What's Past is Prologue (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

Chapter Thirteen

I dug my phone out of my purse. There, smiling back at me was a photo of myself from five years ago, cheek-to-cheek with Ryan. I hadn't used Skype in ages, and apparently neither had he, though I guess it was the only way he was able to call me since I hadn't even given him my new phone number. Nearly a decade of knowing the man, and I hadn't even granted him that. A pang of guilt hit me then, though I'm not sure if it was the recent guilt from leaving him at the bar, or the past guilt of leaving him at the altar. Okay, we hadn't quite made it to the altar yet, but that might as well have been the case. Ryan was never anything but good to me, and here I was -- yet again -- leaving him without warning.

I hit the green button. "Hey, sorry for disappearing on you. We had a bit of an... incident."

"I noticed. I gave them all your information and said I was your ex-lover who tracked you down to win you back from Tom Hiddleston. That's what I was supposed to say, right?" I could hear his sarcasm through the phone.

"Did you also tell them I was pregnant with Tom's triplets and we were in the process of adopting a fourth?"

"Of course."

I laughed. This was the Ryan I knew.

"Seriously, though," he said, humor dissipating, "You're home safe, right? I've heard some stories about paparazzi getting a little overzealous."

"Yeah, we're safe and sound."

"Together?" He tried to sound nonchalant, but I knew what he was asking.

"Ryan," I sighed and started to pace next to the bed, preparing for an argument.

"What? I just wanted to know if you're... you know. If you're still with him. At 1:15 in the morning. After being out drinking."

Ugh. "I'm fine."

"I saw you, Ellie. You were tipping them back pretty hard. I just want to make sure—"

"What? That I'm not sleeping with Tom tonight?" My pacing sped up. "You have nothing to worry about. Not that it's your concern who I sleep with."

"That's not what I meant." He sighed now, sounding genuinely exasperated. "I mean, it is what I was wondering, but—"

Enough was enough. It was time to end this stupid jealousy Ryan felt towards Tom. "Look, Ryan. Tom and I are just friends, okay? That's it. That's all that we are, and that's all that we'll ever be. So just get all thoughts otherwise out of your head, got it?"

I whipped around and stopped dead in my tracks. Standing in the doorway with his hand still on the knob, was Tom. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before he fully opened the door and held up a white cord. Ryan said something, but I didn't really hear him.

Tom cleared his throat. "Spare phone charger. Thought you might need it."

"Thanks," I practically whispered. Obviously, he had heard everything.

"Hello? Ellie? You still there?"

With a smile that didn't reach his eyes, Tom nodded at my phone. "I'll let you get back to your conversation." And then he was gone.

Ryan's voice cut into my trance, pulling me back to reality from wherever I was. Lost in Tom's big, confusing eyes, probably.

"Ellie?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Sorry."

"You okay?" he asked, cautiously.

Was I okay? I wondered. Of course I wasn't okay! I was crushing hard on my best friend and had just — potentially — ruined any... well... potential! I glanced at Tom's dreamy bed and longed to be wrapped-up in it for days. No going out in public, no socializing, no confusing conversations with best friends and exes... just a down comforter and some feather pillows.