Breaking Free (Tom Holland) Book Two

BFB2 Chapter 11

Zac was about to get thrown out of my house. Aiden had been feeling under the weather so he had stayed at the hotel. Zac, on the other hand, had come to my house and decided to destroy it. I watched as he went through my closet. He pulled each piece out one by one, looked it over, and then tossed it on the floor. There were four separate mounds of clothes scattered around my room. And all of them had been personally rejected by my best friend.

"Don't you have anything good in here?" he scoffed. "I'm pretty sure I slipped a couple of good outfits in your suitcase."

"You did. You're holding one of them in your hand right now," I replied.

He regarded the dress he held for a moment before tossing it onto the floor as well. Turning towards the last four garments that hung in my closet Zac let out a long sigh. He turned on his heel and grabbed my purse. "Come on, we're going shopping," he declared as he marched out of my house. I gave Tessa a good-bye kiss before scrambling after the purse thief.

"Can I have my purse back yet?" I asked for the third time. We were walking around a large outdoor mall. Zac would go up to a store, look through the window at their displays, and then walk away shaking his head. I wasn't sure what exactly he was looking for but I knew it was going to take a long time to find it.

"No. I'm the holder of the purse strings today," Zac informed me.

I raised my eyebrows at him. "Is this shopping trip for me or for you?"

"That is not something you need to concern yourself with," he snorted.

"I beg to differ," I snapped. I lunged for my purse. Zac thwarted me by simply turning and holding his arm up so I couldn't reach it. I rolled my eyes and admitted defeat.

Zac finally found a store that agreed with him. We walked inside and were immediately blinded by the large mirrored walls and the three massive chandeliers that hung in a row from the ceilings. A woman wearing a black pencil skirt, white dress shirt, and a black vest approached us. "How may I help you today?" she inquired.

"I'm looking for something for my friend to wear. She has a hot date tonight," Zac declared.

"Oh excellent," the attendant exclaimed. She clapped her hands excitedly. "Is this your first date?"

"No. We've been together for a while," I replied.

The attendant nodded and smiled. She seemed to pause for a minute. Her eyes became as huge as saucers when she realized who she was talking to. "Of course!" She clapped her hands again. "If you two wouldn't mind following me I think we can find the perfect outfit for your date tonight."

We followed her all throughout the store. She suggested a ton of outfits but most of them were vetoed by Zac. He did accept a few of her suggestions and it was those that we took back to the fitting rooms. My first outfit was a tight black dress that came down to the middle of my thigh. It was sleek, tight, and left little to the imagination. I gazed at myself in the mirror before ultimately deciding against the dress.

"This one is a no," I called from in the fitting room.

"You don't know that," Zac protested.

"I think I do," I replied.

"Don't make me come in there. Let me see it before you take it off."

I relented and exited the fitting room. Zac's face lit up in delight when he saw the outfit. His delight quickly faded when he saw the look on my face. He agreed to move on to the next outfit. Outfit after outfit were thrown to the side. We couldn't see eye to eye on anything. The attendant was quickly running out of options. The reject pile was so big it took two people to get it out of the fitting room. Once we had exhausted all of our options we thanked the attendant and got ready to leave. We were just about to head out of the door when we heard someone call out to us.

"Wait!" the attendant cried. Her face was red from running. "I have one more outfit for you to try!"

Zac and I were about to decline her offer when another attendant came running over with the outfit in question. It was a floor length red gown with a slit that went all the way up the leg. A gold chain created a halter and the neckline hung loose in the front. The back was completely out. Zac and I looked at each other. "Okay. I can try one more," I said.

The dress fit wonderfully. It hugged me in all of the right places. Even though there was a lot of skin showing, it didn't feel like it. The attendant brought me a pair of red heels that matched perfectly. When I stepped out of the fitting room Zac gasped. His hands flew over his mouth in surprise. "It's so perfect I could cry," he breathed. "Tom is going to love you in that."

That evening I admired myself in the mirror. My makeup was immaculate. Zac had curled my hair so that it fell over my shoulders in cascading waves. The dress looked even better on me now than it had in the store. I could only hope Tom felt the same way.

"Your car is here!" Zac called from the living room. He sat on my couch stuffing his face with chips.

"Shouldn't you be going back to your fiancé?" I wondered.

Zac shrugged. "He's probably asleep. Besides, someone has to hang back and keep Tessa company."

I grabbed my purse and headed for the door. "At least give him a call. Make sure he's okay."

Zac waved his finger at me. "Don't worry about my relationship. Focus on yours."

"Roger that," I replied before leaving for my date. I hopped into the car that Tom had sent for me and headed off towards our romantic evening.

The restaurant was stunning. It was the epitome of fine dining. I felt like a goddess as I followed the hostess through the restaurant and into a private room. The host pulled my chair out for me. I thanked him and sat down. Not long after a waitress approached me.

"What can I get for you to drink tonight?" She asked.

"I'll just have a sparkling water for now," I responded.

"Should I remove your wine glasses?"

"That won't be necessary. We'll order wine once my other half gets here."

"Understood. Are you going to wait for him to order your food as well?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. I'll bring your water shortly."

The waitress turned on her heel and walked away. I pulled out my phone to see if Tom had texted me yet. Oddly enough he hadn't. I shot him a short text to gauge where he was.

Me: Hey hot stuff. Have you left the filming site yet?

My water arrived. I took a long sip and gazed at the murals on the walls. They were a blend of beautiful colors that showed the city landscape. My phone buzzed. I quickly picked it up and opened my messages.

Zac: Where's Tessa's food?

My shoulders slumped in disappointment. I answered Zac before putting my phone down once again. Time seemed to stretch as I waited and waited. The waitress kept my glass full. Each time she came out her expression became more pitiable. After the longest three hours of my life I got up to go use the bathroom. When I returned I was startled to find that the table had been cleared.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I thought you had left," the waitress said coming up behind me. "Let me reset your table for you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm going to call my boyfriend to see where he is and go from there," I replied.

"Let me know if you need anything," the waitress said before scurrying away.

I dialed Tom's number. My heart beat loudly in my chest as I listened to each ring. Then it sank to pit of my stomach as I reached his voicemail. I choked back tears as I gathered up my stuff. Then I called a cab to take me home.