You fluttered your eyes open feeling the heat of the sun on your face. Remembering what day it is, you immediately smile to yourself excited to shower the love of your life, Tom, with birthday hugs and kisses. You roll over onto your side and frown when you see that Tom's side of the bed is empty. Sitting up, you look around the room you share, yet no sight of the birthday boy. You decide to hop out of bed and walk around the house in search of Tom.
You tiptoe into the kitchen to find Tom sitting at the dining table. With the position he is sitting in, his back is turned to you so he does not acknowledge your presence. You slowly creep up behind him to wrap your arms around his upper body.
"Happy birthday, Tom," you whisper in his ear resting your head on top of his shoulder. His body remains stiff under your touch which concerns you. You loosen your grip around him afraid that you have caught him off guard. When you fully lift yourself off of him, you decide to sit next to him so you can get a glance of his face. The sight of him crushes your heart.
Tom is blankly staring ahead, his face relaxed but his body tense. You only see him in this state when he is upset or depressed. Although you didn't want to know what his true mood was, you hated seeing him like this.
"Tom, baby, what's wrong?" you ask worriedly. You scoot your chair closer to him, which catches his attention. You, then, place your hand on his cheek once he finally looks at you. You stroke your thumb along his cheek where the prickles of his beard end. Tom relaxes under your touch and offers a small yet sad smile.
"I'm 40. I can't believe I'm 40," Tom finally mutters keeping that same smile on his face.
"I know-" you begin but are immediately stopped.
"No, darling, I don't think you do," Tom sighs. "I'm 40. There are things I can no longer do because of my age. And that is only the beginning of it. Who the hell knows what else I will become of me now that I'm 40. What if I can no longer get quality roles? And if I do, what if I am automatically casted as an "old man"? What if I lose my fans because I am no longer a young and upcoming actor? What if you realize that I am too old for you and you leave me for someone closer to your age?" Tom huffs out another breath drooping his head down.
You stand from your chair and crawl into his lap. You wrap your arms back around him and let his head fall into the crook of your neck. As you weave your fingers through Tom's curls, you place a bunch of kisses on top of his head.
"Look, baby, I may not fully understand what you are feeling, but I can reassure you that those thoughts are not true. Your age does not define who you are as an actor, a public figure, and sure as hell not my boyfriend." Tom's head pops up and gazes into your eyes longingly. You blush a bit at his handsome face, but continue.
"The industry loves you. Your fans love you. And I love you so fucking much that the thought of me leaving you for anyone else is out of the question." You let out a short laugh which eases the tension in both of your bodies. Tom flashes a genuine grin at you but focuses his gaze on your lips.
"No one is going anywhere, Tom. You deserve the world more than anyone I know. Don't ever forget that, okay," you murmur as your face inches closer to Tom's. It feels as if you are both magnets naturally pulling towards one another without resistance.
"You are amazing, darling! I love you," Tom responds before connecting his lips to yours. You both hum in joy and smile into the kiss. Your lips slowly move in unison savoring every kiss you exchange. Tom's large hands rest behind your neck with his thumbs directly under your ears. He begins to circle his thumb pads into the area behind your ears causing you to whimper from the sensation. Before the kiss intensifies, you pull away from Tom with a love drunk smile.
