▲▽Alexander Hamilton's P.O.V.▼△
★Modern AU★
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
In spite of what Peggy told me to do, I still sat at the table I was assigned by the waitress, waiting on my date to get here. It's been an hour and a half, I'm still waiting. My phone sat on the table, opened to Peggy's messages that told me to just go home. I received that message during the hour mark of him not showing. I hadn't replied to her.
I felt a sadness wash over me as I stood up, planting a $50 bill on the table for the wine I bought, grabbing the bottle and walking out. I felt pairs of eyes stare as I walked out, keeping my head low as I desperately clung to the bottle.
I got to my car and got in the driver's seat, staring at the window and taking a swig of what liquor was left in the bottle. I drank half of it while I was still in the restaurant, waiting for the person to show.
Slowly, I started to cry. Tears fell down my face as I opened the door to the cat, stepping out and throwing the glass bottle, grunting as I did so. Glass shattered to the ground and I let myself fall back into the car, shutting the door. I grabbed my phone and scrolled through all of the contacts until I found what I was looking for.
After a few rings, I heard a grumble. "Hello?"
"Hi, it's Alexander," I murmur, rubbing the back of my neck. "Can you, um, come pick me up? I don't think it'd be safe for me to drive."
A silence hung through the phone. Then some shuffling. "What did you do, Hamilton?" The southern accented Virginian asked, sounding tired and annoyed.
"I'll explain when you get here, Thomas," I mumble, looking at the steering wheel of my car.
Thomas hung up on me after I told him the place and I let my phone fall from my hand, landing under the seat, somewhere I can't reach it. I waited patiently for him to get here, staring off until I heard a knock at my window. I turned to see Thomas, glaring at me through the window.
I opened the door with a bit of warning for Thomas to back up. I stood from my seat and looked at the taller male, wondering if he was angry at me for waking him up. His hair is disheveled and small bags are under his eyes. "Alexander, what are you doing out here at 9 at night?"
I shrugged and turned back to my car, grabbing my keys and digging around for my phone. I grabbed it and looked at Thomas. Thomas sighed, not wanting to deal with my shit right now. "Let's go, I'm taking you back to your place."
"I don't want to be alone," I told him, following as he took a few strides forward. He stopped and turned to me, his eyebrows raised in confusion. "Can we just go back to your place? I promise to leave you alone, I'll sleep in the couch. I don't care. I just don't want to be alone right now."
Thomas sighed once more, grabbing my wrist gently and taking the lead to his car. "Fine. But you need to tell me what you are doing out here and why."
I stayed silent as he helped me into the passenger seat. He climbed into the driver's side and started the car. "Okay, explain."
I watched as he drove onto the road, heading towards his place. "I was waiting for John," I mumbled, wanting to curl up in the seat, but not taking action.
"How long did you wait?" He asked softly, his tone changing completely.
"An hour and a half."
A small huff of air emitted from Thomas. "That isn't right. You shouldn't have to wait an hour and a half for someone to show up for a date," Thomas rants, his voice getting louder. "Did he even tell you?"
"Would I be in this situation if he did?" I added sarcastically. Thomas gave me a quick look before turning back to the road. "Look, I just need a place to stay for the night. I drank a lot and I broke the bottle on the wall. I don't think being alone is what I need."
I felt a hand slide onto my thigh and I looked at it. I felt small butterflies appear in my stomach as small, happy chills ran down my spine. "Just know you aren't alone," Thomas mumbled, his voice as quiet as a mouse. We said nothing after that, his thumb running across my tan skin.
We got to his house and he got out first. I already missed his hand being placed on my thigh. My door opened and I looked at Thomas. I unbuckled and I got out of the car. He helped me, even if I didn't need it. A gentle hand was placed on the lower part of my back, leading the way to his place.
We stopped at a door and I watched Thomas while he pulled a key from his pocket. He unlocked the door and opened it. "Welcome to my humble abode."
I stepped inside a few paces, looking around at the interior of the apartment. The first thing I noticed when I stepped in was the mahogany table with chairs that had white cushions and mahogany wood. I also noticed the couch was a light tan color, sitting across from a flat screen TV. Below the TV was a small shelf full of small belongings and a few books.
The kitchen, which was to my left, had marble countertops, an island with small stools to sit on that were light oak wood. The stove was placed into a countertop, the oven being completely separated into another section of the kitchen, near where the sink was.
"Come on in, take a seat," Thomas spoke as I gazed around the place a bit more, noticing small aspects of the apartment.
"Thank you for letting me stay over for the night," I tell him, following him to the couch and sitting down.
"Did you eat at the restaurant?" Thomas asked, handing me the remote.
"No, I wait until the other person is there so I don't seem rude," I tell him honestly, inspecting the remote like it was a complicated math problem.
"Okay," Thomas stood up. "I hope you like Mac and cheese."
"Is it from the box?" I looked at him as he went to his kitchen. He looks better when he walks away from me. I mean, he looks good when he's just walking. Or standing. Or doing anything. But damn, that ass.
"Nope! It's homemade," Thomas tells me as I finally pay attention once more. "My ma made it for me only yesterday when she came to visit."
I watched as he stuck it in the microwave that was sitting on the counter. "Is is nice having a mom?" I asked suddenly.
Thomas seemed to tense up when I asked, spinning around to look at me. "What do you mean? You have a mom, right?"
"Not anymore," I shrug, turning on the TV finally. "I guess I just never experienced having a mother who cared for me for my twelve years of living with her alive." I set down the remote with no care.
Thomas was silent, not moving from where he stood in the kitchen. The microwave went off and he moved to get that. He walked over to me with a plate of homemade Mac and cheese, a fork sitting on the plate. "Eat up. You look like you haven't eaten in weeks," Thomas tells me, sitting down right next to me with a small, relaxed sigh.
I look at the food and start playing with it with my fork, letting it cool off as steam floated away from it. Thomas found the remote I set down and scrolled through the channels. I heard my phone go off in my pocket and I slid it out. I noticed there were two texts from Peggy and one from John.
I read Peggy's first. She was asking if I got home safe and if she needed to go pick me up. I told her Thomas came and picked me up, but I didn't read her replies after that. I looked at John's message with hesitation, looking at the notification. I decided I should check it and I pressed it.
John: Hey, sorry for not showing up. I just got caught up in some of the paintings I was making. I promise, next time, I'll show.
I look at the message, tempting to reply. I decided against it, leaving it be. I placed my phone down and went back to eating. I paid little attention to the screen, eating my food slowly.
"Is that John?" Thomas asked, his voice quiet.
"Yeah," I tell him, looking at my phone. "He said he was caught up on something."
"So pretty much, he forgot and stood you up?" Thomas asked, his tone harsh and sharp.
I stayed silent and picked up my phone, looking at it with uncertainty. "I guess," I murmur, placing my phone back down and eating once more. I kept my eyes on my plate, not wanting to look over at Thomas.
"Hey," a gentle hand was placed under my chin, making me face the Virginian. "I'm sorry for making you upset."
I found his brown eyes looking deep into mine, searching for something neither of us could find. "Finish eating, we need to get some sleep," Thomas tells me, moving his hand slowly from my face. I looked back down at my food and ate again, but a lot slower. I didn't want to sleep yet. That means he'd leave me alone in this room while he goes to his own.
I finished eating too quickly and I stood up, taking the plate to the kitchen and placing it in the sink with the fork. I spun around and went back to the living room. I noticed Thomas was placing a folded up blanket down on the couch next to a pillow (it was freaking magenta).
"I'm sorry you have to sleep on the couch, but I don't have any other sleeping arrangement," he paused, looking at me. "Unless you want to take my bed and I can sleep out here."
"Oh, no. I couldn't do that," I shake my head, walking closer to the taller male. "It's your bed. You sleep in it."
"If you're uncomfortable, I'm letting you take my bed," he decided.
"I'll be fine, Thomas," I tell him, nudging him playfully aside. Thomas smiled a bit as I sat down on the couch.
"Well, I'm going to bed. So goodnight," he waved as he walked towards his room. I watched as he shut his door until it was completely closed. I sighed and leaned back into the couch.
Hours passed by and I was still awake. I felt my phone go off on the other side of the couch and I picked it up. There was a picture of John and Maria. They were kissing in a restaurant. More specifically, the restaurant I waited for one and a half hours for my date. Lafayette quickly told me that he was heading to Herc's store to pick him up when he saw this.
I felt tears fall down my face. I noticed Laf said something else, too.
Lafayette: did he even show up for the date?
Me: no. Waited hour and a half.
Lafayette: Je vais coup de pied son vulgar! (I am going to (foot thrust) kick his ass)
Me: No, I can handle it, Lafayette. I'll text you if I need you to, okay?
With that, I placed my phone down and looked out at the empty TV. I let out a choked sob and tried to quiet down instantly. I didn't want to wake Thomas up. I covered my mouth with my hand and squeezed my eyes shut. "He cheated on me," I murmur, letting my head hang low as tears fell down my face and I silently sobbed, the only sound heard was my sniffling.
A door opened and someone came rushing over to me. I was embraced in a tight hug and pulled into someone's chest. Sobs escaped my body as I clung to this person's shirt, getting it wet with tears.
Many minutes later, I wouldn't let go. Small sniffles and the occasional wipe of the tear was all I did now. "Are you feeling better?" Thomas asked me softly, rubbing my back in smooth circles.
I grabbed my phone and opened my eyes. I separated from him slowly and he watched me as I opened the text once more. I showed him exactly what happened and he read through it. I kept my eyes on the screen, unsure where to look.
Thomas soon gave the phone back to me and stood up. "Come on, we're getting you to bed," He murmured, taking my hands and watched as I almost dropped my phone. He took my phone from me and held it while taking me towards his room. When we walked in, I could hardly see anything. Thomas led me to the bed and helped me into the bed. Thomas crawled up afterwards and laid down as I laid next to him.
Thomas placed my phone on the nightstand I could hardly see and moved the blankets so they covered both of us. A sniffle emitted from me and I was pulled into Thomas' chest. "Alex, I'm here for you," he mumbled into my ear, his hand moving in circles on my back once more.
"Thank you," I tell him, closing my eyes and leaning into his chest.
"I'll show you what a real date is tomorrow," Thomas murmured as I was lulled to sleep. "I promise."
★・・・・・・★ ・・・・・・★
Word Count: 2340
Published: 5-28-18