Wanderlust

Ashlyn didn’t realize what a hassle it was to pack for a country that she had never been to. Thank God her passport had been up to date. She wasn’t sure what she would have done had Tom left her alone at this moment.

Jesus, did she sound clingy. But it was true. She was in a whole new ballpark. Her family had basically left her out to dry and she had nowhere else to turn to. She wasn’t sure what had brought Tom Felton into her life, but she was thrilled by it and wasn’t going to give him up anytime soon. He was perfect and she was glad that someone had been around to pick up the pieces as she fell apart the night before.

Currently, he was sitting on her bed watching as she threw things haphazardly into a suitcase that lay open on her bed at home. Her parents were, presumably, at the hospital with her sister so she had some quiet time. After she finished packing, she and Tom would be leaving for the airport. His agent had been thrilled when he called to say that he was coming in for the premiere a couple of days early and was even more thrilled when he said that he was bringing a date with him. The agent that he currently had knew all about how to get money and interest flowing, and having a girl on his arm would definitely help that fact.

“Do you even know how to pack, Ashlyn?” He asked, as he grabbed a black cardigan and folded it back up for her, “It helps if things are actually folded and neat.”

“Well I’m sorry, mister professional packer. I’m sort of excited to be going to a completely new country for a while with a wonderful boy. And while I’m sort of excited, I really have no idea what I should be putting into this suitcase as I have no idea what we’re doing other than going to a movie premiere,” She said and threw herself down on the bed beside him. Tom rolled his eyes and went to her closet for her, grabbing a couple pairs of jeans and some t-shirts along with a hoodie or two.

“I’ll pick my own shoes, thank you very much,” She said and went to the bottom of her closet to grab a pair of red heels, her pair of Toms and her moccasins, “That’s really all I need?”

Tom just nodded and zipped the suitcase closed while she packed a few things into a smaller carry-on bag.

“Yeah. Because we’ll get you a dress while we’re over there, my agent insisted upon that actually. And anything else I’m sure we can pick up,” He said and wrapped an arm around Ashlyn’s waist as she walked by, bringing her into his lap, “You sure about this? It’s going to be hectic and everyone is going to know your name pretty soon. Being with me is going to be kind of crazy.”

He rested his head on her shoulder and looked at her in the floor length mirror that sat across from them, leaning against her dresser. She smiled and covered his hands with hers.

“Yes. I want to be with you for this, Tom. I’m so glad that you asked me to come with you,” She said and leaned back to press a kiss to his cheek.

“And I’m so very glad that you said yes, my love,” He said and gave her a soft shove to get her up off his lap. She stood and they walked outside to his car, depositing her bag into the trunk. Ashlyn had never really thought about all that was entailed in being with Tom. She knew that it wasn’t going to be easy; the best things in life rarely were. She was ready to do whatever it took, though. She could see herself falling in love with him if the chance presented itself. But Ashlyn couldn’t bring herself to do anything more than roll with whatever was happening between the pair. It was too much work to actually think about what was happening between them when both of their lives were as crazy as they were.

“You still sure you’re ready for this?” He asked her again. She laughed and shoved him before getting into the car. And here she was the one that should be worrying.

“I am more than ready. I’m so excited to be able to see a part of your life,” Ashlyn told him, honestly, before he grabbed her hand to lace their fingers together as they pulled out of the driveway.

“Good. And just so you know, you need to call your parents before we get on the plane, just to let them know what’s going on. I don’t want to get arrested for kidnapping your lovely ass,” He told the girl beside him. He was thrilled that she was going with him. And he was even more thrilled to introduce her to his family, both blood and the Harry Potter family he had been with for so long. It was bittersweet to be at this point, the end of an era. He wasn’t sure how he would handle it, knowing that he wouldn’t be seeing his best friends everyday (not that he had in the past few weeks). But he was excited to be able to delve into newer, different things. His music career that he had long since put on the back burner was suddenly at the forefront of everything he did. Everywhere he looked, he had some sort of new inspiration. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the girl riding shotgun beside him, or because of the new place he was in.

Place meant a lot of things to him right now. He was at a whole new place mentally, as well as physically. The U.S. was wonderful, or at least this back country part of it was. He had been to the big cities but none had intrigued him as much as the small city that Ashlyn called her home. It was an amazing thing. Sure, the U.K. had little towns like this one. But none had ever been so amazing to him as this one did. There were major differences between the U.K. and the U.S. and Tom honestly couldn’t decide which place he would rather be. America was so different, but so wonderful. But he was worried that by heading back home, he wouldn’t want to go back to the country that he had fallen in love with so easily.

But for now, he wasn’t going to think about that. And he definitely wasn’t going to be thinking about any of the problems that heading back to the U.K. was about to bring him. He was just happy to be driving to the airport with a girl he adored in the passenger seat beside him. He was ready to see his best friends and he was as ready for the premiere as he possibly could be. It was time to say goodbye to Draco Malfoy and welcome back Tom Felton. And he was ready for that.