𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨/𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐞, 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 [𝟏] ✓

ii. 'date'

"Where are we, exactly?" Adeline asked, looking around the restaurant curiously. Tom smiled slightly at the girl and shrugged, placing a hand on her back to guide her to a table.

"Currently, Buckhead. Varasano's Pizzeria. It's the best. Every time we film near here, I stop in and get something. Jeff- that's the owner- is great." Adeline simply nodded in response, sliding into the booth across from him as he took a seat. A waitress came by automatically, and Adeline could tell by her expression that she knew exactly who they were, but she offered a smile and said nothing about who they were, so Adeline didn't either.

"Hello, I'm Jenn, I'll be your server today! Can I start you off with some drinks?" She flipped her order book to a clean page, waiting for the two to decide.

"Um, I'll have a sweet tea please," Adeline replied quickly, hoping her anxiety didn't show through. She truly disliked talking in public, odd for her choice of work.

"Lemon or no lemon?"

"No lemon, ma'am, thank you." the blonde smiled appreciatively, turning toward Tom. "Tommy?"

"Just a coke for me, please," he replied, smiling back at her.

"A sweet tea and a coke, coming right up." Jenn turned on her heel and slipped back to the kitchen, so Adeline focused her attention back on Tom.

"Sweet tea, huh? Didn't know you were so southern," he teased, and she rolled her eyes.

"I'm from South Carolina, it's not that southern. Well, to a Brit, I guess it is, but at least I don't have an accent." she gave him a pointed look, shaking her head.

"Oh, you so do! You just don't hear it," he retorted, making her grin.

"Sure, Tommy boy."

"So how did you get into acting?" he swiftly changed the subject, making her raise an eyebrow. But she thought about it for a second, giving herself a moment to consider if she really wanted to explain the real reason. Apparently, she did, because she found herself spilling the truth.

"My twin sister, Eliza, she was the one who got me into it. We did a lot of minor stuff growing up; twins are really popular. She dragged me to our first big audition when we were seventeen. We spent the summer in California that year. She really loved The Vampire Diaries, and they were holding open auditions for a new love interest for Stefan, so we went. They liked me, I guess, so I got the role, and Eliza was pretty devastated, especially when my career took off. A main role in TVD, a reoccurring role in Reign, and some odd jobs later, here I am." Adeline shrugged, running a hand through her tangled hair. Tom tilted his head, nodding as he processed it.

"That must have sucked for her. I've seen you act though, Ade, and you're amazing. They were right to cast you as Kara, and Claude, and Liz." Adeline smiled radiantly, her gaze drifting from his. She was too shy to admit that he had made her day, and she was about to change the subject when the waitress stopped by.

"A sweet tea and a coke," she said, setting their drinks down. "Anything else I can get for the lovely couple?"

"Oh," Adeline started, a blush on her cheeks, but Tom interrupted her, winking.

"Just a Varasano's special," he replied, nodding. "That okay with you, babe?" she blushed and nodded, trying not to laugh at how easily he went along with the waitress's false assumption.

"Okay, I'll be right out with that." That time, when she left, Adeline burst out laughing.

"So we're dating now, are we?" she questioned, and he shrugged, smirking.

"It was a whole lot easier than trying to explain otherwise," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

"You offer a valid point. Let her think we're dating, less explaining. But then again, if it gets out..." she trailed off, knowing how badly that could end for the both of them.

"It won't, Ade. We're friends, that's all. We can explain as much."

"But then they can say we're liars, Tom," she pointed out. He put a hand on top of hers and shook his head, a smile playing on the edge of his lips.

"They won't. I promise, Ade. And if they do, blame it on me. We're just having lunch."

"Right. Just lunch." She nodded, grinning when their pizza came out to them. It was at that moment that Tom decided to blow his straw cover at her, hitting her square in the nose. She gasped and rolled her eyes, blowing her cover back at him but only hitting his chest.

"You two are adorable," the waitress commented, and Adeline couldn't help but chuckle.

"Thank you," Tom replied instantly, half smiling at Addy. "It means a lot."

"Are you... Are you Spider-Man?" the waitress asked curiously.

"Uh, yeah," he replied sheepishly, and Addy squeezed his hand in response. Who would have known a breakout star was shy?

"And you're Kara Knowles?" she asked Addy, getting visibly more excited.

"Yeah, yeah I am. I didn't think anyone paid attention to me."

"Of course! Kara's vampire abilities are better than anyone we've seen so far in the show. Will she stay with Stefan?"

"That I'm not at liberty to say, but we'll see," the starlet replied vaguely, making her grin.

"That's so- oh! I'm so sorry that I'm interrupting your date! We just don't see stars around our pizzeria as often as you would think."

"It's okay, Jenn," Adeline replied, recalling her name from memory.

"Yeah, no issue. It's very casual, we just came from the set," Tom added, and she smiled.

"Oh, okay. I'll go now, but thank you for being so kind."

"It's not a problem, honey. That's kind of our job outside of acting," Adeline found herself saying, and when Jenn walked away with a giddy smile, Tom chuckled and shook his head. "What, Tommy?"

"You. You're so unapologetically... human."

"That's a bad thing?"

"Not at all. It's refreshing. They were right to cast you as Liz. You're not one of the stars I was expecting." his expression was unreadable, but Addy could definitely tell they had connected. But she didn't want to be. Did he? She didn't know, and she was not going to ask. Maybe being friends with him wouldn't be so bad, after all.