Many Happy Returns.... Again...

You Didnt!

Half a world away, Tom was showering when there was a knock on his door.  He turned it off and grabbed a towel, slinging it around his hips. Padding through to the hallway, he peeped through the spyhole.

With a broad but confused smile, he opened the door. "Brie darling! What are you doing here? We leave for upcountry at 5am, shouldn't you be in bed - or packing? You know what you're like. You'll forget something important, like clothes!" He grinned, leaning on the doorpost, his hair dripping down his chest. 

Brie looked him up and down and sighed. She almost knew before she asked....

"Just came to see if Jenny gave you as hard a time as she should have?" Brie smiled cheekily at him, and he blanched. "Oh, Tom! You DIDN'T." She looked at him as he turned all shades of white and red. "Oh, you DID. Get on that phone NOW, Thomas!" She commanded and pointed back into the room.

He nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Brie. You're a lifesaver, you know that?" He closed the door and leaned on it for a second.  Grabbing his watch off the dresser, he looked at the time. 11.30pm here, so.... 4.30pm at home. Oh, Jesus H. She'd definitely think he'd forgotten. Suddenly, his bright idea didn't seem so bright after all.

Walking over to the bed, he picked up his phone and pressed her contact picture.

He tried to facetime her, but it failed three times.

He resorted to calling. It rang. And it rang. And it rang. Then voicemail kicked in.

"Hi. I can't come to the phone right now. If you leave your name and number, I'll call you back."

He couldn't think of a single thing to say that wouldn't make matters worse.  He hung up with a curse and flung it on the bed. Ok, so it was 4.30 pm. Time still remained to salvage what he could. Didn't it?

He picked his phone up again. This time, the facetime was answered in seconds. "Hi Buddy! How's 'Nam? Got malaria yet?"

Luke Windor was his friend, PR man, confidante, and resident 'get-me-out-this-hole' man.  As he looked at Tom's face, he'd seen that expression before. But never to this degree.

"Luke..." The voice was plaintive, and the face was of a man in need of help.

"Ok, let me stop you there, Buddy. Does this involve the words 'Jenny' and 'I've fucked up' ?  He raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Yes. Big time. I thought I was being clever and..." Tom shrugged, failing to find words harsh enough for himself.

Luke smiled. "It's ok. I knew you might...."

"Hey!"

"Before you get all arsey, Ive already organised a dozen red and a dozen pink roses, ok? A bottle of Moet and some Godiva Chocs. which are BLOODY expensive, by the way! They're being delivered as we speak. Oh, and a box of mansize tissues and a catering pack of lemsip."

"Luke, you're an ang.... what?" Tom stopped dead. "Lemsip?"

"Yeah, well, a little Julie bird just cancelled her party. Seems the birthday girl has the raging plague. She didn't tell you?" Luke was surprised.

"I errr I actually haven't spoken to her?" Tom winced, waiting for the rebuke.

"JESUS THOMAS! You don't half make my life difficult. Get off the bloody phone to me and try again. How many days are you upcountry for?"

"Three."

"Right. Call me when you get back.  The MINUTE you get back." Luke smiled and shook his head. "You're some cookie, Thomas Hiddleston!"

For the first time, Tom smiled. "And without you, Luke Windsor, I'd be half baked!"

They hung up, and Luke smiled to himself.  He knew what Tom had wanted him to do, but given she was sick, there was no way to arrange it.

If Mohammed couldn't go the mountain, however, perhaps the mountain could get on a plane instead.......