The interview was released during Betty's lunch break the following day. Tom had managed to get hold of her and warn her the night before just before he went to bed, but it still didn't prepare her for the onslaught of attention she received the following afternoon. She couldn't help sitting and wondering, that evening, how Tom handle it all with such ease. Nothing that came out seemed to faze him, not the rumours about Zendaya or that he was gay with Harrison, or that he had slept his way into his current role. She didn't look at any of the comments, but Betty was so aware of them she was becoming paranoid that everyone she saw knew who she was.
When Tom showed up at her house, not half an hour later, she was feeling vulnerable; that is probably one of the few reasons she let him in. Ruben was already asleep in bed, but he was three and could wake up at any time- she was extremely conscious of this as well.
"Do you want a coffee or something?" she offered and he nodded, following her through to the kitchen.
"I know I should have called to say I was on my way but I wanted to make sure you were doing okay." It made her smile being reassured that the care and concern wasn't a one way thing. No matter how often Tom reminded her that he cared too, she always felt insecure to an extent.
They sat on her kitchen counters facing each other and made playful conversation; it was good, great even. There was something about Tom being in her home that made her feel like it would be safe to try and actually have a relationship with him. In reality she knew it couldn't last; she knew that outside the safe confines of the home she'd made for herself, was an enormous world, full of millions who all wanted their own little piece of Tom. That was the scariest prospect of all- that her feelings for him would never be unchallenged; there would always be people telling her she wasn't good enough and that was a shaky foundation to build a relationship on.
"What's going on up there?" Tom smirked, placing both their cup into the sink before making his way back to her across the kitchen. She watched how easily he seemed to fit into her home and smiled again, even if she let herself have him, this wouldn't be a regular occurrence because he was going to become incredibly busy, just because of his age, career and skill as an actor. Her silent smile was all the answer he needed; he could tell she was going over the pros and the cons, weigh and evaluating and analysing and from the sadness in her eyes it wasn't looking good. "I told you, you don't have to give me an answer straight away."
"I know, but we are running out of time, aren't we?" she sighed, looking down to her lap, where her hands were engulfed in his, she turned her body where she sat to face him properly and he seemed to brace himself when thinking about it too. It was true; at most they had maybe a month together left before he was up and around the world for the next location. It could also be as short a time as a week, because no one knew the final filming schedule except for the Russo Brothers.
"Come on Betts- just be here with me right now." She didn't know at what point he'd gotten close enough, but the next thing she registered was his lips gently moving against hers, his hands settled for a while on her waist before sliding around her back and pulling her body against his, forcing her to part her legs around him. One of his hands was sliding up her back and into her hair as her own grabbed fistfuls of his t-shirt- she lent up into the kiss, as he was somehow still that bit taller than her, despite her having the leverage of sitting on the counter, whereas he was just stood before her. When his tongue found its way into her mouth, she felt giddy like a school girl, this was the sort of kiss she'd wanted from him for so many years and she finally had it and she never wanted to let go.
His body was pressing tightly against hers as the kiss grew more desperate; she lost herself in the moment and found herself helping Tom take off his t-shirt. She didn't stop him from assaulting her neck with his mouth whilst her hands traced over his rippling muscles in his back and then moved across his abs, revelling in his perfection. Long gone was the lanky, skinny body of the boy she used to know; she now had age and muscle under her fingertips leaving her skin burning. The gentleness of her touch scattered goose bumps over his body and he moaned into her neck as she shift against him.
Her doubts came when his hand slid under her top. The last person she should have been thinking about was Zendaya, but in that moment she was the first thing in Betty's mind: Zendaya and her gorgeously toned, youthful, tiny body. Tom's thumb traced over the skin on her hip that Betty knew, all too well, was littered with stretch marks and scars from her pregnancy. She froze. She stopped kissing back and she turned her head away from him.
"Tom stop," she whispered, refocusing his attention, he stared at her for a moment, breathing heavily, panic flashing across his eyes.
"What's wrong, are you okay? Did I do something?" he trailed off, too afraid to say the words
"No, no," her hand cupped his cheek carefully, reassuring him that she was alright "No, you're wonderful," she breathed out a laugh, before it fell to a sigh "But I don't think you know what you're getting from me..." he frowned, tilting his head and offering a small smirk
"For a minute there I thought I was going to be getting lucky." He admitted and she laughed, rolling her eyes.
"I know, I just..." she seemed to be struggling to find the words to explain without insulting him.
"I don't look like Zendaya would, I'm not tiny and toned and I don't have abs. I'm a mum, I have cellulite and stretchmarks and excess flab and scars..." He looked taken aback by her sudden outburst.
"What are you talking about? I don't want you to look like Zendaya, if I did then I would be with Z but I'm not."
"I know Tom," she shook her head, sliding off the counter and moving to the sink to clean the dishes "I'm not talking about Zendaya specifically..."
"Is it not what you want?" he asked, lost and confused by the change in atmosphere,
"Of course it's what I want, it's all I've thought about for god knows how long." She exclaimed, "But I'm not..."
"Not what?" he asked, his frustration leaking out into his voice,
"I'm not sexy!" she blurted, bracing herself with her hands against the counter for his response.
He chuckled. For a minute she was confused as she listened to him laughing; then his arms snaked around her and he pressed her tightly against the counter with his body.
"Can you feel that?" he whispered, his breath against her ear sending shivers down her spine. He pressed himself against her more and she really felt IT. "That's all you Betty; you can't tell me you're not sexy when you do that to me by just kissing me." His mouth pressed a small kiss to the crook of her neck and her head fell back against his shoulder, allowing him better access, with a stuttered sigh. He moved away, leaving one last kiss on her neck; she was grateful that he didn't push anything because even though she felt a little better about herself, she still knew that the picture of her body that Tom had in his head was far superior to the reality of her body.
He kissed her again as he left that night, it was a different sort of kiss- it was quick and instinctual. Neither seemed to process its impact until afterwards when they were just staring at each other, Tom was half way out the door when it happened, making his exit afterwards very swift; he just nodded her a small smile and was gone, closing the door behind him. Betty finished tidying the kitchen before she went up to bed. She knew she was entering dangerous territory with Tom; she was allowing herself to believe they could really have something quite incredible. She was allowing herself to get too attached and she knew she shouldn't because he'd be gone again in a few weeks. If letting him go was difficult enough the first time with their 'what if' hanging over her, then losing him now, after she knew how great it could have been, would definitely have killed her.
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Lol, Tom with a boner lmao
Love E x
YOU ARE READING
Timeless // T.H
Fanfiction"It's like no matter how hard I try, she is always there, she's timeless." Or In which they learn to grow up into the people they used to be. Or In which Tom Holland's dog is the best //EDITING//
