Desdemona Humphries leads a rather unspectacular life. She's a great daughter, grand-daughter, and aunt. She helps her brother coach little league and helps her sister bake for the school bake sales, in between running a bed and breakfast with her f...
As Tom sat at his mum's kitchen table and listened to her and his youngest sister Emma bicker back and forth about what should be prepared for Christmas dinner, he couldn't help the smile he got when he looked at his mobile and saw that she had answered. Raven80. He had never seen her but she was quickly becoming one of his closest friends, even though it was just an online friendship. He didn't even know her real name or anything about her, but she was important to him in a way that Tom wasn't fully prepared to dwell on as yet. He frowned when he saw what she had written, immediately wishing there was a way he could actually talk to her. Tom had found that sometimes, feelings and moods were dulled when reading a message as opposed to actually hearing the person talk.
I'm sorry I didn't answer you sooner, but there was a slight family emergency that had to be handled. Yes, I'm doing just fine with the holidays fast approaching. How about yourself?
He bit his lip as he thought about something that had been on his mind for a while now. Before he could chicken out, he let his fingers fly across the face of his mobile.
I am sorry that you are having an emergency, and I do hope that it isn't anything serious. Have you been hurt? I'm doing well, visiting my mother for the holidays. I have been wondering about something and wanted to see how you might feel about it.
It took mere minutes for a reply to come from her end.
No, I haven't been hurt. To be candid, my sister's husband left her, and she's taking it very hard. I can't even imagine, what with her having the children and having to deal with the holiday in just a matter of days. It will be rough, but the family will help her through. I'm happy that you are able to be with your family now. It always makes the holiday more memorable. I don't envy those without loved ones to be with. What is it you have been wondering about?
Tom had to be careful now. He sat and thought for a moment before answering her.
I am so sorry about your sister. I'm assuming she didn't see this coming, which makes it all the more traumatic, especially with children involved. Please, give her an extra squeeze for me. The thing that I was wondering about is... how would you feel about exchanging emails instead of messaging on Wattpad? I sometimes don't see the notifications for hours and I think, in general, email would just be so much easier. It's completely up to you though, of course.
Tom let out the breath he had been holding as he pressed send, then finally tuned back into the conversation around him as his mum asked him a question.
"Darling, I thought that girl was coming home with you this year?"
Tom grinned as he heard Emma snort from across the table, causing him to lightly kick her in response. Even at the age of thirty-six, his mother still referred to any woman he dated as "that girl".
"Mum, I haven't dated anyone in months. Frankly, I haven't had time. The last woman I dated was Constance, and I hear that she is in a very committed relationship with a barrister."
His mum lifted a brow but said nothing more on the subject, but Emma was looking at him strangely. Before she could say anything, he heard his mobile beep and he looked to see a new message.
It never occurred to me. That would be fine if you prefer email to messaging. My email address is the same as my username, except with Gmail on the end.
He nodded to himself as he typed out a reply.
Wonderful! Mine is also the same but with gmail.co.uk on the end. I look forward to chatting with you, but if I don't hear from you before then, have a Happy Christmas.
Tom laid his mobile phone down and looked up to see his sister eyeing him, a small smile on her face. She tapped him on the back of the hand and motioned towards the living room. "I believe we need to talk, Tommy."
After telling mum that they were going to go watch a film, they settled on the couch. She tinkered with the remote control for a few minutes before finding a program she knew that they had both seen before. Emma turned to Tom with a grin.
"Ok, tell me what's going on. You were flustered over mum's question about a girlfriend and you've been fiddling with your mobile all afternoon. Spill it."
Tom grinned and rubbed his neck before shaking his head. "Honestly? I don't know. It's a very complicated story... "
She lifted a brow. "How complicated can it be?"
Tom gave her a look before shaking his head again. "I don't mean to make myself more important than I am, but... look, like I said it's complicated. I don't mind telling you, but you have to let me do it my way." At her nod, he began to fill her in from the beginning, telling her everything, even amid her little coos and snickers. By the time he was done, she was looking at him like he had two heads. It took her a few minutes to sort out what she wanted to say.
"You have to tell her who you are, Tom. You can't keep that information from her. It's lying."
Tom held up a hand. "No! No, I'm not lying, I'm just... look, I know to you I'm just your brother Tom, but to a decent-sized portion of the world, I'm Tom Hiddleston. I'm just trying to keep my anonymity as long as I can. I mean, honestly, right now, we're just chatting. It's nothing romantic at all yet. I just really like her, and I don't want my fame, however fickle it is, to get in the way of getting to know her, that's all."
She shook her head and sighed before smiling wryly at him. "Leave it to you to fall for a fan fiction writer. Ok, look, just promise me that before the two of you do reach romantic status, you'll tell her who you are."
He chuckled when she held a pinky up for him to wrap his around. "I promise she will know who I am before anything... interesting happens."
She made a face and swatted him on the arm. "Thank you and Ewww, gross!"
They were laughing uproariously when their mum yelled for them to come eat.
