Wrong Impression

16. Made of Stars

Tom liked the warmth inside his chest. It had started when he'd held Angie for the first time. It only amplified when he'd kissed her cheek. For a second, he'd considered kissing her lips, but the school corridor was probably the worst place for that, plus he didn't want to freak her out.

But now, six o'clock couldn't come fast enough. He kept looking out the window of Cafe Hoff as he cleaned the espresso machine. His shift was almost over and he was cutting it close, but at this point, he didn't care if she caught him with his apron on, didn't mind her finding out that he had to work two jobs to get by. He wouldn't mind her finding out he was an orphan, even if he'd rather she didn't. He liked the way she looked at him, as if he were a superhero, not someone to feel sorry for.

Yes, there were still things he'd rather not tell her, at least yet. They would get into serious and deep territory, but it didn't have to be now. Now, they could enjoy each other's company and... Fuck, he'd forgotten the flowers. He did have something better, though.

He did manage to take the apron off and get to a table before Angie walked in. She looked strangely dejected as she moved towards him, her shoulders slumped, her eyes on the ground, as if someone had stolen her light. Tom clenched his fists under the table and waited for her to sit down.

"What happened?" he asked quietly. This was so stupid. He'd wanted to greet her properly, give her a hug, make an inappropriate joke... But it looked bad.

"That asshole is never going to fix my grade," she squeaked. "And class just got a million times harder."

He frowned. "What? Why?"

"Because I called him out on his mistake."

"So what? It's his mistake!" Though the teacher obviously didn't appreciate being told he was wrong. "Look, maybe you shouldn't have. Some people get really butthurt about it."

"I know I shouldn't have." She wiped a stray tear from her eyes and Tom felt like exploding.

How dare that asshole make her cry? Fuck him and his stupid class! But he couldn't exactly say that to Angie, it wouldn't help her.

"It just slipped out because he was being so patronizing. And now..."

"Okay, forget about that for a second."

She raised her teary eyes to him. "How can I? It ruins everything."

"No, it won't ruin anything because we'll figure something out. I'll tutor you more and you'll get so good at it, he won't be able to touch you."

She shuddered at his words, but nodded, rubbing her arms. "You're right. I'll just get better and he'll be powerless to do anything." She raised her eyes and gave him a wet smile. "Thanks. And sorry for turning up so weepy."

He wanted to hug her, but the table was between them, so he did the next best thing. "Want something to eat?"

Her tears dried instantly as she stared at him. "Food? Not coffee?"

"I can get you coffee too, though it's a little late for coffee. Unless you want to stay up all night."

She smiled, and the world didn't seem so bleak anymore. "Food's great."

Tom pushed the menu towards her. "They don't have much since it's a cafe, but I promise everything is delicious."

Angie nodded, focusing on the menu and he just studied her, watching her shoulders gradually relax and her eyes dry up. And what shocked him was that she relaxed all the way, like she'd done after a beer. No more edge, no more suspicion. Did this mean she finally trusted him enough to feel safe around him? His heart swelled at the thought.