Stumbling Into the Spotlight - Tom Hiddleston FanFic

28 - Tom

It had been raining when the jet landed in The City of Angels and that pretty much summed up my mood since the interview yesterday. I'd been more honest than I'd originally planned and I'd hoped I'd wake up this morning with some kind of message from her but that hadn't been the case. Hopefully Katy was right about the letter.

Finally checking out of the hotel in New York had been bittersweet. It felt like it was closing a chapter and I just hoped the next chapter would somehow include Eliza. I had a letter to deliver but by the time I'd made it to L.A. it was well after her event had ended. I'd stopped by the bookstore anyway but she'd been long gone.

Katy had told me where Eliza was going to be having dinner tonight and though I knew it wouldn't be the best idea to just show up or have the letter delivered while she was eating I had to at least see her from a distance. I'd dreamed about her last night, as I did most nights, but this one felt so real that waking up alone had made me tear up.

It was still raining as I pull up across the street from the restaurant so the waiting paparazzi don't see me. It was a fairly fancy place judging by the attire everyone who was coming in and out wore and it made me think back to the wrap party again. I knew Eliza wasn't a fan of getting dressed up so whatever dinner she was having must've been an important one.

Checking my watch I know she should be showing up any minute. As I look back up I see a sleek BMW pull up in front of the restaurant, judging by the way the cameras start flashing whoever was in the car was famous. Cavill opens the driver's door and tosses the keys to one of the valet before walking around and opens the passenger door.

I catch my breath as Eliza takes his offered hand as she exits the car, smiling at the cameras, before looping her arm through his and walking inside. She looked amazing. She wore a short red dress that clung to her in all the right places and had her hair penned up leaving her neck and shoulders bare. When Katy had said she was having dinner I hadn't thought she'd meant a romantic dinner.

They are seated at a table still visible from my vantage point though I was starting to think this had been the worst idea I'd ever had. They laughed and talked and it hurt seeing her happy with someone else. I'd thought I'd been prepared for this to be a possible outcome but I'd been wrong.

A stray tear escapes down my cheek as I watch her take his hand, a huge smile on her face as she says something to him that makes him laugh. It looked like Katy had been wrong when she'd said Eliza wasn't interested in Cavill; I'd waited too long.

Pulling away from the curb I just start driving with no destination in mind, just away from my world crashing down around me. I didn't know what I'd expected to find or see tonight but it hadn't been what I'd actually seen. She seemed happy though and that was all that really mattered, she deserved to be happy.

As I pull back up at my hotel I hand the keys to the valet and head inside. I'd purposely gone for a hotel the paparazzi wouldn't be hanging out at and I was glad of that now. I couldn't even force a smile onto my face as I walk through the lobby and make it back to my room.

Standing at the window overlooking the city below I lean my forehead against the cool glass trying to not fall apart and failing miserably I take my phone out of my pocket and check my messages.

I'd told Chris and Benedict what I was doing when I left New York and they'd been as hopeful as I'd been. Did I message them now or wait until after tomorrow? I was still going to give her the letter, simply because I needed her to know how I felt even if it changed nothing.

My phone buzzes in my hand and I almost drop it, the sound startling me. Checking the display I can't help but chuckle.

"So? Have you gone to see her yet?" Katy's text reads.

"Yes."

"Spill! I'm dying over here. What happened?"

"Nothing happened. She is on a date with Cavill."

"Really? She told me it is a work thing."

"It didn't look like a work thing from where I sat."

"So you didn't go say anything then?"

"No."

"I swear, you're both cowards! So you're not going to actually talk to her even though you went all the way there?"

"I'm still going to get the letter to her tomorrow."

"Well that's something I guess. Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"Get a good night's rest tonight and wait and see what tomorrow brings."

I doubted very much that I'd sleep much if at all tonight but I knew she was trying to help. She didn't need to know how deeply I was hurting right now.

"Thank you for trying to help me."

"It's not over yet but you're welcome. Let me know tomorrow?"

"Of course."

I flip to Eliza's texts, preparing to read through the old messages we'd shared only to see the unread beside my latest texts turn into read and my heart stops. She was looking at her phone right now, reading the messages I'd sent since she'd ran away. Sinking down onto the couch I rub the pad of my thumb against my lip holding my breath waiting to see if she was going to say anything.

The three dots pop up at the bottom of the screen and I quickly back out of the message. If she was going to reply I didn't want it to immediately show read in case it wasn't a good message. It takes over a minute for the text to finally make it through and I wait another minute before I open it.

"Hey. Sorry I have been ignoring you since I left. I'm sure you've seen where I am and I appreciate the space you've given me. I need to tell you something before you hear it from someone else. Can we talk tomorrow?"