A New Road ➢ Thomas Brodie Sangster

Wet Sand

Once we are out of the hotel and onto the sidewalk Thomas lets go of my arm. I pull the hood of Thomas's sweatshirt over my head to avoid the now light sprinkle of rain. He doesn't seem to mind the rain at all.

"So, what are these dinner plans you speak of?" I say as I raise my eyebrows at him.

He smirks. "Well, I thought I would finally take you on that date that everyone talked about. And thankfully I always carry my wallet everywhere with me," he said as he tapped his back pocket of his jeans. "I thought maybe we'd walk to a pier and just enjoy the rest of the evening."

"That actually sounds like a pretty good plan, given that it was thought of on a whim." I say with a laugh.

We continue walking and end up getting a table outside at a burger joint near the beach.

"What would you two like to drink?" asked the waiter as we sat down.

"I'll have a beer." said Thomas. "You?" he asked while passing me a menu.

"An Arnold Palmer, please" I say and the waiter walks off.

Thomas raises an eyebrow at me, "An Arnold Palmer. Are you a tea or lemonade kind of girl?"

"I'm both! Well sweet tea and lemonade. Both my favorite go-to drinks." I say with a laugh.

He laughs and looks at the ocean and stretches his arm across the railing near us while the waiter comes with our drinks and takes our order.

As soon as he leaves I reach down and slip my shoes off of my feet.

"What on earth are you doing?" asked Thomas with a slight smile on his face. I guess I amuse him I thought.

I slip out of my chair and walk towards the beach to wriggle my toes in the sand. I wave to Thomas to follow. "C'mon, Tom!"

He kicks his shoes off as well and jogs to join me. He slightly hops on each foot when he reaches me as if the sand filling in on his feet feels strange.

I grab his wrist and gently pull him to follow me. "It just feels nice on your feet to walk on the wet sand as the waves wash over them. Plus it feels a lot better after running around the hotel."

We walk to where the sand meets the water and I walk along the edge with Thomas slightly behind me.

"This is nice." I hear from behind, "I can't believe I haven't done this before. It's so relaxing."

"So now I know you haven't done this. What else is there to know about you?" I ask, turning around so that I walk backwards.

"Well," he starts, moving his gaze from the darkening sky to his feet, "My name is Thomas," he says with a laugh as he looks up at me.

"No dip, Sherlock. What are things I don't know?" I say.

He starts walking back towards the restaurant, "I am extraordinarily hungry." He says with a grin and I follow.

~~~~~

"So you opened up the blinds and then about a dozen tiny spiders crawled their way out, onto your wall, and somewhere in your room?" Thomas asks while trying to suppress a laugh.

"Yes! And that is why I am absolutely terrified of them. It was a very traumatic experience." I say while smacking his hand with my napkin.

He hold his hands up in a mock surrender, but the laugh escapes him.

I take a sip of my drink. "Oh. I've never heard the story of how you, Will, Dylan, and Ki met my brother."

He leans forward, "He never told you?" I shake my head.

"Alright then. Well last summer, we were all filming in Louisiana for The Maze Runner and your brother was in the same hotel we were. Well, Dylan, Will, Ki and I entered the lift that Henry was already on. I think he was on his way to a meeting of some sort because he had a nice shirt and tie on. Anyways, the hotel was great but the lifts were old and it had suddenly stopped. It wasn't stuck like it sometimes does. The lift shuddered and the lights went out and we had to use the emergency phone by the button panel. We were all stuck in there for some time and we talked to your brother and we all just seemed to bond in that box. Meanwhile, after we were out of there, he missed wherever he was going to and we invited him to lunch with us."

"Wow. That is some story." I said while laughing.

"Yeah. It is- Sorry, but do you mind if I smoke?" He asked, his face serious.

"Um.. Yeah, I do. It just- I don't like being around it." I say while scratching the back of my neck.

"Oh okay. I'll just walk to the beach and then I'll be right back." He said, he looked a little uncomfortable. That was awkward I thought. I hope he doesn't feel offended that I don't like smoking, but it really does make me uncomfortable. You have to stay true to your beliefs I remind myself.

Thomas stays true to his word and comes right back. "Sorry, it's just a habit I've gained over the years. And I love cigars," he explains.

"No, it's fine! You don't have to explain anything. I'm okay with it, it's just I don't smoke and I don't want to breathe it. I don't know, does that make sense?" I say with a slight laugh.

He gives me a smile now, "Yes it does."

"Now, shall we have dessert?" he asks with a smile while offering me his arm, which I gladly take.

~~~~~

Thomas and I were walking back to the hotel now from this little frozen yogurt shop we'd stumbled across.

On our way back, Thomas told me about his love for motorcycles, or as he called them, motorbikes. He seemed surprised that I actually wanted to hear about it and even more surprises that I've never ridden one. I have a feeling he's going to change that. He was also very shocked when he learned that I've never, nor will I, drink alcohol. But he'd understood.

When we once again entered the revolving doors, we were greeted by our friends in the lobby.

"It is well past your bedtime young man," said Dylan, waving his finer at Thomas and trying not to laugh.

"You guys waited for us?" I asked, plopping down onto one of the chairs. Thomas sat on the couch near me.

"Yup. The guys kept making theory's on where you'd gone or what you did." said Grace. "Some of them were pretty funny. Others were.. Well let's just say they can't be repeated."

This made Dylan, Ki, and Will snicker.

"It's been a long day and I say it's off to bed lads." said Thomas getting up and waving the boys towards the elevator.

The boys grumbled but went that way anyway while Grave headed outside to start the car. Thomas walked to me.

"I had a really nice time today." I said while looking up at him.

"Me too. We should do it again sometime," he said with a smile.

"Yeah. I'd like that."

He gave me a warm hug and said goodnight while I walked out to the car with a smile plastered on my face.