Hello Again (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

November 2010: Will

Let's get something else straight. I'm not a one night stand kind of girl. Not that there's anything wrong with those that are, but I've always found myself to be far too quiet, reserved and altogether anxious for that sort of wild abandonment. I wouldn't call it a rule, but perhaps it had been an unspoken one. All of my sexual experience, from my first time with Andy Preacher at age 16 (basement of his parent's house), right up to good old Tiny Dick, had been after quite a good amount of "get to know you" time.

That being said, if "no one night stands" is a rule that I somehow made for myself, then I suppose rules are made to be broken. Especially if you haven't had sex in a month, and your rather persuasive best friend is telling you that you need to "have the time of your fucking life." Mix in the stress of being newly graduated from college without much direction or hope of a lovely, life enriching career, the lingering madness of knowing the man you loved cheated on you, self preservation and a lot of alcohol...and you can easily be nudged in a new direction. A slight loosening of your own personal moral hierarchy.

And it all started with Santos, a white sandy beach and the mention of a bonfire party.

"Are you going to the full moon bonfire party tonight, Emily?" Santos asks, covering himself in sun tan oil. It glistens off his perfectly sculpted, deep tan chest. He sits under a palapa on a lounger, wearing the tiniest pair of swim shorts I've ever seen. I don't even know if I could fit in them. The Dominican sun is harsh and hot around us, and I can feel beads of sweat rolling down between my shoulders blades. I glance over at Emily, who is sitting in the sun in a tiny bikini and a big, oversized straw hat that covers most of her face. She's wearing huge sunglasses, giving her a quite glamorous look. We've all got a pretty good base tan, after five days lounging around in the sun. I don't quite have what you'd call a tan, but my freckles are standing out quite nicely.

"Of course. Are you?" She raises a perfectly sculpted blond eyebrow. She's a sweet girl, and when I arrived at the resort earlier in the week, I immediately recognized her. She's an acting student, and an import from London. It's not uncommon, as the acting program she is in is one of the best.

"No, lovey. I am meeting Olivier at the sunset bar, and he's taking me on his yacht. Gotta make the most of our last two nights in paradise." Santos wiggles an eyebrow at both of us and then cackles, throwing his head back. Leave it to Santos to find a gorgeous, wealthy guy to whisk him away to an even more gorgeous location.

"Amazing." Emily grins. She looks at me. "How about you, Gracie? You've got to come. It's a huge party. There will be so many guys there." She knows about my situation, and between her and Santos, the urging for me to find a fling has been rather relentless.

"I will come for a bit." I nod. Santos whoops loudly, and then smiles.

"Get it." He winks at me and I cringe.

"Doubtful."

"Oh, Gracie girl." Santos groans and stares at me with his wide brown eyes.

"Gracie! You're gorgeous! Don't sell yourself short." Emily sighs and smacks me on the thigh. Santos scoffs and rolls his eyes, then pulls his Ray Bans down.

"Gracie knows she's gorgeous. Guys fall all over her. She looks like a red headed Audrey Hepburn, for god's sake. Like a modern day ballerina fairy." Santos waves his hands around, nearly spilling the fruity drink he has wedged between his knees. I blush and roll my eyes.

"You do have this...ethereal calmness about you." Emily agrees and I scrunch up my nose.

"You're too good for most of the buffoons here, but you need some fun." Santos nudges me and pushes his sunglasses down his nose so he can make eye contact.