At this point, Tom and I were in the kitchen. As per usual at this point, his arms were around me as I cooked. We were so far into our relationship that he knew I liked to cook by myself, but he didn't like just sitting down as I did. "You're an amazing chef, darling." He grinned as he kissed my cheek.
"Thank you, my dear." At that point, my phone began ringing on the counter. Zendaya was calling. I answered the call, putting it on speaker. "Hey Z. Are you and Ali ready to figure this out?"
"Actually, it's just me. I wanted Ali to get some sleep after all she's been through today." I smiled softly. Hearing how much they cared for each other made me happy. "She told me that she'll be cool with whatever we decide because we have some experience in this."
"That's understandable." Tom's voice was gentle. "I personally believe that because I'm the one they're calling out, I should be the one to say something. What do you two think?"
"That makes sense." I looked back at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
"It does." Zendaya sighed, and I bit my lip gently. "I hate how upset she is over something she didn't do. I also hate how E! News thinks it's funny to purposely try to ruin our lives."
"Daya, can you do me a favor, babe?" I looked back at Tom, who seemed to get what I was going to say.
"Of course, Grace. What's up?"
"Go be with Ali. Hold her close and don't let her go. Keep loving her so much that it hurts. You need it as much as she does, and I can tell." I smiled as I spoke, and I could feel Tom holding me tighter.
"Yes, please do. We'll handle how I go about addressing this. Just go be with her." I heard a sniffle from the other end of the line, and I could tell that tears were preparing to fall from her eyes.
"Thank you. Both of you. We'll talk later?"
"Of course. Please don't worry. We'll handle this on our end, okay?" Tom smiled softly. Once the phone call ended, Tom kissed my head softly. "I think I'm gonna film a video explaining it. Right now."
"That's a great idea." I grinned, kissing his cheek as he let go of me and grabbed his phone. He moved to the couch, and I could hear him as he filmed.
"Hey, guys. So, there's an article floating around showing pictures of me with Ali Campbell at a club in London. That article claims that she and I have begun a quote-unquote 'forbidden romance' behind our girlfriends' backs. I'm here to clear that up right now--Ali and I are not dating. Sure, we're dancing really close in those pictures, but that's because the two of us are close friends and we were enjoying our night. What those pictures don't show is that Grace and Zendaya, my and Ali's girlfriends, were there too. I am madly in love with Grace, and Ali and Zendaya are one of the most loving couples I have ever met. That article is completely false, and we all want to be perfectly candid with you because we all love you so much." I smiled as I listened. His explanation was so clear and honest, and I could tell the last thing he wanted to do was spread any negativity or confusion.
It made me realize exactly how madly in love I was with this man.
When he came back, I smiled as I closed the oven. "Now we wait about twenty minutes." I walked up to him, hugging him tightly. "Can I tell you something?"
"Of course, my love."
"I'm ready to get married." I looked up at him, and I saw his eyes widen. "Whenever you are, of course. I don't wanna rush you, but I feel like I'm ready."
"I, I don't know what to say." He looked down at me, pushing a lock of hair behind my ear.
"You don't have to say anything, baby. I just wanted to make sure you knew." I pressed my lips to his, holding him close. After we pulled away moments later, I smiled up at him. "This is not to put any pressure on you, by the way. It's totally okay if you don't feel ready."
"Thank you, Grace. I love you so fucking much." He whispered as he looked at me, and I smiled.
"I love you so fucking much more." I smiled softly up at him. "How does a drink with dinner sound?"
"It sounds delicious." I grinned as he kissed my forehead, letting go as he went to the pantry and grabbed two wine glasses.
"Are you actually drinking wine with me tonight?" I grinned gently. Tom was more of a beer fan, so it was rare for him to enjoy some wine with me.
"Why not?" He smiled as I went and grabbed the wine bottle I had been working on lately. After I had poured our glasses and handed one to him, we tapped our glasses together.
"I love you, baby. So much." I smiled as I took a sip, and he placed his hand on top of mine.
"I love you too, darling." I smiled as he wrapped an arm around my waist. "Wanna watch Brooklyn 99 while we eat dinner?"
"Sounds like a magical night." I kissed his cheek before taking another sip.
Thirty minutes later, the two of us were cuddled on our couch, now both on our third glass of wine each and finished our dinner. "That casserole was delicious, my love." Tom smiled, pressing multiple kisses to the top of my head.
"Thank you, babe." I smiled as I leaned my head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around me, and we just sit there, a content silence between us as we witnessed the antics on our favorite show.
In fact, I was awoken by a phone call a few hours later. "Hey, Steph. What's up?"
"There's something wrong with the power on set. They had to cancel filming for tomorrow."
"Thank you for letting me know, love. Hey, wanna do lunch tomorrow?"
"Sounds like a plan. See you tomorrow, Grace." As she hung up, I looked over at Tom. He always looked so peaceful when he slept, and normally I would just let him sleep. But now, he looked so uncomfortable that I couldn't.
"Hey, baby. Let's get in bed so our necks aren't sore tomorrow."
"Mmm, okay." I smiled as he stood up slowly, taking my hand and walking to our bedroom. I could tell he was tired, and when we were comfy in bed, he practically fell asleep again immediately.
"I love you." I whispered as I held him close, closing my eyes.
Woah, another double update in one day?! :-)