Main Characters in the Story:

*Kim So Hyun as "Athena" Myung-hee Park

*Tom Hiddleston as Himself

Minor Character in the Story:

*Brenna D'Amico as Marilyn Rivera

Chapter XXII: I Needed That.

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The sun is out and shining brightly in the sky. The air is nice and warm for a spring day. The wind is still, the birds are singing like they haven't got a care in the world. Barely any cars have passed by, probably because it's mid-Wednesday and everybody is working their asses off right now. But the air is refreshing, the sky is blue and everything is just… tranquil, or content.

I, on the other hand, feel like a lonely puppy waiting for someone to care.

Tom's been gone for over eight months now. Eight incredibly long months, and not because I am waiting for my trip to London. If anything, I am waiting for something to happen to my trip in London. Maybe my parents want to go on a cruise, maybe Marilyn was looking forward to flying somewhere, or maybe Tom gets his schedule over-packed and can't have me go to visit him. I don't care what it is, I just need something to happen so I can have more time. I still haven't told him. I haven't even thought about telling him. I am trying to forget about it myself. It is still there. The guilt, the regret, the self-loathing, it's all still there. Fresh as if it just happened yesterday. I am dreading to see Tom so much that I even convinced him to cancel his trips over here. Yes, I did that. There were multiple times he wanted to come over here to spend time with me, and I gave him an excuse after excuse. "I am just so busy with projects." "I would not have the time to spend with you." "I have a really bad fever. I do not want you to catch a fever from me. Rain check?" I was merciless with them, too. I can't tell him the truth that I really don't want to see him. What good will that do? I will just be getting his heart cracked enough until the day I shatter it with what happened between me and Michael. I know it's going to get to him somehow. I am going to do so well to keep it from him, of course, but I am not perfect. I am not Wonder Woman. I am not even Sailor Moon. I won't be able to hide it from him forever.

Long story short: I am screwed, no matter what.

Drowning in my thoughts, I don't miss the sound of footsteps on the ladder that leads from the driveway to the deck. My parents customized the deck for me; bean bag chairs with a few chibi plushies in them (Mostly anime from Hello Kitty, My Melody, Domo, Pokemon, Naruto and Sailor Moon), little tables, a couple of lawn chairs, a mini fridge and an extremely large doorway to the game room (which, luckily happens to be right next to my room) to bring it all in through when I am done. But I made sure to attach that ladder to the house myself and there's only one other person allowed to use it.

Marilyn swings her legs one by one over the wall and onto the wooden deck. She drops her bag as soon as she's standing up straight, and she glares at me. If looks could kill, I would be obligated.

"I am assuming you got my texts, then." I say a bit carelessly. I know she is here to kill me. Nothing I say will ease that.

She doesn't even blink, which is a bit worrying. A breeze hits her right in the face, lasting less than a minute, and her eyes are still perfectly fine and burning holes in my face.

"You could just say hello, you know. I know you hate-"

No chances to finish my sentence; Marilyn lunges at me, knocking me back onto the deck. She grips my white button shirt tight, holding me up to look right at her.

I fight to rip her hands off of me, writhing and struggling against her weight. It gets even harder as she straddles me and pins me down with all her weight. The girl's heavier than she looks. Either that or she knows some secret to holding people down that I did not know about.

"You stupid, selfish moron!" she shakes me angrily as if that will get her words through more clearly. Surprisingly it works. "You idiot! You horny, stupid fool! What were you think?!"

"I wasn't!" I reply, slightly panicked. I did not expect her to do that. The name calling. I knew that was coming. Tackling me out of absolutely nowhere, this was new. "Besides, you don't have to get violent! It's not like I slept with him. I am still a virgin, you know that."

"You might as well have! And you are lucky you haven't lost your innocence to someone who is just a friend to you!" She releases me and removes herself from my body.

I stare at the sky for a moment to catch my breath. I had not realized she was restricting my breath, and knocking the air out of me in the first place certainly didn't help. I slowly sit up and watch her as she paces back and forth across the deck. Her arms are crossed over her stomach. She chews at her lower lip with the same stress that lowers her eyebrows. She really is angry with me, and I am relieved by that. I needed someone to be, and I did not have anyone else for the job. "Marilyn-"

"Just give me a sec. Just one." She stops mid-pace, her back at me as she recomposes herself. She takes a deep, cleansing breath before turning to face me, now wearing a face that strictly calls for business only. "Why?" she asks. She knows she doesn't need to say more. My text message said I will tell her everything.

"I don't know." I answer in all of honesty. "I got caught up in the moment, I guess. And I neglected to get a grip of my common sense."

"Assuming it was existent in the first place. What is wrong with you? How could you do that? Why did something like that even cross your mind in the first place?"

"I told you… I don't know." I push myself up off the floor and walk towards her. "I honestly have no idea why I kissed him. I guess I was lonely, and I missed his kiss, and Michael… Michael kind of reminds me of him. And Michael has such a beautiful soul. He hypnotized me for that moment, especially with the emotion sitting behind his words as we talked about his life. He has been so much. He is so-" I am cut off by a slap across my face. Still staring off to the side from the impact, I grit my teeth as the light stinging passes. "Thank you… I need that."

"Hell yeah, you did. Especially since you're gonna tell Tom."

"Hell no!"

"Hell yes!

"Ani-yo. {No.} No. He does not know anything, and it's going to stay that way. It was just a kiss. Yes, I feel guilty about it, but I am sure I will get over it. And when I do, everything will be cupcakes and rainbows again. After a while and enough ignored call from Michael, it will all blow over."

"Missed calls? How many?"

"Fifty-six, but that's not the point."

"Jeez, Myung-hee. You've got the boy hooked. If he's called you that many times, he clearly has some strong feelings for you."

"Yeah, no kidding. I am always thinking about talking to him. And I want to, just to straighten things out, but… wait. Wait, no it does not." I stare past Marilyn, piecing a few things together. "He has not mentioned anything about it, and he refuses to text me. It means nothing. Unless…" There it is, the last piece, and something clicks upstairs. I stare at Marilyn again with direct eye contact. "You know something, don't you?"

She shakes her head no.

"Marilyn." I demand.

"I don't."

"Marilyn."

"I swear, I don't know anything. I don't." Her voice is higher than usual, a dead giveaway.

I go over to the ladder and pick up her bag. It's designer, Gucci, and it looks really expensive. Perfect. I will hang it over the trees on the neighbor's side, and their dog craps there a lot. I know for a fact they don't pick up after the little yapping prick.

"Marilyn!"

She stares at the bag with wide, shocked eyes. "You wouldn't."

I shift the strap to my pinkie, the very tip of my pinkie. "Marilyn…" I taunt her a bit threateningly.

"He told me he's never felt with any girl what he feels for you. He really wants to ask you out and is dying for you to become his girlfriend. He thinks you're really smart, very beautiful, talented and overall mesmerizing. And he thinks he knows for a fact that you're single, but he'll stop at nothing to get you." Her words came out in the fastest rush, not even a minor break for her breath, all to save one of the many loves of her life.

I stare at her, stunned and caught so far off-guard that my senses are having trouble keeping up with me. I bring her bag back over to safety and hold it out for her to take. I don't even look at her as she comes rushing forward, taking her bag and holding it to her chest lovingly. I start moving mindlessly, wrapping my mind around the confession. Eom-ma-ya. {Oh my god.} He does have feelings for me. But… why? Boys around my age don't get feelings for a girl like me. Then again, Michael's older than he is. Eom-ma-ya, this is worse than I thought. I kissed him back. Oh Lord, I'm screwed. "I messed up." I say to myself quietly, reflecting over it. "I mess everything up. I am so terrible. I am such a terrible person."

"You just need to tell Tom." Marilyn says. I suppose she is done reassuring the bag that is safe now. "Seriously, you need to talk to him about this. Keep avoiding it, and it's gonna get worse." As annoying as it is to admit, she is very much right. It's going to explode on my face if I don't bring it up now. And I take the pressure so well, as it is. "I'll even sit right next to you when you tell him."

I sigh heavily. I can't stand how right she is. But I need to call Tom. It is time to face my problem, like a brave one. I nod my head understandingly, defeatedly sitting right behind it. "Alright. I will talk to him. Later, though. Give me some time."

All of a sudden, I hear a loud honk coming from the street, I give Marilyn a confused look.

She shrugs her shoulders. She is just as clueless as I am.

I step to the right and lean over the short deck wall. The sound came from across the street.

Parked in front of the house across the street is a blinding-white Honda Accord with the door on the driver's side opened. First I see the shoe that hits the pavement, then the leg that belongs to it, and the rest emerges from the car.

My heart explodes in my chest at the site of my visitor. My eyes widen enough to rip the corners of the sockets open. I have never panicked so much in my life. "Why is he here?" I whisper to Marilyn frantically.

"Remember you gave him my number a long time ago? Said if he needed anything, to call me because your phone died."

"Yeah…" I watched him walk across the street, clearly making his way towards my house.

"He texted me this morning. He wanted to know your address. I kind of, you know… gave it to him."

Breathing slowly becoming impossible. I can't. He needs to leave. Now.

"Marilyn?"

"Yeah?"

"I hate you."

"I know."

He stops halfway down the driveway the second he sees me staring at him. A wide smile stretches across his lips in sheer, genuine joy. He removes glasses and stretches his arms out to the sides, some form of saying "surprise!" to me. His eyes scream of excitement, just for me.

"O ani-yo, {Oh no,}" I say to myself in shock.

"Hello, darling." Tom says loudly.