Stranger Things Have Happened | Marcus Bontempelli

two.

"I love you more than Tom already!"

Josie was amazing from the second I met her and definitely the type of woman I could see Tom eventually settling down with. She was laid-back, eccentric, hilarious, down to earth and someone who didn't take herself or her weird boyfriend too seriously. She was perfect. 

Even though I was exhausted from my flight, I was way too excited to get to know her more and indulge in the red wine that was on offer. The humming of an old Bowie record that Tom had put on when we got home was exactly the vibe I needed after the longest day of my life - I already felt like I was exactly where I belonged.

"Well I'm just excited to finally meet you! Tom obviously talks about you all the time but I'm also such a massive fan of your band so I was kinda nervous to actually meet you," She admitted with a coy smile.

"I would've been nervous too had Tom actually filled me in on his personal life before I got here but we have some work to do in that department, hey pal?" I said to Tom who was walking back into the lounge room with a fresh bottle of wine.

Tom nodded, "We do but until then, you must be starvin'. Do you wanna order something?"

As the night grew older with my belly filled to the brim with pizza and wine, my eyes started to give way and involuntarily close. It had been the trip from hell and as much as I was enjoying the company I was in, there was no stopping the wicked beast of fatigue.

"Hey, Sull..." Tom gently shook me awake as my eyes cracked open, "Let me show you the room Jose made up for you so you can get some rest," He whispered and helped me off the extremely comfy couch.

"Oh god, did i doze off? I'm so sorry," I quietly apologised, feeling a little embarrassed.

"It's all good, hun. I'll see you in the morning," Josie reassured me sweetly as she started collecting the empty glasses and abandoned pizza boxes.

"Night Josie and thank you for dinner," I waved as Tom slowly guided me to the guest bedroom.

"So obviously your bed is here, there's an en suite as well through that door and my room is the one at the end of the hall so if you need me, just make sure you knock first," Tom winked as he quickly checked the bathroom, making sure I had all the things I would need.

I gagged, "Gross but I appreciate the warning."

Tom strolled back out from the en suite, flicked off the light and reached out to embrace me in a strong hug. We stood for a couple of moments holding each other before Tom pulled away, still grasping my shoulders lovingly.

"You have no idea how happy I am to see you," Tom simply said with a small smile, dropping his hands from my arms.

"I have a pretty good idea but I'm happy to hear you say it," I whispered before padding across the room. I pulled back the curtains that covered the floor to ceiling length windows and was met with the stunning view again, the city lights still glimmering in the darkness.

There was a brief pause and moment of silence before Tom spoke up. They were the words that I'd been waiting for all night but in my jet-lagged state, I didn't really want to hear them. 

"Mitch messaged me asking if we wanted to catch up for brunch tomorrow," Tom stated and I sighed heavily before closing my eyes, remaining silent.

"You're gonna have to see him at some point considering it's his birthday on Friday and you're coming to his party," Tom added and I spun around with furrowed brows, shocked at the assumption that I would be subjecting myself to that.

"I haven't agreed to that, Thomas and honestly I don't know if I'm up for a huge social gathering just yet" I confessed, half telling the truth and the other half knowing that I didn't really want to put myself through the agony of making up with Mitch so soon into my trip.