Insecure - Tom Hiddleston Imagines Geared Towards Battling Insecurities

"Just Stop Blinking" and Other Things

Tom's POV

Now which one could they be?

That was the thing that unnerved me about blind dates. I could never tell which person I was supposed to be meeting. Sure, Luke gave me a description of her, but whenever you arrive, it always seems that there's two or more people who are exactly as pre-described.

And it's even worse when the restaurant is packed.

As the paparazzi increases, I quickly dash to the bar counter, finding an open seat near the far end. It's just as bad as looking around from outside, except the noise is louder and the guests seem to be blinking as the waiters hustle back and forth.

"It's quite busy, isn't it?" I turn around, not realizing the woman sitting next to me. "For a second, I thought you wouldn't find me."

So this was the lady Luke told me about. She must've thought ahead about the paparazzi, for she wore big, dark sunglasses.

"So you're (Y/N)?"

"Am I that much of a giveaway?" She smiles. "Forgive me, but I've taken the liberty to order drinks for us. Jameson on the rocks, yes?"

I laugh as the bartender places our drinks in front of us, nicely set on glass coasters. Immediately, (Y/N) takes the glass, clutching it a little too tightly. It wasn't until then I began to start noticing her legs were crossed and her foot was bobbing in small but quick bounces.

"How much did Luke tell you?"

"He told me three things. One, to order these drinks for us, because you were coming from a press conference. Two, to never take you to a toy store because he could never get you out of there. And three, that he wanted you home by nine so you could catch your flight tomorrow."

"So if we are to spend the evening together, maybe we should find a different place to eat?" I step down, and I can tell that she's a bit hesitant, eyes turned to the window.

"As long as it's outside seating."

The inquiry puzzles me, but to no objection. With warmness, I take her hand and help her out the restaurant.

"Then I have the perfect idea."

***

The carnival was in town and not too far away, so I decide to take (Y/N) there. I hope that maybe some of the nervousness would be soothed. She was very pleasant so far, so I only wonder why she seems on edge; surely she has nothing to worry about.

(Y/N) giggles as she sees the ferris wheel and other various rides in the distance. "I'm pretty sure this falls dangerously close to a toy store."

"Au contraire, I do believe a toy store is a business that exchanges money for the playthings in question."

"Well you do pay for entry, as well as for the tries to win a prize at the game booths, and those prizes in question are toys."

"So what are you saying, Miss (Y/N)?"

"That Luke will never find out if we don't tell him." With a chuckle and with hands interlocked, we make a dash for it, not caring that we're supposed to be acting like the adults we are and were failing miserably.

And we had a blast, more fun than I ever imagined happening on a blind date. Instead of a salad for an appetizer, we had cotton candy; instead of a French main course, we had corn dogs and French fries; instead of a small lava cake, we had funnel cake with enough powdered sugar to throw up in the air and pretend like it was snowing. Instead of talking about family and the typically likes and dislikes, we trash talked about how we were going to beat each other at the dance machines and bumper cars, and how the first one of us to get dizzy from the spinning rides would pay for the sparklers at the end of the night, and of course, I made it so I paid for the lady.

And I wished I didn't have to go, wished I could stay with her and watch the fireworks from the top of the ferris wheel. For I've never connected with someone this fast, like we've known and dated each other for several months instead of a few hours.

But the sun had gone down, and it was nearing nine, and I wanted to squeeze every last moment of the outing, every last second of her presence and all that it stood for. So I did exactly what Luke said not too.

"This is the last booth, or Luke will have my head."

"He'll have your head either way. Might as well make it fun, now yes?"

"I'm confused as to what we've been doing so far." With a smile, I hand her the water gun.

"Save the sass for when you lose." And she did, although it was a close won. And I knew I was going to give her my stuffed animal prize for two reasons: one, because I was going to give it to her anyway, to treat her with dignity and because I saw her eying the (favorite animal) ever since we walked up to the booth; two, because if I came home with another toy, Luke might have to put a tracker on me.

But when I went to hand her the stuffed animal, I noticed that she was wearing the sunglasses, even though it was night. And I noticed, in the light of the booth and streetlights, that her eyes were constantly blinking, opening and closing without letup. And her hands were in her pocket, and they were moving like her foot from before, in a small space but very quickly. It was Tourette's Syndrome. And maybe that's why she was always smiling and laughing, to hide the corner of her mouth from twitching slightly.

And—not but—I was falling in love with her.