Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(24) You're Crashing, But You're No Wave

Nina pulled on her jeans from the previous day, deciding to keep Tom's shirt on until she was able to get back to her own room next door and get herself spruced up. Tom looked well rested which was odd since the only places he could have slept were scrunched up on the couch or sprawled on the floor.

She instantly felt bad for probably causing him some level of discomfort. But at least they didn't do...anything else...right?

"Tea?" He looked at her, that innocent smile of his working it's way into her brain.

"Yes, please..." Nina's voice trailed off, and her curiosity soon got the better of her. "Where did you sleep?"

"I made myself comfortable on this lovely thing." Tom patted the sofa affectionately. "I did consider at one point attempting to reclaim part of my bed, but I figured since apparently I'm an...odd sleeper, I'd better not."

"An odd sleeper?" Nina stifled a yawn, sitting on the edge of the sofa beside Tom, gladly accepting a mug from him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, apparently I like to, er..." He let out a soft laugh. "I like to hug things. Tightly. And not let go."

"Oh, so you're a serial spooner." Nina looked at him, a completely serious expression on her face. Tom burst out laughing, his face turning red as he scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Well, that's one way of putting it." He slurped at his tea, making small noises of approval as he did so. "So what time do you plan going back to yours?"

"Well, what time is it?"

"It's five o'clock in the morning, and I could really do with a shower." Tom stretched, and there was that familiar thin, tan strip of skin. Nina considered renaming it the let's-immobilise-every-woman-within-a-hundred-mile-radius strip. "Meet me downstairs for breakfast?"

"Sure." Nina smiled, letting herself out silently before wondering if she should have a shower too. Or, in Nina-speak, the evaluating-every-life-decision-I've-ever-made-and-will-make machine. She gathered her towels, soaps and shampoos and pulled off her clothes, making sure to neatly fold Tom's shirt.

The hot water soothed her still-tired body as the thoughts began ticking in her brain. She was spending an awful lot of time with Tom, and becoming better and better friends with him, thus growing more attached to him.

What would happen after filming? Would she ever see him again? Would she ever see any of the cast and crew ever again? These thoughts frequented Nina's head despite her knowing that they weren't wrapping up filming any time soon.

Sure, she wasn't exactly counting on being asked to the premiere and she was sort of glad. There'd be photographers everywhere and a lot of the paparazzi weren't what they seemed. But that was a story to tell Tom another time, Nina thought to herself sadly, recalling her experience that she wasn't quite ready to share.

Perhaps in time she would. She flicked the shower off and got out, wrapping several towels around her body in order to try and sustain her heat. She put her portable radio on quietly and sang along to whatever came on, bar one song that she couldn't stand which was appropriately named Bad Touch.

She put on her skirt again, with a white vest tucked into it, her flats but no tights, since it looked quite warm outside. She didn't want to spend her workday itching the hell out of herself.

But then the hell wasn't in her, it was probably back at her apartment still...or in someone else's bed.

Nina couldn't get rid of these negative thoughts so she pinched herself hard on the arm, bringing herself back to reality with a soft gasp. That always worked. She dried off her hair, pulling the messy, still slightly damp strands into a lumpy bun at the back of her head and gathered up her stuff, not forgetting to pick up Tom's shirt on the way back out to his. She was spending more time with him that she was with anyone else and that was slightly peculiar in an odd kind of way.

But Tom was a good influence on Nina. His general happiness often seemed to rub off on her and they had a few things in common, although Nina wasn't usually as obvious about some of them; their love of music, their love of theatre, even their love of food. She needed more Tom's in her life and less Kyle's and Marie's.

Marie. Her thoughts turned negative again just at the the thought of her but she pushed thoughts of her out with positive thoughts. Thoughts of horses, thoughts of make up, thoughts of... Tom. She shook her head, mumbling incoherently to herself as she did her final checks and left her room, bumping into someone on her way out.

"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!" Nina picked up Tom's shirt from where she had apparently decided to throw it on the floor, and she looked up to see a highly-amused Benedict.

"That's not the first time you've crashed through a door and into me. I'm beginning to think you're setting me up." He was laughing at her, but not spitefully.

"Oh, no, I'm really sorry..." She held all her things tightly to her chest, not wanting to lose any of them again.

"It's fine." Benedict glanced at the shirt and did a double take at it, lifting his hand and touching it as if it would activate some kind of magical portal or something. "Is this Tom's shirt?"

"It might be..." Nina felt herself go red and she knew that if she didn't get out of there soon, she'd do something really stupid. "Must dash!" She went to knock on Tom's door but he opened the door as she went to knock on it, causing her to crash into someone for the second time in thirty seconds. "This is not a good day for me..." She sighed to herself, handing Tom his shirt. "Here. Have this before I...I...break it, or something."

"You should wear my shirts more often." Tom joked, shutting the door as she shuffled through the doorway with her stuff. Nina's ears seemed to perk up at his words. "What did you to Benedict this time?"

"Oh, nothing, nothing..." Tom's eyes searched hers, almost pressurising her to tell the truth. "Fine, fine. I walked into him...again, damn it."

"It's the morning. You can be forgiven." Tom ruffled his hair, messing it up, and Nina's OCD kicked in and she wanted to comb all the strands back into place. "Oh, and Nina?"

"Yeah?"

"I think, er... I think your skirt might be on backwards."

[A/N] i have absolutely no idea why it took me so long to finish this chapter! ah well. please do enjoy, and drop a vote if you're still liking the story?
yours truly :) x