Forget-Me-Not (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

(44) Where Did The Party Go

A little later in November, Nina was back at work in the theatre, helping prepare for the upcoming Christmas show. Alex was also back too, and they worked as a team to get everyone looking pristine and perfect for rehearsals. Thankfully, Marie wasn't in this production so that meant Nina could avoid her completely.

However Tom was making an uncredited cameo in it, just for fun because he didn't have much else going on at the time. It also gave him an excuse to be around Nina a little more but he wasn't about to tell her that. Living together had really allowed them to learn even more about each other... and the more Tom learnt, the more he liked her. He daren't ask if the feeling was mutual.

Tom had never been the best at deliberate flirting. Women seemed to swoon all over him and everyone seemed to laugh when he did, but when it came to actually asking somebody on an actual date, he never really knew where to start. Especially when that someone had just lost an unborn child, and lost her boyfriend to a girl who was probably 75% plastic.

No. Make that 99%.

She seemed to be quite at home within the theatre, and Tom watched as she bustled around confidently. She seemed to prefer the stage over the screen, and despite how much he knew she'd loved working on War Horse, she loved working backstage even more. It was like a...a routine. Something that she was so used to doing.

A small body slumped into the chair next to him and Tom glanced up to see Nina, looking a little more exhausted than she'd been letting on a moment ago. "God, this is boring." Nina sighed, taking a swig of her water from her bottle.

Tom was taken aback. "I thought you were having fun?"

"Putting tinsel in everyone's hair and using the same glitter for everything?"

"Fair enough." Tom looked back down at her again, and noticed that even without makeup on she still looked beautiful in her own way. Her confidence was working it's way back into her system and she'd started letting her hair down a little more, so to speak.

"It's just the routine of it all. It's driving me insane." She stared intently yet wistfully for a moment at a woman walking past holding a baby Jesus prop, then shook her head, looking quite glum again. "On set for War Horse, everything was variated. One day I'd be working with the horses and helping with the makeup for their markings and the like, then I'd be with you all day, then I'd be on the horse..."

"That's because you're a good all rounder." Tom smiled reassuringly at her and she seemed to lighten up a little bit - who wouldn't, with that smile? - as she sat up a little more and weakly returned his smile.

"I know." She sighed, then her eyes seemed to light up as she had a spontaneous thought. "Here's an idea. I could have a riding lesson. That could be fun. You'd have to come too, of course."

"Oh really?" Tom lifted an eyebrow.

Nina then proceeded to talk Tom's hind legs off about horses, and why it would be funny to have a lesson. He watched the way her eyes lit up every time he responded, and when he added something she always seemed to listen intently. He really couldn't have asked for a better roommate.

"Do you know what we have to start this weekend, Nina?" Tom asked what she had finished.

Nina cocked her head to the side, looking puzzled. "What?

"Christmas shopping."

"Nooo!" Nina wailed, burying her face in her hands. She hated anything to do with Christmas before December had started; and Christmas shopping was just the icing on the cake of annoyance - or rather, the tinsel on the tree. "I hate Christmas shopping!"

"Well, we could always go shopping together..." Tom suggested innocently. "You help me, darling, I'll help you, it'll be fun."

"I shop with you, you have a riding lesson with me." Nina mimed spitting on her hand and then held it out. "Do we have a deal, Hiddleston?"

"We do." Tom grinned, shaking her hand. As their handshake finished it took Tom a few moments to realise he was still holding onto Nina's hand.

"Tom? Tom, are you okay?" Nina stared at him for a moment and he jumped back into reality, his first instinct to laugh it off. Ah. The Tom Ehehehe.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Absolutely marvellous."

"Great." She smiled, but she still seemed to look at him analytically. "Well, I'd best be getting back to my riveting tinsel crowns."

"Wait. One more thing." Tom stood up as she did, and Nina looked a little weirded out at their accidental synchronisation. "I'm going out for a drink with Benedict tonight, do you fancy coming?"

"I'd love to, but I've got a crap-ton of emails to reply to later with a bag of sweets and a huge steaming mug of coffee." She sighed wistfully. "Well, we'd best get to work again after this impromptu break of ours otherwise we'll hold everyone up; and I'm no Grinch."

*****

"So, how's Olivia?" Tom sipped at his drink, eyes flitting around the quiet bar.

"She's fine. How's Nina?"

"You ask that like we have a similar relationship to yours and your girlfriend's, Ben."
Tom laughed, but stopped as Benedict's eyebrows raised. "What?"

"So you haven't asked her out yet?"

"Ben..." Tom frowned slightly.

"It couldn't be more obvious, Tom." Benedict chuckled lowly to himself, taking a gulp from his glass.

"Ben, I..." Tom sighed, dropping his head and staring down into his glass. "You're... you're right."

"Right on what? I never said anything."

"I... I like Nina." And for the first time, Tom admitted that out loud to somebody else and it felt like a small level of weight off of his shoulders.

"And you have planned to express this...?" Ben's green eyes glinted. He liked this game. The let's-get-Tom-to-confess-everything game.

"I...I don't know." Tom sighed, his thoughts instantly switching to Nina. Goddammit!

"It's almost Christmas. Gift giving, festivity... Mistletoe..."

Tom laughed quietly, creases forming beside his eyes as he looked back up at Benedict. "You think that trick'd work?"

"Positive."

"So I am Nina's Christmas present." Tom laughed again. "Well, that's one great way of putting it."

Ben laughed too, finishing off his drink. "Just don't give her the receipt."

[A/N] i'd very much like tom as a present. that is all i have to say apart from drop a vote for the two weeks it actually took to get this chapter?
yours truly :) x