Perfect Storms

chapter twenty

"Don't fall in love with the moment.
I think you're in love with the girl"
She's American ~The 1975

I heard another knock at the door to which Selena happily responded to since I was knee deep in a decedent flag for my bestie Abigail.
"Hey Tay I think this ones for you!" I heard her shout from the other room. My brother Austin happily took over my half made masterpiece as I strolled over to the main room.
I saw Selena gushing with utter excitement, I knew what it meant. I rounded the corner quickly to find him waiting at the doorstep. He had brought red roses. I flung myself into his arms. I was so happy to see him and extremely happy he had kept it a surprise. After all it added to the fun. I finally let go of our embrace to formally say hello.
"Hi," I breathed. I felt intense butterflies swirl in my stomach. Why was I still so nervous?
"Happy third of July." He spoke motioning towards the flowers which I had almost clumsily smashed after running into his arms.
"Oh my you did not have to do that!" I said as my cheeks turned a bright red. I heard Selena laugh from behind me.
"I'll take those," Selena said making her presence known as Tom gratefully handed her the boutique and then reached for my hand giving it a polite kiss.
I heard my best friend give a dramatic "Awe" and I laughed my cheeks still an embarrassing pink.
"I missed you darling." He spoke his voice soft and full of charm.
"Me too."
He then pulled me in for a kiss which I happily greeted.
I quickly pulled away after hearing Selena give another swoon of happiness. I did not want the moment to get awkward. I helped him with his two small bags and carried them upstairs.
"You have your choice of any room in the house of course." I spoke once we got upstairs.
"Well where would you like me?" He spoke his eyes still glowing. I stopped in my tracks in the middle of the massive hall.
"Well this might sound crazy and I won't be offended if you say no but it's a full house and I've already had to ask some of the girls to bunk together and I was thinking well maybe you could stay with me like my bed is really big and well there's plenty of room really but I just thought-"
I was stopped mid sentence when he put his hands on my hips and kissed me once more.
"I would be more than honored to share a room with the host."
It was a small gesture but one I do not think I would ever get over. The way he would stop everything to kiss me. How he kissed me mid sentence. How he always wanted to kiss me. How he could never get enough. And how each time it felt like our first. I was never much a realist, always a dreamer. So when I say I swear I could see sparks fly when our bodies touch, I never was lying to myself.
I bring him downstairs and introduce him to a few of my friends. Thankfully he's already met a handful of them and nothing about the meet and greet is awkward. Of course every guest here knows only a year ago I was galavanting around with another man who I claimed to be my everything. No one questioned it though. They were just supportive and friendly to Tom. This is why they are my friends after all.
We continued in painting extravaganza. Although Tom was older than the majority of the crowd and only knew like three of my friends well enough to start a real conversation with, he seemed relaxed. Tom took a liking to Blake and Ryan, who together found common ground in both being a big part of the marvel movie franchise. I was happy to see him so comfortable with my friends. Adam had always felt a little awkward and out of place. But I was not allowing myself to play the compare and contrast game. With every new year came a new party with a different atmosphere. If I spent every Fourth of July party comparing it to last year's I would find the flaws with the present. I could not afford such negativity.
"Please let me paint something on you." I practically begged him. He gave a smug laugh.
"I think it's quite obvious I'm not American, there's no way you're painting a giant flag on me." I laughed, his accent alone could stand as the whole sarcasm of his sentence.
"I won't I promise." I giggled pulling him to me to paint on. He gave in as if I was a child who needed to be entertained and tolerated.
When I was finished he tried to awkwardly twist his neck to see my mini masterpiece.
"A heart? Really Swift? With my initial on it? Are you trying to make me look self-obsessed?"
"Well actually I was kind of thinking the T would be for me but now that I think about it... You do look self-obsessed." I laughed hysterically. I had not thought about it like that.
Later that day we all decided to go down to the water for a swim. I was practically jumping up and down with excitement. I was a very excitable person I always have been. The older I grew however the more I learned the quality was a complete rarity. Even my closest friends never displayed the type of excitement I had. At first it use to discourage me, I thought since they were not as outwardly happy as I was that they were not enjoying themselves. Of course that was not always the case and I grew to learn and accept that most people in this world will never share the same type of excitement I get over the little things. I found myself starting to contain my excitement because compared to everyone else I looked silly and out of place. After that I never thought I would meet someone who glowed with that same excitable nature. That is until I met Tom. He was everything I had described. He got excited over things like going down to the beach and face painting and dancing and parties and all the little insignificant but wonderful things the world had to offer. He invited me to delight in that excitement I had spent so much of my energy burying. I guess that was one of the many reasons I felt I could be my complete self with him. I never had to dial my personality down in fact he challenged me to bring it up. He delighted in my perfect storm like no one I had ever met.
I went up to my bedroom to change. I honestly had not noticed Tom had followed me until when I was about to undress and I heard him compliment a photo on my nightstand. I turned around quickly. I noticed him looking at a photo I took last year. A photo of me and Karlie and Gigi and Joe and Adam.
I realized just then it had never occurred to me to take down the photos laying around my house with Adam in them or that this was the first time Tom had ever been in my bedroom. It felt slightly odd, as if he were unintentionally invading my privacy.
When he noticed I was looking at him he put the frame down and mumbled an apology. He's never been in one of my bedrooms. To be honest I never really ever let anyone inside them. Though I had multiple due to the fact I owned multiple homes, my bedrooms were always very intimate. I spent a lot of my time in other places traveling for work I have always valued and made it a top priority to personalize my homes so that it felt like I still had a home. My bedrooms were always my most cozy. I filled them with personal pictures I never displayed to the world, they had special paintings and journals of my writing sprawled out everywhere. For a moment I regretted inviting him in. Or at least inviting him without at least cleaning first.
"I'm going to change." I said trying to clear the awkwardness although I do not even know why it was there.
I went into the bathroom that was in my room and change into my "America" swimsuit I had purchased especially for today. I over analyzed myself in the long mirror. Now that I had it on I did not especially like the way it looked. I found myself desperately wanting to impress him. It felt silly I had to remind myself it was -to get so worked up over a boy. In all honestly he probably wouldn't even take special notice. Nonetheless I felt this strong desire to impress. I did not like the way the top curved around my breasts or how my stomach seemed unusually puffy today. I had to shake the feeling because there was nothing I could do.
I walked out to find him already changed in his swim shorts. I took a deep breath. It was a shaky one. He looked so lovely as he always did. I liked the way his hair sat perfectly atop his head and his broad shoulders. I noticed his jaw clench at the sight of me. I wonder if he too shared that unexplainable desire to impress.
"You look wonderful," He stated, his voice a whisper for only me to hear.
"You don't look so bad yourself." I countered.
"I need a shirt."
"Please do not tell me you're insecure of your eight pack." I laughed at first thinking he was joking. He chuckled but he was serious.
"Can't afford to get burned. I have a movie to film love."
"Oh right sorry."
I quickly rummaged through the drawers but I had next to no clothes for a guy.
"You could wear this?" I laughed throwing him the first plain tank top I could find that looked his size.
"You're kidding right?"
I turned around to he him lift up the top. It had "I heart T.S" written on it. I began laughing hysterically.
Once we reached the shoreline we all laughed and plunged into the cold Atlantic. I never got tired of the ocean and honestly I could spend the rest of my days by the shore soaking in the smell and taste of the salty breeze.
I treasured the moments I got Tom to myself. I coaxed him out to the water where we could be a few paces away from the rest of the crowd. I laced my long arms over his neck and pressed myself to his firm frame despite the sway of the waves.
"It's so lovely here." I spoke breaking the silence. He had his arm wrapped around my small waist. His fingers brushing the hem of my swimsuit bottoms.
   I was completely infatuated with the man in the most lust hungry way possible. I have had my fair share of sex with different types of people but every once in awhile you caught a fever for a person in a way that's unparalleled to any other. I spent a lot of my time reminding myself not to compare my boyfriends to those of my exes. But with Tom I did not have to. He was an entity in his own. He was so different in his demeanor and mannerisms and age I could simply never compare him to Adam. And I did not have to.
He picked me up playfully which got a laugh from me. I leaned my head to kiss him. His lips tasted of salt water and home. Our kiss got a little more passionate as he let me fall back into my own two feet. I brought his body closer to mine, wanting  to close any remaining gap. I felt his strong hands run up and down my sides slowly. I was already left wanting more.
"You know I think oceans are our thing." He spoke once we pulled away from our make out session.
"You know what I think so too."

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Long chapter and even then I'm carrying my thoughts to the next one lol. Please leave nice comments if you love this fic okay thanks.