

"Wow, in this heat? I'm impressed." She could hear him chuckle as she added, "So, Tom, rumour has it you're in Morocco?"

"Eheheh, yes, in Marrakech actually." He waited for her reaction.

An awkward silence followed. "I'm in Marrakech too, for the weekend," she finally said.

"I know. I saw you yesterday in the old square. Well, I think I saw you."

Again, the awkward silence. Aïcha knew what that meant. He saw Mia too.

"Aïcha? You still there?"

"Yeah, well it was probably me."

"Are you free to meet up for a drink?"

"Why?" she answered in a low voice.

"Listen. I think I understand what you're afraid of and ..."

"It's not about being afraid." She sighed before adding, "It's just, I don't know. Tell me Tom, why do you want to see me?"

Tom was not expecting such a direct question. Sensing her hesitation, he tried a light approach. "Well, for starters, we agreed to meet once I'm in Morocco. And here I am. Isn't that a good enough reason? So, what do you say, are you free tonight for a drink?"

"Alright, Tom. But not tonight. Tomorrow morning? I know just the place."

"Of course you do," he said teasingly.

"Around ten? I"ll send you the GPS location. It's called Amal."

"Terrific! See you tomorrow."

Later that evening, as she sat in the balcony contemplating the sky, Aïcha replayed in her head the day's events. She agreed to meet Tom and was still puzzled by her own behaviour. What is wrong with me?

Her daughter was watching a movie on her iPad but soon followed her mum outside, bringing a small blanket which she wrapped around Aïcha's shoulders. "Maman? Are you okay? You seem preoccupied."

"Everything is fine honey. Just thinking of all the things we need to do before we move to Paris this summer."

"I am here to help, you know that?"

"Counting on it sweetie."

"So tomorrow, you're meeting someone?"

"Yes, a friend of mine from .. euh work, who happened to be in Marrakech as well." Aïcha felt awful lying to her daughter but she certainly was not going to tell her the truth either.

"It's fine. I'll be with Camille and Ryan at the pool. Come and pick me up when you're back so we can have lunch before heading back to Casablanca."

Aïcha stood and planted a kiss on her daughter's forehead. "What did I do to deserve such a sweet and beautiful girl?"

"Aaah, stop it! You know you're the best mum in the world, right?"

"And you're the best daughter in the whole wide world."