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...
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Tom sat and just stared at the woman on the other side of his laptop for a moment, not sure what she meant. Finally, he just said so.
"I'm sorry, darling, but I don't understand what you mean."
He watched her worry her lip with her teeth for a few seconds before looking away, almost like she didn't want to look him directly in the eyes. "I mean... shit, I'm not even sure what I mean." She took a deep breath, then blew it back out. "Ok. I realize it's a really gray area for all of us writers to write about living, breathing people, and you would be well within your rights to demand that I stop... I suppose what I'm trying to say is that if you aren't planning on suing me for writing about you, then I don't understand why you want to talk to me."
Tom couldn't help but grin a little at her obvious confusion. "Isn't it possible that I could simply like you and want to get to know you better?" He snorted at her disbelieving look. "It's true! Look, once I read your work, I knew that I found you fascinating and wanted to know you better, that's all. Once we started emailing back and forth, well... I think we developed a bond. I would hate to see that broken just because of who I am."
She nodded a little as if she was trying to process what he'd just told her. "How did you find my writing in the first place? I can't believe that you just troll Wattpad looking for stories about yourself."
He shook his head as he chuckled. "No, I don't, believe me. I was actually dared to do it if you can believe that one. Robert Downey Jr. knew that there was fan fiction about me and others on Wattpad and dared me to check some of it out. He had read some of the stories about himself and found them entertaining, and he said that some were very well written. I felt uncomfortable reading about people I knew, so I searched my own name." Tom ducked his head for a moment, trying to hide what he just knew was a red face. He laughed self-consciously before continuing. "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff being written about me. Well, maybe you would at that. Anyway, I struggled through a few of the rougher ones until I found you one day. One chapter and I was hooked. It's positively uncanny how close to the real me you get, darling. For a while, I thought you might be someone that knew me personally, that's how on the mark you are. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to discover you. I was also shocked to realize what an amazing writer you were."
Desi gave him a shy grin. "Thank you... I think. You have to admit that this is pretty strange. Before, when I thought you were some random person, I... well, it doesn't matter what I thought."
They both sat in silence with their own thoughts for a moment before he spoke up. "Is this going to be too hard for you? I mean, you were fine when you thought I was someone else. Are my name and face really that hard for you to overcome? I would love for us to continue our friendship, if at all possible." Tom shook his head, a little sad to think that she would let this stand between them. "Ben tried to tell me that you wouldn't take finding out who I was that well, but I honestly thought we would be able to get passed it once the truth was out... "
He saw Desi's eyes narrow and he instantly knew that he had said the wrong thing. "Wait a second... you told someone about me?"
Tom nodded quickly, not at all happy at the thought that she was vexed with him. "Yes, just my best friend. Benedict Cumberbatch? Have you heard of him?"
Tom saw her eyes widen considerably and had to fight back a chuckle trying to break loose. "Have I... seriously, Tom?"
He shrugged nonchalantly as if it was no big deal, which honestly, to him it wasn't. "Yeah. I felt bad about not telling you who I was sooner, and he told me that I needed to as soon as possible, but you didn't want to exchange names, so I didn't really know what to do besides waiting for you to come around."
Desi shook her head, apparently willing to let the fact that Ben knew about the situation slide for the moment. Tom watched her take a deep breath before giving him a small grin. "Ok, so, you want to be friends?"
Tom smiled at her, nodding quickly. "Yes! Yes, Desi, I want to be friends."
He watched her bite her lip again and grinned as he realized that was one of her tells. She was about to give in to what he wanted, but she was worried about doing so. It may take a while, but he would make her see that she had nothing to fear from him.
Desi walked out of the bedroom, feeling like she had just left a parallel universe. After Tom gave her his phone number, he had made her promise to text him as soon as they ended their conversation so that he would have hers. She found Hester where she had left her, sitting on the couch in the living area and sipping from a glass of ginger ale. She noticed that she had ordered room service while Desi was talking to Tom, the smell of baked chicken permeating the space. She poured herself a glass of the adult grape juice Hester had ordered for her and joined her on the couch, tucking her legs under herself. Hester gave her a side glance before grinning.
"Well? Did you get everything straightened out?"
Desi nodded slowly, still trying to wrap her mind around what had transpired. "I think so. He wants to be friends. We even exchanged phone numbers."
Hes stared at her for a moment before letting loose a delighted chuckle. "That's great! Who knows, you two may become quite close. You never know what's in store for you."
Desi just shook her head and grinned at her. She was right about the universe being fickle. A year ago, she would never have dreamed that she would be sitting in a hotel room, sipping wine with her sister. Strange things happen when you weren't looking.
