Lucky Number

5

You quickly glanced around as inconspicuously as you could manage and spotted a young woman gaping at Tom—literally. Her mouth hung wide open as she gawked in your his direction. She was holding her phone up as though she had been taking a photo.

"D-did she take your picture?" He nodded. "They do that? Without your permission?" Your voice leaked the disgust that boiled in your stomach.

Tom wrapped his arm around your shoulders, and kissed your temple quickly. "Honestly, nothing to be worried about, but let's keep going, yeah? I er don't wanna invite more attention...we can always head back now if you'd prefer."

You let out a breath and assured Tom you were fine, just adjusting, and tried not to worry about it. Tom was used to dealing with fans—he would know whether or not a situation was bad. You kept walking and pushed the woman from your mind. You approached the center of the park where a big fountain stood, and even though it was drained for winter, it was beautiful. The area wasn't crowded, but several other people stood about admiring the fountain or buying hot drinks from a stand on the other side of the square.

You hadn't been there for even thirty seconds when you felt Tom's posture change again. A few girls had spotted him and had nervously approached. You held your breath, not sure what to expect...

"Uh, h-hi. We were wondering if we could get a picture?" One of the girls stammered.

A beautiful, if somewhat put-on, smile appeared on Tom's face. "Yeah, no problem. How're you guys doing today? Staying warm?"

You were in awe of how sweet he was with the young fans. Since you'd never been out in public with him, you'd never seen him interact with fans before, and it made you feel so soft. He took the time to speak with them, asking their names and what they were doing in New York. You offered to take the photo, and Tom made sure they were all happy with how it turned out before saying goodbye. You couldn't imagine that all celebrities took such time and attention when meeting fans out and about, but it made your heart swell with pride. Tom was really one of the good ones, wasn't he?

After the girls had reluctantly walked away, Tom slung his arm back around your shoulders, squeezing tight. "Are you ok, love? I know it's not fun to have strangers come up, and I'd understand if you're overwhelmed."

You smiled brightly. "I like seeing you interact with them...pretty sure you just made their day—no their year."

He shook his head, "Nah it was nothing. I'm no big deal."

"I'm not gonna go inflating your ego, but you're really something." Tom looked quite pleased with himself at your compliment. "Now let's get out of here before I have to share you again."

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded with a cheeky grin, and removed his arm from around you to take your hand. The cold having seeped into your bones, the walk back was much more purposeful, and the only thing keeping you from complaining were the thoughts swirling around your mind of how you could warm up once home...

*****

The next day, Tom had to work, so rather than staying home by yourself, you tagged along to the press junket. Although boring, it was at least a few more hours you got to be in the same room as Tom. For most of the morning, you listened to the interviews, loving the opportunity to hear Tom talk about his work, but that got old surprisingly fast. They all asked the same five questions over and over...you really didn't know how Tom could do it. He was smiley and engaging for every interview, managing to give slightly different answers even after the tenth time being asked the same mundane question. Soon, you weren't even listening to what he said, instead zoning out while just watching your beautiful boyfriend give his animated answers, admiring the way his curls flopped when he laughed or the crinkles that appeared when he gave a genuine smile.