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The air was electric and not just because of the excited crowd I was standing with. Looking up to the sky, I noticed the way the clouds had darkened considerably. In the distance, thunder rolled across the clouds, alerting us to the coming storm.
“I hope Tom comes through soon so we don’t get stuck in the rain!” said the random person standing next to me.
I nodded in silent agreement, not wanting to look like a drenched rat when Tom came by. It was the red carpet event for the premiere of Tom’s new movie “Kong: Skull Island” and I couldn’t be happier for him. We just started dating three short months ago and I had politely declined his invitation to go to the premiere. It’s not that I didn’t want to. I just wasn’t ready to share our relationship with the world. It was still so new. I had to be sure I wouldn’t just be a page in one of those gossip magazines, forgotten about when he realizes he’d rather make headlines with the newest Hollywood darling. No matter what I’d heard of his good nature, he was still a celebrity and that changes the dynamics of a relationship. He understood, of course.
What he didn’t know was that I still wanted to cheer him on in person, so I managed to wrangle myself a position on the sidelines with the other fans. I didn’t push all the way to the front, trying to hide behind the enthusiastic Loki fan in full costume.
All of a sudden I heard the sound of people calling for Tom and I stood on my toes to see if I could catch a glimpse of him. There he was, looking dapper as all hell in his dark blue suit and tie. His hair was cut short and cleaned up, looking every bit of the leading man that he was to me. I sighed audibly when I saw him, always getting that relaxed and tingly feeling whenever he was around. My smile morphed into a frown as I felt the first drops on my face.
“Fuck,” I muttered, wiping the drops from my forehead.
The frequency of drops increased into a light sheer of rain. I watched in amusement as people rushed to Tom’s side with an umbrella as if he would melt on the spot if a drop touched him. I could make out his smile and thanks for the umbrella; always the gentleman. He continued down the red carpet as we all watched through the water drops pelting us. We were not provided with shelter. I was thankful that I decided against wearing any heavy makeup that would’ve made me look like a sad clown right about now. The closer he got to our area, the more my heart began to thump in my chest.
When he turned towards the crowd I stood with, he caught my eye right away, as if he knew where to look. Our gazes locked and I had to smile as he smirked at me, shaking his head. I shrugged my shoulders and laughed. Suddenly, he veered off from his path, the people around him frantic as they followed the actor gone rogue. I realized at that moment he was coming towards us.
He held my gaze tightly, that smirk never leaving his face. He stopped at the guardrail and once the Loki fan realized he wasn’t looking at her, she stepped aside. He reached his hand out still holding the umbrella, waiting expectantly for me to take it. It took my brain a moment to register what he wanted me to do and then I reached up, purposely brushing my hand against his as I grasped the handle. He gave me a wink and a cheeky smile before turning back and continuing his path to the front doors of the theatre.
I stood in mild shock at what had just transpired. A small, secretive smile graced my lips as I saw people out of the corner of my eyes whispering to each other. Perhaps next time I’ll walk the red carpet with him and really give them something to talk about.