For the Love (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 17

A/N: Wow, I'm seriously blown away by all the feedback I'm getting.  Thank you all, so much.  When I put this story up, I didn't expect to get much response.  Thank you!!!!  Huge thanks to my partner in crime, @vintagehouse, who introduced me to Tom and the way he ruins lives.  Also, big thanks to @Bluebell84 and @RedWritingHood09, who are awesome and also fantastic writers (go read their stuff, if you haven't already!)  And to everyone else who has taken the time to read, or comment-- thank you! I hope you continue to enjoy...I'm feeling the pressure! Lol

-S

      They passed the afternoon and evening laughing and having a great time.  The weather couldn’t have been more perfect.  Hot and sunny but with a cool breeze coming off the water.  Chris and Tom were hilarious together, telling stories about working together and making everyone laugh.  Tom had been adamantly speaking in an American accent for most of the afternoon, which had driven both Emie and Lucia crazy.  Especially considering how much he was using the phrases “Oh my god” and “like”.  Chris thought it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard though, and had encouraged Tom to keep it up.
        Lucia had been true to her word and was wearing a ridiculously over the top gold string bikini that said “Bride” on the butt.  Emie had gone a little more low key in a plain black bandeau top bikini.  They were lying out on the deck of the boat, slathered in sun tan oil, while the guys were repeatedly jumping off the side of the boat into the crystal clear water.  Each time they would jump, they would find something different and obnoxious to yell as they did.
       Half way through the afternoon, the four of them went snorkeling. The boat had taken them to an excellent coral reef, where they spent a few hours lazily swimming through the water, their heads submerged.  Once in awhile one of them would call out, noticing a particularly beautiful fish. 
       Emie had to admit, she couldn’t remember the last time she had such a perfectly wonderful day.  She was with her sister and Chris, who had long been two of her favorite people.  And she was with Tom, who made her laugh until her stomach hurt.  He also made her feel special.  When he looked at her, she sometimes swore it was like he was looking right through her.  It should have been unsettling, but instead she found it endearing. 
       And he was constantly smiling which made her want to be smiling as well.  The interesting thing was that although he was always seemingly smiling and laughing, he was totally genuine.  There were some types of people who were always smiling and laughing, but never quite doing anything genuine.  You could almost tell that it was impossible to get a serious, thoughtful sentence out of them.  With Tom, it was quite the opposite.  He was just happy.  Sincerely happy.  It wasn’t a façade.  It was just who he was.  But he wasn’t ignorant or insensitive.  He just chose to find the good in every situation.  And Emie found that monstrously attractive. 
       It was nearly eight when the sun started setting.  They had climbed back on the boat, their arms and legs heavy from swimming all day.  The air was still warm, but without the sun shining, it was a bit cooler.  Emie pulled on a pair of yoga shorts, and zipped a lightweight hoodie up over her bikini.  Lucia pulled on a cotton sun dress, and the guys both pulled  tshirts and sweatshirts on.  They settled onto the deck, sitting at the small table near the center of the boat.  The seats were cushioned and wide.  Emie sat on the same side of the table as Tom, her legs tucked comfortably under her.  Tom sat, slightly sprawled and comfortable next to her, his long legs bumping into hers.  He had his arm on the back of the lounger they sat on.  Relaxed.  Emie breathed in deeply, feeling happy and content.  The sky blazed orange and red, with streaks of yellow and crimson.  It surrounded them.  Emie silently wished she could freeze the moment and just stay there.
       “This is paradise.” Lucia said, breathing in and looking around.  She leaned her head on Chris’ shoulder.  Chris kissed the top of her head and smiled to himself.
       “Thank you, Tom.” Chris said, clinking his beer bottle to Tom’s.  Tom smiled, nodding his head.
       “Congratulations, you two.  I love you both. Cheers.” He tapped his bottle to Lucia’s wine glass, and then turned to Emie, tapping her glass of water.  Emie smiled at him, then slid ever so slightly closer to him, into the crook of his arm and side.  She felt him wrap his arm around her shoulder, his hand squeezing her shoulder gently. 
       “We love you both, so much.” Lucia raised her glass again, looking from Emie to Tom.  “Thank you for being here.” They all cheered again, and took sips of their drinks.  A few moments later, the crew members brought out their dinner.   They ate hungrily, and in a comfortable quiet.  After dinner, they kept the conversation going for awhile at the table.  At around ten, Chris and Tom decided to do a few “manly” shots, and they went into the boat to the bar, leaving Emie and Lucia out on the deck to enjoy the wide open sky.  The sun had long disappeared, leaving behind an inky blue black sky.  There were a million stars in the sky and they could see all of them.
       “Today was perfect.” Lucia sat down on a reclining chaise lounge, and patted the spot next to her.  It was more than big enough for two people.  Emie slipped her hood up and then sat next to her sister, leaning back.  Lucia wrapped her arms around Emie, hugging her.  They sat like that silently for a few minutes, looking up at the glittering sky.
       “You are really lucky, you know.” Emie said softly.
       “Why? Because I have a sister like you?” Lucia smiled.  Emie grinned.
       “Yes, but that’s not what I was going to say.” She nudged Lucia.  “Chris.  He’s so great, Luce.” Emie squeezed her sister.  Lucia smiled big, looking at Emie.
       “I’m glad you like him.  That’s really important to me.”
       “How could I not like him?” Emie laughed.  Lucia shrugged.
       “He is pretty perfect.”
       “Mom and Dad would have loved him too.” Emie’s voice barely broke a whisper as she looked over at Lucia.  Lucia’s eyes almost instantly filled with tears, and her lip quivered a bit.  Emie swallowed hard, and pulled her close.  They rested their heads against each other.
       “I wish they were here.  I would give anything to have them here.” Lucia said softly, her voice raspy.
       “I know.  Me too.” Emie felt her vision go blurry, and she let the tears fall freely.  They didn’t often talk about their parents.  It was painful and not easy.  But Emie felt she needed to make sure Lucia was doing alright considering she would walk down the aisle without either of them.
       “I have you here though.  And Chris has been so good about it.” Lucia said through tears.  She brushed her eyes.  Emie reveled in how gorgeous Lucia was even when she was crying.
       “Oh? What’s he said?” She asked.
       “Just that you and I are so lucky to have each other. And that I should be so proud of who I am, and what I’ve done.  So proud that you and I turned out so well.” Lucia gave a little laugh then.  It was true, she should be proud.  Their Aunt had done a great job helping out where she could, but really it had been Lucia and Emie depending on each other.  They had stuck together and that was how they had made it so far.
       “Things were tough for awhile.” Emie nodded, remembering those sad, dark days right at the end of high school.  Lucia hugged her again.
       “We made it, though.  I’m completely normal and you’re almost normal.” Lucia grinned as Emie gasped and began poking her. 
       “When is Aunt Erica getting here?” Emie asked, laughing as she smacked Lucia on the arm.
       “Tomorrow evening.” Lucia said.  Emie nodded.  She was looking forward to seeing her Aunt.  It had been over a year since she had seen her.  She was a sweet woman, very kind and caring.  Emie usually talked to her on the phone at least once or twice a month.  Emie and Lucia settled back, both lost in their own thoughts.
       “Darlings?” A voice came from behind them.  Tom came out from inside the boat, two tumblers in his hand.
       “Yes, darling?” Lucia responded, smiling at Tom.  He grinned.
       “Like, oh my god, Chris is requesting your company at the bar.” He said in his terrible American accent.  Emie groaned loudly and Lucia laughed.  He cackled, and then nodded toward the cabin.
       “I’m being requested.” She said, getting up off the chaise.  “Tommy, darling, will you keep Emie company then? She looks a bit cold.” Lucia said in a rather terrible British accent. 
       “Careful, Lucia.  Your inner Jersey Johnny is showing.” Tom muttered as Lucia walked by.  She laughed loudly and patted him on the arm as she went inside.  Emie rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but smile.
       “Funny. What a funny guy you are. You didn’t tell me you were a comedian, too! Such talent.” Emie said, sitting up slightly as Tom sat back next to her, taking up the space that Lucia had just vacated.  He stretched his long legs out in front of himself and handed Emie one of the glasses.
       “Darling, you have yet to discover many of my talents.” Tom said, lowering his voice. Emie blinked. 
       “What is this?” she asked, swirling the glass.
       “It is a Chris Worth specialty.  I won’t tell you what he called it, it’s not fit for such delicate ears.” Tom said, then laughed loudly at his own joke.  She grinned, took a sip and then immediately regretted it.
       “That’s terrible.”
       “Well, I never said it was good.” Tom grinned, taking a sip from his own glass and then scowling.  “Blast, that is terrible.  While I have many talents, Chris seems to only have two talents.  Acting and making your sister happy.  Bartending is not one of them.” Tom set his glass down on the floor, and took Emie’s and did the same.
       Emie curled up next to Tom, feeling a light buzz from the wine she had at dinner.  She felt warm all over.
       “How are you, Em?” Tom asked easily, settling back.
       “Lucia and I were just talking about my aunt.” She said, glancing at Tom.  He looked at her, a bit surprised.
       “Oh? Are you close with her?” He asked, throwing an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.  She let herself cuddle up next to him.
       “Yes.  While my parents were working and travelling around the world, I stayed with her.  I didn’t want to move around.  She let me live a somewhat normal teenage life.” Emie sighed, letting herself relax against him.  Tom squeezed her close for a moment, then took her hand in his free one, absently intertwining her fingers with his.
       “Were you close with your parents?” He asked gently.  She wrapped his hand in her own, watching the muscle and sinews in his larger hand move and press against his skin.
       “Yes.  We didn’t always see eye to eye.  I hated moving around.  I just wanted to be stable and normal. But they were good parents.  Once we figured out an arrangement that worked…then our relationship improved.  But I was only living with my aunt a short while before they died.” She took a deep breath and bit her lower lip.  She looked up at him.  He was just looking at her with those clear, beautiful eyes.
       “What about you? Are you close with your parents?” She asked, realizing she knew little to nothing about his background. She also desperately wanted to change the subject away from the topic of her family. 
       “Yes.  I’m close with my mum.  My parents divorced when I was young.  My two sisters and I lived with my mum after the divorce.  I didn’t always see eye to eye with my dad, but things have improved lately.” He nodded.
       “What did you disagree about?” Emie asked.  Tom shifted slightly.
       “Acting, actually.  Whether I was wasting my time. Sometimes I still wonder if I am.” He said, then looked down at her.
       “No, you’re a fantastic actor.” She shook her head.
       “Really? You think so?” He said raising an eyebrow. “What have you seen me in?” He challenged with a smile.  Emie paused, biting her lip.
       “The ones with Chris. I’ve seen those.” She said quickly.
       “What are they called?” He asked, a gleam in his eye.  She pursed her lips, then crawled over Tom’s lap, grabbing the drink that he’d set on the ground.  She took a gulp, ignoring the burn as it went down.
       “They’re called…superheroes…in spandex…” She mumbled, making Tom laughed loudly.  He grabbed the drink from her, finishing it off.  He coughed softly, pounding himself on the chest.  Emie laughed.
       “You’ve really never seen anything I’ve been in?” He asked, wincing as the burn of the drink subsided.
       “Well you’ve never read one of my books.” She countered.
       “You wouldn’t tell me what they were!  I only just found out.” Tom yelped.  Emie laughed and then grabbed him by the front of his shirt.  She leaned forward and kissed him squarely on the mouth.  Tom froze at first, perhaps at bit surprised, but then after a second he relaxed and pulled her to him. 
       “One thing I do know about you—“ She said, pulling away.
       “Yeah?”
       “You’re a fantastic kisser.” She grinned.  He laughed, and then pumped a fist into the air.
       “Extraordinary at kissing. Check!” He made an imaginary check mark in the air.  Emie smiled and leaned up, kissing the side of his neck.  Little, soft, gentle kisses that immediately made Tom go quiet, and very, very still. 
       “Mmm.” She moaned softly, leading a line down his throat.  Tom made a half breathy noise.
       “You’re, like, not so bad at it yourself.” He said, the American accent returning.  Emie laughed.
       “Stop that or I’ll stop.” She teased, then licked the side of his neck.
       “I don’t know what you’re talking about, darling girl.” He said, speaking now in a rather exaggerated British accent.  She smiled, shaking her head.  Tom grabbed her hands which had been slowly moving down his chest.
       “Thank you for such a great day.” She let him take her hand in his, though she was dying to touch him.
       “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself.  I’m glad everyone did.” He smiled.  She leaned forward, kissing him again.  She couldn’t get enough.  Maybe it was the trip.  Maybe it was the beautiful setting. Maybe it was just Tom. But it was intoxicating.
       “Are you drunk?” He asked with a tilt of his head.  She’d had a few drinks that day, but she was far from drunk.
       “No.  Are you?” She asked.
       “Possibly a bit.  That’s not the first Chris Worth drink I’ve had tonight.” He motioned to the empty glass.  Emie laughed and then leaned forward.  She pressed her lips softly to his, and he seemed to breathe her in.  He tasted like Tom, but perhaps with a bit more whisky. 
       “Should I take advantage of you, then?” Emie asked, slipping her hand under his sweater and tshirt and finding his smooth warm skin.  She felt Tom tense as she touched his sides.
       “Em.” Tom said, suddenly a bit serious.  She looked at him.  If he was drunk, he didn’t show it.  His eyes were clear, and he seemed rather steady.  In fact, she had a hunch that he was completely sober.
       “Thomas.” She said in the same stern voice.
       “Let’s take this inside.” He said then, nearly leaping off the chair and holding out his hand to her.  She looked at his outstretched hand, hesitated for barely a moment and then put her hand in his.