Main Character in the Story:
*Tom Hiddleston as Himself
Minor Character in the Story:
*Emma Hiddleston as Herself
Chapter XIII: She's My Everything (Tom's P.O.V)
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She pounds on my arms, my back, my legs, anything she has access to for a good five minutes. I don't even try to fight back (that would be a mistake). I just lean against the wall of my flat, arms up for protection, taking it until it's over.
"Sixteen, Tom?!" Emma brings to an end and steps back to look at me. "Sixteen bloody years old?!"
"It was an accident. I had no idea she would turn out to be so young!"
"Who the hell are you telling? She's a child!"
"She's much more mature than you give her credit for."
"She better be. She's only half your age. That's okay, right?"
"Why does that matter, Emma? I wasn't paying attention to her age. I was paying attention to her personality, the way she smiles-" I'm immediately cut off by Emma's hand across my face. I realize I was getting off track, but I hardly think that's why she slapped me.
"She hasn't even graduated yet! She hasn't even started university! Are you really so desperate that you would resort to falling 'in love' with a teenage 'korean' girl in America?"
"Who said anything about being desperate? I told you know how we met. Nowhere in the story did I tell you about continuously asking her out, or spoiling her, or trying to impress her. She was…" I think of a way to explain it to Emma, but I'm afraid there are hardly any words that can describe what Myung-hee is to me. "It was one interview. Just one. And… the way she stumbled over her words was adorable. The way she tried to keep her focus after how nervous I knew she was. And the way she laughed; I could play her laugh over and over like it was a number one hit on the radio and never get tired. She was so ethereally beautiful, and she didn't even know it."
Emma is listening. Not judging, not showing disgust or disappointment. Just listening.
I stand there, smiling to myself, smiling to the memory of Myung-hee in all of her beauty. Her smile wide on her face, the light of happiness only I've seen. She's so wonderful, and I truly love her.
"You're crazy about her, aren't you?" Emma says, crossing her arms over her chest.
Still thinking of her, I answer with glazed eyes. "Try insane. She's everything. She's my everything."
She stares at me, probably looking for a lie somewhere on my face.
I'd wish her good luck if I could, because she will find nothing but truth in my words. I love Athena… I. Love. Myung-hee.
She groans and turns away. She walks to the far side of the flat and back, turning it into a well-timed pacing. She's thinking. She's considering all that I've said. Emma is very hard to convince in situations, and by the look of her poker face, I can't tell whether I've won her over or not. Not that it would matter if I didn't. She's not in charge of me. She never has been.
"How did this happen? Were you looking for somebody at the time, or-"
"No." I reply. "I wasn't looking for anyone. I didn't plan on meeting someone. I just went to Stamford for a little while, and I ended up falling in love."
After a couple of more silent minutes, she stops and turns to face me again. Hesitant, she walks over to me and pulls me down into a hug.
I hug her back. Her embrace always reminded me of our mother's, and they're so relaxing.
"Don't make any mistakes, Tom." She says to me. "Please. I know you better than that, but just remember who she is and who you are."
"I'll be fine. I would never do anything to hurt her in anyway. She means too much to me."
"Alright." She gives me a kiss on the cheek and pulls away. There's a kind smile on her face. "I'm not saying I'm completely okay with this. But as long as you remain faithful to her, I'll learn to get used to it."
"Thank you. Honestly, when I found myself thinking about her the first time, I was convinced I really was desperate. To find interest in a girl so young. It was insanity. But I had to be with her again. I needed the sound of her voice. I needed to be with her again. I was addicted somehow. By the time I had my first real date with her, I realized she needed to be in my life. She was—she is perfect."
"I see. So you have taken into consideration how much she needs to mature. Tell me, is she your fan? Was she your fan before this started?"
I nodded slowly. I know what she's playing at, and I will not let her mess with my head. "Yes. She was a fan, but she wasn't like all the other fans. She didn't really care that I was famous. She didn't ask me for an autograph, or any of the usual things. She was cool with me, as if I was just another person she was talking to… Anyway, I know you still think I'm crazy. It's clear in the way you speak to me. But lock me up in an institution if you must, because I'm crazy about her."
She half-smiles towards me. "You're right." She says. "You're absolutely right. I do think you're crazy. I also think love can come so unexpectedly, sometimes too unexpectedly. From what I saw today, she seems like a very nice girl-"
"Woman." I correct her. "I know she isn't exactly one yet, but she definitely does not have the mind of simply just a girl."
"Ugh, you're going to make this awkward for me, aren't you?"
I shrug. "Well, I do find it a little funny."
She rolls her eyes, annoyed. "She seems like a very nice woman, and she obviously makes you happy. I'm…" She seems to be struggling to finish her sentence, and I have to do my best to keep from laughing. "I'm glad you someone to love after Susannah. I swear, I thought that break-up would be the end of you."
"Yeah. I thought so, too. You know, I saw her the other day."
"Did you? Where?"
"The guitar shop I always check out. She was for a birthday present for… I can't remember who. But… I have to say, she looked beautiful."
"And there you go. Already making mistakes."
"I said she looked beautiful. I didn't say I wanted to be with her again. Our relationship came to a point where we just weren't compatible. But she just kept flirting and flirting and flirting with me. She expected me to do the same in return, but I couldn't. I had Myung-hee on my mind. I was looking for a guitar to buy and play a song for her."
"That must've been awkward for her. Does she know you're taken?"
"I don't think so. Or maybe she does. I'm not really sure. But somehow someone saw us and got a picture of it. It ended up in the tabloids that same day."
"Oh God. Myung-hee saw it, didn't she?"
I shake my head and sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. Now I'm afraid it's bothering her. Nothing happened that day but a conversation. It was a matter of coincidence and now everyone is making it look like I want to get back together with Susannah."
She sighs heavily. I hope she believes me, too. I can't have two of my important women turned on me. "Well, I have no doubt you two will get through this. As long as you remind her that the tabloids have a talent of lying." She runs her fingers through my hair and messes it up like she used to when I had the curls. "Now, let's go call her back. I'm sure we've kept her waiting long enough."
I smile then grab my phone, and look for the FaceTime app.
