The Love Abroad

We sat talking about everything. His parents divorce, his life, his overwhelming but exciting career. He asked me about my family, my parent's divorce (which happened right as I turned 18,) my goals and ambitions.

It was like we had so much in common that it felt like we knew each other our whole lives. Our similarities tied us together emotionally. I never met a man who loved Shakespeare as much as I do or be completely sinister at the same time.

It's true, though all that sincerity, that wall of goodness he puts up, Tom has this secret evil side. He told me that he likes to be a little wild and by that, I didn't have the guts to ask him.

"When I was playing Loki, developing his character, I really discovered my true self believe it or not," the way Tom described his passion for his craft amazes me. "Love isn't bound by strict concepts. It has no gender, Loki taught me that."

Right now I want to force myself upon this man. I mean, come on, how could you not want to? If all the men could take a 'How to be like Tom Hiddleston' course, the world (and the women in it) would be a better place.

Everyone deserves a man like him.

"So gay marriage, you're all for it?" I look at him, studying his movement. "100%. Everyone deserves equality. It's a shame really." He grabs his cup of tea, early grey with a splash of milk, taking a sip.

"What's a shame?" I ask.

"It's a shame that there's people out there who can't accept others for the way the are."

I'm dead. My heart pounding so hard and my mind is flushed. He is the definition of perfect.

Tom sets his cup down, grabbing the stirrer and playing with it. Nervously he asks, "May I ask you a question?"

"Go for it."

"Would it be weird if I said that I want to kiss you?"

I don't look at him directly because I'm not sure how to look at him. So I just smile.

A smile can say a thousand words and right now it was only saying "Yes, Tom. Kiss me. Right here, right now."

He leans forward, grabbing my hand. I look up at him, getting a smell of his cologne. Our eyes meet, inches separating our face.

With a smile he leans towards my face, caressing my cheek and pressing his lips against mine. Slowly, intimately our lips fight one with each other. He slips his tongue into my mouth without any resistance from myself.

The kiss lasted only 10-15 seconds but it was the most passionate kiss I've ever experienced. As we disconnect, his eyes stay on me with a sly smile forming on his face. I'm blushing and laughing a bit.

"I should probably go," he said, his face showing discontent. "I'd love to see you again if I could. Tomorrow maybe?" I look at him, nodding.

"I'd love that."

We both stand up, walking in the direction of the door.

"I'll call you tomorrow then?"

"You better." He smiles walking a few steps closer to me. Our bodies close in contact when he kisses me on the cheek. "You can count on it,” whispering in my ear.

That accent, his smooth British voice. I swear I died a little. He grabs the handle walking into the hallway.

First date: Successful.

Second Date: To be continued....

******

I keep replaying that kiss in my head. The way he touched me, the way he tasted. It was all a little surreal. Just being around him made me comfortable and at ease. He was easy to talk to but hard to look at without a thought of lust crossing my mind.

"Marie! I'm back, where's Tom?" Kris makes her way to the common room with two bags of clothes in her hand. "What are those Kris? Go shopping?" She looks down, blushing so hard her face was the color of a coca-cola can.

"These are actually for you. I mean, you don't have any real dress clothes & since you're kind of seeing an actor, these might help your case." I stand there, arms folded and my mouth agape.

"My case? What's my case? And no, I'm not 'seeing' Tom, we're just friends I guess. It's nothing." I wouldn't dare tell her about our kiss because that's enough proof she needed to dog me about my feelings and how I shouldn't let a guy like him go.

"Well, friends of actors need nice clothes. People in general need nice clothes. Come on, don't be mad, I'm just trying to help!" She walks over to the table dumping the bags on top revealing the beautiful clothes she picked out for me.

Not too fancy but can be both dressy and casual. "Oh I love this!" I pick up a knee-length navy summer dress and a cropped leather jacket. "This would be good to wear on my date tomorrow!"

Kris shoots her eyes to me. "Date? YOU HAVE A SECOND DATE!" she screams, grabbing my arms excitedly.

"Thanks to you leaving, we had a really good chat." I could feel the biggest smile form on my face. I was stoked.

"Excuse me but you don't just have a 'really good chat' with a man like him. You seduce him, making him yours forever. Like I said before, you want to make him only have eyes for YOU."

In a way, she has a valid point. Tom is not a guy you want to lose but then again, I'm totally fine with Wong friends with him. I love having intellectual conversations with him.

"In that case, I'm going to bed so I can test my seducing tricks in a dream. Goodnight." I grab the piles of new clothes heading into my bedroom.

"Keep it down in there too!" Kris yells from behind me.

What does she think I'm going to do in there?

Oh okay. I see.

I enter my room collapsing onto my queen size mattress, without changing. I'm tired and I just want to sleep.

I doze of into a deep sleep with only one thing on my mind: Tom.

I slept like a baby.

Once I hit that bed and closed my eyes, any hopes of dreaming totally crept out the window.

After my wake-up routine I head to the kitchen to find something to eat. As I get closer I hear two voices coming from there and I pause by step.

Kris is talking to someone. There's someone here! I can't make out the other voice because whoever it is, they're talking softly.

I take a deep breath and walk in to find Kris talking to a well-dressed Tom.

Tom is in my kitchen. At 10 o’clock in the morning. Looking like he just stepped off the red carpet.

And here I am, wearing spandex running shorts & an oversized t-shirt with some insane bed hair.

This is seduction at its best, people.

"Good morning!" They both say in unison with Kris breaking into laughter. "Here, have some breakfast. I was in the neighborhood & thought I'd stop by. Hope that's okay?" Tom hands me a breakfast sandwich from the street vendor by our flat.

"Okay. Thanks. Ummm.... Kris, can I speak with you for a moment?" She shuffles in the common room. "I'm sorry, sorry, sorry! I had no idea he was coming over until he knocked on the door!"

I just look at her. "Talk to me! You were going to see him today anyway, right? So why not see him all day, what was I suppose to do? Tell him to leave when he had a bag of food in his hand?"

She had a point but I didn't want to agree with it.

"So, when are you going to get dressed? I figured we could make this date an all day affair?" Tom eavesdropped on our conversation. I turn to him forcing a smile. "Give me 20 minutes."

I sound brash, maybe even a little bitchy but I just woke up. Give a girl a break. I slip on the blue dress and grab the leather jacket and finish my outfit with some old black converse high-tops. "Okay, let's go."

Tom looks at me, head to toe, smiling. I wrap my arm into his and we head outside. "You don't mind walking do you? It's a beautiful day out." I look up to him, gazing into his eyes that seem to have changed to a blue-green color.

"I love walking," I profess. "I have a question for you Tom."

"Okay. Ask away."

I look down at my feet. I can feel my face turn red and my forehead getting warm. "What is this? This situation. You come over to my flat early in the morning after spending a hefty amount of time with me last night. What's your motive?"

I was expecting him to say that he just wanted to get laid or something so I wasn't entirely prepared for what he was about to say.

"Because I fancy you." I can feel him looking down at me, his arm tightening around mine. "There's something about you that I want to discover. You interest me, your intelligence, passion, your dreams."

Tom Hiddleston fancies me. This is good, right? I mean, because I totally fancy him.

"So, you want to discover me? I'm sorry but that sounds a little bit creepy." I laugh a little at how ridiculous I'm sounding.

"Ehehe, sorry. I meant to say that I want to know more. That did come off a bit creepy, yeah? Now I feel like a tit." I look at him puzzled.

"A tit? Stop looking at my tits!" I scream sarcastically making Tom's face turn 50 shades of red. "Stop it you." He nudges me making me lose my balance a bit. "Okay, we're here. The first part of our date."

I look up to see the London Eye above me as my knees begin shaking. "We're going...on that? Uhh.... seriously?"

Though I've said I've wanted to se London from the top of the Eye, I never thought I'd actually have to. I have a fear of heights. Tom senses my nervousness, "Something wrong? Are you.... afraid?" The tone of his voice makes me think he's mocking me a bit.

"No....yes. I sort of have a fear...of heights." He removes his arm from mine and grabs my hand instead.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promise with everything I have."

His voice and words flow through my ears, comforting me. "If you do, you'll never get your chance to play detective." We get in line and wait for the next empty chair on the giant wheel. My heart is pounding and my breathing is getting heavy.

Finally a chair becomes available and Tom guides me to the far right of the chair. We buckle ourselves in, my hand still tangled in Tom's.

Once we reach the highest point of the ride, my anxiety disappears. It's not to bad, really. It's actually kind of beautiful. All of London is beneath us. The river Thames looking dark and muddy like the rivers back home. For once, the sun is shining with no clouds in sight.

"Marie?" I feel Tom's whisper cross my left cheek. "Yeah?" I was distracted by my view that I wasn't 100% coherent. "I really like you, I think."

You think? How can one think they like someone? You either do or don't. It's as simple as that.

"Tom, I'm not ready for this. You're a fantastic guy, I love being around you and actually having a conversation with you. I think for now, we'd be best as friends."

I felt like I just punched myself in the face. Did I really just say that, out loud?

Dear Mr. Hiddleston, you are being denied the chance to be in a relationship with someone you actually might like because they're ignorant and stupid.

Sincerely, Life.

"I understand. Whew! Well, at least now this whole awkwardness can vanish. Friends are good; I'd love to be your friend. To be quite honest, it's rather refreshing. I don't think I have the stamina to be a proper boyfriend."

So we're friends. We. Are. Friends.

This is okay, really, it is. To develop a solid friendship means that eventually, possibly, something more powerful could happen. I'm not saying that I'll be in a relationship with Tom or that I'm going to fall madly in love with him but we will be friends.

Like Shakespeare once said in Henry VI, "Thy friendship makes us fresh."

Here's to hoping our friendship keeps us 'fresh' and sane.

Or so to speak.

The rest of the day was a little bit awkward. But once we had dinner, it took a turn for the better.

We went to this pub in the heart of London. It's a huge hotspot for the England supporters. It was an amazing atmosphere.

We both had a couple pints and talked about soccer and his upcoming projects. It was at this moment that I realized I made a big mistake turning down an opportunity to be with Tom.

It was too late to change what I said, unless I met The Doctor, who could take me in the TARDIS and rewind time. But I seriously doubt that would happen.

"I'm so glad I moved to London. I love this place already." I still have two terms here at Cambridge and I'm already wishing I could permanently stay here.

Tom takes a chug of his Guinness, leaning back in his chair. "That's fantastic. You're a very intellectual women, with a promising future. Not to mention, you have everything to offer. Beauty and brains with a side of raunchy.

Raunchy? "Now what does that mean, sir? You don't know that I'm raunchy." He leans back on the table, arms crossed with his eyes glued to me.

"You have this dark side Marie," it was like he was staring deep into my soul. "You're a bad girl. You like adventure and getting in trouble but the only way you can do that, is behind closed doors. You have this facade you want to maintain, someone who is mature, classy and humorous but what you really want is to let yourself go once and a while."

Wow.

I am speechless.

"As do you, Tom. I see right through you. To the world, you’re this perfect man that has all the charisma and nobility, but inside you're more like Loki than people think."

I grab my beer, slurping the thick liquid, which coats my throat. I got him. I've beaten him at his own game.

"We have more in common than we think,” he says with a laugh. "I know this might seem a little weird after what happened earlier, but would you like to accompany me on a walk?" I smile, tilting my head forward showing my interest.

It's a beautiful night in London; the only night since I've been here that hasn't been rainy or cold. Absolute perfection.

At the end of our walk, we get to the top of this hill overlooking the city. "This is where I come when I need to feel grounded,” he admits. "Sometimes I get a little overwhelmed by how fast everything is happening."

I turn to look at him, wrapping my arm in his. "Thank you for bringing me up here. It's stunning."

I feel him arms grab my waist, turning me towards him. "Not as stunning as you." Tom leans down kissing me softly.

For some reason, I don't resist. I know I should, that I said we should be friends but I can't seem to pull myself away.

I lean into him, removing my lips from him and place my head on his chest, overlooking the lights down below. I can feel him breathe as he embraces me. Tom places his chin on the top of my head, making me feel safe.

No words were spoken from then on. We just stood there, enjoying the night and each other.

With silence all around us.

Though, I'm afraid that only silence will keep us from being together.