You knew who it was before you even turned around. As the crowd cheered even louder - if that was even possible - you saw Tom sitting on the arm of the couch from the corner of your eye. You should've known that Ellen would have something like this planned. Should've guessed that when Ellen said that she might be making a call to a "certain British man", she meant Tom and not Harry. If anything, you should've picked up on something off when she made you sit on a couch rather than a large chair. Of course, how could you forget how she suspiciously gave up a perfect opportunity to talk about Tom when you mentioned Spider-Man and the video of you ranting while you baked that had gone viral. Ellen was a sly fox, you had to give her that.
Pasting on what you called your paparazzi and media smile, you let your body take over on auto-pilot. In the background, you could hear the crowd still whooping and cheering at Tom's surprise entrance. Understandably so. After weeks of borderline online flirting, this was the interaction that everybody was waiting for with baited breath. Subtly, wiping your clammy hands on your dress, you got up from the couch and went in for a brief hug with Tom. Pressing close to him, you couldn't help but notice how nice he smelt. Something citrusy and fresh that made your heart beat thunderously in your chest. You wondered if he could feel how hard it was pounding through the thin material of this shirt.
"Hey, how're you?". Oh god, you hoped that didn't come out as squeaky as you thought it did.
"Better now". You could practically hear the smirk in his voice.
Damn, homeboy's game hadn't changed one bit. God, how the fuck were you going to get through this interview?
Yeah, the warmth radiating off him really didn't help your situation either. Pulling back and settling back on the couch, you reached out for your cup of water to try and cool down. You managed to catch Ellen's eye over the rim of your cup. She was one of the few people who had definitely noticed how your cheeks were definitely more flushed than before. Just before she went to hug Tom hello, she nearly made you choke on the water as she subtly winked at you suggestively.
It was only until the crowd had finally calmed down and Tom had settled down to sit next to you on the couch properly, you realised exactly how small the couch actually was. Tom's right leg was pressed against your left all the way from the thigh to your ankles. The goddamn couch was more like a love seat. Leaning only the slightest into his warmth, you told yourself it was because wearing a short dress in a strongly air-conditioned room was not the best idea. Totally not because you were going to use this opportunity to flirt with Tom as much as possible.
After introducing Tom and talking about the new Spider-Man movie that was about to come out, Ellen finally lets the cat out of the bag and announced that you were going to play Never Have I Ever. You groaned inwardly, already having a slight idea of where this was gonna go.
"All right, first question. Never have I ever... googled myself" Ellen read off the card. Immediately, you turned your board to say "I Have" as an embarrassed grin crawled up your face. Peering over, you saw Tom had also turned his board to say "I Have" and was grinning about it cheekily. On the other hand, Ellen was looking at you with an incredulous look and you felt obliged to justify.
"I actually don't go and do it explicitly, but my best friend Sophie and I have this game where one person will google my name and read out the first part of a headline that pops up. We both have a turn each and whoever comes up with the craziest headline wins the point" you explain.
"Sooo, like a twisted version of Cards against Humanity?" Tom asks with a slightly confused grin.
"Yeah, exactly like that!" you beam and Ellen can't help but smile at how enthusiastic you got.
"Speaking of twisted up things... never have I ever sexted a picture to the wrong person?"
Scrunching up your face, you were quick to switch your board to say "I Haven't" and also muttering an "I'm too old-school for that" before turning your head to peer at Ellen's and Tom's board. You kinda knew that Ellen wouldn't have either, you'd spent a lot of time in your teenage years watching these kinda videos on Youtube than you'd care to admit. But Tom...
"Can I hold it halfway?" he asks, holding it up so that neither side can be seen. The crowd whoops and cheers while you and Ellen lean forward in your seats, waiting for what could be an interesting story.
"I was at a party and completely smashed, Harrison and I were playing Truth or Dare with a couple other mates. So one of them dared me to send a pic of me shirtless to a girl that I fancied at the time"
"What did the girl say?" you ask, curious to know more.
"I don't know! She never got back to me!" he chuckles.
"Never have I ever joined the mile high club". Both of you shook your heads, holding up the "I Haven't" side of the board fairly quickly.
"Fun fact" you laughed. "I thought being in the mile-high club meant doing drugs on an aeroplane. Because y'know, mile-high? And for ages, I was just so confused because they always say they have smoke detectors fitted everywhere so like, I always wondered how people got away with it!" you gestured.
"You know that actually makes more sense, I can see where you're coming from with that" Ellen agrees, nodding along.
"Ok, next one" she urges along, grabbing the next card from the table.
"Never have I ever hooked up with a fan". Oh boy, you wanted to know this one. Swinging your head to Tom, your jaw dropped in what could only be considered shock and grudging admiration as he shamefully turned his board to say "I Have". This time, you joined in cheering with the crowd and a sudden surge of confidence made you shoot Tom a subtle wink.
"How do you even get into a situation where you can do that?!" you exclaim, shifting in your seat and tucking your hair behind your ears. You knew the acting industry had its perks with what you could get away with, but sometimes, all it did was confuse you.
"Dunno, stuff just happens sometimes" Tom smirks and you can't help but shake your head, trying to stop yourself from over-analyzing that too much. Suddenly, it was super hard to make eye contact with Tom. Turning away, you see Ellen looking between the two with a sly grin.
"Never have I ever been in handcuffs before".
Oh. Oh no.
Subtly not turning your board, you smirked when you saw Tom turning the board to say "I Have" with a smug smile. That smile told a hundred stories and held a thousand secrets. You shake your head, covering your face as you refused to make eye contact with anybody - least of all, Tom - as you hesitantly turned your board to say "I Have"
"You guys can go ahead and say whatever you want about this, because I am not going to let a single peep!!"
"What?! Y/N, you can't just leave me hanging like this!" Tom whines, leaning into you, coaxing you into trying to tell. A devilish thought popped into your mind.
"Hmm, maybe when we get to know each other a bit better", you quipped smoothly before you could stop yourself. For the briefest moment, you got to revel in the fact that you were able to get the one-up on the playboy. However, that was ripped away from you as Tom shot you a look that could only be described as a promise for something later.
"Never have I ever spoilt any movie plots," Ellen asks quickly diffusing any sexual tension that may have been building up. Just like that, you can barely hold the giggles that escape you as you swing your head to look at him.
"Your loss guys, I actually get paid to spoil stuff now, soooo..." Tom explains.
"I think it's great, I always crack up over how the Internet freaks out"
"I think it's pretty great how you freak out over me" he mutters, only loud enough for you to hear. Suddenly, the wind's knocked out of you and your heart rate kicks up again. Over the course of the interview, the two of you have become more touchy and handsy, The sides of your bodies are now tightly pressed together, and you swear, Tom's so close to just swinging an arm around your shoulders. You definitely would not be complaining. He had grown pretty buff over the months and you'd be lying if you said it wasn't fucking attractive.
"Ok last question guys. Never have I ever had a best friend secretly leak footage of me crushing on somebody" she says innocently. Well, that definitely drove a wrench between whatever was just going on between you two. You hear the uproar from the crowd and amongst it all, Tom laughing along, eyes scrunched up; crinkling up at the edges. Honestly, who could blame you for crushing on this guy? You laugh along knowing that it's all in good nature and told yourself to just enjoy the moment. You'd deal with the consequences and politics later. With that final question, Ellen turned to address the crowd, re-introducing you guys one last time and saying her goodbyes. The minute you guys are off-air and the cameras fade out, she turns to you guys, getting up to say her goodbyes.
Walking off stage, you and Tom don't really get a chance to talk to each other in private before you both are ushered into your separate dressing rooms. All you get to manage is a quick fleeting look at him over your shoulder before you're whisked away. Sighing, you grab a water bottle, talking to a few members from your hair and make-up crew. Maybe half an hour after the show's over, you gather all of your stuff and head out towards the back, into a car that was waiting to take you back to the hotel. Although the interview was heaps of fun and you enjoyed every moment of it, you don't expect anything out of it or from Tom. To be honest, you weren't sure what to expect.
You're just leaving the room, fishing through your purse to find your phone, when you bump into someone in the hallway. Looking up, your eyes nearly bulge out of your head and you do a double take as you see Tom standing there, hands in pockets, standing completely at ease. Judging by both of your positions, he was just about to come and knock on your door. Now that you were off stage, you were unsure of how this was going to go? Maybe he was just here to clarify that there was nothing between the two of you. You had no idea. The whole fiasco had too many loose ends.
Apparently, he seemed to think so too because looking up at him, you saw how his posture and demeanour slowly turned into what you could only describe as nervous and anxious.
"Hey" he said, a small smile on his lips.
"Hey". Shifting on your feet. nervously, you suddenly felt super awkward in your own body. What the hell were you supposed to do with your hands?
Fold them? No, too defensive. Ugh, they just felt so weird, hanging by your sides.
Your inner monologue was cut short as Tom's eyes darted all over your face and he raised a hand to rub the back of his neck nervously. If someone had told you that this guy had the smoothest flirting game two minutes ago, you would not have believed them. Standing at your door, Tom was the most nervous and flustered you'd ever seen him.
"So I was wondering if you wanted to grab dinner with me tonight?...like as a date?" he stutters.
Holy shit.
You just stay rooted to the spot, your eyes literally growing to the size of saucers as your jaw dropped a little. Surely you were dreaming. No way in hell was this possible.
Say something. Anything.
"I have a flight to Korea tomorrow morning"
Anything but that.
It was true though. Whilst the second half of your press tour had kicked off in LA, you'd be spending the majority of the next 6 months in Asia.
"So? I have a flight back to London in 6 hours" he smirks, stepping closer to you. Damn, the influence this guy had on you was borderline concerning. For a brief moment, the two of you say nothing as you consider the pros and cons.
"Gimme your phone" you smile coyly, and he grins at you, knowing that he won that round. Punching in your phone number and the address of your hotel, you give it back to him.
Hah. He'd have to text first.
"There's a fancy Italian restaurant downtown that I went to a few days ago. Wear something nice." he winks, stuffing his hands casually into his pockets.
"Hmm, I'll see what I can do. 7pm. Don't be late" you murmur. Before you can stop yourself, you lean up and press a quick kiss to Tom's cheek before striding off to the back and to your car. You willed yourself to slow down, keep your back straight and walk confidently because you swear, you could feel Tom's eyes burning right into you as you walked away.
However, when you were finally seated at the back fo your car, away from anybody, you couldn't help the excited squeal you let out as you air-punched multiple times
"Something exciting happen, Miss?" your driver asks, looking back at you through the rear view mirror.
"Oh, you have no idea" you grin right back at him. Tonight was going to be interesting.