Somebody to hold t.h.

Chapter Twenty One

To strengthen their friendship Liz invited Evie over to her house for a girls night. Evie was ecstatic because she misses her girl friends from back home dearly, their monthly tradition of having a sleepover only adding to that fact. With a bag full of snacks and facemasks she rang Liz' doorbell, excited for the night to come. Liz opened up and pulled her inside her flat grinning at her. The girls prepared the snacks and smoothies in Liz' small kitchen area while talking about anything and everything that happened throughout the week.

The events of that Monday were still very much on Evie's mind, still thankful for how Tom stood up to her. "So what was it exactly those women said to you?", Liz asked still eager to know the whole story. "Well they assumed I was sleeping with Tom to keep my job. They said I was cheap for selling my body for my career and that I was the talk of the month.", Evie explained still hurt by their assumptions. "God I hate those gossip-hungry idiots!", Liz exclaimed pouring strawberries into the mixer. "Don't you dare listen to them. Nobody talks bad about you and Tom. And you two are allowed to do whatever the hell you want to. We all know you aren't after him for your career, but because you actually like him.", she tried to comfort her friend not wanting her to be insecure. "I don't like Tom.", Evie said with flushed cheeks. "I mean of course I like him, he is like the most amazing boy I've ever met in my life, but I don't like him like that.", she denied turning more and more crimson red. "You're kidding right?", Liz giggled at her friend.

"No, I mean it. There is nothing romantic going on between us. He is way out of my league, I mean it's Tom. He is so successful and just this amazing person on the inside. Also he is like the most attractive man there is.", Evie gushed getting lost in her thoughts about him. "You totally don't like him, right girly tell that to your grandma.", Liz laughed teasing the lovestruck girl.

"I couldn't he is on a totally different level than I am.", Evie denied. "Excuse me, why is he so obsessed with you then?", Liz shook her head. "He is not!", Evie exclaimed looking at her friend like she has lost her mind. "Evie that boy is completely infatuated by you. He can not keep his eyes off of you. Harrison told me that Tom really isn't one to be in love with girls, he's never even had a relationship but with you he is so soft. Don't you think it's weird that he is always touching you somehow?", Liz tried to talk some sense into Evie who was still in denial. "No Liz, I am myself a very touchy person, it's not unusual for him to just reciprocate. It's the same with Jake, trust me. Tom doesn't look at me like that. I am just a friend and a colleague to him."

"But you still like him, at least admit that to yourself.", Liz tried again desperate to make her friend see. "I don't know what it feels like to like someone Lizzie, I've never liked a boy before and I have never been liked by someone." "You know I think that's untrue, I think you are just very oblivious when it comes to those things. You like Tom, I see it in the way your eyes light up whenever you look at him or the way that you always need him whenever something happens to you. Let's take our trip to the movies for example, you got scared and you sat next to Jake, who you have known your whole life. You trust him to keep you safe, still you searched for shelter in Tom's arms, even though you've only known him for a couple of months. He means something to you Evie and it's okay to admit that to yourself. I don't want to tell you whether you like him or not because that's something you have to figure out yourself or else you just start liking him because I am telling you you do."

"Well how do I find out whether I like him or not?", Evie asked carrying their drinks to the living room where they sat down on the couch. "The easiest way would be to kiss him. You say you sometimes feel the urge to do that anyways. If it's as bad as it was with Jake you don't like him but if you feel sparks and you feel like you don't ever want to stop then you definitely like him." "I am scared of kissing Liz. I really disliked it when I did it with Jake, I don't want to be in the same situation again you know. And I also feel like once I've kissed him there is no going back. Then he will think I like him. And what if he doesn't want to kiss me?", Evie stressed.

"Okay then don't kiss him, that's maybe a bit extreme you are right. Well you should really try to notice the way you feel when you are around him. Ask yourself questions. Do you want to touch him? Do you want to be closer to him? Do you feel sparks whenever he touches you? Does he make you feel that warm feeling inside whenever he says something particularly nice to you? If you answer most of these with a yes then you like him." Evie knew that she would answer all of these questions with a 'yes' but she was still unsure. "I think you just need to wait a little bit and when the time is right you'll know.", Liz explained realizing that she will not change Evie's mind right now. There is no use in telling her what she feels, she has to find out herself even though it might take unnecessarily long. It's a shame because both of them could be happy with each other already, wouldn't they be this oblivious.

Tom spent that weekend all by himself lonely in his big apartment. Harrison was spending time with his parents because it was his mum's birthday. Bored out of his mind he decided to text Evie.

"What are you up to angel?"

"Liz and me are having girls night"

"Sounds fun, I'm kinda alone and bored"

"Oh I'm sorry, do you want to go out for breakfast tomorrow then?"

"I'll pick up up at 9am. Can I tell you a secret?"

"Always."

"I wish you were here right now"

"Why are you smiling at your phone like it just asked you to marry it?", Liz interrupted snatching Evie's phone out of her hand. "If I didn't know better I'd say he is a total fuckboy.", she grinned handing her the phone back. "Don't call him that! That was kind of him to say.", Evie jumped to his defence immediately. "But are you still denying his love for you?", Liz grinned at her. "He just said he'd like it if I was there that doesn't mean anything. I like having you around too.", Evie rolled her eyes at that accusation.

"You are too innocent babe, he is frustrated and misses your cute ass.", Liz said bluntly making Evie gasp. "He does not look at me like that!", she exclaimed turning red from embarrassment. "Oh come on as if he isn't struggling with keeping his boner down whenever you sit on his lap like that.", Liz laughed teasing the innocent girl. Evie's eyes turned wide, that's not why Tom never wants her to move was it? "Oh my god what is it? What did he do?", Liz exclaimed in realization that she has in fact hit a nerve somewhere. "It's nothing really. It's just I was really confused because whenever I move he stops me and one time he said something about waking up sleeping lions or something like that.", she mumbled hiding her face. "That's not about that, is it?", she asked looking at Liz concerned who was struggling not to burst out into fits of laughter.

"Honey that is exactly what this is about. You are tempting him, you little tease!", she grinned at her proud of her friend even though she didn't even know what she was doing. "Am not!" "Yeah, yeah just wait till I tell Harrison that you are out here leaving Tom sexually frustrated with your cute little body. He will not be able to keep his mouth shut about it.", she laughed. "We don't even know whether that's the truth! We're not telling Harrison anything.", Evie stopped her desperate to change the subject. Why did she have to open up her mouth about it?

Maybe she can ask Tom what this was all about, but if Liz was right maybe she really shouldn't ask him. But that can't be right can it? There has never been a boy who had looked at her in that way and found her attractive, especially not Tom. He can be with any girl there is out there, strong successful women who don't have issues with anxiety. In her eyes Tom was the definition of perfection, strong, masculine and powerful, whereas she was nowhere near that. She was weak, innocent and naive. How can that be sexy to him?