Breaking Free (Tom Holland) Book Two

BFB2 Chapter 12

I needed another box of tissues. I climbed out of bed and blindly found my way to the kitchen. It was 2 AM but I barely had the energy to go get more tissues let alone turn on the light. I had blown past Zac when I arrived home and locked myself in my room. Then, knowing Zac's lockpicking level, I had barricaded myself in my closet. I ignored Zac's pleas for me to talk to him and chose instead to wait until he gave up and left. Unfortunately for me, that took an hour and a half. I waited in the closet for an additional 45 minutes after Zac left just to make sure he was gone. Only then did I emerge. I peeled off my dress and threw it into the corner of my room. I managed to evade the water works until I had thrown on one of Tom's t-shirts and climbed into bed.

Tessa approached my face when she heard the sound of my sniffles. She gently licked the tears that slid down my face. It had been weeks since I had been able to say more than two words to Tom so I had been looking forward to spending the evening with him. And yet here I was at 2 AM and I still hadn't heard a word from him.

Somehow I managed to find the box of tissues. I stumbled my way back to bed and burrowed underneath the duvet. I had just created a nice nest when I heard my phone vibrate. I froze. There was no way I was in any state to talk to anyone. My phone continued to ring until it finally sent the call to voicemail. I relaxed a little. Then the vibrating began again. I peeked my head out from the covers and looked at my caller ID. Tom's goofy smile showed on my screen. I retreated into my cocoon once more. Tom called me for an hour. Each time I refused to pick up. After the seventh ring I turned my phone on silent so I didn't have to hear the vibrating anymore. I had almost cried myself to sleep when I heard the front door open.

"Vanessa?" Tom called through the house. I bolted upright. The duvet was still over me which made me look like a ghost. I quickly contemplated hiding in the closet again. Before I could decide, Tom came into our room. "Vanessa? What are you doing?"

I stayed silent. Tom came and sat next to me. He attempted to put his arms around me but I pulled away. He managed to wrestle me out of the duvet much to my dismay. I could hear the hurt in his voice as he pleaded with me to talk to him. His hurt only fueled mine.

"Why did you stand me up?" I was finally able to ask. My voice was hoarse from crying.

Tom flinched. Whether his flinch was because of my question or because of how wounded I sounded was unclear to me. "I didn't mean to. Filming ran super late today."

"But you didn't even call me." My voice cracked as fresh tears began to roll down my cheeks.

Tom's expression grew pained at the sight of my tears. "I didn't have access to my phone. And when I tried to use my manager's phone the reception was so bad the call kept dropping as soon as I placed it."

"I waited for so long..."

The tears continued to flow. I understood that the situation wasn't entirely his fault. And yet, I couldn't stop my heart from aching. I grabbed the duvet cover and threw it over myself once more. I burrowed into my cocoon. Tom sat next to me and for a while neither of us said anything. Eventually Tom broke the ice. "Can I join you?"

I paused. I nodded my head until I realized he couldn't see me. "Yes," I whispered.

I heard Tom stand up. The sound of his shirt and pants hitting the floor rang through my ears. A warmth enveloped me as I felt his body slide next to mine. His arms wrapped around me tightly. "I'm sorry," he whispered softly into my ear. He gently ran his hand through my hair as I cried myself to sleep.

When I awoke the next morning I was alone once again. The sun was shining through the windows meaning I had slept through both Tom's alarm and the sounds of him getting ready. I rolled over and checked my phone. A message from Tom greeted me as soon as I opened it.

Tom: I promise I'll make last night up to you. Until then I left a surprise for you in the dining room.

I got out of bed and went to the dining room. On the table sat a covered plate. Next to the plate were a wine glass, a bottle of wine, and a vase filled with pink roses. I smiled to myself as I sat down and lifted the lid off of the plate. Underneath was a breakfast full of my favorite things. A note sat on the edge of the plate. It read: Made with love and was incased in a circle of hand drawn hearts. The heartache from the previous night melted away as I dug into my delicious meal.

Zac and Aiden arrived later that day. I was sitting on my couch still in Tom's t-shirt when they walked in. I scrambled into my room and threw on a pair of shorts. When I stepped back into the living room I was greeted by a smiling Aiden and a pissed off looking Zac. "Hey guys! Are you feeling better Aiden?"

"I'm feeling much better," Aiden replied. He shot a worried glance in his fiancé's direction.

I sat back on my couch. "Are you guys hungry? What should we order?"

"Don't try to appease me with food!" Zac cried.

"But I've got a good deal," I negotiated. I held my phone up to show him I wasn't lying.

Zac caved but only a little bit. "Okay. But you owe me extra for everything you put me through last night," he pouted.

"Deal," I agreed. Zac stole the remote from my hand. He started flipping through the streaming catalog while I ordered our food.

"So... is everything okay between you and Tom?" Aiden asked hesitantly.

I nodded. "We worked everything out in the end."

"You never did tell me what was going on," Zac said curtly.

"I got stood up. I waited for him for three hours."

Aiden nodded. "I figured that was what happened."

Zac on the other hand reacted differently. He stood up so suddenly he startled us. "Where is he? We need to have a conversation," he snarled. He began to walk towards the door but Aiden grabbed his arm. He dragged him back until he was sitting on the couch again.

"Whoa there. Slow down. Vanessa says everything is fine so just let it be," he said calmly. To my surprise, Zac actually calmed down. He still looked pissed off but at least he was calm.

I couldn't hide the smile on my face. "I glad you finally found someone who can keep you in check," I teased.

Zac glared at me. "I'm just going to pretend like I didn't hear that." Even though he sounded angry I couldn't help but notice as he grabbed Aiden's hand and held it tight.

We still hadn't agreed on what to watch when the food arrived. As I went to go answer the door Zac and Aiden decided to veto my vote and put on whatever they pleased. When I saw they had chosen a movie without me I just rolled my eyes. "Aiden! I expected this mutiny from Zac but I expected more from you!" I cried jokingly.

"What can I say? He's very persuasive," Aiden chuckled.

We all grabbed some food and settled in to watch the movie. It was a romantic comedy that made us laugh out loud. I could feel tears forming as we approached the sappy ending of the movie. Suddenly, Zac's phone rang loudly. He quickly rejected the call and went back to watching the movie. A moment later his phone began to ring again. Aiden paused the movie.

"Hello?" Zac answered his phone. The person on the other line began to speak. As they continued to speak I saw the color drain from Zac's face. "Okay. I'll be there as soon as I can," Zac finished before hanging up the phone. His voice was trembling with fear.

"What's going on?" Aiden and I asked at the same time.

Zac's hands shook as he replied, "My mom collapsed at her job. They're saying something is wrong with her heart." Zac stood and began walking towards the door. Aiden jumped up and went after him. "I have to go back."

I could feel a lump forming in my throat. Zac's mom had been like a mom to me while I was growing up so for me to hear that she was severely unwell broke my heart. I followed them to the door. "Please be safe and keep me updated," I pleaded.

Zac couldn't speak. All he could do was nod as he and Aiden walked out the door. I was alone once more.