Twelve Red Roses (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Chapter 7- Bad Exes

Hey guys. So I'm uploading this from my IPod, so I apologize right now if there are any mistakes! Hope you enjoy!:)
Also, I have a pretty good idea of where I'm going with this story, but if any of you have some suggestions on what could happen next or an activity they could do, I might use some ideas (and give credit to whomever gave me the idea, of course) in some chapters. It'd actually help a lot:)

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We were on the road again. We had made sure to take advantage of the hotel we were staying at by eating a big meal and showering before we left. And now, only four hours until Las Vegas.

"I don't even know why I wanted to go to Las Vegas..." I mumble lightly as we pass an awfully slow car on the freeway.

"What, you didn't come to drink and have wild sex with strangers?" Usually if he were to ask that question, it'd be filled with humor and he'd simply be teasing me. But now his voice was cold.

"No... I didn't." I glance at him. Then I bite my lower lip, studying him. I've never seen Tom angry. I mean, how could I since we just met? But something was definitely wrong. No smile had appeared on his face since we neared Vegas. Every time I even mentioned Vegas, his reply was vague, and sometimes snappy.

"Tom, is something wrong?" I ask gently. "You know you can tell me anything."

He sighs lightly and glances at me. I can already tell he's going to tell me. He has that look in his eyes that I'm already familiar with. He's going to give in.

"I just have a bad memory from Vegas," he explains.

"What memory?"

"My ex. She used to live in London, of course, but she moved to Vegas after we broke up."

"Oh," I say. "I'm very sorry. So you still have feelings for her or something?"

"No," he quickly says, frowning. "No, certainly not."

I nod. "You know, it's weird, my ex moved to Vegas, too."

"Really?" Tom asks, sending me a quick glance.

"Really. And... It was after we broke up. He was... Great. I mean, he was funny, and smart, and..." I trail off for a moment, feeling my eyes start to water. "He was an asshole, really."

Tom lets out a small laugh, but gets concerned when he sees my watery eyes. "Oh, Cass, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. I'm sorry."

I shake my head. "No, it's okay. I'm not going to cry, I promise."

"Tell me more," he says gently, reaching over to give my hand a small squeeze. And his hand doesn't leave mine after that.

"He'd always say what was on his mind. Always. Rude things, too. And he had a way of controlling me. He'd say my clothes were awful, so I'd wear something he picked out." I pause again, wondering if it's even worth telling him my pathetic sob story. "He just... He ruined my life, Tom. I changed myself for him and threw away my career, my friends, and my life... And in the end, he left, leaving me alone with nothing. He complained until I was finally his image of good, and in the end he said I wasn't good enough."

"What was your life like before you met him?" Tom asks, his hand still over mine.

"I was successful. Confident. I could accept compliments. I had a wonderful job and a promising future." I then glance at Tom, and realize he not only looks worried, but still sad. "Ugh, I'm such a mess, I'm so sorry. I didn't even let you finish your story."

He sighs. "Well, my story isn't as heart-breaking as yours, darling. I met this girl at a party. She seemed nice, but she was also wild. Loved drama, fashion, parties... I know now that she had no intention of ever settling down, but back then I put my hope in her. And things were going well for a while. I asked her to be my girlfriend, and she said yes. I was happy. But then I found out about the other guy."