"What are you doing?" Briar asked with an amused smile as she turned around to see Tom lying across her bed, his arms and legs out in the shape of a starfish. They had just returned from a walk through the nearby park, having decided it was too cold to be out for too long, and had brought back take-out from a local shop.
"I'm making a sheet angel." Tom answered, smiling like a child as he began to move his arms and legs back and forth, messing up Briar's sheets in the process. He was still wearing his jacket and scarf.
"Hey! Quit that!" Briar whined, quickly shrugging off her jacket and rushing over to her bed to slap Tom's leg playfully. "You're messing up my sheets."
Tom stopped to raise his head and send her a crooked smile that made her heart flop. "Oh? Make me."
Briar felt her mouth go dry, her brain melting into a useless puddle at Tom's words. Was he flirting? She couldn't tell. Briar eyed him closely for a few moments, thinking of what to do, when she offered him a shrug that she hoped would cover how flustered she was. "I'll eat your food."
Tom gasped exaggeratedly, playing along and clapping a hand over his heart dramatically. "You wouldn't dare!"
"Watch me."
Briar was only joking, of course, and the pair decided to watch a movie whilst eating their food before Tom was supposed to return to his room for the night. They were only in Berlin for a few days whilst he finished up filming, and then the filming stage for the movie would be over. Soon, they would begin the press tour, and then the premiere would come around. Then, Briar would go on to work for someone else.
Briar was secretly sad about how fast it had gone by, and little did she know that Tom felt the same way.
The channels on the hotel television were horrible and the movie selection was even more so. Tom and Briar settled on a film in a language neither could understand, but Tom kept it intriguing by making up dialogue as he went. He had a real knack for making Briar giggle into her hand, and he was determined to hear more of her giggle, so he kept going.
They were both huddled in Briar's bed, empty food containers around them as they subconsciously edged closer to one another. It started with Tom stretching and placing his arm along the top of the bed frame, near Briar's head. Then, she pretended to re-arrange her pillows so she ended up sitting nearer to him. Both knew they were playing a dangerous game, but neither wanted to stop.
Eventually, Briar had moved her pillow so it was against Tom's shoulder and he was resting an arm comfortably about her shoulders, his fingers warm against the skin of her upper arm. Soon, Tom had run out of the dialogue ideas and so the pair settled into a comfortable silence as they pretended to pay attention to the movie. Briar snuck yet another glance at Tom before dropping her eyes back to the television, her previous conversation with Olivia fresh in her mind.
Oh, how she wanted to tell Tom how she felt. But she knew it wouldn't be fair on him to dump him with feelings that potentially weren't mutual. Briar caught herself frowning as she thought about how, eventually, she would go on to work for another celebrity and Tom would find a new assistant. Jealously surged through her.
Tom's head tipped ever so slightly so his cheek was resting against the top of Briar's hair, his eyes closing slowly in fatigue and his breathing evening out. Knowing he was asleep and not wanting to wake him, Briar kept as still as possible as she turned down the television volume and closed her own eyes, enjoying the way Tom's arm felt around her body.
She knew she was only hurting herself further, but she didn't care.
big yike for #Brom :( just kiss already gosh