𝐆𝐎𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 - 𝑡. ℎ𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑑

𝑠𝑜𝑖𝑥𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑒 𝑒𝑡 𝑢𝑛

⁂☽ chapter sixty-one ☽⁂

THE GUILT IS ICE IN TOM'S GUTS. IT COULD BE A HUNDRED DEGREES OUT AND HE'D STILL FEEL FROZEN ON THE INSIDE. That same guilt is what kept him up the whole night in the hotel room. He silently listened to Harrison's snores as he stared at the ceiling, replaying the events from a couple of hours before.

Tom's brain flooded with pictures of her. Her face is just as pretty as the first day he saw her, her eyes twinkling with laughter and her teeth glistening as she smiled. His chest ached as he thought of what he had lost. Did he really lose her over a simple misunderstanding?

He couldn't fall asleep without making things right, it was just in his nature. He grabbed his phone from off he bedside table and looked at the time, the bright screen illuminating throughout the dark hotel room as his clock shone brightly on the screen.

3: 12 AM

He got up from off the edge of the bed, slipping on a black pair of socks onto his feet before putting on a jacket, not even bothering to zip it over his shirtless frame. Placing his phone in the sweatpants pocket, and walked towards the hotel door, trying not to wake his best friend.

Tom carefully opened the door; his eyes widening in surprise.

"Calliope," he whispered, hand still gripping on the hotel doorknob. There before him was the girl that he wanted to see all along. She was wearing sweatpants, along with a bright yellow sports bra - which he learned that she wore every time she was hot.

She held the small ice bucket underneath her arm, resting on her hip comfortably. Her hair was pulled into two braids, resting on her shoulder. And from the looks of it, she was walking back towards her room, on her way back from the ice machine that was towards the end of the hall.

She muttered a small hello, before continuing to walk down the hall, in a more brisk pace in order to reach the elevator.

"Wait, Calliope," Tom quietly called out to her, walking behind as she pressed the up elevator button repeatedly, almost urging the elevator shaft to come down faster. She sighed defeatedly, before turning to Tom tiredly.

"Tom, can you just stop. Please." she whispered, her voice sounding hurt, "You told me to stay away and that's what I'm doing, so please just leave me alone," she whispered, the elevator doors opening slightly.

She stepped into the elevator, pushing her floor button, before returning her gaze towards the ground, not daring to glance at the boy who stared hopelessly towards the girl. He felt his heartache watching the doors close in front of him, a sad expression painting over his sunken face.

_