London Lovers

7. London night out

As we drove off towards Toms house, the rain started tapping against the windows. It never stops raining around here. Usually I would be annoyed by the rain, but tonight I'm in a good mood. I made a friend. And not just a friend. Tom freaking Holland. I didn't expose the way I freaked out when Tom wanted to go to dinner with me but man, I freaked out.

"We're here." Tom stopped the car and looked over his shoulder. "This is your stop, Pads. Now get out." He smirked. "Yeah, okay. Thanks for the ride bro." Paddy said and he got out of the car. "So, this is were Tom Holland lives." I chuckled. "Yeah, you like it?" Tom replied. "Well, from the outside it looks like a beautiful home." I said. "Well, thank you very much. Not that I bought it but my presence in the house makes it a lot better." He laughed. What a dork. But a cute dork, though.

We drove through the center of London. It hasn't stopped raining but the raindrops in the light of the moon looked beautiful. "Where are we going, actually?" I asked Tom. "We're going to on of my favorite restaurants called Circolo Popolare. It's a beautiful place with the most amazing food you'll ever taste." Tom replied, looking to his right smiling at me. My goodness he's handsome. "That sounds quite expensive." I replied. "Well, since you're new in London, I have to show you the best right. And don't worry, it's my treat." He replied, his eyes on the road. "Oh Tom, that's so sweet. But you really don't have to, I'm going to feel guilty about that." I replied, looking at him. The brown curls, the hands on the wheel, the strong arms, perfection. "No April, I insist. I asked you out for dinner, so I have to pay. That's how a real gentleman does his job." He winked at me. Butterflies started fluttering in my stomach as my cheeks turned slightly red. "Well, okay then, gentleman." I replied, smiling at him. I turned my eyes back on the road. This is going to be a perfect night. I can feel it.

"Miss, we have arrived." Tom said as he stopped the car. I looked to my right and my eyes widened. I've never seen a building this outstanding. It was kind of ancient but it was beautiful. "Wow, Tom. This is amazing!" I exclaimed. He laughed. "You like it, huh?" He opened the door of the restaurant for me. "I love it!" I replied.

We walked inside and the second we stood in the dining room I was over the moon. The interior certainly beat the exterior. The dining room was like a sea of fairy lights. The tables were dressed in champagne white tablecloth. Every table was set with a little vase of red roses and two golden candles. The walls were dressed in dark green ivy. And as that wasn't enough, the dining room looked out on Thames River. "Holland? Follow me please." A kind lady walked us to a table in the right corner of the room. Tom moved a chair for me to sit on. I smiled at him. "Tom, what is this place. It's the most beautiful restaurant I've ever been to in my entire life!" I squealed. Tom laughed. "I'm glad you like it, darling." My cheeks turned slightly red. Did he just call me darling? Wait, no, April. You're not going to do this. You just broke up with Jaden. No more boys for at least a few weeks. I looked at him. That might become an issue.

"So, April. What brought you're lovely appearance to London?" Tom asked, as we finished our second course. "Well, I danced on a really high level in LA, and I got offered a great job as a choreographer and dancer here in London. And nothing was really keeping me in LA so I went for it." I replied. "You don't have any friends back in the States?" I looked at him with a repulsive look on my face. That was a rude question. "Wait, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it like that. What I meant to ask was, what do you mean by nothing was keeping you in LA." His cheeks turned red and he had a guilty look on his face. It was cute. "It's fine. But I'm not going to bore you with that story." I smiled at him. The redness disappeared from his face. "I got time, tell me." He glanced into my eyes. I hesitated for a second, but decided to tell him my story. "Well, I was in a very happy and healthy relationship for two years with a boy called Jaden. We met at the Millennium Dance Complex, where I used to dance back in LA. One day, when I was on a trip for work, I caught him cheating. I wasn't supposed to come home for another two days so he didn't expect me. After an awful conversation with him I found out he had been cheating on me for months. So I broke up with him on the spot. I was still in doubt to take the job in London but this breakup was the final straw. My best friend, Riley, convinced me to go. I didn't want to leave her but she said I had to take this chance, so I took it. And now I'm here, having dinner with you." I exhaled the breath I was holding. A feeling of relief filled my head. I was glad I told him.

"Woah, April. That's pretty intense." Tom put his hand on mine. I blushed. "Yeah, it is. My friend basically made me take an oath to not date for at least a month." I chuckled. I noticed that Tom looked a little upset. "Do you really swear by that or are you just going to see how things go in London? Maybe you'll meet some new boyfriend material." He smiled lightly. "Yeah, maybe I will." I replied. Hoping I didn't ruin his evening. He looked sad.

"Will you be having desert?" The kind lady from before appeared at our table with a notepad. "No thank you. I'd like the cheque please." Tom replied. Shit, I screwed up the evening. I shouldn't have said the thing about not wanting to date. After he payed, Tom got up and walked up to me. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the restaurant in a rush. "Tom, what are you doing?" I yelled with a smile on my face. "Why are we running?" Suddenly Tom stopped running and turned me around. Our faces were dangerously close to each other. "We are going to get some ice cream." He smiled and looked deep into my eyes. My heart stopped. "I, uhm, that.." Come on April, real sentences please. "That would be nice." I continued. Tom grabbed my hand and pulled me around the corner. "Good, because we're here. What flavor would you like?" He let go of my hand and grabbed his wallet. "I'd like cookie dough." I replied, still blushing from the moment we had before. "Well, that's excellent. Cookie dough is my favorite." He ordered and handed me the cone. "Here you go, darling." He smiled. Shit, his smile...