Hello Again (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

August 2012: The Proposal

Jackson is a nice guy. A really nice guy.  He’s good looking, if on the shorter side, and he’s a scientist at one of the local university research centers.  He smells good, he opens doors, and we’ve gone on three dates.  Well, “date” is a loose term.  The first time we met, Mary was with us.  I forced her to come. It took me almost a month to give in to her pleading to set me up, so I told her if I was going to do it, then she was going to suffer through it with me.  So, we met for sushi and had a good evening just the three of us.

The second time, I accidentally bumped into Jackson at a bookstore.  I’d been meaning to return his calls, I really had, but just hadn’t gotten around to it.  After the sushi date, he’d texted me twice and left one voicemail.  Instead, I ran right into him in the line for coffee at ‘The Page’.  We spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the café, talking about books and work and living in London.  It had been nice.  He smiled a lot, laughed at things that were funny and was very smart.  I enjoyed his company, and was fairly surprised by how much I did.

The third time was on purpose.  After the run in, we made plans to get dinner.  He suggested a pub near his university, so I met him there.  It was nice.  He didn’t have a lot of time, as he was technically still working (he works crazy hours).  That night we talked about relationships.  Our last ones (I said Richard, he said a woman named Veronica).  We both agreed that simplicity and honesty were good things.  I thought of Tom only twice during that conversation.

It was a nice date.  We had dinner, we split the bill, and he left with a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

So sparks weren’t exactly flying.  I wasn’t about to go spend a few hundred dollars on lingerie to impress him.  But I wasn’t opposed to seeing him again.  And Mary’s constant questions and gentle nudges toward seeing him again made it more and more easy to just give in and say “yes.”

Early this morning, I sent him a quick text, asking if he’d like to join me at the pub for Emily’s birthday.  I know everyone will be there.  Tom included.  I’m not saying that had any effect on my decision to invite Jackson, but…okay, maybe it did. 

Because Tom and I haven’t talked since I last saw him.  Since we danced to Billie Holiday, and I went home smelling his skin all over me.  He did call me. Once. And I ignored it, because it was nearly midnight, and I knew why he was calling.  It was the only reason he ever called me.

I ignored his call and then the next day, I had agreed to let Mary set me up with Jackson.  I’m not blind. I see the connection.  But in the interest of self preservation, I knew it was what I needed to do.  Things with Tom were getting too blurry.  I needed some clarity.

Jackson said he would meet me at the bar, since he was working late.  He said the project his team was working on was intense, and possibly near a break through.  He explained to me what they were researching, but he lost me somewhere around ‘incubation measurements’.

It’s closing in on eight as I make my way to the bar.  I spent way too much time getting ready, and then was late after poking myself in the eye with eyeliner, thus ruining my whole ‘carefree and so good looking I don’t have to wear makeup, but really I’m wearing a ton of makeup’ look.  I ended up having to wash my face and go with my standard mascara, bronzer and lip gloss.  It went better with the simple black maxi dress I decided to wear anyway.

The pub is buzzing when I get there, and it’s crowded.  I search through the crowd, and finally spot Emily across the room.  She’s sitting at a big table, surrounded by people. Her blond hair is curled up, and she’s wearing a pretty little sundress with an open back.  She looks happy, gorgeous and radiant. Mark is to her right, and they’re all laughing and carrying on.  I smile, glad to see she’s having a good time.