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JULY 18TH, 2017 — ❝ SHE LOOKS LIKE A DREAM. ❞
It had been a little over a year now since Tom had dated Taylor Swift, and least to say infatuation had hit him hard.
Today, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo had invited him out to lunch. The humid Massachusetts air made his short hair stick to the back of his neck, and he ran a hand through his hair.
"You doing okay back there, Tom?" Mark asked from the passenger seat, looking back at him.
"I just feel like Bucky in Civil War is all," Tom replied, making Chris laugh from the driver's seat, pulling into the cafe parking lot.
"You don't think we'll get mobbed here?" Mark asked uncertainly, looking over at Chris, who in response, shook his head and said, "Nah, Robert's meeting us here, and we asked for a private table near the back."
Once parked, the three men split up, Mark going to get their table, Chris and Tom going to order food. Pausing to take a picture with a fan, Tom lagged behind, having a small conversation with the fan. Once he and the fan big goodbye, Karen and Robert walked past, him giving a wink, and she whispering, "Eloise is coming."
She followed Robert inside, and Tom looked to his right to see her coming.
She'd changed her hair dramatically.
Gone was the soft brunette that had flirted with him at the bar a year ago; here was a newer Eloise, an even softer version of who she had been before. She had white-blonde hair, and with the look on her face, she was as surprised to see him as he was to see her . . . But, still gorgeous. Always gorgeous.
"Eloise," He said, and he saw her surprise turn into deep blushing. "How are you?"
"I'm . . . Good," Eloise replied, fidgeting with her hands. "I suppose everyone knew about this."
"I suppose everyone but us," Tom said, walking over to her. "You look great."
"So do you," She replied, looking away to hide the burning in her cheeks again.
"Oh! Tom, what a surprise!" Nikolai came up behind his daughter, resting one hand on her shoulder. "What gives us the pleasure?"
"It would appear that our mutual friends were trying to surprise us," Tom explained. His heart sped up at Eloise's smile, and he gestured towards the cafe behind them, and asked, "Shall we go in?"
"Sure!" Nikolai walked ahead of them, and Tom held out his arm for Eloise to take. She hesitated before she did, and then asked, "How have you been, Tom?"
"Oh, you know. I've just been filming for Marvel. Been doing some voice acting for a movie called Early Man." Tom looked over at her, and she looked up at him, and replied, "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't excited for that." She laughed, embarrassed.
"You really see all my movies?" Tom asked as they walked into the cafe. They stared at each other for a moment, and then Eloise looked away to nervously look for their friends. "Do you think they're trying to set us up?"
Eloise mumbled something, and he leaned over, asking, "Sorry, what was that?"
She flushed, stuttering out, "I-I said that, uh . . . I hope they-that, uh, that it was their intention."
He had to smile at how flustered she'd gotten, and led her to the private table that had been reserved for their group.
On one side of the square table sat Robert, Mark, Karen, and Nikolai, and on the other side, sat Chris, and two empty chairs next to him. Eloise was going to sit next to Tom no matter where she sat, she realized; this lunch had been a set-up.
"I forgot to order the food," Eloise said lamely, and Karen snorted as Robert replied, "No need. I ordered and paid for it all."
Tom watched her thank him deeply, and sat her down at the end of the table, taking the middle seat between she and Chris.
"So, I think we should toast to Nikolai, and his newly successful book," Mark said, grinning down at his friend. "And to his lovely daughter, Eloise, for her new book coming out soon as well!"
Both Eloise and Nikolai grinned, and Tom turned to face her fully, and asked, "So, what's this next book of yours about, Eloise?"
She blushed again before launching into a detailed synopsis about her book. Tom watched her, listening to her every word, and utterly loving how passionate she was about her writing.
Karen and Chris exchanged a look that said one thing: It was definitely a good idea to set them up.
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About an hour later, after everyone had finished their lunch, Tom walked Eloise outside, alone. She rummaged through her purse, and then pulled out her inhaler silently. Giving him an embarrassed smile, she turned away from him as she used it.
Once she turned back around, Tom curiously asked, "You have asthma?"
Eloise put her inhaler back in her purse, and replied, "Yes. Sometimes it gets hard to breath. Especially when I'm nervous."
He took a step closer to her, and she looked up at him. It hit him now how much smaller she was than him, and he suddenly asked, "How tall are you?"
A laugh burst out of her, and she asked, "You want to know how tall I am?" When he nodded, she said, "I'm 5'1."
"You are so much smaller than me," Tom said, making her laugh again. "Uh . . . Can I . . . Can I have your number?"
Seeing how nervous he was only comforted Eloise, it showed that he was probably as nervous as she was. "Of course you can," She replied, getting out her phone. After they unlocked their phones, they exchanged them to add to their contacts.
Once they were done, Nikolai walked on by, and asked, "We're almost ready. Are you, sweetheart?"
Looking over at her father, she smiled and said, "I'm almost ready."
He nodded, waving to Tom as he walked away. Robert gave Tom a quick hug, and then patted Eloise on the shoulder as he followed Nikolai. Karen hugged Tom, and said, "It was so good to see you."
As she passed Eloise, her voice was hardly louder than a murmur, "Stop eye-fucking him, Eloise."
She had to bite her lips from laughing, but she said, "I'll be at the car in a second, Karen."
Tom smiled at her, and she felt a stirring in her stomach. He needed to stop looking at her like that. It was . . . Tugging on her heart strings, immensely. "I'll see you soon?"
"Oh, I better," Eloise replied, hugging him. Tom leaned over a bit, hugging her back, and she had to admit . . . His hugs were wonderful. She could live in them all day, if she was able to.
As she started to walk away, Tom called, "I'll call you!"
"You better!" She called back, turning and grinning at Karen, who was waiting for her next to the car.
"Oh, get in, you love-sick bastard," Karen groaned, making Eloise laugh. Once seated inside, she took a moment to think about all the smiles he gave her. How he looked at her.
Yup. It was enough. She was totally, one hundred percent, in love with him.
