They awoke late the next morning, Reese after Tom, opening her eyes as she felt him stir beside her. They were tangled together, all legs and arms, a mass of heat and downy flesh, and there was Tom, head propped up on one elbow, staring down at her.

"Morning, beautiful," he murmured. Reese grinned and stared right back at him. God, he had gorgeous eyes. How had she never noticed them before? Blue-green, practically glowing with kindness; you hardly ever saw eyes like his anymore.

"Right back at you, Hiddleston," Reese whispered, burying her face in his bare chest. He wrapped two strong, warm arms around her and breathed deeply.

"So... about yesterday," Tom said into her hair. Reese felt herself tense and pulled back sheepishly.

"Yeah... listen, it had nothing to do with you. You were great. More than great actually. You were... perfect."

Tom rested a hand on her cheek, running his thumb up and down her chin. "You don't have to justify yourself to me, Reese. I understand."

"I just... need time."

"I know you do."

"And, ugh, you have no idea the things I'd like to do to you, Tom. You've no idea. I just-"

"Reese," Tom said, sitting up. "Stop. I know."

She leaned over and brought him down for a kiss. "Thank you, Tom. For everything."

Tom pecked her cheek and rolled out of bed. "I'm going for a shower," he said. "You should too. Wash the chlorine off your skin."

He was still naked, and Reese watched him go, even tossing out a little wolf whistle, with which he responded to by waving her off. She waited five minutes before following, pushing into the bathroom and standing over her tiptoes to grab a towel off the top rack. God, she'd gladly throw money at any hotel with towels as soft as these.

Once they were both showered and dressed (in their clothes from the previous day because they hadn't bothered to pack), they wandered outside, hand-in-hand, Reese swinging their arms back and forth childishly. Tom had put on a baseball hat and sunglasses, but not after she'd mercilessly mocked him about it, and they made their way down the street.

Reese let her mind wander back to yesterday, how she'd sobbed her heart out and how Tom had held her... and, for some reason, Alex. She'd hardly told Tom anything, that night when he'd pinned her up against the wall and kissed her like his life had depended on it. But she'd slept with him, and she knew deep in her chest she would have to tell him eventually. But not now, lest risk ruining this perfect moment.

It was cold, and Tom tugged Reese closer to him as they walked. She buried her face in her scarf and he kissed the top of her head, burying his face in her hair. It truly was a perfect moment, and she felt her heart swell a little beneath her three layers of clothing.

They decided to visit a local coffee shop, the warm crip air inviting them in and trailing them over to a small table in the far corner. Reese coaxed him to take off his glasses after they'd ordered and his pretty blue eyes stared over at her. She stuck her tongue out at him and he grinned, the smile spreading from his lips to his eyes and the little crinkles at the corners and she had to resist the urge to tug him over and kiss him full on the mouth.

When their coffee came they sipped and chatted, watching people buzz by outside, hurried along by occasional gusts of wind.

"So... how much longer can you stay?" Reese asked after a while. It had been the question bouncing around in the back of her head ever since he'd come to stay with her. At first, she'd shoved it away, but then rational thought caught up with her. He was a professional actor. He worked to earn money for himself to sustain the life he was used to. He couldn't just throw all that away to stay with some girl he'd met on vacation.

God, she hoped she wasn't just some girl he'd met on vacation.

Tom smiled a sad smile and set his coffee mug down. "Oh, do we really have to think about that now? With everything that's going on?" he asked quietly.

"Well, we have to talk about it eventually."

He sighed. "I'm due back in two weeks."

Despite trying her best to be prepared for his answer, Reese felt her heart sink to her toes.

"Oh," was all she could say.

"But, that doesn't mean we can't see each other," Tom rushed to say. "I travel so much it's just a matter of time before..." he trailed off and took another sip of his coffee. "Well, there's video chat. Texting. Calling."

"Tom, have you ever been in a long distance relationship before?" Reese asked quietly, fingering the handle of her mug. "It's hard."

Tom reached out to cup her cheek in his hand. His fingers were long and gentle and his palm was warm and dry and Reese wanted nothing more than to close her eyes and melt into him.

"I just... I can't imagine not seeing you for... for God knows how long."

"Me neither," she said.

They smiled and drank their coffee, but Reese wondered why she hadn't given this more thought. They hadn't even talked about what they were yet. If he went back to Europe, would he start seeing some English girl? She supposed she would have no right to be angry if he did, it wasn't like he was hers. Once he left he could do whatever he pleased.

But how could she go back to dating? She was consumed by him, and imagining herself sitting across from some asshole she'd met on Tinder while he was back filming was heartbreaking. Her lonely little apartment back in LA. Working bars at four A.M.

Tom sensed her distress and his eyes softened.

"Hey, Reese, don't worry," he said quietly. "We'll figure it out."

They were silent a long while, sipping their tea. Passersby tugged along by the wind, scarves and hair whipping about their faces. A few couples holding hands.

"I have to plan the funeral," Reese said suddenly, setting her cup down. The thought washed over her abruptly. Tom looked at a loss for words.

"Reese... don't think about that now..."

"Then when? It has to happen sometime."

A sort of sympathetic smile on his face, Tom stood up, scooted his chair over beside Reese, wrapped a long arm around her shoulders, and pulled her to his chest. Reese breathed him in and closed her eyes.

"I was thinking a beach," she said into his shirt. "For the wake. He loved Oregon beaches. It's less depressing than a church."

"I think he'd love that," Tom whispered into her hair.

They sat as Reese stewed in a sort of half-hearted misery. It was confusing, having the warmth of Tom behind her, but knowing full well it wouldn't last much longer. She would never get to see her father again, but she'd also never felt so happy in her life with another person.

They finished their drinks and resumed their walk of the town. Reese poked around a bookstore, leafing through the fiction while Tom fawned over the Shakespeare, (big, heavy, gorgeous books, but so hard to read), and then, as early darkness fell in on them, they decided to head back to the hotel.

They laid around for awhile and watched TV until dinner. Because neither of them had much cash left between them, and room service was inherently expensive, Tom slipped out to grab Chinese while Reese dressed for bed (which was stripping and putting on the soft robes hanging in the bathroom because she hadn't packed pajamas). She slipped under the covers and flipped through channels until he got back.

"It's not a bad spread," Tom said through a mouthful of noodles. Reese nodded in agreement.

"You're a wonderful provider," she cooed jokingly. Tom rolled his eyes and reached for another egg roll.

As they finished and settled back for a movie, the Alex incident kept gnawing at the back of Reese's mind, no matter how hard she tried to push it away. She could still faintly feel is rough hands groping her under the cloud of her memory and shivered in disgust. Tom mistook this for cold and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him and under the blankets.

She would tell him by the end of the week, she decided. God, it was the last thing she wanted to do, but with the guilt eating her alive there was no way she would last long enough for it to be worth it. And Tom was so sweet, he didn't deserve to be lied to, she knew that. But at the same time, she feared his reaction. Tom wasn't the violent type, but something as bad as this could very well make him angry, and right before he would have to leave for who knows how long.

Three days, she told herself, to clear the air.

And with that in mind, she gnawing stopped, even if only for a little while, and she settled comfortably into the rest of the movie. At some point Tom slipped his shirt off and Reese settled on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart under warm muscle, and felt herself slacken into relaxation.

That night he tucked her in and Reese undressed him slowly, carefully, tentatively, and he her, and they molded together perfectly, for the moment free of grief and worries for the next few weeks ahead.