Your heart's racing wildly from your kiss, and your stomach flips in anticipation, as you and Tom hop in the car. You clasp your sweaty hands together in your lap to keep them from trembling. Your eyes widen in amazement at the shiny controls, and the weird silver logo on the steering wheel that looks like a short trident. The car smells new and has sleek, leather seats, and a touch screen. This seems expensive. Your eyes, linger on the logo trying to place it... then it dawns on you.
" Hey Tom? Is this a Maserati?"
Tom's buckling himself in, " Yeah, I rented it for the whole week."
" Oh my God!" You gasp. " I recognise it because my Dad's obsessed with that Top Gear show. Aren't these supposed to be pretty fast?"
" Yeah, they're ok. This one's the Gran Turismo Sport, so it goes alright," Tom says, trying to hide a smile.
" How much did it cost to rent?"
" Too much, but worth it," he grins.
He starts the car, and it growls with power. Eyes widening, you're surprised you didn't hear him coming when he pulled up. You strap on your seatbelt, and an excited grin breaks across your face. Tom grins at you and it's like he can read your mind. You want him to drive...fast.
With a laugh, he peels away from the curb. The houses blur past, and your stomach's left behind from the force of the car. The engine snarls as he swerves around a corner, and you're thrown to the side. " Woah!" Adrenaline spikes your veins. Tom presses down on the pedal, and your back melts into the seat from the force. He speeds through the streets, past homes and buildings, then effortlessly onto the highway. He slows back down to a reasonable pace, and you're both laughing.
" That was insane! I've never been in a car like this!" You're bouncing in your seat from the adrenaline rush.
" Well I'm glad I didn't kill us, and you enjoyed my dangerous driving," Tom winks at you. You beam back at him, stomach flipping. Why is he so effortlessly gorgeous?
" So um, I have no idea where we're actually going..." Tom grins, sheepishly.
" Oh! I forgot to give you directions. Well luckily, we're heading the right way." You tell Tom how to get to 5 Sawyers, then you both settle into a comfortable silence, interrupted by songs from the radio. Every now and then you glance at him, his profile lit by the lights of the dash. You look away, butterflies battering your insides. Hardly daring to believe how lucky you are to have a date with Tom Holland. The soft press of his lips on yours shoots through your mind, and you inhale sharply.
" What's wrong?" He asks, brow furrowing with concern.
Heat climbs your cheeks," Nothing... I was just... thinking about, our kiss," you smooth your dress down, to occupy the nervous tremble in your hands.
You glance at him, and a grin stretches across his lips, his eyes dart to yours and he gives you a look that makes your blood heat.
Tom reaches out and clasps his hand in yours and brings it to his lips, kissing the back of your hand. Your heart races at the contact, but Tom doesn't let go. He holds your hand for the rest of the trip.
***
Soon you're pulling up to the bar, the parking lot is mostly empty, and Tom glides right into a spot. You both exit, and you walk next to Tom with a smile, fighting the urge to skip with glee. To your surprise, he takes your hand in his, again, making your heart thump. What if someone photographs us? Would Tom mind? Trying to calm your racing thoughts, you focus on the feel of Toms warm hand in yours. You both walk into 5 Sawyers, and see that it's mostly empty. This is good, we both want privacy, especially Tom.
The bar has a rustic design of pale wood, black and white paintings, and iron fixtures dripping lights. There are green pot plants interspersed between the dark wood furniture, and a few waiters are chatting amongst themselves. There's a faint odour of beer and fried food, and So it Goes by Taylor Swift plays softly in the background. There's only one other guy in the bar and he's nursing a glass with amber liquid. He's paunchy, with alcohol reddened skin and blond hair.
The waiters break apart at your entrance, and flutter off to hide in the kitchen, except for a young man with brown hair who approaches you both. A polite smile graces his lips, until he stops dead in his tracks, his eyes fixed on Tom. You press your lips together in an effort to hold in your smile.
" Shit, are you Tom Holland?" The guy asks, eyes widening.
" Yeah."
" Man, I'm such a huge fan! Is it cool if I take a selfie with you?"
" Sure, mate," Tom smiles, as the guy pulls his phone out. You make a move to step out of the away, but Tom's grip tightens on your hand. He shoots you a smile just as the guy takes the picture. They take another one, this time with Tom facing the camera, instead of smiling at you. A chef and the other waiters, have stuck their heads out of the kitchen door, and watch the scene unfold in front of them. Their excited whispers reach your ears and you glance over to them with a smile. One of them (a doe eyed girl) gives you a sly thumbs up. You snort, in an attempt to repress your laughter.
" What's funny?" Tom smiles.
" Nothing, I think they're excited you're here." You glance to the huddled group of employees. Tom looks up and they break apart like a flock of birds.
" Yeah, don't be surprised if they ask you for pictures as well," the waiter says with a grin. "Anyway! So sorry about that. I'm Adam and I'll be your server today, was it just a table for two?"
" Yes, please," Tom smiles politely. Adam leads you both to a private table in a dark corner of the bar. He hands you both a couple of menus, and with a polite smile he says he'll be back to take your orders. You both browse the menu and see a limited amount of food on order, but plenty of beers, cocktails and wine available. You both settle on an order of steak, with salad and fries. Tom orders himself a beer and you ask for a glass of sauvignon blanc. After Adam takes your orders and whisks away to the kitchen, Tom reaches over and takes your hands in his with a smile. Your heart thumps at the contact, it's unusual for you to have someone display affection so openly. Your ex hated to hold hands in public, and never wanted photos of you as a couple on their Facebook page. Obviously later on, you figured out that this was due to their wandering eye, and lack of fidelity.
" So, that dream from last night?" Tom cocks a brow.
" Yes, the dream," after kissing Tom and getting caught up with the fact that you have a date with him, you'd completely forgotten about the dream you shared last night.
"I looked some things up online about alternate universes, parallel universes and multiverses."
" Me too, I did it during lunch today, so I wasn't able to get much information."
" Yeah, I'm pretty shocked at what I found. There's actual scientific theories about it- I thought it was all fiction!"
" Yeah, theoretical physics. So what did you find out?"
Just then Adam returns, with an ice cold glass of wine for you and a foamy beer for Tom. You take a sip, the wine's tart and refreshing, and Tom sips his beer, leaving a foamy moustache on his upper lip.
"Wait, you have a moustache," giggling, you lean over and wipe a corner of Tom's top lip. His eyes widen, but just as you lean away he grabs your hand. Without breaking eye contact he grins, and gently sucks the foam off your finger. Your cheeks flame when he lets your hand go. You sit back down, and he wipes the rest of the moustache off, your heart thumps wildly. Casually, he rests his head on one hand, a cheeky smile on his face " Where were we?"
" Um," you blink, trying to remember, " That's right multiverses, we were talking about multiverses, and... What did you find out?" Sweat dots your neck, and you feel flustered. Why is he so distracting? Why is he so alluring? Oh God, I hope I make it through this date without bursting into flame!
" That's right, I looked some stuff up today... I didn't understand much of it but from what I could gather some guy named Hugh Everett proposed a theory about parallel universes. He says these universes mirror our world but they branch off into different universes, based on different outcomes done in each one."
" Yes, I remember reading about him. He proposed that theory to explain why quantum matter behaves erratically, because of Max Plancks study on radiation."
Tom nods, taking a sip of his beer, " I read another one about a cosmologist who proposed a theory about bubble universes, due to inflation."
" Yeah, my head hurts thinking about it... I didn't understand half the stuff, when I was reading it. I'm not a physicist," Sighing, you sip your wine.
" Me too" Tom agrees.
" But the thing to take away from all of this is that multiverses could be a real possibility, because it's been theorised by physicists. Even though they haven't proved it yet, but there's still grounds for them to research it. So... possibly what we saw in the dream could have been a ... different universe?" Screwing your nose up, you take another sip of wine. You really, really hope that there isn't some weird other universe.
Tom sits up suddenly, " What if the dreams are coming from this universe?"
Your brow furrows, " What do you mean?"
" That girl that looked like you, what if they're coming from her?"
" I don't know," you shrug, " I guess anything's possible."
" What if they're... you know... like alternate versions of us?"
You stare at Tom, your hand frozen around your wine glass. " Well that would make sense, if there is an alternate universe then there would be alternate versions of us... but we still don't know for sure Tom. These are all just theories," sighing, you put your head in your hands.
" Yeah, we definitely need more info... but at least it's a start."
The loud voice of a news reporter speaking, spikes yours and Tom's attention to the bar, where the bartender has turned up the volume on the tv. There's a news report and a replay of the footage of the lightning wielding woman. You and Tom shoot each other a look. The guy with blond hair nursing his whiskey, looks up at the screen with interest, and Adam pokes his head out from around the kitchen door. A solemn woman addresses the camera;
"Earlier today the unidentified woman, displaying abilities that included, levitation, storm and lightning control, has been identified as Sarah Winters."
A smiling photo of Sarah graces the screen. " A twenty six year old grad student, who had a promising career in finance, changed her future the day she critically injured four police officers and one civilian. Her location is still unknown, and members of the public are encouraged to contact police, for any sighting. Under no circumstances is she to be approached, as she is considered armed and dangerous. Little is known about her ability. Doctors and scientists alike are confounded as to how she has these abilities, and are encouraging her to turn herself into the police, for the safety of herself and others. The topic is trending on social media, with many believing the footage to be a hoax, and some jokingly calling her Storm after the fictional X-men character."
The footage cuts to an earlier conference from the governor of New York, " We assure the public, that this is not a hoax, and is an unprecedented event the likes we have never seen before. The FBI and CIA are working diligently around the clock to find Sarah and bring her in for questioning. We implore the public not to approach her, as she is a very dangerous individual."
Sweat breaks out on your brow, and you shoot Tom an alarmed look. FBI and CIA? What would they do to you both if they knew about these dreams? What will happen to Sarah Winters?
The news reporter comes back on the screen, " In light of Sarah Winters there has been footage shared on social media of a man with a glowing fist that punched through the wall of a building in South Korea, in an attempt to disarm a robbery in progress. These reports haven't been confirmed as factual, therefore many are claiming it as a hoax in response to the Sarah Winters phenomena."
" What a crazy world," the blond haired patron slurs, to the bartender.
" You got that right," He shakes his head, and washes down a glass.
You and Tom share a nervous look at each other, " Ok... we really can't tell anyone what we share," you whisper.
Tom nods, solemnly.
The smell of pepper and steak, has you and Tom breaking apart as Adam delivers your meals to you.
" That is some spooky stuff on the news, what do you guys make of it?" Adam asks, as he places your mouth watering steak in front of you.
You and Tom share nervous glances, " It's super weird," you say.
" Yeah, strange as," Tom nods finishing off his beer, with a dodgy look on his face.
" Man, I'd hate to meet someone like her. You just wouldn't know what would happen. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy your meal," Adam departs with a polite smile. Leaving you and Tom to stare at each other.
" FBI and CIA, not to mention people fearing "people like her". We have to be really careful," Tom whispers. You nod in agreement. Panic shoots through your veins as you warily watch Adams retreating back. Tom has an equally worried look on his face.
In an effort to take your minds off this dangerous topic, you both dig into your meals, pausing every now and then to talk to each other. You've both moved onto lighter topics of conversation, and Tom seems genuinely interested in you. He asks you what you want to do for a career, what your favourite movies are, what's your favourite hobbies, if the person at Ace was your best friend? He asks about your family as well. A warm feeling spreads through your chest and you smile as he asks these questions. Every now and then his hand touches yours, causing heat to spread through your cheeks. You feel like a bond is growing between you, and you ask him about his family, friends, and what his favourite hobbies are. You ask him what it's like to have his career, and finally you ask him where his favourite place in the entire world is.
" Home, is my favourite place in the world," He smiles at you.
A bead of sweat trickles down your neck, as heat crawls along your skin, " Is it just me? Or is it getting hot in here?" You fan yourself with the menu.
Tom has a bead of sweat trickling down the side of his face, " Yeah it's getting pretty warm, have they turned the heater up or something?"
An explosion, rips through the air. It's deafening and your scream is lost in the explosion. A ball of flames erupts to your side, incinerating tables and chairs, all the windows of the bar shatter outwards. The wall of flame heads towards you and Tom, but just as it reaches you something raw and powerful awakens inside you. Swirling, scarlet energy shoots through your arms and forms a protective shield around you and Tom, crackling, ebbing and flowing like it's alive. It vibrates through you, igniting your cells with strength and power. The flames encircle you and Tom, shooting past you both. There's no sound, and no heat. Tom's gaping at you wide eyed, and you stare at your hands in awe.
Turning your head, you see the inferno is actually the blond haired guy at the bar. He's engulfed in flame, his body glowing like lava. He's staring at his arms and screaming, " What the fuck is happening? Why am I on fire?" He twirls in circles, shaking his arms, and just as suddenly the flames disappear- his body returning back to normal. He's unburnt, chest heaving as he pats himself down, his clothes crumbling off him like soot. The scarlet shield still encases you and Tom, and you both look at each other. Blackened furniture lays all around, and the waiters and chef are staring through the kitchen window in horror. The bartender peeks up from behind the bar. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
" We have to go!" Tom grabs your hand.
The scarlet shield crackles and dies, the smell of charred wood stings your nostrils. Tom throws a wad of cash on the table and yanks you to a sprint.
" Wait are you guys okay!" The guy that exploded into flame yells from behind you. You quickly shoot him a thumbs up over your shoulder.
Bursting through the door, you both race to Toms car, and jump in. Tom guns the engine and you peel out of the parking lot.