The rehearsal ended up running long, because Amy spent thirty minutes yelling at some workers about where to string up the flowers, and the maid of honor got stuck in traffic. All in all, Reese rolled into bed that night utterly and completely exhausted. She was so tired, in fact, she didn't bother to get up again, just exerted enough energy to kick off her shoes and pull her dress over her head. She crawled under the covers in her underwear, sighing as she sunk back onto her pillow and flipped open her laptop.

She scrolled through movie options, her mouse lingering for a few seconds over The Avengers, but eventually just deciding on a rerun of Sherlock. Just as she was settling in, she felt her phone vibrate in her lap. Assuming it was just Elliot, she answered without even looking down at the screen, balancing it between her cheek and her shoulder as she continued to scroll.

"What's up, stupid?"

The person on the other line hesitated for a moment, before saying, "...Is that how you always answer your phone?"

Oh God.

Reese recognized his voice almost instantly.

   "Tom?"

Tom laughed lightly, and she could hear his sharp intake of breath through the phone as he did so. "You got me, stupid."

"Shit," Reese scrambled, shoving her laptop away and sitting up a little straighter, suddenly very aware that she was pretty much completely naked, "I'm so sorry -- I thought you were my brother-"

"You don't have to apologize," Tom cut in, still sounding thoroughly amused. "In fact, I should be apologizing for calling so late. I just couldn't help wondering how the reception went, and whether you really think the young man and woman you were sat next to were meant to each other."

Now it was Reese's turn to laugh (more like snort), and she did, quite loudly, silently thankful that they weren't talking face-to-face, or Tom might've seen her burning face. "Well, they didn't make much eye-contact, but the only time that guy looked up from his phone was to stare at her cleavage, so they could've had a little something going on."

Tom chuckled again, a bit huskier than before. "I take it the car ride wasn't as bad as you were expecting, then?"

"Oh, no, it was awful. Between the non-existent shocks on that car and the hundreds of potholes we ran into, I was just thankful we got to the church and back in once piece."

"Poor thing," he cooed sarcastically. Reese gave a proper snort that time, which emitted another round of laughter from Tom. It was a good three minutes before either of them could catch their breath long enough to speak.

"Mmm, I think that's what I needed," Reese said after a long moment of silence, "a good laugh."

"Agreed."

Their laughter seemed to settle low in the air, and the airy quietness grew a bit more serious all of a sudden.

"Tom..." Reese started, glancing down at a loose strand on her comforter.

"Reese..."

"I, er, kinda want to watch the Avengers now."

Tom was silent for a split-second. "You don't think we should get to know each other a little better first?"

Reese broke into a grin. "I think I'm ready. Plus, Chris Evans is smoking in that stars and stripes uniform." She pictured Tom on the other line, smiling, lines forming around the corners of his eyes.

"I'll be sure to let him know that," he said simply.

"You don't think you could set us up, do you? I haven't been on a date with a man like that in ages."

Tom laughed again. "I'll see what I can do. However, I'm not sure I want you seeing a movie like that alone; how do I know you won't say horrible things about me behind my back?"

"We could watch it together," Reese blurted without thinking. Really, it came out as more of a question, and she held her breath as she waited for Tom's response.

"Well, now there's an idea."

***

Reese and Tom had arranged to meet a few days later, agreeing that it would be best to wait till the weekend when the pre-wedding rush was slightly less of a... rush. Now that the wedding was only two days away, Amy was completely freaking out -- though, luckily, her bridesmaids had taken her for a day trip to see a different island, hoping to calm her nerves a little. It surprised Reese how little Elliot was panicking at this point, so close to being married to someone for the rest of his life -- though he'd always been pretty good at hiding what he was feeling; for all she knew, he was completely terrified.

They continued to text back and forth, making plans for Reese to go to Tom's temporary apartment, deciding it would cause an unnecessary stir if he came to her hotel. She was strangely excited to see him again, in person. She tried to make herself look presentable -- more so than when they'd had their drunken conversation a few nights ago, slipping on jeans and a tank top, and digging her nice black sweater out of the bottom of her suitcase.

Reese sent Tom a quick 'on my way' as she stepped outside into the warm evening, eyeing the road for a taxi. It wasn't nearly as easy, she came to realize, to find one that in LA, but after fifteen minutes of waiting on the sidewalk, she managed to flag one down, clamber into it, and mutter her destination before falling back into the seat.

The cab sped off, and Reese relished in the few moments of peace she'd gotten since the past few hours. Amy had wanted her last minute opinion on the color of the bridesmaid's dresses (which had already been fitted and shipped) and kept her for a good extra two hours before letting her back to her room to get ready. Of course, Tom had offered to pick her up, but she'd declined his offer immediately, reminding him that it would cause a stir with her brother and he'd start interrogating her about if they were dating, why she was bringing a boy to her room (as if she was still twelve), ect.. All in all, it was decided that she would take a cab to him, instead of the other way around.

Thankfully, the driver made no move to start a conversation, and they pulled up to the apartment complex in silence. Reese paid him, gave a slight nod of thanks, and watched him drive off, headlight getting smaller and smaller until they disappeared completely, blanketed in soft darkness.

She marched up to the door, found Tom's room number, rang the bell, and stood back to wait. By the time he'd rushed downstairs to answer, she was getting ready to call him, annoyed at having to wait so long. Once he let her in and flashed her a big smile, however, all her anger dissipated almost immediately.

It was the first time she hadn't seen him in a suit, but instead a plain t-shirt and jeans, his hair messy and unkept. In fact, he looked as if he'd just woken up, eyes still bleary from sleep.

"Reese!" he exclaimed, opening the door a little wider. "Come in, please."

The air-conditioned lobby was a huge relief to the heavy air outside, and Reese gave a sigh as she felt a wave of cold wash over her. Tom chuckled, letting the door slam closed, as he led the way to the elevator.

"Are you ready to see your first Hiddleston movie?" he asked as they walked, grinning widely.

"What makes you think I'll watch more of your movies?"

Tom shrugged, reaching out to press the up button. "Because that's what friends do."

Reese felt a little jolt when he said friends and fought back a huge smile that was creeping its way onto her face.

"I don't know about you, but I don't have any other friends who star in movies," she shot back playfully.

"I guess I'm just one of a kind."

As the elevator arrived, it beeped loudly, and the door swept open, Tom gestured for Reese to go first. He stepped in after her, and they rose up quickly, not stopping once to accommodate for other people.

"I just want you to know," Tom said, leaning back against the handrail, "my character... he's complicated."

Reese crossed her arms, jutting out her hip. "Is that so? Because, from what I've heard, he's the bad guy."

"He's misunderstood."

"I can't help but feel that's a biased opinion," she said, "and quite frankly, I'd like to decide for myself."

They stopped talking as the doors slid open on Tom's floor, and an older man stood in the doorway, one shaking hand grasped firmly around a cane. Tom gave him a little nod as they stepped out, setting a hand gently on Reese's shoulder to guide her.

"Good evening, Mr. Penstil," he said kindly. Mr. Penstil nodded back, a slow up and down, as if he was afraid his head would fall off if he wasn't careful.

"Why, hello Tom, it's good to see you."

"And you. I was just headed out to the store." He turned his attention to Reese, who'd been standing stock still, unable to shake the uneasy feeling this man gave her. "And who's this lovely lady?"

"I, er..." she stuttered, unsure of what to say.

"My friend," Tom cut in before she could finish. "We met about a week ago."

"Ah," Mr. Penstil nodded understandingly. "Well, don't do anything I wouldn't do." He winked and stepped forward, slowly, into the elevator.

"Of course not."

The doors slammed shut, and Reese was left to stare up at Tom incredulously. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked, bewildered and a little shaken.

"It's best not to read into it; Penstil's not such a bad guy, not really."

Reese snorted. "I just hope not everyone in your building is as creepy as him."

As they arrived at his door, which was at the very end of the long hallway, Tom motioned for her to stand back as he opened it.

"Welcome to my home," he said with a flourish, "well, temporary home. For another two weeks at least."

It was not at all what Reese had been expecting a big time actor to be living in, looking like a completely normal, albeit very clean, apartment. They stepped into the living room, and Tom moved behind her to close the door, pausing to motion to the bathroom and kitchen.

"It's... nice," Reese said, still caught off guard and hoping she didn't sound as rude as she thought she did.

"Well, shall we begin?" Tom clapped his hands together, and Reese followed him to the flatscreen TV mounted on the wall behind a shiny leather couch (all the while, rethinking the normal aspect of the house). He leaned down to the DVD player, popped in a disk, and backed away as the huge screen flickered to life. "Sit down, please," he said quickly, once he caught sight of Reese stood stock-still, clinging onto the back of the couch. She strode carefully around it, perching herself on the very edge as Tom sat comfortably in the center, crossing his impossibly long legs and resting them on the clear coffee table.

"Oh, wait!" Tom exclaimed suddenly, and Reese jumped a little. "I've got something for you!" He jumped up, dropping the remote on the cushions behind him and dashed through a door opposite her, emerging a second later with a brown paper bag. He dropped it onto Reese's lap and launched himself next to her, grinning widely.

"What's this?" Reese asked, confused. "Why'd you..."

"Just open it."

She reached inside, feeling around for a moment before her hand came into contact with a piece of fabric. As she pulled it out, she came to the realization that it was a t-shirt, of all things, green, with large printed words stretched out across the front.

"Keep calm, and kneel to Loki," she read, then looked up to see Tom's smile grow even bigger.

"Do you like it?"

"Well, I'll just have to see what kind of guy Loki is, won't I?"