How Strange

It didn't take long for Tom to get in touch, 24 hours in fact, but in that time Rosie had convinced herself nothing more would come of her short but wonderful experience. She had taken one rose from the bunch and pressed it between the pages of her precious Coriolanus. At least it would be a tangible reminder she thought, as she closed the book, hugging it to her chest. Standing eyes closed, smiling at the memory of Tom's beautiful eyes looking deep into her soul, his lips brushing her knuckles and the feeling of his warm safe embrace, a single tear formed and slipped out from under her lashes and down her cheek. She wiped it away with a sniff and slid the volume back on the shelf. 'Such stuff as dreams are made on' as Shakespeare himself once said.

She was so convinced in fact, that she didnt answer the phone that afternoon, as she sat trying to type on her laptop but not getting very far. Believing it to be yet another spam number, it wasn't until the same number called 3 times in quick succession that she picked up with a sigh."Hello" she said flatly, prepared for some sales pitch or other. What she wasnt prepared for was a low , cultured but melodious voice that was familiar but not quite recognisable."Is that Miss Rose Martin?" the mans voice asked in a pleasantly curious tone."Ye-e-e-s" Rosie answered carefully, still unsure"Ah excellent ! Glad he got something right for a change ! " was the triumphant reply " Hiddles asked me to give you a call, he's stuck in interviews all afternoon or would have done it himself. He's an idiot you know, should've just text you, but hey ho, you're stuck with me. So, anyway..." the voice rattled on chattily,

"I'm so sorry" Rosie interrupted, "but who exactly IS 'me'?"

"Oh dear God!" She could almost see the man slap his forehead " SO sorry! Its Ben here, I should have said"

She was still none the wiser "Ben?"

"Yes" came the patient and amused reply, as if speaking to a child "Ben - short for Benedict" Rosies mouth fell open and when he continued "Ben Cumberbatch" she almost dropped the phone.

She stood in silent shock for a moment then a voice she didnt recognise as her own squeaked " Hi!"

There was good natured laughter at the other end " He said you might squeak! I assure you this is definitely not a wind up. I'm phoning to invite you to a bbq at the weekend - Tom thought you might enjoy it? It's just a few friends round, nothing scary , we promise. It would be nice to put a face to the name he's been bleating on about !" Ben paused, waiting for her answer,

"Oh ! My, erm ,yes ,sorry. Yes, thankyou very much Mr Cumb..." she stammered but he cut her off

"Please , its Ben , no formalities honest "she could hear his smile through the phone.

"Ok - Ben" she felt herself blush at the familiarity, " I'm assuming Tom will let me know the details?" "Yep, he said to say he'll call you tomorrow""Thanks , just one thing ...how did he / you get my number?? I didnt give it to him." She was puzzled "Ah my dear girl, you really need to change the password on your phone you know, using Hiddles date of birth wasnt exactly MI6 stuff !" And as he chuckled loudly, he hung up.

For a moment, Rosie stood just staring at her phone as if she'd never seen it before. Her mind reeled from the overload of emotions and information crashing through it. Tom still wanted to see her , Tom had been talking to his friends about her, had stolen her phone number and OMG she had just been talking to Dr Freaking Strange!!!! Sitting down heavily on the sofa, she realised she was grinning like a lunatic ! Suddenly she sat bolt upright - what did people wear to celebrity bbq's?? Would it be really relaxed, jeans and trainers and a hoodie or would it be more smart. She sagged, hand covering her forehead. Ok, only one thing for it. Do the girl thing and shop!

She stood up with a renewed sense of purpose, moved through to the hall and grabbed her handbag and jacket. If this was to be a once in a lifetime chance, there was no way she was going mess it up by looking like dogs dinner! She was just about to head out when her phone rang again. Rummaging in her bag, she desperately tried to catch it before they hung up. But hang up they did.

"Dammit" she cursed as she pulled it out in time to see "Missed Call" plastered over the screen. When it said 'caller number withheld' she snorted in frustration. Honestly, spam calls were the bain of her life. Tossing it back into the black hole jthat masqueraded as her bag she opened the door and set off, locking up carefully behind herself. As she set off down the road, a spring in her step, she didnt notice she was being tailed by a dark blue Ford. She didnt see him stop briefly at the junction and watch her disappear into the Tube station and she definitely didnt see him turn the car and drive back up her street, stopping outside her house. He took a couple of photos on his phone then drove off.

Rosie meanwhile was spending a very pleasant afternoon giving herself some retail therapy. A white linen shirt, some new skinny jeans and a pair of brown leather boots were her first purchase. That should cover all bases she thought. A suede jacket she had already would provide coverage if needed. Then as she wandered through the rails of her favourite store, she saw it. The Dress. It wasnt needed, it wasnt even something she'd even thought about having, but when she saw it she knew. It was THE perfect date dress. Dark green, slim fitted but not too tight - with a little gather towards the right hand side of the waist. A small thread of gold running along the neckline and cuffs of the 3/4 sleeves. It came to just below her knees and looked , well, perfect. She decided to try it on and that sealed the deal. This ,she decided, would be her dress for Tom if they ever made it as far as a proper date and if not, well she would at least own a proper grown up dress! It was horrifically expensive but she felt a million dollars. She just hoped the day to wear it wouldn't be too far away.

As she made her way out the shop, her phone pinged a text. Juggling the bags she now carried she opened it to see a photo of Tom. He held up a piece of paper and on it there was a picture he'd drawn of Loki and he was smiling proudly beside it. There was a heart and a rose in the comments below. It was just so sweet and she was beside herself that he'd decided to share it with her. She knew he was busy and that made it all the more special. She texted back a heart emoji and popped her phone away. Tomorrow was a long time away but she could wait. Just.