I let out a sigh as I walk out of work. Exhausted as I am, I was excited for a nice, relaxing weekend. Emphasis on was. On Fridays, I get out of work at noon and go home to start my weekend with Tom. I had told him that this weekend I had Monday off so we had a three day weekend, which made him happy. We had almost reached two months together, so we wanted to plan to go out to dinner and celebrate. Until he comes running over to me the night before with the biggest smile on his face.
"(Y/N)!" Tom jumps over the couch with his phone in his hand, landing next to me.
"Tom!" I yell back, smiling.
"You have a three day weekend-" He beams.
"I do, what does that have to do with anything?"
"We got an invite for a charity event in Atlanta, well I did, but I'm bringing you since you're my wife, but it's a big, fancy dinner on Friday. Then they are having like a family carnival thing on Saturday, and-"
"Tom," I put my hand over his, "I still have to work tomorrow, who will take care of Tess if we are gone-"
"I have that covered. Since Haz got invited as well, without a plus one which was odd, Emily offered to stay the weekend."
"I don't even own anything that is remotely fancy enough for that-"
"Then let's go out and buy something!" Tom shoots up and begins to pull on my hand, making me laugh.
"Hon, it's ten-thirty at night. I am exhausted." I state, giggling at his excitable antics.
"I really want you to come with me." He pouts.
"I know you do! I can see it!" I say, slightly swinging our intertwined hands.
"What if I bought you something?" He plays with my fingers after stopping our swaying, "A couple of things, that way you can pick and we can still go."
"You would have to take someone with you-"
"I may have already talked to Emily and Jamie..." He looks at me through his lashes.
I sigh and nod. "Did you already buy plane tickets?" He nods excitedly, I sigh again, giving in. "Fine, but you have to remember that I have been working all week. I don't know how long I will be able to last you tomorrow."
"We won't stay late, I promise." He looks at me with so much affection. I let him pull me from my place on the couch and let him drag me to our room.
I pull my cell phone out of my bag to see what I had to still worry about when I got home. I notice that Tom had sent several texts earlier today.
Current Husband
Why are there so many choices?
I'm glad I am not here by myself
Correction, Emily and Jamie have disappeared.
People are giving me funny looks, help.
Found Emily
An image is attached, it's a picture of Emily holding about seven dresses in her arms, flipping him off
She asked me what colors you look good in and I said all of them
She said that doesn't help her.
Found Jamie
An image of Jamie holding another five dresses smiling at the camera
Girl stuff is weird.
We picked four out of all of them.
I hope you like them.
I finished packing, and the girls are just here. They want to help you pick.
Jamie and Emily also packed your toiletries, because I'm clueless.
I giggle at the large amount of messages, and slip into my car and head back to the house. Once I pull into the driveway and enter the house I am swept away by Emily to the bedroom.
"Okay," Emily pulls out a navy blue dress from the bed. Jamie is sitting crossed legged on the mattress. "Try this one."
I sigh and shut the door and strip. After I have the dress on I look in the mirror and shake my head. "Not this one," I murmur.
"Why?" Emily says with a pout.
"Too much boobs." Jamie says from the bed, making a face. I nod and unzip it and hand it back to Emily. Jamie points at another blue dress. "Try that one, I think the slit is a little too high, but we didn't know."
I pull the dress on but I can't even get it past my hips. "Not working, I think the slit would have been fine though." I laugh.
"Tom picked that one by himself," Emily points at a red dress. "And we all decided on that one." She points at a black dress. I grab the red one, liking that it has capped sleeves and had a sweetheart neckline. I slip into the dress and Emily zips me up.
"That looks really good!" Jamie squeals, clapping her hands.
Emily purses her lips and nods. "You look sexy, Tom chose well."
I stare at myself in the mirror. The wine colored dress hugs all my curves just the right way making my figure look thinner, and giving me a much sexier appeal. I never would have thought that I would like the way it holds me. I feel beautiful, and in a much more revealing dress than I would chosen for myself. "He really did," I say more to myself before turning a little to look at myself at a different angle. "I think I am just going to go with this one, unzip me?" I ask as Emily leans forward and unzips me.
"I'd like to make the point that the dress makes your butt look really good." Emily says, wiggling her eyebrows. Jamie and I laugh, and I wiggle the rest of the way out of the dress and slip into the closet grab a pair of shoes to be added to the suitcase, then change into a pair of leggings and a t-shirt for the flight. The girls help me zip the suitcase and finally walk it out into the living room. Haz and Tom are talking to themselves but break apart as we walk in.
"What did you pick?" Tom smiles his eyes sparkling in excitement. He walks over and takes the bag from me.
"You'll see later." I say, winking at him. "When does the flight leave?"
"We should head to the airport now so we aren't late." Haz cuts in, walking over to Emily and pecks her lips. I turn and hug Jamie then Emily afterward.
"Thank you for going with Tom, I really appreciate it." I say as I pull away to look at the girls.
"Not a problem!" Emily smiles.
"Just have fun!" Jamie says following us out the door to get in her own car to leave.
"We will!" Tom calls, taking my hand in his. We get in our car and back out of the driveway. "On our way!" Tom yells making Haz and I laugh.
"Can I come in?" Tom calls from behind the door as I get ready for the charity dinner. I am standing in the bathroom in only a black bra and underwear applying makeup.
"Tom, you have to wait, I'm not decent!"
"(Y/N), I've seen you naked-"
"Tom, we were drunk out of our minds and neither of us remember it. You can't use that as a way to get in here."
"I have to pee!" He whines behind the door. I groan and unlock the door. He opens it and mutters, "I'll be quick." I keep my eyes on my reflection while he relieves himself. I stare at my makeup covered face and frown at my reflection. This was going to bug me by the end of the night, but I had to be dressed up for tonight so it didn't matter. Tom comes back over and bumps my hip to move me from in front of the sink to wash his hands before looking at me in the mirror applying eyeliner. "Wow." He breathes.
"What?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him in the mirror.
"I don't think I have ever seen you with makeup on." He muses, looking at me awestruck.
I blush and shrug. "That's because I have sensitive skin and don't like to wear it. Plus, it takes too long to put on." I murmur, Tom leans on the counter and watches me as I finish. I check my curling iron to see if it is hot or not before curling a few strands that did not want to cooperate. I glance at Tom and see that he is still staring. "What's wrong, did I mess something up?"
"No, no, no!" He says raising his hands defensively, "It's just that I have never seen you like this and I, I don't know how to feel about it."
"Does it look bad?" I ask nervously, I furrow my brows as my mind runs wild.
He is quick to shake his head, easing my frazzled thoughts. "You look beautiful, (Y/N)." I stare at him for a minute. Quickly, he shakes his head as if to pull him from his own thoughts and lets out a laugh, "I probably should finish getting ready too." He walks out of the room, but not before taking one last glance at me.
I let out a breathe that I didn't realize I was holding in and do last minute touches before slipping into the dress. "Tom?" I walk back into the bedroom, "Can you zip me?"
He turns while he buttons his white dress shirt but stops when he sees me, his mouth falling agape. "You look absolutely radiant." He states, unmoving.
"Thank you," I giggle while walking toward him and finish buttoning his shirt, "But I need you to zip me up so we can go."
"Right," he mutters as I turn. I feel his fingers brush my hair away from the zipper before dancing his fingers down to where the zipper sits a few inches above my pantie line.He pulls the zipper at an agonizing pace, making it more intimate than I thought possible. I turn and look at him with a small smile and grab his tie and suit jacket from off the bed. He just keeps looking at me, his eyes darting to different places on my face. I laugh, throwing his tie around his neck bringing him back to reality, also to hide the fact that I'm blushing. He takes the tie and puts it on while I grab my shoes and slip them on. He walks over to me and offers me his arm before we walk out of the hotel room.
Harrison is waiting downstairs with a man also dressed in a suit. "Tom, (Y/N), this is Alex. He is going to be our driver tonight. He will be on call for us whenever we are ready to leave." Alex puts his hand out and Tom shakes his hand before he repeats the gesture toward me. "Let's go, the event starts soon." We follow him outside and Alex opens the door for us. Haz crawls in first, then Tom, and finally me. The drive is uneventful, I fidget the closer we get and once I see the venue I tighten my hand that is wrapped around my wrist.
"Hey," Tom whispers, pulling my hand into his. "Everything will be fine. I'll be with you the entire time." I smile back at him and nod.
If only that had been true. After two hours, Tom got pulled away to talk to a few people and promised he would be back momentarily. However, I have been sitting at our table for over two hours and haven't seen him in the crowd since. I nervously pull my phone out and check the time. Eleven, I sigh and hide a yawn behind my hand. I stand and begin to wonder in the crowd to try and find Tom, or at least Harrison. I slip between groups of conversations, trying not to disturb anyone. After fifteen minutes, I find Harrison and walk over had stand with him, he smiles at me. "Lose Tom?"
"Like, over an hour ago." I murmur.
He looks at me in confusion, "Really? That's not like him."
"He's just talking to people. It's fine," I lie, wrapping my arms around myself subconsciously.
Haz gives me a look, showing that he knows that I am lying, but nods. He then introduces me to who he is talking to, and makes sure to include me in the conversation. After another hour I want nothing more than to go back to the hotel and sleep. "Hey, I'm going to head back to the hotel, do you want to come with?" Harrison asks resting a hand on my shoulder.
I shake my head. "No, I'll wait for Tom. Just have Alex come straight back after he drops you off. Maybe I can find Tom by then."
"(Y/N), you look like you're going to pass out any minute. I'll text Tom so when he is done and is looking for us he can just come back."
"Mrs. Holland! Can I ask you a few questions?" A new voice causes me to lift my head from my hand. She is definitely a reporter. She is wearing a tight outfit that shows too much of everything. Her blonde hair bouncing as she makes her way over.
I give her a small smile. "I'm sorry, I don't really-"
"Please," she begs softly, "It'll take only a few minutes."
I give in, too tired really to fight. "What can I do for you?"
She squeals and puts a tape recorder to her mouth. "How is being married to a rising star?" She moves the recorder toward me.
"Everything is wonderful." I answer plainly.
"No fighting between you and Tom at all?"
"None."
"So, you think the honeymoon phase will end soon or-"
"This really is not the time or place," Harrison cuts in. "This is a charity event, not an excuse to get all the dirt you are looking for."
"I wasn't asking you, Mr. Osterfield." She flips her hair and looks back at me.
"I'm sorry-" I start, standing.
"No, it's fine Mrs. Holland. Now-"
"No, I am apologizing because Harrison is right. And right now, I don't think answering questions is smart." She opens her mouth to say more, but I cut her off, "I apologize for wasting your time." Harrison motions for me and I allow him to place a hand on the small of my back to lead me away from the reporter. I let out a sigh, finally seeing Tom. I point him out to Harrison before walking over to him. I slip an arm around Tom's waist causing him to jump.
"Who is-"
"Hey, handsome." I feel him relax against me. "Tom, I'm going to head back to the hotel with Haz-"
"No, hey, stay just for a little while longer-"
"Tom, I'm exhausted." I say moving so I am no longer behind him. "It's past midnight," I mutter loud enough so only he can hear, "and I've been working all week." Tom opens his mouth but is cut off by the man he was talking to.
"Looks like the wife is ready to go, huh Tom?" He looks at Tom teasingly then at me, his gaze hardening. "Look sweetheart, Tom has more important things to worry about than you being tired. Why don't you leave so we can finish our conversation-"
"Excuse me?" I say, my hand moving to my hip. I shake my head and look at the man coldly, "You know what, I will. I'm sorry I interrupted this important conversation." I turn, pulling away from Tom's grip on my hip and walk toward the entrance where Harrison is waiting. He raises an eyebrow in question, but when I shake my head, he offers me an arm and make our way down to the car.
Alex opens the door and Haz climbs in, then offers me a hand to climb in. Just as Alex is closing the door he stops. Only then do I see Tom jogging down the stairs toward us, he reopens the door and Tom climbs in. The car ride is quiet and I can feel the tension in the air.
When we get back to the hotel, paparazzi are waiting. Tom climbs out first and helps me out before making our way inside. Harrison tries to talk to Tom but he is unresponsive, his jaw set in frustration. Haz looks at me and I shake my head as well, not wanting to reiterate what had happened.
"Goodnight, Haz." I say as Tom catches my wrist and tugs me to our room. I don't hear him respond, only the sound of our hotel room shutting.
Tom walks inside and hastily rips off his tie and runs a hand through his hair. "What the hell was that?" Tom whispers
"Tom-"
"What the hell was that! (Y/N), you embarrassed me in front of potential producers!" He growls.
"Excuse me?" I move toward him, "I embarrassed you?"
"Yes."
"I wasn't the one who was LEFT at our table for four fucking hours!" I yell back.
He is taken aback my my tone of voice, his eyes visibly harden. He mumbles, "I was talking to people-"
"You promised me you wouldn't leave me alone." I argue, raking my hand through my hair, my hand getting stuck on bobby pins as I do, "I'm so tired, Tom." My voice quivers.
"Oh, are you tired of me, of the party-"
"I worked all week!" I scream, tears of frustration and exhaustion fall down my face, smearing in my mascara. "I told you I had only so much left of me tonight-"
"So I left you to relax-"
"You left me to do whatever the hell you wanted." I growl, sitting down on the bed and taking my shoes off. "And then when I finally find you," one shoe flies across the room, then the other. "Those potential producers talk to me like, like I'm a fucking two year old, and you let them." I look at him.
"You were acting like one." He mutters.
I go wide eyed. "Are you fucking kidding me!?" I yell, walking over to him. "If you didn't want me to come, why did you bring me along!"
"Because you're my wife-"
"No, because you wanted to show me off. I'm not some toy, Tom. I'm a person, a person who has never done anything like this, and you threw me in the deep end without any fucking floaties." I turn and walk away from him, attempting to pull the zipper down myself, and failing miserably.
"If you didn't want to go, why did you?" He demands lowly.
I let out a bitter laugh and look at him. "You wanted me to. You asked me, you come up to me last night with the most excitable expression, and made me believe that in every aspect you would be right there, and you weren't." I turn away from him and angrily give up on the zipper and wipe my eyes. "At least Harrison made sure I wasn't alone the last hour because I couldn't find you. At least he cares-"
"You think I don't care, for Christ's sake, (Y/N)." He moves toward me quickly, but stops and rubs a hand down his face. "You know what? I'm just going to leave before I do something drastically stupid,-" he walks right past me and out the door- "but it seems I already did that today." He slams it behind him.
I stare at the door before wiping my nose and walking back into the bathroom. I look into the mirror and see my tear stained cheeks. I shake my head and wash my face, and finally get out of the dress, throwing it in the corner of the bathroom before I changing into PJs. I crawl into bed, burying my face into the pillow, and let the rest of the tears fall.
At two in the morning, the door opens. I'm laying in bed staring at the wall in front of me, wiping a few straggling tears from my eyes. I hear Tom let out a sigh before he shuffles over to the bed. I expect him to sit on his side and get ready for bed, but instead he sits next to me. He doesn't make a move to touch me, making my heart ache more.
"I shouldn't have left you alone," he begins. "Or let those producers talk to you in that way. It was wrong, and I know apologizing won't change anything, but I am deeply sorry." He looks at me, but I can't meet his eyes. "You didn't embarrass me, it's just that -" he runs his hand through his hair,- "that ever since this marriage, I haven't done anything or seen anyone and - and I just wanted that for a night. And I completely pushed out the thought of making sure we didn't stay late, or that I left you alone all night, and I know I should have thought about that more." He pauses, his eyes boring a hole into my head, "(Y/N), please look at me." His voice cracks, making me look at him. He sees my tear stained face and lets out a sob. "I- I am so- so sorry." He reaches out and brushes his thumb under my eyes, I sit up and let him me toward him. "Please talk to me, I wanted you to come, I shouldn't have expected so much of you, I'm sorry-"
"Tom?" I whimper, wrapping an arms around his neck, pulling him closer
"Yes, (Y/N)?"
"I'm sorry, I overreacted, I was just tired. It wasn't your fault-"
"You didn't overreact, (Y/N)-"
"We should have just talked through it. I know you spend a lot of time at home, you don't see a lot of people. I acted on stress."
"You had every right." He tightens his grip on me, "I wanted you to come, I wanted people to see the wonderful person I have been spending so much time with. I just, I let everything go to my head."
"It's over now, I forgive you. I'm just glad we are talking about it."
"I can promise you that we will always talk about stuff," He pulls me closer, if that were even possible. "And never go to bed angry."
"I don't think I'll ever be able to go to bed alone anyways since we never did try to sleep alone after moving in."
Tom laughs and leans his head against mine. "Yeah, we didn't do that."
I smile and run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. After awhile I let out a sigh. "Tom?"
"Hmm?"
"I think you and I have spent a lot of time together, maybe we both need some time apart-"
"No, hey, please-" he pulls back to look at me.
"No, Tom," I move my hand to keep him close, looking at me. "You said it yourself, you don't see people anymore. Why not after this, you go see your family and friends in London? It gives you time for yourself then." He searches my eyes for anything else, he looks almost afraid. I brush a thumb under his eye to wipe a tear away. "I'll be waiting for you when you get back, besides, I have work and Tess to worry about."
"You- you wouldn't mind?" His thumb mirrors my past action.
"Of course not, Tom. I'd miss my family if I lived in a different country, it would make me happy to see you happy."
He smiles and nods "Okay, I'll book a flight when we get home. But now, I think we need to go to bed or we are going to both be too tired to do anything later." I nod, letting him pull me into bed with him, only after he strips to his boxers and pulls me too him.
I lay with my head on Tom's chest. The rising and falling usually lulls me to sleep easily, but not tonight. I lift my head to look up at Tom's face. It's finally peaceful, and it's almost like I'm seeing him for the first time. My head is reeling, because I now can see that my crush on Tom is no longer manageable, how am I going to be able to let him go after spending so much time with him? Seeing him in a light that not everyone can; the softer side, when he knows I'm tired from working and wants nothing more than to make me feel better. The childish side, when he throws himself on top of me or throws me over his shoulder and runs around the house with me because I'm acting too serious. The serious side, when I go off about something that happened at work and need another opinion on, even if I don't want it. How am I going to be able to go back to being alone? I shift slightly, and when I do, Tom pulls me closer. His nose burying itself into my hairline and letting out a long breath. I shut my eyes and just let myself live in the moment.
God, what am I going to do?