Green Eyes

Esmeralda frowned as she received an official letter from the state. Her scholarship was being cut. The first week after her ‘situation’ with Mr. Hiddleston, she had been visited by his posh lawyer. She was sure that the man was expecting to find a girl pleading for Mr. Hiddleston’s mercy but Esmeralda was prouder and tougher than that.

The first minute she got home after that day, Esmeralda snapped pictures of her neck and waited. When the lawyer came to intimidate her to go public and say that she had lied, she showed him the pictures. The man became pale and, upon discussion, her situation with Mr. Hiddleston had been ‘erased’. They didn’t have any interest in going to court and Esmeralda was just glad to see the man out of her life forever.

Her neck was fine, it had been almost a month. Leaving college was going to sadden her but it was for a higher purpose, she convinced herself. She sighed as she printed out her flyers for the protest she was attending a bit later, against animal cruelty. She found her mind wondering about Tom and how he seemed to be different from his father and brother.

You’re being stupid. Being beautiful doesn’t mean that he is actually a good person She thought to herself as she looked at the morning sun and smiled softly. He seemed to be definitely interesting but he was probably a brat and she had been his good action of the day. Nothing else.

Tom had spent the last few nights looking over the book from the mysterious girl. It was from an author that he wasn’t familiar with but what he found fascinating were the quotes she highlighted, the little notes she had written and the occasional doodles.
Tom, despite being in his last year of college, knew that his life was set. Henry was a lost cause, he had his investments and he’d live from the fortune their father would leave after his death. So the responsibility of the family business was going to fall on the older child’s shoulders. There was no one else. The thing is that Tom had no interest in his father’s business. He was nothing like his father but, given that Henry was lost in the world, Arthur tried to make an effort to at least have his older son follow his footsteps.

Tom was currently sitting in the waiting room of his doctor, where he went once a month for the past 10 years because he was diabetic. It wasn’t a rare or dangerous decease and Tom lived well with it and with the fact that he had to inject himself with insulin and always keep his levels right.

His appointment wasn’t too long and as he stepped outside, the sun was shining brightly. He made his way into his car to go to classes, when he heard the clear chorus of several voices.
Children have the same rights anywhere in the world!
No to child labour! Abolish child slavery!

He heard several shouting and occasional singing of an anthem. As he the crowd began to approach, since they were walking down the avenue he had parked in, he spotted a familiar face. It was the girl from yesterday, the one whose book he had kept inside his car in the hopes of seeing her someday.

He guessed it was his lucky day. He quickly unlocked his car and took the book out, it was not or never.

“Hey!” He shouted, trying to get her attention.

In the meantime Esmeralda was holding her sign up and singing along, feeling rather proud of everyone around her, when suddenly she noticed a motion close to her group. She glanced to her side and widened her eyes when she saw Tom, apparently calling her.

“Yes! You! Please, don’t look away!”

She narrowed her eyes, was he really talking to her? One of her friends gently nudged her side with her elbow and wiggled her eyebrows playfully. She encouraged Esmeralda go to over and meet them afterwards. The black-haired girl glanced at him again and thought that she was growing insane but she stepped out of the crowd and went towards him, watching his smile grow as she approached.

“Hey.” She greeted smiling softly as Tom smiled down at her, extending the book.

“Sorry to have pulled you out of your protest. I found your book that day and I wanted to give it back, you clearly like it.” He pointed out, staring at her with a certain admiration. She seemed to stand up for what she believed in without a blink. He wished he could do the same concerning his father.

She smiled excitedly as she hugged the book “That’s fine, thank you so much! I thought that I had lost it, thank you. It’s my favorite book, I have read it over ten times.” She chuckled as he joined and shoved his hands inside his pockets. This girl made him curious and he didn’t even know her name.

“Listen,” He said, looking to see her friends really far by now, almost gone from sight “Since, I pulled you away from your friends, would you like to grab a cup of coffee?” He asked “I can drop you wherever you want afterwards.”

Esmeralda was a bit taken back. He looked shy but it seemed that he was very straight forward and she liked man with that trait. She knew that her friends could do the protest without her for a bit longer and she smiled, nodding.

“That sounds lovely.”

~

Tom found himself listening attentively as she told him about the first time she had gone to a protest. She was a brilliant story-teller and she had lived so much in such a short space of time, that she made him feel old. But he didn’t mind. Compared to her, he was definitely a rich-boy, who lived as a saint. He wished that his life didn’t sound so boring.

By now, they had introduced and Tom just adored how her name had everything to do with her eyes. On the other hand, Esmeralda was stunned. It was the first time that she actually met a decent Hiddleston male but she hadn’t told Tom that she knew his father, she’d rather keep that off for now. She was enjoying their conversation far too much.

Suddenly his phone began to ring and he sighed, giving her an apologetic look but she dismissed it, sipping on her tea as she looked outside. It was Henry on the phone, apparently, their father had just gotten away from another charge.

Tom’s eyes observed Esmeralda while Henry spoke. It felt so good to talk to someone without them knowing that he was rich or who he really was, aside from his first name. He felt like a person and he felt like she didn’t really care if she pleased him, which was why he liked her.

When he hanged up, he looked visibly worried. His father’s scandals were a motive of shame to him. His father always got a way to get through, always. If he was a regular man, he’d be in jail but, despite his ways, Tom didn’t say anything. Why? Because he liked the comfortable life as much as it disgusted him when he thought about it or as much as he tried to deny it. He was used to have a care-free life, despite the means used to get it.

“Is everything alright?” Esmeralda asked making him blink and look at her.

“Oh no, I’m sorry. It’s just hm… my father.” He said, feeling unusually at ease with her. He felt that he could trust her.

She looked at him with greater interest and sat closer to him “Did something happen to him?”

“No. He has a guardian angel, I assure you.” Tom chuckled but Esmeralda tensed at the irony.

He had escaped when he hurt her, like he always escaped every single bad thing that he did. Tom seemed to take it lightly, she could see that he knew of his father’s actions and she was very quick to just conclude that Tom was just like him. A good liar, a hypocrite, probably a rich boy who had thought that she could be good fun for him.

“Sadly, those who deserve the less are always the luckiest.” She commented making Tom furrow his eyebrows.

“What do you mean Esme?” He asked, giving her a little nickname and smiling because of it.

“We are not friends, it’s Esmeralda to you, Thomas.” She said coldly, making him straighten up in his seat and give her confused look.

“Did I say something wrong?”

“You didn’t have to say much.” She said as she stood up and looked for some change to pay for her coffee.

“What are you doing?” Tom asked as he stood up clearly confused “I’m offering. Esmeralda, please, whatever I said, I’m sorry.” He said as he put his jacket on and watched her grab her sign and head out, he followed immediately.

“Esmeralda!” He called as he grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around “What did I do?!”

“You are just like your father!” She yelled “You are a brat, you are spoiled. I don’t need you to pay my fucking coffee. I might not have my tuitions paid but I can still afford a coffee.” She spat as she pushed his hands away.

“My father? No, you have to be mistaken.”

“Remember the bruises?” She asked, her eyes filling with tears “Your father did them to me. And do you know why? Because I uncovered one of his schemes and he had to silence me somehow. Now, I’m a college drop-out.” She said as Tom felt his heart sinking, it couldn’t be.

“I… I’m not like him.” Tom told her softly, shocked at the relevation.

“You’re lying.” She snapped immediately “You are just like him. You use irony to hide the fact that your father gets away with it, because you are rich. You have no idea of what real life is, rich boy.” She said, pressing her index finger to his chest while she looked straight into his blue eyes “I never want to see you again.”

Tom’s eyes widened at her harshness and he couldn’t find the words to speak. Esmeralda growled as she left quickly, wanting to just go home. Why did she lie to herself? Nothing good came from the Hiddleston’s. Never.

~

Tom wasn’t even sure of how much time it had passed since that day with Esmeralda. He couldn’t stop about her. The idea of his father hurting her and ruining her life was too preposterous for him to deal with. He wanted to know the truth and that was why he was sitting inside the office, waiting for his father to return from a meeting.

“Tom!” His father greeted happily as Tom stood up and they shared a manly hug “What brings you over my boy?”

“Father,” Tom said a bit nervously “I need to ask you about something.”

“Anything, my son.”

“I never really mess with your business, you know that. I have no interest in messing or asking but… what happened with the scholarships?” Tom asked, cursing inwardly for being such a coward.

“Nothing happened.” His father replied “Only one was taken.”

“Why?”

Edward Hiddleston furrowed his eyebrows “Why does it matter?”

“Please, just tell me, father.”

“She was a problem and I took care of her.”

“How?”

“I cut her scholarship off and I taught her a lesson.”

Tom froze. Esmeralda hadn’t lied. He stood up abruptly and left, leaving his father in utter confusion.

Esmeralda sighed. Why couldn’t she get that guy off her head? Of all guys, why him? Out of everyone that she could possibly start to fancy, how could she fancy him after just a conversation? It was wrong at every level. It would never happen, either.

Maybe she had been unfair. No. No, she hadn’t. She shook her head and looked up at the sky. Something about him was different but she couldn’t let herself be tricked. She couldn’t trust someone so easily, they barely knew each other.

She sighed again as she closed her book, she couldn’t concentrate. She moved to lie down on the bench she was sitting on, when suddenly she heard something and sat up.

“Whiskers! Whiskers, get down, you naughty cat!”

Esmeralda furrowed her eyebrows as she saw an old looking woman, yelling up at a tree with her arms extended. Esmeralda laughed quietly but quickly stood up to meet her.

“Good afternoon. May I help you?” She offered as the woman adjusted her glasses and praised the lord.

“Yes, please, pumpkin. Could you get a way to get Whiskers down?” The woman pleaded as Esmeralda looked up and huffed, the cat was higher than she thought.

“I’ll get him for you ma’am.”

Esmeralda turned slowly to the source of the voice and she could barely believe it. It was Tom.

“I can perfectly do it.” She told him as he stared into her eyes. She felt that something was different.

“Let me do it.” He said with determination, he wanted to show her that she was wrong. When he had seen her near the tree, he hadn’t even stopped to think. He just went straight over, he was so mad at his father but also at himself. Now he wanted to prove to her that he was good, that he was different.

Esmeralda saw that nothing could move him and she nodded her head. Tom cleared his throat and couldn’t help but to grin as he easily pushed himself up and climbed the tree.

“Don’t be afraid, dearie! Whiskers is very sweet.” The woman reassured him as Tom smiled down at them before reaching his arm for the cat. Esmeralda watched him closely, feeling her heart flutter for some reason. Maybe she was wrong about him, again.

Unlike what the woman claimed, the cat seemed to be quite moody and he immediately threatened Tom with his nails, hissing. Tom narrowed his eyes and after a few minutes of trying and planning, he finally got himself and the cat down. To say that he had scratches was an understatement.

Esmeralda couldn’t help but to snort quietly as the woman apologized heavily, gave Tom a candy she had on her purse and went on her way. He glanced at her and sighed.

“I’m glad that you are having fun at my expense.” He grinned softly as she brushed her hair back.

“I have to admit, that was quite heroic.” She smiled, teasing him slightly.

“I’m glad you think so.” He laughed as he glanced at his arms and frowned, they didn’t look so good and as a diabetic, getting small cuts was bad because they took longer to heal and he could get infections. The look on her face was worth it, though.

“Ready to admit that I might not be that bad?” He asked with a genuine smile. He was not teasing, he really wanted them to get along.

“Yes.” She admitted “What you did was really sweet.”

“Can you give me a fair chance? I want to show you that I’m not… I’m not like my father. Can we start all over?” He asked hopefully as he approached her slowly.

Esmeralda felt her skin heat up as she nodded her head “Come with me. My house is close and we’ll take care of your battle wounds.” She chuckled as he smiled brightly.