LATIBULE | Tom Holland

chapter five

ONCE AGAIN, HOURS pass as we drive. Toms hand permanently resting on my thigh, the other hand firmly on the steering wheel. the music resounding from the speakers and the warm air flowing in through the open windows makes this moment unique. even though it's not much, after all, we're just driving endless hours along the roads. but i enjoy every single second of it. i completely ignore the blonde girl in the back seat, even though she tries to talk to Tom the whole time.

i stick my arm out the window and let my hand glide on the steady breeze, my hair flying wildly, but i don't care. as i turn back, i see Toms gaze fixed on me, a slight smirk on his pink lips. i lean in a bit and peck his lips. he's surprised by my sudden action, however, in response he takes my hand and places a gentle kiss on it.

after some time we arrive at a cliff, with a beautiful view of the sea. we get out and Tom stands next to me, his hand gently placed on my lower back. "so guys, let's unpack!" Jake calls excited and starts taking the first things out of the car. "girls, where are your tents?" he says in amazement as he rummages through the car, frantically searching for the items.

"we assumed we'd be staying with you guys." Serena says with a wink to Tom. my hand balls in a fist. the boys roll their eyes. "what? two of us can sleep with Tommy and one of us can stay with you or Leo." she says with a devilish smile on her lips, her gaze flicking between me and Tom. the thought of leaving Tom alone in a tent with the two girls gives me goosebumps. "we can work this out later, let's unpack first." Leo says annoyed as he carries the girls' bags downstairs. the girls chatter happily on the way to the beach, while Liv and i help the boys unpack.

"you're not planning to let even one of them sleep with you, are you?" Liv mocks with a raised eyebrow. "there's nothing wrong with it, after all, it's not the first time." he replies. i stay put without moving. it doesn't interest me, or rather, it's none of my business what happened before "our time". but does he seriously want to bring it NOW to sleep in a tent with them? i thought... we were. something. my eyes are glued to the floor as i carry my stuff downstairs without saying anything and leave the others alone.

"hi little one, wait let me help you." a familiar voice says as he takes my bag from me. "thank you Jake." i say with a smile. he puts it where Charlie had already pitched his tent. "are you ok?" Jake asks with a worried voice as he looks down at me. "huh? yeah. everything's fine, i'm just tired." i answer, which was the biggest lie of my life. it's already late afternoon, but i'm not tired at all.

I just can't get the thought of Tom with those girls out of my head.

"I'll leave you alone," the brown-haired boy says with a laugh and goes back to setting up his stuff. Charlie and I exchange a few glances, he knows exactly what's going on with me but doesn't say anything. he knows i'd rather deal with my problems alone. he comes closer to me, his gaze focused on someone behind me, most likely Tom.

"just let me know if you want me to beat him up" he whispers in my ear, making me laugh. even though he's often just annoying, he's the best brother you could ever ask for. i feel a cold hand on my back and soon after a chin placed on my shoulder. "why did you leave so quickly?" the boy asks me with a kiss on my neck. i get goosebumps, but try to keep my composure. "I didn't want to get in the way of you setting up your tent with the girls." i almost whisper and break free from his grip to take my things into the tent.

some time passes, we are back outside and Charlie start to grill. "let's play dare or strip. who is first only in underwear must go into the sea" suggests Sabrina. "i'm in" i answer quickly, drawing everyone's gaze. i really couldn't care less, especially since i'm still wearing my bikini underneath anyway. everyone else agrees too, finally Tom sits down next to me. "i'm sorry about earlier. i didn't mean it that way." he whispers in my ear, which brings butterflies to my stomach. "i don't see how you could mean it any other way." i reply flippantly, earning a confused look from him.