I took a deep breath as I got off the plane. I had just landed in Atlanta to begin the filming for Iron Man 4, and the reality of the situation had finally set in. I was getting ready to film a movie.
Tom had flown in a while ago, and he told me that he would meet me at the airport. He had been my rock throughout this whole process, and it was actually really helpful. This was a difficult transition to make. As I made my way to baggage claim, I kept my eye out for Tom.
As soon as I laid eyes on the handsome Brit, I was running into his arms. I jumped up on him and hugged him tight as he picked me up and held me.
"You know, Grace, we do this quite often." He chuckled as I looked up at him.
"No, I know. I just miss you and I love when I get to actually see you in person." I smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek. It almost seemed as if they had turned red to signify his blush.
"Come on, let's get your luggage. There's someone you should meet back at the house." He set me down gently so we could get my stuff. The two of us, along with Zendaya, Jacob, and Harrison, had agreed to rent a vacation home together while we filmed the movie.
"Someone new?" I had met Z and the guys at our first table read. Who on Earth was there? I grabbed one of my bags, and Tom grabbed the other one I pointed too.
"You'll see, love." He grinned as we started wheeling my bags towards the car Tom had driven here. Once we were in the car, I grinned over at him.
"I know that we've all read the script. How have you been so far in terms of spoilers?" He rolled his eyes and chuckled.
"I've actually done really well. My parents have been bothering me about the plot, and I haven't told them anything. 'With great power comes great responsibility,' ya know."
"Yay! I'm so proud of you babe!" I giggled, ruffling his hair as he rolled his eyes again.
"You're a piece of work sometimes, ya know?" He chuckled as he started the car.
"Ali has been slowly rubbing off on me through our time living together. I'm only about a quarter of the piece of work she can be at times." I grinned cheekily as he drove.
We spent our drive just talking, as we always did. Tom and I could have conversations about nothing, which I really enjoy.
Once we got to the house, I grinned softly. "I promise that I'm a better roommate than Ali is." After he and Ali had been introduced, he became well aware of our living dynamic and was often laughing at Ali's ways.
"Oh, I could tell." He chuckled as we got out and grabbed my bags. "Welcome to your home for the production process."
As soon as we opened the front door, I heard a dog's bark coming from the other room. My eyes widened as I looked at Tom, and he nodded with a smile. "She's here?"
My question was answered when I saw Tessa bolt into the room. I let go of my bag and immediately went to officially meet her, and I heard Tom chuckle.
"I knew she'd like you." He grinned as Tessa licked my cheek excitedly.
"This is immediately one of the best days of my life." I grinned as I looked back at him.
"Just because you met a dog?" I nodded, and he chuckled. "Okay."
"Come on, you know Tessa is one of the best dogs ever." He chuckled as he nodded.
"Fair enough. Come on, let's get your stuff in your room before someone trips over it."
Once all of my stuff was in my room, we spent the rest of the day hanging out with our housemates. Our first day on set was the next day, so we just wanted a chill day before we started filming.
In my bedroom, I was sitting on my bed alone with my thoughts. It was finally setting in that I was about to become a studio's adaptation of Gwen Stacy and immortalize myself in the role. I suddenly realized how much pressure would be on me for my debut role.
I started freaking out, which scared me even more. I had only ever had one full-blown panic attack before when I was a senior in high school, and it was absolutely terrifying. I didn't want to have another one, but it was too late. I soon began hyperventilating as tears slipped down my face, which led to me becoming a sobbing, hyperventilating mess. I curled up into a ball as I tried to process what was going on.
Not even thirty seconds into what I was going through, I saw my door open gently. "Grace, what's wrong? I heard you--" Tom fell silent as he saw what was happening. He gently sat at the foot of my bed. "Is there anything you need me to get or do for you?" His voice was soft as he asked. I could tell he didn't want to do anything that would upset me in this state, which was helpful.
I nodded softly, unable to speak what was on my mind. I was freaking out too much to say anything, but I opened my arms up in hopes that he would understand.
The next thing I knew, I was wrapped up tightly in his arms as we sat on my bed. I could feel him wiping tears from my cheeks, but he stayed silent. He wanted to let me talk on my own terms, and his silence and calming actions showed me he would wait as long as I needed him to.
After a few minutes of just sitting in his comforting arms, I finally stopped hyperventilating enough to speak. "Di-did I wake you at all?" When he shook his head, I took a deep breath and rested my head on his chest.
"Are you ready to talk about what's going through your mind?" His voice was a gentle whisper as he pushed some of the hair out of my face. I could tell that he wanted me to be in charge of what I did with this, which I really appreciated.
"Yeah," I told him softly as I looked up at him.
DISCLAIMER: This chapter is not intended to romanticize panic and anxiety attacks. I've had them before, and they truly can be terrifying. I included that to show how genuine they can be, along with the proper way to react when someone is having a panic attack. They should always be in control of how they handle the situation, and you are there to help them facilitate it. If you do anything they're uncomfortable with, it can send them even further into their reaction, which is the opposite of what they want to do.
Let me know your thoughts!