✔️ Midnight Sparks『 T.H. 』✧･ﾟ:*

Chapter 22: One fleeting moment

I would like to leave this city

This old town don't smell too pretty

And I can feel the warning signs running around my mind

- AURORA

- - -

"No, no. There's nothing to be worried about," Tom hastily assured me. "I'm picking up the call now."

He cleared his throat before hitting the 'Accept video call' button on the screen. "Hello, Dad."

"Tom! Good morning," a jovial voice tinged in British accent responded. I decided to scoot away from Tom to give him the tiniest shred of privacy, but not before peeking to see a middle-aged man with glasses and Tom's jawline filling up the phone screen.

"Didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?" Tom's dad asked.

"Well, I'm in an Uber right now and the signal isn't the best. And as you can see, it's pretty dim here in the car..."

Strangely enough, Tom sounded more than a little uncomfortable as he spoke. From day one, he had been the most easygoing person I knew. Had I even seen this side of Tom before? I couldn't recall.

"Right, right," his dad replied.

"You're up early, Dad. Isn't it like 6AM over there?"

"Yes, well, your mother has to leave the house at 7 today and she woke me up. So I was just pottering around the kitchen, making tea and checking the news on my phone... And guess what I found? My oldest son in the tabloids."

Tom groaned. "Dad, you know you shouldn't read those things."

"It wasn't intentional. It just popped up and I think it might interest you anyway – are you by any chance in the company of a mysterious petite blonde right now?"

I involuntarily gasped while Tom leaned in closer to the phone screen.

"What?! Did the tabloids say that?" he asked in surprise.

"Breaking news, in fact," his father confirmed. "Someone spotted you entering and then leaving a Mexican restaurant in Manhattan, hand in hand with said mysterious petite blonde. There were quite a few photos. I just thought you should know..."

"Thanks, Dad. Appreciate the heads up." Tom exhaled loudly, turning to give me an apologetic glance.

"Is she there with you? I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your date."

"Uhh yes she's here..."

"Oh. Hello there! I'm Dom," his father called out cheerfully. "What's her name?"

"Dad, this is really not the best time –"

"Right, of course. I should let you go then. We'll talk again soon. You know how your mother has been worrying about you moping around like a lost puppy the last time you were home..."

Tom rubbed his chin, trying to muster a smile. "Yeah, well I'm better now. You can tell Mum that. Tell her not to worry."

Tom's discomfort was causing me discomfort. I hated it. I could feel my defense mechanism kicking in, and my walls going up.

"Okay. Bye bye, Tom. Take care of yourself, son."

After hanging up, Tom turned to me. His finger traced my sleeved arm and I was surprised by how I felt compelled to pull away.

"Ali..." He began, then paused, as if trying to gauge my reaction.

"What was that about?" I asked quietly, unsure if I wanted to carry out this conversation when the driver was within earshot.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to get overwhelmed – Dad can get overly enthusiastic and really persist with his questions."

"He seemed nice."

"Yeah, he's the best." Tom's voice softened. "I guess I want to, I don't know, do this the right way? Get you to officially agree to be my girlfriend before unleashing my family onto you. They can be a handful. They'd probably post an invitation card tomorrow asking you to spend Christmas with them."

"If England is in any way less cold than the icy wonderland of Warren, count me in," I joked, trying to break the awkwardness.

But I realized the awkwardness was bubbling from somewhere within me. I inhaled deeply before continuing to speak, "Trev, are you – ashamed of me or something? Is this about me not being good enough to be introduced to your family?"

Tom could not look more shocked. "Ali, why would you think that? It's crazy."

"Because." I chewed on my bottom lip. "Earlier with Jacob, you had no problem at all talking about me. You were at ease, joking and all. But with your dad just now? You were really tense."

Tom nodded. "It looked bad, I know. I'm so sorry. It's just – "

"What is it, Trev? You know you can tell me anything, right?" I looked at him imploringly.

He let out a shaky breath. "I don't know..."

"What? You don't know if you can trust me? Is that it?"

"No, that's not it at all." Tom pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I was an idiot just now. I have no idea why I acted like that."

Well, that makes two of us.

The SUV slowed down and I saw the hotel looming ahead. "I gotta go," I said, my voice still low, wishing I was anywhere but here right now.

Tom leaned in toward me. "Ali, don't leave. Please?"

It's you. You're the one making me leave.

"I'm just... tired," I told Tom, averting his gaze. It wasn't a total lie. I was emotionally drained. "I think it's best that I go back home. Can you call Hank for me and see if he's available? Otherwise I can just call for a cab back to Warren. It's not a big deal."

"Ali..."

"Please?"

"Look, Ali, I'll hate myself if we left things like this... I don't even know when's the next chance we'll get to meet. I'm going to have back-to-back filming for Cherry after this and then I'll be flying back to England for Christmas holidays after – "

"We'll... figure something out." I crossed my arms, eyes cast downward on my shoes. "I'm sorry. I just need to go now. Okay?"

Tom heaved a long, pained sigh, before finally replying, "Okay."

"Thanks." I reached to pull the door handle and exited the SUV.

I heard Tom's footsteps following from behind, but I couldn't bring myself to look back.

I suddenly felt very alone, trembling in the frigid air of a big city that had shone so brightly for us earlier tonight – but its glow was starting to dim at this late, vexed hour.

I was such a fool.

For one fleeting moment, I had let my guard down completely, allowing myself to be vulnerable. To believe that I'd found someone worth taking a leap of faith for, and that he would always light up my world.

But now, darkness was taking over everything.