My alarm clock rings throughout the room early the next morning, forcing me to groan and force myself up out of the comfortable bed. Almost immediately, memories flood back into my head from last night. Dancing all night. Drinking, too. And only retiring for the night after two different bands had played and the place was getting ready to close.
Forcing myself the rest of way out of bed, I quickly shower, dress and pack my bags before finally going down to the red convertible, loading in my things. It felt so weird, to not have Tom here. But it felt exciting at the same thing, to know I'd be able to do this on my own.
Finally, I go back up to Tom's hotel room, knocking on the door. I wanted to let him know I was leaving now, even if it was seven in the morning. I didn't know if he'd be awake or not. But just a minute after I knock, I hear his voice through the door saying, "Come on in." So I do, and I see that he's still in bed, propping himself up with his arms. It seems that he only woke up not too long ago. And he looked fairly tired after last night's activities.
"Hey," I greet softly, smiling as I looked at him. Butterflies immediately formed in my stomach, but I knew they wouldn't last long. "Sorry if I woke you. I just wanted to let you know I'm leaving now."
"Okay," he responds. "Come here and give me a hug first." A smile forms on his face as I walk towards his bed, sitting on the edge. He wraps me in a tight hug, pulling me onto the bed with him as he laughs softly.
"Thomas..." I scold lightly, a smile on my face. I wanted nothing more than to just climb under the covers with him and sleep for a few more hours, but that honestly wasn't an option at the moment.
He just hugs me tighter, his face buried into my neck. "Be safe, Cass. And... Have fun, too."
"I will. And you, too. Text me the details on where we'll meet in Indiana. And try not to pick up any girlfriends while you're in Kentucky, got it?"
He laughs, his breath hitting against my skin. "Not likely. Not when you're waiting for me in another state."
I take a deep breath, breathing in his scent. Then I pull away from our hug. "It's no big deal, really. We'll see each other in two days. It won't be bad." I pat his curls lightly and smile. "Later, TW."
He smiles back, looking quite adorable. I wouldn't dare tell him such a thing, though.
Then I leave his room, shutting the door behind me. Putting one foot in front of the other, I head down to the car, start up the engine, and drive.
It felt weird without Tom. Ugh, I've said that too many times. I've got to stop saying it. But it sort of feels like I'm never returning to him. I'm driving, once again, by myself, and completely bored. So I decide to turn on some tunes to entertain myself.
~
I don't arrive in Illinois until quite a while later, and I slowly trudge into a good looking hotel, all while trying to take in a few sights to see. I would be able to nap a little before I head to the Willis Tower. I didn't exactly have anything fun planned in Illinois, so I don't know why I didn't just decide to go with Tom to Kentucky.
But when I get inside of the hotel, I learn something tragic. They just gave out their last room. But before I can trudge back out to my car and find a new hotel, someone stops me.
"You can always stay with us, miss. Share a room with Victoria if you'd like."
I turn to look at the owner of the voice, and see a woman. A tourist woman, of course, her brown hair cut short in a pixie style. Beside her is a man, who must be her husband, with dark thinning hair atop his head. And, finally, a teenage girl, whom must be their daughter, with long black hair and dark clothing, headphones in her ears. If you ask me, she just looked tired and done.
But before I can politely decline their offer, the woman grabs my bags from the ground and starts to lead the way. "I'm Ruby, and this is my husband Phil, and our daughter, Victoria."
"It's Tori," their daughter groans, glaring lightly at her mother. But Ruby pays her no attention. I quickly follow behind them, finding that I guess I have no choice.
"Um, it's lovely to meet you all. I'm Cassidy."
"Hello, Cassidy," Phil greets with a smile. Then he and Ruby get into their own conversation, and there's really no interrupting them now. So I turn to Victoria. Or, Tori.
"Hi, Tori. How old are you?"
"Sixteen," she answers. Then she visibly turns up the music playing through her headphones until even I can hear it. I suppose that means I'm not welcome to talk to her. So I just follow this family up to their two rooms.
The minute Tori and I are in our room, I settle on the bed she hasn't already taken, and notice a familiar face as her phone background.
"Hey, that's..." I stop myself before I can say any more, though. Tori gives me a weird glance, and then looks back to her phone, opening a messenger app and texting away. So she's a fan of Tom. How unlikely that I would end up sharing a room with one of his fans. "I'll be back in a bit..."
I exit the room and go to Ruby and Phil's room, which is right next to ours. With just a small knock, they answer the door, and I tell them I have to be somewhere and I'll be back in an hour or two. "Also," I start. "I was wondering how much you wanted in return for letting me stay with your daughter."
"Oh, it's really no problem, dear!" Ruby says with a smile.
"What? Really?"
She nods.
I smile. "Thanks so much. See you guys in a bit!"
"Be sure to be back by six, though, dear. We're going out for a family dinner, and we'd love for you to join!"
"Oh, okay. Thank you."
Ruby shuts the door and I turn on my heel, heading out of the hotel.
~
Tom just so happened to call me right as I was sitting on a bench, staring up at North America's tallest building.
"Hello, TW."
"Hello, sweet. I miss you already."
"I'm staring up at Willis Tower right now."
"And?" He asks. "How is it?"
"Ordinary," I mutter. "Tall, but ordinary." I try not to focus so much on the ordinary building now, but more of the city around me. People with business suits and briefcases quickly entered and exited the tower, which made since since it was a business building. The shops among the streets all seemed elegant and expensive at this part of Illinois. Part of me wanted to go in one, but I reminded myself that shopping for such chic clothes isn't fun unless you've got money and somewhere to wear them to.
"Go dancing," he suggests. I can tell he's smiling. "You're good at it, and you enjoy it so much."
I smile lightly at his attempts. "Thanks, Tom, but I'm okay. It wouldn't be fun dancing without you." I bite my lower lip gently when he doesn't say anything back. I think he might feel guilty. "So where are you at the moment? In Kentucky?"
"Yeah, the train actually got me here pretty fast. I'm at a hotel right now."
"Yeah, me too.."
"I thought you said you were at Willis Tower?" He asks with a small laugh.
"Well, yes, I am right now, but what I meant to tell you was-"
I suddenly hear voices on Tom's end of the line, and I frown lightly.
"Should I... Let you go?" I ask softly.
"No, no, you're okay, Cass. I'm in the lobby. Made a few friends on the train, and we're staying at the hotel. We're going out later for a few drinks. I promise I won't be reckless." He laughs lightly. I then hear the voices fade. "There. I'm alone now."
I don't know why, but I felt a little jealous that Tom was having fun, meeting new people, and here I was. Stuck with an annoying family with nothing to do until I met up with Tom tomorrow in Indiana.
"I'll leave. And... Call you tomorrow. Go have fun, TW."
"Cass, hold on a moment. I want to talk to you, love. How are you?"
"I'm good."
"Well... What else are you going to do while in Illinois?"
"Nothing, really."
"Do you maybe want to just drive to Kentucky now? Meet me at my hotel? My friends would love you."
Yes. "No, that's okay, Tom. It'd be a waste of gas. Feel free to call me anytime. I won't be busy."
He sighs. "If you insist. See you tomorrow, Cass."
I hang up. Then I collect my things and decide to return to the hotel so I have time to nap before the 'family dinner'. I hate family dinners. And these people aren't even my family.
When I come back, it seems to me that Tori hasn't even moved. She was still texting. Her thumbs stop moving once I'm settled on my bed. "You know Tom?"
I freeze. "Wh-what?"
"Tom, you've heard of him? You recognized him on my screen, didn't you?"
"Oh, um.. I've heard of him, yeah. He's cool."
"I brought all of his films," she says. "Just in case you get bored, you can watch a few."
"Oh. Thank you."
I can't watch his films. I should be lucky Tori didn't say his last name. But I'm so interested now that I've learned how many fans he has. I really shouldn't. It would be terrible for me to break my promise.
"Where are they?" I ask her.
She just points to a small messenger back at her feet, and I grab it, pouring out all of the movies. I feel like I'm going to faint. Twelve movies.
"I keep waiting for his newest film to come out. It's taking forever," she groans.
Hiddleston. I pick up a Marvel movie. Thor: The Dark World. Tom Hiddleston. And I can barely recognize him on the cover. He looks deranged with pale skin, dark hair, and an evil grin. It makes me shiver. I look through the other movies. Thor. The Avengers. War Horse. The Deep Blue Sea. Unrelated. Miss Austen Regrets. The Hollow Crown. Archipelago. A Waste of Shame. Midnight in Paris.
"I know, some aren't that great," Tori speaks again. "I mean, he has such small roles in a lot of them."
"Yeah... Um, which is your favorite?" I ask.
"The Deep Blue Sea," she says with a grin. The first time I've seen her smile.
I smile back. "Maybe I'll watch a few."
"Go for it."
So I put in the movie, his last name still ringing through my head. Hiddleston. Tom Hiddleston. Thomas Hiddleston. Thomas William Hiddleston. Oh, God, I feel like a stalker. I have everything now. His movies, his name... I could Google him. I can watch all of his movies. And I will.
I pull out my phone and open my messenger before the movie actually begins, typing a small text to Tom. Hoping that he'll be able to forgive me.
Do you trust me? -Cass