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“Tom, hey! So great to see you, I didn’t know you’d come,” Henry smiled, ruffling his best friend’s hair. “Well, it’s about time, right?;” Tom grinned, sheepishly, trying to fix his hair as he took in his surroundings. The sunlight reflecting from the bright sandstone facade of Kenwood House made him squint and he tried to shield his face with the back of his hand as he followed Henry around the venue. “Today’s performance will be a bit different from what we normally do, though. I had to leave my beloved electric Gibson at home and bring my acoustic one instead,” Henry winked ere they stepped inside a long, carpeted corridor.
Paintings and sculptures on either side of them and simply the grandeur of the interior made Tom feel incredibly out of place while Henry, with his white shirt, rolled up sleeves, and the undone buttons at the collar, appeared like he belonged there and nowhere else. “There we go, it’s just in here,” the guitarist mumbled and together they entered the currently still empty Adam Library. Although at second glance, it was only almost empty as George, Paul, and Louise bustled about on stage together with two others, obviously making some final adjustments to the setup.
“Hey guys, look who’s turned up,” Henry exclaimed with a pat on Tom’s back and he waved a little shyly at the others. “Hey there. Um..happy birthday!,” Tom said as they’ve reached the stage and earned himself a round of happy faces and thank you!s from his best friend’s band mates, whose eighteenth birthday it was today.
“It’s so nice of you to come, Tom,” Louise smiled warmly as she walked down the few steps leading down from the stage. Muttering an excuse, Henry left them to it but Tom didn’t really listen to him as his eyes and mind were already fixed on the gorgeous young woman standing in front of him. “Well, I told you I’d come one day and as this is pretty much around the corner from my Mum’s, I had no reason not to show up,” Tom mumbled with a grin and Louise laughed quietly in reply. He loved it when she laughed. Little dimples would appear on her cheeks and her face lit up every single time and with it the entire room around her.
“Um,…I need to go and get ready now but why don’t you choose a seat and I’ll see you later. There is some kind of after party going on later with canapés and cocktails so you are more than welcome to join me for that. Or us, rather,” she suggested and, shoving his hands nervously into the pockets of his trousers, Tom nodded. “Sure, I’ll won’t go anywhere,” he muttered ere she smiled at him once more before leaving the grand library.
***
He had chosen a seat in the third row. Anything closer to the stage might appear desperate and over-excited, and he didn’t want to make the impression of being either of it, while everything further in the back would appear disinterested and, by god, he was the very opposite. Louise was just telling another anecdote of their life on the road and laughter rippled through the crowd around him, an interesting mix of young men and women, and older ones, ex-Army personnel, clearly there only because it was an event raising money for charity. “…So, we were all just about to go settle down for a film when my phone rang. It was George, audibly furious, and for a moment I was utterly confused why he would call me when we were in the same bus. That was until I realised that we actually left him behind on location.” Blushing from head to toe, George tried to hide behind his small drum set while another wave of laughter washed over the audience. Louise grinned at her band mate and brother, a mischievous twinkle in her eye, and as she turned back around to face the audience, Tom believed for a moment that the tiny wink was actually meant for him and him only.
“Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with stories from the road but instead we’ll continue with some music and we’ll play the second single of our album Lights, called Stay. Enjoy,” Louise continued, taking her seat once again on the wooden barstool in the centre of the stage. Her knee-length, dark blue dress fluttered in the light breeze coming in through the half-open window and she brushed a strand of hair out of her face before the sound of Henry’s guitar filled the room.
***
“So, did we pass?” A beaming smile on her gorgeous face, Louise appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, right in front of him, two glasses of champagne in her hand, one of which she held out to him. “Um, yeah. Of course you did, that was fantastic,” Tom nodded, maybe a bit too enthusiastically, ere he took the offered glass. “Thank you.” A faint blush crept over her cheeks and he couldn’t stop smiling as her hazel eyes found his. “To your first concert then?,” she suggested, lifting her glass and he nodded, mesmerized and desperately trying to remember whether any of their upcoming shows were close enough to go without appearing to be stalking them.
The bright clinking of their glasses brought him back into reality and now it was his turn to blush before he gulped down the sparkling drink much to her amusement. “Not so fast, Mr Hiddleston, we don’t want to get you drunk before the best part of this evening begins,” Louise laughed quietly and even more so at his slightly scared face. “Um, pardon me?” Handing his empty glass to a passing waiter and grabbing a new one, she winked at him. “You didn’t think our humble, short performance is the only reason for all these uniform-clad, ex-pilots to turn up on this lovely Friday evening now, did you?”
“Actually, I did,” Tom confessed, a little startled at her obviously more relaxed state now that her contribution to the evening’s entertainment programme was over. “I am so sorry to disappoint but actually, we were only the starter of the menu,” Louise laughed, bright and happily, the alcohol only adding to her relaxation and good mood. He swallowed as she linked her arm with his and together they left the library to step out into the vast grounds of Kenwood House. Lights had been set up everywhere, creating an incredibly intimate and romantic atmosphere now that the sun was about to set, and compared to her simple but elegant dress and her band mates’ casual yet smart suits, he felt completely underdressed.
Louise seemed to sense his unease as she brought them to a slow halt, letting the other guests walk past them down towards the lake where another, bigger stage was set up. Carefully she unlinked her arm from his and took half a step back, her brow furrowed nervously. “Sorry Tom. I…I didn’t want to appear too forward. I’m just…I’m really happy that you came and so I thought you might want to stay but I guess you don’t or maybe you’d rather hang out with Henry, which is totally fine, I mean, you’re his best friend and I’m n-” Pressing the tip of his finger gently onto her lips, Tom interrupted her little monologue.
“Louise, no. It’s totally fine. I’d love to stay and spend more time with you. I mean, I see Henry all the time so I am sure he won’t mind. I was just a bit…well, let’s say I didn’t expect this.” Confusion spread over her face and he took a deep breath to explain. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t know you were nice and everything but I just didn’t think you’d actually be happy to see me. I bet every guy in the audience, or at least those under 30, would love to be in my place right now so I don’t really understand why it’s me you want to spend time with,” he confessed, quietly, hoping he hadn’t messed it up now.
“Because I thought we are friends,” she whispered. “I know we haven’t seen each other so much recently what with the end of school and the beginning of the tour and so on but ever since we met two years ago, I thought that there was something, that there was a connection, between us. You treat me normally, Tom, like a normal girl and not like the ‘rising star’ that everybody thinks I am.”
He smiled at her, lovingly yet still a little nervously. “So, apart from being able to enjoy your company, what is the highlight of this evening then?,” he mumbled, offering her his arm. With a relieved smile on her face, she linked arms with him once more and pointed towards the lake. “The Royal Philarmonic Concert Orchestra will perform in a little while accompanied by a light show on the lake,” Louise replied quietly and he nodded, feigning expertise. “Well then, let’s see if they are any good, shall we?,” Tom winked and together they walked slowly down the gravelled path, taking a detour, or two, around the grounds of Kenwood House, entirely lost in conversation.