A Week With the Hollands

Chapter One

     I woke up as if it was any ordinary day on possibly the greatest Monday morning of my life, though I didn't know that at the time. I woke, showered, brushed my teeth, and got ready. I wasn't dressed fancy; actually quite the contrary. I was wearing a gray t-shirt and some ripped jeans with my white Adidas tennis shoes, and, of course, the iconic green apron, as I worked as a Starbucks barista.

     For a couple hours of my shift, everything was normal. That was, until around 11:30, whenever the little bell on the door dinged, and I turned to greet the next guest. When I turned though, I found myself face-to-face with Peter Parker. More specifically, Tom Holland.

     I smiled as usual, then took my place behind the counter. I watched as he sat down at a two-chair table by himself and started looking through his phone. Just like that. As if he was a normal person. I didn't know celebrities could hang out by themselves without an entourage or body guards, but this one did.

     Now let me get this straight, I wasn't a super-fan by no means, but I knew who he was. I was a huge fan of Marvel, and I was just a bit baffled at the fact that SpiderMan was sitting right before me in the Starbucks that I worked at.

     I didn't know much about him, but my mind was suddenly flooded with questions: Should I ask him for a picture? An autograph?

     But my thoughts were interrupted whenever Miranda, my friend, co-worker, and boss, shoved me forwards and said, "Get the young man over there, please."

     She must not have recognized him.

     But I suppressed my nervous jitters and walked calmly towards him and asked with a smile, "Now what can I get for you today, sir?"

     My question was returned with a smile, and he answered, "Erm, I'd like a small Mocha Latté; that's all. I prefer tea to coffee, but California seems to have more coffee shops than tea shops. So I decided to give Starbucks a try."

     I laughed. "Well, Starbucks is the best. I'll have that for you shortly." At that, I turned and walked away, butterflies raging in my stomach. I literally just had a whole conversation with SpiderMan.

     I rushed to get the latté done quickly, and also, I wanted to be the one to deliver it to Tom. Once I was done, I brought the Tall Caffe Latté to him and said, "Alright, your total is $2.95."

     He handed me his debit card, and I nodded nicely, then went to swipe it. When I came back to him, I asked, "Will that be all?"

     He started to nod, but hesitated. "No, actually, erm, there's something I wanted to discuss with you. Ah, this is so awkward." Here, he let off a dry laugh.

     My heart was beating really fast; too fast. I thought I'd done something wrong.

     He continued, "You may sit, if you'd like."

     I couldn't refuse; what do you do when a celebrity asks you to sit? You sit.

     "So, I'm flying out tomorrow to see my parents in London, and, well, I told them I was bringing my girlfriend with me. Well, my fiancé, actually; it doesn't matter. But, I don't have a fiancé. We broke up about two weeks ago, and I'm in a really horrible predicament because my family is hosting a huge engagement party for us, only there is no us. Do you see where I'm getting at here? I'm really bad at explaining things."

     I sat there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I actually didn't know what he was getting at, and I honestly didn't know why it involved me. Maybe he just needed someone to talk to about it. Whatever the reason, I was glad he picked me to talk to. I never realized how attractive he was.

     I answered, "Actually, I don't know where you're getting at. Sorry," I tried to add a small chuckle so I wouldn't sound stupid.

     He smiled. "No, it's alright. See, I've got to bring someone, whether she's my fiancé or not, because my parents have gone through all this trouble planning things and inviting people. So here's where this involves you: Now, please remember, you are by no means obligated to accept this offer, just to consider it. Alright," his eyes glanced to the name tag on my apron, "Emily, I'm proposing that you come to London with me tomorrow, posing as my fiancé."

     I didn't mean to, but I gasped. Then I put my hands over my mouth in hopes of covering it up, but I'm sure it just made it worse.

     He said, "Now you don't have to, please understand that. I'm just asking for you to hear me out. It would be a one-time, no-strings-attached thing, and I will pay for everything, your plane ticket, your dinners, your stay, everything. I promise. All I'm asking is for you to pretend to, like, really like me." He laughed at this, then there was a short pause. He added, "Okay, I'm finished. You can talk now."

     I was completely speechless. A celebrity just asked me to hop on a flight to London with him. I should've been jumping at the chance, but I wasn't. I was a little frightened. I mean, think of all the problems I could encounter; all the hate I could receive. And more than that, I had a job. I had a dog. I had responsibilities that I needed to be taking care of.

     But instead of voicing all of my worries and concerns to Tom, I answered with one word: "Yes."

     His eyes widened. "Yes? Wow, okay. Okay! That's great!"

     He grinned, and I grinned, because he looked so cute and so happy. He stood up, and I did the same, and he hugged me. When he pulled away, we exchanged phone numbers and agreed that he would pick me up at my apartment tomorrow at 6:30.

     Before he left, though, I asked him, "Oh, I only have one question. Why me?"

     He smiled. "I've been searching for a decent girl for, like, a week. It was a miracle that I walked in here and found you, because your nice, you're funny, you're pretty. You're great, really, so that's why I picked you."

     I was grinning ear-to-ear, and I'm sure my cheeks were beat-red. I replied, "You're great, too."

    "Nahh," he said, then we laughed.

     After Tom left, I couldn't focus right for the rest of the day. I messed up some people's orders, and even spilt coffee down the front of my apron by accident. My head was in the clouds, and I wondered if I was dreaming.

     When I retired to my apartment that night, I was as busy as a bee all night, packing and gushing at the memory of him. I texted him the coordinates and address to my apartment building first, then called my friends and parents to tell them that I was taking a spontaneous holiday to London with a close friend. I didn't mention his name, or the fact that he was a celebrity. I don't know why; I guess I just didn't feel like explaining it all.

Hey everyone! I want everyone to know that by this point I have almost the entire story completed. I'm so freaking excited bc this is the first story ever that I actually have planned out. It's gonna be soooo good! So if you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a vote down below! Thank you!
Come back tomorrow, when I will be posting the next chapter!