All Roses Must Wilt (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 32- Dinner Date

Three more days in New York. Tom didn't want to wake me up, so he just left for his scheduled photo-shoot, leaving me a note to tell me where he had gone. He also apologized a million times in the note, promising to be back in time to take me somewhere special. Where that 'special' place was, I had no idea. Should I be excited? Or scared?

While I wait for Tom to get back, I type. It's all I seem to be doing these days. While I type, I realize that my characters are actually happy. Too happy. Yet they both know something is bound to happen. They know this happiness won't last forever.

Is that how I feel about Tom and me? Like it won't last forever? Yes. That is exactly how I feel, and I'm not afraid to admit it. But I am, however, afraid to admit it to Tom himself. We're acting stupid. Like young teenagers who are foolish and hungry about their first summer love. We're not even dating, yet we do things only people who are dating should do. It just... isn't right. But it feels right.

With only about an hour before Tom should be home, start to feel a little nervous. As if Tom hasn't taken me on a date before. Has he? I mean, sure, we've been to dinner before, but this is totally different, isn't it? Was this even a date? Or just our usual friendly outing like we've done before? And what about our romantic dinner on my birthday? That was like a date.

Time after that seems to fly by, and the door soon opens. Tom looks more casual today, wearing a grey T-shirt, blue jeans, and his favorite leather jacket. I also notice that the stubble that was on his face yesterday is still there, even though he said he'd shave it off. I didn't mind, though. I liked him with a stubble, or even with a small beard, but I also liked his clean, smooth look. He looks handsome with all of those looks.

"I hope you weren't too bored today, darling," he says, dropping his sunglasses on the table before coming into the living room where I was sitting.

I shake my head. "No, I wasn't. How was the photo-shoot?"

"A little boring, actually. I believe the pictures turned out well, though."

"Well that's good," I say. He takes a seat next to me.

"So I was thinking we could do something today. You've been stuck in this hotel room for two days now, darling. It can't be healthy."

I nod. "Alright. Well what do you have in mind?"

"Maybe a walk and some dinner?" He asks. "Unless there's something specific in New York you'd still like to see."

"It sounds good to me, Tom," I say. "But are you sure you're up for it? Not too tired?"

"Of course I'm up for it, darling. I feel like I haven't been paying enough attention to you."

I snort lightly. "Not enough attention? I think you give me too much attention."

He chuckles lightly. "Too much attention? Would you like me to just stop the attention altogether?"

I knit my brows together lightly, trying to pull the saddest look I can onto my face. "You'd stop giving me attention altogether?" I murmur. Tom's puppy-dog face always works on me, but I've never tried it on him.

My face doesn't seem to affect him at all. So he's being arrogant about it... I break eye contact with his even stare, looking down. Well sorry mister big-Hollywood-superstar. Sorry I'm not a good actor like you are.

I feel one of his long, slender fingers lift my chin gently so I meet his eyes. "I absolutely love your pouting face, my dear. And of course I won't stop giving you attention. As long as you can give me some attention back."

I nod, smiling lightly. "I think I can do that."

I can already tell what's going to happen before it even starts to happen, and I need to stop it. He's going to kiss me. Too much kissing. I'm leading him on. I'm kissing him far too often without thinking about what's best for him. I avoid the kiss by kissing him on the cheek and standing up.