Fame | A Tomdaya Romance

Chapter 8

Then

The moment I walk into the restaurant I know, I'm the last to arrive and my heart stops in my chest. She made it. She's my new co-star. I didn't realise how on edge I was at the not knowing, but seriously - I can breathe a little lighter now.

I forget to even check who the others are as I try and make my way casually over to the table, until I realise it's the guy I really liked Jacob. The girl, being completely honest I cant even remember doing a screen read with - sitting next to Z is not fair on any woman. Amy stands up as she sees me round the corner and everyone looks around - my heart rate is abnormally fast. I need to get a grip.

"Your driver was late, I'm so sorry" Amy says as she hugs me, turning to re-introduce me to the others, "Tom, meet your official co-stars for the next few years - Jacob, Rosie and Zendaya. I'm so looking forward to working with you all!"

I congratulate them all before sitting down next to Amy and opposite Zendaya, whose eyes I have only met once since arriving on count of me not wanting to make my recent obsession and intense attraction evident. She looks so different to how she was at the screen test, more like the woman on the red carpet that I'd seen pictures of - all slick perfect hair, a glowing face and a formfitting dress that honestly looks like it was created just for her.

Shit, I'm looking too much, I pick up the menu instead, using the chance to try and decipher what the fancy descriptions actually mean to calm my breathing down and focus.

It doesn't work, I mean it does, I'm getting through the dinner okay - we're all getting on well and managing to get to know one another and hearing fascinating stories from Amy about her experience behind the scenes over the years working for Marvel. But almost every time Zendaya speaks I am drawn back in, she speaks with an almost melodic cadence, as if she's twenty years older than she really is. And god, when she meets my eyes - I'm half convinced that she feels it too. How the whole world isn't already obsessed with her I don't know - she is the most beautiful woman I have ever met.

No, scratch that - I think she is the most beautiful woman. Of all the beautiful movie stars that I've seen on the screen and in pictures - she still wins. I'm starting to think that feeling this probably isn't normal (duh) and also whether it will effect my ability to pretend to be falling for Rosie instead. I'll be honest I don't even remember anything that Rosie has told us about herself so far. I need to try and change that a bit, I do have to try a bit.

But that's in a month, when we start filming. I'll be okay then - I'lll figure out a way to get to grips with this intense need I feel to get to know this insanely beautiful woman sitting opposite me. I'll find a way to remove myself from this obsession before it makes us all working together for the next few years awkward.

But what if it didnt't? God a man can only dream.

Now

It's an intense few days of press before Z and I get more than an hour alone at a time, especially once we'd moved to the second hotel where they'd forbid us from even visiting each others rooms due to security issues. Jacob and I managed a few good hours at a bar the night before - but Z was busy.

I can tell we're getting there though, she's starting touching my arms again in interviews - and laughing loudly at my jokes which was always a tell tale sign that she cared before, because I'm certainly not that funny. All I want to do is skip right to the end of the tour, I'm going to grow some balls and ask her whether I can come and spend a few weeks with her before I fly back to London. It's something I've been dreaming of over the last few days to be quite honest but I haven't quite figured out whether we're there yet.