In the Interlude

Chapter 36 - All Roads Lead to Shakespeare

"And here's the garden," said Tom, holding Aïcha's hand. He had given her the grand tour of his two-storey house, starting from his bedroom. "It's not very big," he went on, "but I like it. It's mine."

Aïcha liked it too. There was an abundance of roses and geraniums separated by a paved straight pattern. It led back to a shady seating area with a white table and small chairs. She could see herself reading a book, her feet on Tom's lap, together enjoying a cup of tea. She smiled as she tugged his hand. "I love your place. It suits you."

He looked around with soft eyes, taking in the climbing plants that softened the walls in the back and the potted herbs that rested on rustic shelves on the west side of the garden.  "I had been away for long periods of time in the past and it took me some time to really make this place my own. But now, I'm happy here. I can spend days in my house without setting one foot outside."

"I can see why."

"Oh, I almost forgot." Tom reached into his pocket and took out a key. "You'll need this to get into the house."  He saw her frown, taking a small step back, her hand already showing her disagreement. "It's important to me that you feel at home here. If you have a key, you can come out and in whenever you like."

He took her hand and gently placed the key in her palm. Her skin tingled at the contact. "Mi casa es tu casa." He pressed a kiss to her temple then added, "And on that note, let's take your suitcase upstairs so that you can unpack. I cleared some space for you in my wardrobe." Without waiting for her answer, he turned around and walked briskly into the house.

Aïcha stood there, clutching the key. It felt cold in the palm of her hand, a strong contrast to the heat she felt in the pit of her stomach. He had given her a key and cleared a space for her in his closet. She let that sink in for a moment. Who does that?  She exhaled, fighting a grin. "Oh My", she finally said to no one but herself as she stepped back into the house, following Tom upstairs.

Tom had already laid down her suitcase on one of the chairs in the bedroom. He showed her the space in the closet and a set of drawers she could use. Aïcha stood on tiptoes to kiss him softly directly under his beard, wrapping her arms around him. "Merci. You are a very sweet man Thomas William Hiddleston."

He returned her embrace, kissing her on the top of her head, inhaling her scent. Aïcha never wore perfume but she had a distinctive scent, sweet and raw and warm, a mix of the shampoo and soap she used, and her own scent. He cleared his throat. "I was thinking. There's this place I love that I want to show you. It's perfect before sunset. We can go in my car, so we can escape any prying eyes. And before heading back, we can grab some takeaway dinner? There's a nice Thai restaurant nearby."

"That sounds perfect. But... the place you want to show me ... is it like outdoors?" she said, untangling herself from Tom's embrace.

He instantly read the subtext in her question. "Yes, it's in a parc but generally the area is quite empty on a weekday. I go there often to run and never have been bothered. We should be fine."

"Okay, let's go then." Aïcha nodded as she opened her suitcase looking for a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and her trusted pair of Converse. Tom excused himself and went to his study. He had a phone call to make before heading out.

Aïcha smiled as the low murmur of his voice reached her from his study. She could see him running his fingers through his curls as he paced the room. She heard some of the words he spoke. Vanessa. Friday. Saturday. But couldn't make sense of the conversation. And she didn't really care. She looked at herself in the mirror, rearranged her hair in a bun and headed downstairs waiting for Tom to finish his call.

She retrieved her phone and found a text from Mia asking if she had made it safely to London. Aïcha quickly sent a text back to her daughter.

Tom emerged minutes later, wearing his baseball cap and aviator sunnies. He grabbed his car keys and asked, "Ready, love?"