Tom Holland X Reader - The Journey We Call Life

Chapter 22 - Stupid Mall Game

You didn't realize it, but one of your hands had held onto Tom's midriff and the other one had wrapped itself around his neck, pulling him closer.
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While one of his hands was still holding onto your hips, the other arm snaked its way under yours and up your back, holding you steady from there. A few of his hairs had come loose and were dangling from the top of his head, which was surprisingly close to you.

"I-I'm sorry," Tom laughed slightly, breathing heavily at you. You noticed his eyes flicker down to your lips for less than a split second before very quickly heading back to the (E/C) irises he admired.

There it is again, you thought to yourself as one of your senses filled up with a familiar scent. The same one you woke up to in the morning, I may add, when you smashed your nose in his pillow.

You awkwardly smiled at the same time you regained your balance and set your leg down and gently loosened your grip on Tom's shirt. You also took your arm away from the back of his neck, but you managed not to break eye contact with him.

"At least you caught me."

"Darling." A smile escaped from his light pink, tight-lipped lips. He muttered, "I'll always catch you," soft enough so that the people around you both wouldn't hear.

It was a little cheesy looking back on it, but in the moment, all of your functioning organs and systems had shut down.

It was then that the feeling of opia stopped between the two of you as you practically began to hear the smirks form on the faces of your friends. You shut your eyes tightly and kept shifting your weight from one side to the other, knowing the jokes that were about to arise.

"Shut up." Your voice had a demanding tone to it, but everyone knew that you didn't mean it.

"We didn't say anything," Haz said, smirking and putting his hands up in defense.

"You don't have to." You turned around and faced the rest of the group, attempting to hide the rosiness that you could feel making its way up to your (S/C) complexion. "Please, Zendaya. Continue."

"Right," she began, staring at Tom and you with a knowing, beaming smile on her face. "Before we were so graciously interrupted...I was beginning to explain the real reason I brought you all here to the 'mall." Z had put air quotes and uttered "mall," mocking the way Haz and Jacob had earlier. "Seeing as how we would have spent the whole day in solitude, I brought us here to play a game."

Jacob eyed her disdainfully, not fully understanding what she meant. Meanwhile, you glanced over at Tom and Harrison, and they both had growing smirks appear on their faces.

"What kind of game, exactly?" Stephanie asked, as confused as you and Jacob were.

"I'll explain the rules," Haz stepped up, beginning to educate the rest of us. "We first have to pair up in twos, and one person of that pair goes to find an outfit to try on. Then, they come back, telling the group that their choice is made, and that's when the remaining person does the same thing. They come back out at the same time as another pair, which did the same thing as the first at the same time as them, and whichever couple comes out looking as close as possible to each other, wins the ultimate prize."

"I might want to play this, but it all depends on what the ultimate prize is," Jacob thought aloud, earning an eye roll from the group.