Is this seat taken?

Mitch and Eunice

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "You-you want us to be in the play?"

"Yes," came Professor Lannister's response, "I've decided you two would fit wonderfully. You're both very talented. I've cast you as Eunice, and Tom as Mitch. Does that sound good to you?"

I was grinning like a child as I hastily told him we looked forward to the first rehearsal. I hung up the phone and just sat for a second, trying to process what I had just heard. 

Tom had been watching on with poorly disguised anticipation while I answered the call. I looked over at him. "We got in."

He broke into one of his heart-stopping grins, the kind that made you feel the joy rolling off him like feeling the warmth of the sun. Tom stood and came over to me, scooping me up in a hug and lifting me off the ground. "I am so proud of you," he whispered in my ear. 

"Of us," I corrected. If there was anyone in the world who could take humility to an extreme, it was Tom.

He pulled out of the hug with a chuckle and took my hand. "Then," he said, grinning, "how about we go and get something to eat? In honor of us."

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There were flowers. And we were laughing. My family was there. And his. But these were all background details. The main thing I remember was feeling as if my happiness was overflowing, too much for one person. And his smile, oh god his smile. It was like seeing a personified version of starlight. It was infections. And I could tell he felt just as happy as I did. He leaned in, his lips brushing my ear. "Would you like to do the honors?" He handed me a cake knife and I sliced into the top tier. He shoved a chunk of the sweet cake in my face, smearing icing down one cheek. I laughed and wiped a streak of icing off on his nose. 

We danced, swaying in the center of a circle of our closest family and friends. I barely registered their faces as we turned, leaving behind the entire world. I laid my head on his shoulder, sighing deeply. Again I heard his voice, very quiet, and right next to my ear. "I love you..."

"...Mrs. Hiddleston."

I wrenched awake. Sweat plastered my hair to the skin at the nape of my neck. The sheets lay tangled around my legs, my bed in a total disarray. I sat up and brought a hand to my face, trying to calm my thudding heart. I could still hear the distant music, the voices. I could still feel his hands as they held me, and the silky material of his suit against my cheek. 

There was a knock at my door.

"Gabi?" Oh god. I had forgotten Tom had spent the night in the guest room again last night. "Gabi, we're going to be late for the lecture if you don't wake up. Come on love."

I hurriedly swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood. Too fast. The sheets caught my ankles, making me trip and land on the wood flooring. 

"Gabi, are you alright in there?"

"Yeah," I called back, trying to keep the rueful tone out of my voice, "I just fell. I'll be out in a second." 

Picking myself up off the floor, I quickly walked to the bathroom and began getting ready. Twenty minutes later, after I had raked a brush through my hair, taken a shower, and gotten dressed, I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror. I looked startled and my cheeks were still flushed. I splashed some cold water on my face, desperately trying to erase any traces of my dream. I couldn't even think about it. 

Today was going to be a long day.

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After classes were over for the day, Tom came over to help me study for finals, which were coming up in a few weeks. We ate dinner, and then Tom went back to his dorm. It all flew by and before I knew it I found myself alone in my dorm. I stepped into the shower, eager to wash away the strains of the day.

Mrs. Hiddleston.

The words had floated through my mind all day and now that there was nothing to distract me, I found myself blushing at the dream from earlier. 

It was our wedding. Tom and I were happy and everything was perfect. The way he looked when he said  the words "Mrs. Hiddleston"... I had to admit, I liked the way he said it, savoring the words like a delicacy, and I liked the fact that he was referring to me. 

I shook my head, dispelling the thought, and groaned.

I would just be happy when freshman year was over.

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Finals week was awful. I was glad I had Tom to help me study and to help relieve the stress with lovely dates and his ever-present peace. No matter how stressful school got, he was always the same sweet, funny Tom. 

When it finished, I was so glad to be done. It had been the best year of my life; I had completed my first year of university in a foreign country, and I had a boyfriend who I was hopelessly in love with. 

Rehearsals for A Streetcar Named Desire started in a few weeks, and were scheduled to last into the early fall. Until then, we had time to ourselves, and Tom had promised to take me on the trip we had planned at the beginning of the year. 

The day we were scheduled to leave, the buzzer outside my dorm door rang. Tom stood outside, his signature cheeky smile lighting up his face. It should be illegal to look that good at 9:00 in the morning, I thought. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yeah," I replied, "Just let me grab my stuff."

I turned around to fetch my suitcase and iPod from next to the couch, but Tom ducked around me and beat me to it. "Allow me," he laughed. As he passed by, he took my hand and led me to the car. We were on our way.