𝘈 𝘙𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘭 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 //𝘛.𝘍 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 //

Part 2 || 12 - Damage Control

"Here" Stefan said placing his coat on me. All of us had gotten wet in the rain. After what Tom said, it took us all a few minutes to react. I didn't, I just kept staring at the direction he left. It was minutes after Stef gave me his coat, I still didn't move. "Come on, we'll drop you" Stefan said holding Nicole's hand. I looked at him, "No, Stef, my apartment's just two blocks away, I'll walk home" I said hugging myself.

"What? It's raining, Y/N, I'm not leaving you alone like this" he said taking my wrist. He pulled me to take cover below a coffee shop's roof. "I'll be fine, please, I just need to be alone right now" I said and started walking home. He pulled me in a hug and said, "It'll be alright. I know it will be. Just remember, we're always here. I love you"

I looked up from his chest, looked at Nico, held out an arm for her, so that she could join in the hug, "I love you too" I cooed before heading back home. The whole way home, all I could think about how much Tom hid from me, how much happier he seemed at set, or - or how much happier he showed he was on our lives. And I call myself his best friend? Shame on me that I couldn't see what my best friend was going through. He was right, he needed me and where I was? Enjoying my life, constantly forgetting about him, unnecessarily fighting with him.

I mean, now I think I don't want him to know about my feelings. With this outburst that he had, I don't think everything will be okay between us and sure as hell, me telling him that - 'Hey, Tom. I am in love with you' is going to help at all.

I don't know how people hate the rain. It's like an amazing noise of nature, like it's singing, even when it's raining heavily. Some people love that noise and some find it off-putting. As for me, I believe, that just like humans need a good cry, the sky does too. And I know girl, you haven't in a long time.

I struggle to put my key in the keyhole, because of my shaky hands. I should've listened to Stefan, I should've let him drive me home. I am most definite that I caught a cold in the rain. I remember, when I was a little girl, whenever it used to rain, I used to run out to my backyard and dance in the rain. My dad would always yell from inside the house, but as time went by and he realized that I wouldn't listen to him, he would just plop down at the entry to the backyard, watching me play and dance.

Whenever the rain stopped or I would get tired, whichever came earlier, my dad used to make me hot soup to calm my cold nerves and help me get back to bed. What he said was true, right now, as my shaky hands touch the door knob, I have a huge craving for his soup.

I am my Daddy's little baby girl.

I took Stefan's coat off of me, placing my keys down, I heard quiet sobs, murmuring and groans. Did someone break into my house? I bit my lip from whimpering as the cold air hit my bare back. I turn my head to see a window open, Tom's favorite one. He loves to sit there and gaze at the beautiful view it has of sunsets. Given the fact that the window was open, it was Tom in my bathroom.

I softly knock at the half-open door, "Tom?" I call out and he stops whatever he is doing. He doesn't say anything for a minute, neither do I. Then again, as I'm about to enter, I hear some noises, like plastic gloves or something. I quickly swing the door open to see Tom dyeing his own hair black. I run to him and throw the brush down. He looks at me with heavy eyes.

Without thinking, I wrap my hands around his neck and pull him into a hug. He wraps his black hair colored hands around my back, surely it's going to be hard for that to come off. He starts bawling, tightening his grip at every escaped sob. We stayed there for a few minutes before I could realize what he was doing, he left the bathroom and eventually my apartment.

••••••

It has been three months since prom. Three months since Tom called me. Three months since he even texted me or visited me. He left the key to my house that he always had with him on my kitchen counter before he left that day. I had no courage to call him because subconsciously, I think I believe whatever he said. I had been sick the first week so I came back to live in the mansion, where my parents are currently living before even they leave for America again. They had to leave early but seeing my condition, they decided to postpone.

Dad has been taking care of me, trying to cheer me up. It was currently September, I was going to start my college tomorrow and was one month away to the premiere. I had broken up with Rob when he visited me, it was intense, he didn't expect it, but that's a topic for another time.

I was curled up in bed with my penguin, trying to comfort the absence of the person who gave me that, wiping my tears every second, I heard a knock. I hadn't left my room in three months, I didn't answer to any door knocks that happened throughout the day or night. My dad used to come check up on me every night, thinking that I was asleep but I wasn't. He would tell me lovely stories of me from my childhood, he would whisper sweet things to make me feel better, he would even tell me stories of Tom and I from when we were kids.

I didn't answer the knock, my mom came in. "Hey, sweetie. How you feelin'?" she asked she plopped next to me on the bed. I had my back faced to her, so she put a hand on my shoulder, making me open my eyes. "There's someone who would like to meet you"

"I don't want to see anybody" I said hoarsely. She puts her hand down on the bed, "I don't think he's going to go without seeing you"

He?

When I didn't answer her, she said, "I'm going to send him up" and left the room. I still didn't move from my place, hugging the toy tighter at every warm tear that escaped my eyes. The door opened and a familiar scent filled my nose. I didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Hey" he said awkwardly. After all these months, he says 'hey'! I sat up straight on the bed, turned around and marched over to that idiot. I slapped him directly and his eyes widen at my outburst. What did he expect? That I'll welcome him in with open arms?

"After all these months, three to be precise, you say 'hey'! You made me hate myself for the past few months, you made me hate my career that I made by my hard work, yes, I'm not saying that you didn't help me, you did, but you weren't the one doing the hard work for me, you weren't the one where I had to pull all-nighters at set, you weren't the one who didn't have to stay awake late at nights to complete tons of assignments. And you think I wasn't there for you? I slapped and kicked Castillo after you left that night, in front of everyone, even the teachers. I was there Tom, but when you got Melissa, you pushed yourself away. Maybe you found comfort in her that you found in me and I have no problem with that, I am glad that you found her-" I was rambling in one breath, tears brimming my eyes, but he cut me off with a hug, a very tight hug.

The minute he wrapped his arms around me and it made me feel like they were never apart really as his arms embraced my body. I wrapped my hands around him as warm tears flowed down our cheeks. Neither of us wanted to let go and so we didn't. We just stayed there like that. He pulled away, cupped my cheek and wiped my tears. (Haha! You thought...)

"I hope that you are never gone from me again" I blurted as he chuckled lightly. I wiped his tears and we talked on my bed for a while. There was a knock at the door, we whipped our heads to see my Dad smiling. "Knew you could do it, son!" he said looking at Tom. I smiled widely as I realized that Dad told him to come here. I walked up to him, hugging him tightly, I said, "Thank you, Daddy. For everything" he chuckled and kissed the top of my head.

"And I enjoyed all the stories that you told, maybe we could make that a regular or a monthly thing?" I asked pulling away. He looked embarrassed as he realized that I wasn't sleeping all those nights and that I heard him share his feelings to me. He didn't say anything and left the room. I turned around to see Tom shuffling through my closet's drawers, just like everything was back to normal.

"Can you do some damage control?" he said pulling out a pair of scissors and a comb.