Baker (Tom Hiddleston Story)

Chapter 8

March 2017

Tom and Melissa had been seeing each other for about a month now. They had gone on a few dates and Tom continued to visit her almost daily. The only people that knew about them dating were her kids, Kimberly, and Jorge. None of Tom's friends or family knew anything. Nothing was official between them yet, they were still only dating. They both really liked each other but were also hesitant to go any further.

Melissa didn't look him up online after she found out who he was but if he was a Marvel star she figured he must be a big deal. She also didn't ask her kids about him. She had a pretty open relationship with her kids so she did let them know that she went on a few dates with him but that was all. They insisted on meeting him officially but she didn't want that to happen unless they were official. She wasn't sure she was ready for the life that came with dating a celebrity. She also had to think about Daniel and Mia. She really didn't want them growing up in the public eye. She was truly scared but she liked him, a lot. It was now just time to decide if she liked him enough to go all in.

Tom was a lot more shocked to find out that Melissa had kids than he let her see. He told her it would take him a lot more to be scared off but he was very scared. He always wanted kids but he didn't know if he was ready at this very moment. He only met them for about a second before he left but based on what Melissa told him he could already tell they were great kids. He had no doubts that they could have a good relationship but he never even thought about becoming a stepfather to someone else's children. He also had to think about what the public would say. He usually didn't care about all that but after his very public breakup, he was being watched like a hawk. He was truly scared but he liked her, a lot. It was now just time to decide if he liked her enough to go all in.

"Hey Tom wait up!" Elizabeth shouted at him as he started walking to his car. They were all done shooting for the day and Tom was on his way to see Melissa.

"Hey Lizzie, is everything okay?" he asked once she finally reached him, a bit out of breath.

"Yes," she paused to catch her breath. "I was just gonna ask if you're doing anything right now?"

"Oh uh no I'm just gonna go to bed." He wasn't ready for anyone to know about him dating anyone. He lied hoping she would just drop it and let him leave.

"Well since you're not doing anything do you wanna hang out? Maybe go grab some coffee?"

"Oh thanks but I'm actually really tired."

"C'mon Tom you always just take off at the end of the day. All I'm asking is to spend an hour with my friend outside of work."

He knew there was no getting out of it. He didn't want Elizabeth to feel like he didn't want to hang out with her but he also really wanted to go see Melissa. "Okay fine," he paused to think. He knew he could trust Elizabeth. "I know just the place. I'll drive."

They drove to the bakery and just caught up with each other. They hadn't spent anytime together outside of filming and it was nice to talk with her. They had become really good friends after filming I Saw the Light together and she had really been someone to help him through his breakup. She was a truly kind person and made sure to check up on him frequently.

"Tom I'm pretty sure it's closed," Elizabeth said as they got out of the car. The 'open' sign was off and Melissa was clearly cleaning up inside.

"I know but it's okay. Let's go," he said as he walked to the door. Elizabeth looked at him confused but still followed him. He took a deep breath before opening it. He knew that once they went in, he'd have to tell Elizabeth about who Melissa was.

Melissa heard the door open and set down her broom, assuming it was Tom. "Hi Tom!" she said before turning around. Her smile dropped when she saw that he was with someone. "Oh hello."

"Mel this is my friend," he said as he walked towards her. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

Elizabeth stood at the door, completely shocked at what just happened in front of her.

"Go have a seat and I'll bring some treats out for you guys," Melissa whispered in his ear.

"Thank you darling," he placed another kiss on her lips before moving and walking to his usual table. He motioned for Elizabeth to sit down with him. She slowly walked over and gave him a confused look as she sat down. "What?" he asked innocently.

"So um- are you um- what uh- what the hell just happened?"

"So I guess I have some explaining to do."

"Ya think?!"

"So um Melissa and I have been dating for about a month now."

"A month? How have I not heard about this?"

"Well I haven't exactly told anybody. We aren't exactly official yet either."

"Well why-" Elizabeth was interrupted by Melissa approaching them with a tray of pastries and two champurrados. "Thank you this looks delicious."

Melissa smiled and began to walk away. "Darling come sit down," Tom said as he stood up and pulled out the chair for her.

"Oh no I don't want to impose."

"Nonsense! Please join us," Elizabeth said.

Melissa sat down and Tom pushed her chair in for her. He sat down next to her and took her hand in his under the table. "I'm Melissa by the way, but you could call me Mel," she smiled as she held out her hand. "You are?"

Elizabeth looked at Tom confused and he stifled back a laugh at her reaction. "I'm Elizabeth," she smiled back as she shook her hand. "But you could call me Lizzie."

"So do you work with Tom?" Melissa asked before taking a sip of her hot drink.

"Um yeah I do," she said slowly. "Not to sound like a bitch, but do you not know who I am?"

"She didn't even know who I was Lizzie," Tom chuckled. "She's only seen one of the Marvel movies and neither of us were even in it."

"Ahh I see," she said before taking a sip of her drink. "Holy shit this is good."

"Just wait until you try the pan dulce," Tom held out a concha for her, which was his favorite.

"Oh my god this is so delicious!"

"Thank you," Melissa smiled shyly.

"So how did you two meet?" Elizabeth asked between bites.

"Well I walked in here after the first night on set and really just wanted something sweet. I didn't realize that it was closed when I walk in but Melissa was kind enough to still serve me," Tom smiled fondly at her.

"He came in nearly everyday for like a month. Then he disappeared for a week, which I later found out was for a premiere in London. But when he came back he asked me out on a date and that was like a month ago," Tom pulled her hands up to his lips and placed a gentle kiss on them.

"Well you guys look beautiful together," Elizabeth smiled.

They stayed for about an hour talking. Melissa was so mesmerized when Tom and Elizabeth started talking about their work. She even talked about Daniel and Mia a little bit which really caught Elizabeth by surprise.

"So when are you going to ask her to be your girlfriend?" Elizabeth asked as soon as they got back in the car.

"Oh I uh I don't know if I'm going to."

"Thomas William Hiddleston," Elizabeth said sternly making Tom turn to her. "I've only known her for about an hour but that woman is phenomenal. The way your face lit up when you looked at her was something I've never seen from you, not even with Taylor. I know you're scared of heartbreak again and you're scared that she has kids but you need to let yourself be happy again. She could make you happy Tom. Let her."