Crumbs (a Tom Hiddleston fanfic)

Medium Rare

The last time I saw Tom, he was at my bakery and he was swooning over cake.  This is honestly not all that rare of a thing.  Keegan was with him, and they were nearly forty five minutes late.  If it had been anyone else, I would have cancelled the appointment.  Seriously, who is that late?  But I knew they weren't late because of Tom.  In fact, I bet Alice—who helps me out at Tiny Baker doing errands, and basically being like a much more responsible, female version of Greg the Toilet Boy, but in LA not Maryland—twenty bucks that they were late because Keegan was working through some kind of cleanse or had to finish up a yogalates class.  That's yoga and pilates combined, for those who's fitness vocabulary is not as vast and expansive as mine recently has become.  Tom was constantly telling me about new classes Keegan was instructing.  Keegan was constantly begging me to come try them out.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." I could somehow hear him apologizing before he even made it through the front door.  Keegan came in first, waiting for Tom to open the heavy glass door for her.

"Hi!" She exclaimed at us.  I was sitting at one of the two tops, working on an order.  Alice was behind the counter, putting out freshly baked pastries.  Alice waved but didn't say anything.

"Hi, I'm so sorry." Tom walked in behind Keegan, looking distraught.  He saw Alice and waved at her. "Alice, darling, you look lovely." He greeted her and this made Alice blush a bit. He looked at me next and I just raised an eyebrow at him.  The flattery only works on me on very rare occasions.

"Good thing I'm not running a business or anything, with appointments and scheduling and all that." I said.  I had been annoyed, but not that annoyed.  He'd been texting me the whole time.

Five more minutes. I'm sorry. x

Just a few more.  So sorry. xx

She's a mess. Her class ran late.  Be there soon. Sorry! x

Fitness class. Yogalates. Same difference.  Alice had handed over a crumpled twenty dollar bill after I showed her the text.

"Charlie. I'm so sorry, babe.  Yogalates was running late." I looked over at Alice who was staring at Keegan with a very strange look on her face.  It nearly made me burst into snorts of laughter.  She looked at me then, her blue eyes wide.  I shot her a 'told you so' look, and she rolled her eyes.  We both hold back giggles.

 Keegan kept talking.  "We got into some really deep postures and I couldn't just run out." Keegan whipped off her huge, dark sunglasses and put them on the top of her head.  They nestled perfectly amongst her gorgeous, sleek blond hair.

"It's fine. Tom's been texting." I said, nodding toward Tom who had already locked eyes with some Black Forest cake in the bakery case.

"Can we still do the tasting?" Keegan asked.  She crossed her arm over her chest.  I looked up from the order I'd been working on and nodded.  I got a good look at her for the first time since she'd walked in.  Classic Keegan.  Her sleek blond hair was cut in a blunt bob.  She was wearing a dress that would have looked like a paper bag on me, but on her she looked elegant and effortless.  It was short, reaching barely past her thighs, and showed off her long legs.  She was gorgeous. 

"Of course.  I have everything ready in the back." I stood up, and held a hand out, ushering them into the back room.  Alice immediately talked to Keegan, asking her about her classes and where she got her skirt.  It made me smile, and now I knew why I pay her the big bucks.  Or at least the competitively comparable bucks.  Alice is brilliant with the customers, and especially at keeping Keegan entertained. 

"I'm so sorry we're late. I know that gets on you." Tom was by my side, and had a hand at the small of my back.  I gave him some serious side eye and then sighed.  Tom himself is never late.  Tom and Keegan together are always late.