Chp 11 – We Ran Past Strawberry Fields and Smelled the Summertime
Anna was pretty impressed with herself at the moment. She had managed to stay cool and collected and for once initiate an impromptu kiss with Tom.
Tom was probably still grinning like an idiot as the tour bus came to a final stop and ended, but he really didn't care. Just when he thought he had Anna all figured out, she had to go do something unpredictable like that and completely throw him for a loop. At the same time, he was a little scared at how fast this thing…well what was it anyway? Certainly not a relationship, but it wasn't really a fling…well whatever it was, Tom was pretty sure it was progressing far too fast for his own good.
Everyone filed off the bus and Anna, Tom and Bridget began walking back toward their hotel. The girls wanted a chance to get cleaned up before exploring the town a bit more and grabbing a bite to eat so they parted ways at their rooms.
Once inside the privacy of his own room, Tom was left with his thoughts about Anna. What was he doing with this girl… what was he getting himself into? He wondered how far he could keep deluding himself into thinking that they could date like normal people or even have a normal friendship. Every time he walked outside with the girls he was taking the risk of exposing his true identity.
Getting more nervous about the fact that they would be going out later, Tom decided to enact a slightly drastic plan. Pulling out his mobile he swiftly punched the number in of the one person that could help him right now.
"Hey Tom."
"Danny, mate, listen I need a huge favor."
"Miss you too mate, how's the north treatin' ya?" Tom rolled his eyes at Danny's unfailingly upbeat personality.
"It's great mate, listen-"
"How come ya didn't tell us you were goin' to Liverpool? I definitely woulda come, we coulda stopped at me mum's on the way back."
Tom sank onto his bed and put his face in his hand in frustration. He just needed Danny to do one simple thing for him.
"Look Danny, I'm tryin' to keep a low profile here. I just need you to like… create a diversion."
"A diversion?" Tom could clearly picture the confused facial expression of his friend and see him mussing his curly hair with his hand, a habit of Danny's.
"Yeah, could you like… I dunno, go on a really public outing. Take Dougie with ya if ya want, just try and catch attention."
"What, like goof off in front of a bunch of cameras?"
"Exactly."
"Huh," Danny responded, mulling it over in his mind. "Ya know it's a Sunday right? Not exactly a club night mate."
"Will you do it or not?" Tom said impatiently.
"Fine, fine, keep yer shirt on! Tell yer girlfriend I said 'ello!"
"She's not my-"
"Later mate!"
Danny rang off and Tom let out a frustrated sigh. Sometimes communicating with that boy could give him a headache.
Tom pulled off his tee shirt and headed for the bathroom. He felt a little calmer after splashing some cool water on his face and began to think more rationally. This is the last place anyone would expect him to be and it was a Sunday night. Having Danny give people their McFly fill would just be icing on the cake.
He reached for a towel to dry his face when there was a sudden knock on the door.
"Tom? It's Anna."
"It's open!" He called and continued mopping his face.
"Hey sorry, Bridget was taking forever and I-"
Anna appeared in the bathroom doorframe and stopped dead. She hadn't expected to walk in to find a completely shirtless Tom standing over the sink, leaving her absolutely flustered.
"Oh God, umm I'm sorry… I didn't know you were… umm…"
He looked way too good for words and it was completely unfair. How was she supposed to have the upper hand and maintain control around him when he stood there bare-chested and perfect?
"It's no problem. Just let me throw on a shirt." Tom slipped past her into the room and Anna was left to compose herself.
When she turned around, Tom was now wearing a "Star Wars" tee shirt and rummaging through his bag. Anna perched herself on the edge of his bed.
"Nice star tattoo." She commented lightly, something she had just noticed on his chest but never knew about before.
"Thanks, if ya haven't noticed, I'm a bit of a geek." He said and pointed to the front of his shirt.
"No worries, so am I. I've always wanted a tattoo, but I just wouldn't know what to get, or where to get it."
"Are you tellin' me you don't already have 'John Lennon is Mine' across yer bum yet?" He asked, feigning shock.
Anna burst out laughing. "Haha. Maybe one day."
He really enjoyed hearing her laugh at something he had said; it made him smile to make her happy. When Anna had stopped laughing and looked at Tom again, it suddenly dawned on her the situation they were in. The two of them were very much alone in this room. With a bed. They were alone in a room that contained a bed.
Tom seemed to come to the same conclusion as he was now looking at Anna with something akin to lust in his brown eyes. Before either of them could initiate anything, the door swung open and Bridget swept into the room.
"Good, you're both still clothed. Let's go."
Anna and Tom rolled their eyes at one another and followed her out. Anna was personally glad at Bridget's impeccable timing. She wasn't certain how Tom felt, but she was pretty definite that being alone in a hotel room with him would not be the smartest thing at the moment given how she'd acted on the Beatle tour.
Tom was glad they hadn't been left alone for long either. No need to make things any more complicated than they already were right?
"Dude, I swear that waiter was hitting on you."
Tom let out another exasperated sigh at Bridget's outrageous claim.
"He was just bein' polite." He insisted yet again but Tom knew the real truth. No, the waiter at the restaurant where they'd eaten was not hitting on Tom; of that he was certain. He was also fairly certain that the reason the waiter had been so attentive and eager towards them had something to do with McFly. The young kid had been painfully polite towards him the entire time, even addressing him as "sir." Although the kid never formally acknowledged that he knew Tom's secret, Tom suspected he expected a hearty tip from a celebrity. Tom was sure the amount he'd left wouldn't disappoint.
"He was staring at you quite a bit." Anna chimed in with a smirk.
"Oh shut it you two. Yer just jealous."
The girls cracked up and Tom shot them a mock glare.
"All right, so… what are we doing tonight?" Anna wondered aloud.
"No drinking… I need another day to recover from the last time we went out." Bridget admitted.
"Hmm… well it's still kinda light out…" Anna began thinking of things that would keep them occupied longer. Staying away from hotel rooms was a good way for her to maintain self-control.
Tom was hit with a perfect idea. "I know where we can go!" He hailed a cab after a few minutes and after speaking quietly to the driver, ushered the girls inside.
"So where are we headed?" asked Anna.
"You'll see." Tom said with a grin.
"Oooh I just love secret missions!" Bridget exclaimed and her companions shook their heads.
After a few more minutes of driving silently through Liverpool, the cab stopped.
"Here ya are" said the gruff driver.
"Thanks mate," said Tom and passed him some money. Hopping out first, he opened the door for the girls and waited to see if they knew where they were yet. It took them all of 30 seconds.
"Oh my God… Strawberry Fields?" Bridget exclaimed and pointed to a sign.
Anna whirled to face Tom. "How did you…?"
"Been here before. And they didn't include it on that tour today so…" Tom answered with a shrug.
Anna smiled at him in admiration and then indulged in a spontaneous, but brief hug.
"Thanks." She said to him and went off to join Bridget.
Tom smiled to himself, pleased with her reaction to his surprise. It felt so good to know he was the reason for her smile. Would she still look at him like that if she ever knew the truth about him?
Anna was on cloud nine at the moment. As she joined her best friend in exploring this historic wonder, she inhaled the sweet scent of the evening summertime air and wondered how this holiday could get any better.