Finding Forever (Tom Hiddleston Fanfiction)

All About Timing

I moved my neck slightly to crack it. When I sat up, I realized I had fallen asleep on Tom's chest. He still had his arm around me when I woke up. It made me wonder if he ever got uncomfortable at any point. If he ever wanted to move me.

Tom sat up and opened his eyes as soon as I moved. "Good morning." He mumbled, while yawning. He gave me a rested smile.

I glanced over at the clock. "Don't you mean afternoon? Its 3 o'clock pm."

He laughed. "Oh yeah I forgot. We were up all morning, talking."

I nodded. "Yeah I'm sorry about that."

He shook his head. "Like I said before, no need to apologize."

I smiled. "Okay well, I should apologize about falling asleep on you. You must have been uncomfortable."

He grinned back at me. "Are you kidding? I've never been more rested in my life. Its just my arm that says otherwise."

He lifted up the arm that he had around me. The arm that I was sleeping on the whole time.

I laughed. "Aw I feel terrible. You should have woke me up! I would have gave you your arm back and moved into my room!"

He chuckled, then looked back into my eyes. "I couldn't wake you up. You looked so, peaceful, and happy. I didn't want to disturb that." He gently put his hand in mine. "And besides, I liked being the one you lean on."

"Literally and figuratively." I said with a warm smile as I squeezed his hand a little harder.

Tom stared at our hands. He had this longing look in his eyes. Like he wanted to tell me something. I ignored my assumptions and got up from the couch. Letting go of his hand. "Do you have any plans today?"

"No. Why do you need my assistance, Ari?" He stayed on the couch and watched my every move. That longing look was now gone off his face.

I nodded. "I do actually. I have to edit the photos we took for the Art Show. And I have to get them developed. I'm going to give them to Lucy tomorrow."

Although I technically had a few weeks to prepare for the Art Show. I had enough confidence in these photos that, I didn't need the time. I had already taken the best photos that I could take.

Tom shrugged his shoulders casually. "Well then, I guess you have yourself an assistant."

-

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We spent a few hours editing the photos. It didn't take long. Most of the photos didn't need work. The colors of one tree itself stood out more than any filter on any laptop. You can't filter what is already perfect.

As soon as we edited the photos, we went out and got them developed. As we were waiting for them to be finished, Tom and I went for a walk.

I really didn't know what to talk about. Apparently neither did Tom, because it was pretty silent. I finally broke the silence. "Tom, can I ask you something?

"You can ask me anything." Tom said.

I looked down to the ground. Watching our feet step, almost in sync. My left foot steps, his left foot steps. My right foot, his right foot. I was so tempted to ruin it and switch feet, but I didn't. I focused back onto our conversation.

"How are you so sure about love?" I said. Phrasing it the way I did, made it sound a bit awkward. But I really wanted to know.

Tom laughed. "Because I have faith. Faith that things..." He paused and held my wrist in his hand, looking at the bracelet. "I have faith that things are going to be okay."

I smiled. "Faith." I felt his hand let go of my wrist and fall back to his side. As did mine. "Do you ever look for you light? Are you still trying to find that one person you are meant to be with?"

He squinted his eyes in the brightness of the sky, looking up to the trees as they blew in the wind. "Yes. No one ever truly stops looking for love. Even if they don't notice, deep down, they are always searching." I smiled slightly. Thinking to myself that maybe deep down, I was finding that man, without even knowing. Even though I told myself I didn't want to find my light, maybe I was still looking. Tom took his eyes off of the foliage and laid them on me. "But, its not a matter of finding the person you were meant to be with. Its a matter of waiting to find each other."

I nodded, comprehending. "Timing."

He smiled. "Timing is everything." He continued. "And someday when you least expect it Ari, you'll find that person. And they'll find you. Its bound to happen. So, let it happen. Don't focus on when or how it might happen. Just wait. When the timing is right, you'll find him."

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That night when we got back to my place, and we took one last look at the photos before sticking them into the folder. Tomorrow morning I was bringing those 5 pictures in that folder, directly to Lucy and they are going to be enlarged, and seen by hundreds of artists and photographers from all around the world. Crazy to think about. Exciting.

I stuck the folder on the counter and I packed up the last of my camera equipment. Tom poured us a glass of wine he had bought earlier that night. Still chilled from the brisk air outside. We sat down together.

He held up his glass. "Here's to being a good team."

"Cheers." I clanked my glass against his and took a sip. Classy actor gets the expensive wine. It was delicious. And much needed.

He put his glass down. "I love wine but, I think whiskey is better."

"Whiskey is defiantly better." I laughed. Remembering the night at the bar with Tom. The night he punched that man for hitting on me.

As I began to think about what i was laughing at, I stopped laughing quickly as my eyes widened.

Tom looked back at me, mistaking my look of surprise for a look of terror. "Ari, what's the matter."

"Nothing." I reassured him. "Its just, I remembered something, and it made me smile. I actually have a happy memory. And its of you. So I guess I should thank you."

Tom put his glass down as he grinned. "That's funny. The past few months, helping you, being your assistant, your friend, the person you lean on... spending all of this time with you, they were the most memorable and best months of my life. I guess I should thank you."