Breaking Free (Tom Holland) BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Breaking Free Chapter 20

"Are we there yet?" I asked for the millionth time. I had been asking that question for an hour. It had yet to be answered.

"Almost I swear," Tom said.

"Can't you just tell me where we're going? The suspense is killing me," I groaned.

"Just relax. I thought you were enjoying our lovely car karaoke session."

"Trust me I am. I'm just very eager to see where we're going."

"You're going to do this every time I surprise you aren't you?"

I gasped sarcastically. "You've learned! Seriously though, I'm not a big fan of surprises."

"Well luckily for you I'm usually terrible at keeping them. I'm not exactly known for keeping my mouth shut."

"Then how is it so perfectly sealed right now?"

"I'm not really sure honestly. Normally I would have spilled the beans at least 18 times by now. I guess I just really like seeing your face. Like I'm about to see now."

I turned my attention back to the road. We were pulling into the large parking lot of the local aquarium. I squealed in delight.

"Oh my God yes! Penguins!" I exclaimed.

"I knew you'd be happy."

"I'm going to need to have a word with your sources because they are scarily accurate."

"I have been sworn to secrecy. You can't make me talk!"

Tom presented our tickets to the doorman. He scanned our tickets while staring holes into us. He finally gave up trying to see through our hats and sunglasses and waved us inside. We walked through the doors and into a wonderland. All around us were different exhibits. The walls were lined with paintings of all kinds of aquatic animals. I instantly spotted where the penguins were and attempted to make a beeline for them. Tom stopped me. "We've got to save the best for last," he grinned while leading me towards a different exhibit.

"Or we could visit the penguins first and then come back to see them after we finish each exhibit," I suggested. He refused.

There weren't that many people inside since it was early afternoon on a weekday. There were mostly moms with small children which meant we didn't have to try so hard to hide who we were. As we went from exhibit to exhibit I became more and more excited. A permanent smile was plastered on Tom's face. He seemed thrilled that I was having so much fun. At some point during our journey through the deep sea Tom grabbed my hand. I was startled and asked him what he was doing.

"We're supposed to be dating right? It's only natural that I hold your hand."

I couldn't fight with that logic. Not that I wanted to anyway. And so we held hands the remainder of our trek through the exhibits. We even held hands through the dolphin and seal shows. Although Tom's awful seal impression made me revoke his hand holding privileges for a short period of time.

Finally it was time for me to see my penguins. We entered the exhibit and I immediately put myself as close to the glass as I could. We stayed there for a good twenty minutes. Tom patiently listened to me gush about my love for penguins for far longer than I expected. Little did I know there was one more surprise that Tom had in store for me.

Tom was finally able to peel me away from the penguins. As we exited the exhibit we were stopped by an employee. "Are you Tom and Vanessa?" she asked.

I gave Tom a confused glance. The small smirk on his lips led me to believe that he already knew what was going on. "Yes that's us," he replied.

The employee beckoned for us to follow her. She led us to a set of locker rooms. We were instructed to change our clothes. I shimmied my way into the provided wetsuit as fast as I could. I was bursting with excitement. When Tom finally came out the employee led us down a set of hallways until we came to a door. She ushered us through and introduced us to one of their animal handlers. I barely saw her though. Instead my eyes immediately focused on the pool of dolphins behind her.

It was a thrilling experience being able to get up close and personal with the dolphins. The handler taught us how to do a few different tricks. At one point we were even invited into the water to swim with them. Once the dolphins had had their fill of excitement we were led back to the locker rooms. The handler opened the door and allowed me to go first. On the other side was not the locker rooms but another handler surrounded by a colony of penguins. I looked at Tom in disbelief. I couldn't believe this was happening. He grabbed my hand and led me over to the penguins.

The next hour was one of the best of my life. The penguins were extremely cautious at first but after some help from their handler they finally approached me. There was no real rhyme or reason to their movements so Tom and I adapted to moving along with them. By the time our penguin encounter ended I felt like I had gone through an extensive workout. But it was totally worth it.

After getting cleaned up and changed back into our clothes Tom and I headed to the gift shop. He bought me a stuffed beluga whale and a stuffed penguin. I bought him a shark hat. He wore the shark hat all the way to the car.

"This has been the best day of my life," I said happily.

"I'm glad. But it's still not over."

"Tom I don't think my heart can take much more excitement."

"Relax. We're just going to dinner."

And to dinner we went. It wasn't an overly fancy restuarant by any means but it felt just as special. It was truly a night to remember.

"Did you have a good time today?" Tom asked as we pulled into my driveway.

"I will never forget this night for as long as I live."

Tom smiled. It wasn't his usual lopsided grin. It was a full, happy smile. I smiled back. He reached his hand forward and brushed a lock of my hair behind my ear. Then, without warning, he leaned forward and kissed me.

A/N: Hahahahahahaha. Only took me 20 chapters 😂 I am posting my weekly chapter a little early since I will be out of town and my internet access will be questionable. The next chapter will be back on schedule (maybe a day early if I finish it in time). Hope you guys enjoy!