no matter what decision your heart makes, I will be waiting for you...

Part 54

Y/N's pov)

I waited for him to come back. But minutes passed and he was still not back. In the meantime, Ronny had already given two speeches and was just finishing his third.
"And for this reason, I would now like to pass on my word to Thomas, a man from whom everyone can still learn." Everyone started clapping, heads turning, looking for Tom. But he was still gone. For a moment I considered standing up, letting them know that Tom was in the bathroom, but then I didn't, knowing that I didn't want to draw attention to myself. It would make me nervous to have everyone looking at me, and nervous meant I would start to sweat. I would stink from the sweat and since I was still unshowered anyway, I wanted to avoid that.
"Tom?" the questions, requests and whispers started. Suddenly, a stare on me, sent a shiver down my spine. I looked around, only to find those grey eyes on me that couldn't belong to anyone but Markus. I gave him a wry smile, hoping he would turn his gaze to someone else afterwards. And after Tom didn't show up again, Ronny gave up with a brooding face.
"All right, if Thomas isn't here, let's just leave this talk for another time, shall we?" Everyone nodded, room filled with low "yeah's" and "mhm's" while finishing the last few bites of breakfast between which most of them retired to their rooms.
I didn't want to be the first person to get up, nor the last person. Plus, I hadn't eaten much yet either and I was afraid it would look like I was in a hurry. So I sat there for another 5 minutes until there was only George, some redhead dude, a guy with sunglasses in a shirt, and Markus left.
"So Y/N, did Tom get you back to the hotel safely yesterday?" I should have thanked Markus for caring about me, but with his filthy dirty grin on his lips I was rather disinterested in a conversation with... him.
Sucking on my tongue I threw him a nod. "Mhm, yeah he did... actually." I took one last sip of my orange juice, keeping eye contact with him, because if he could play a provocative game, so could I. Then I took the chance and got up. Neither Tom nor my brother seemed to show up any time soon, so I could just as well use the time to take a shower.

~

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"
"Yes, I'm sure. But you go ahead." I waved Oliver off. It was five o'clock in the afternoon and he was on his way to the beach with the others, but had knocked on my room to ask if I wanted to come along. It sounded like a good offer, but I was still feeling a bit wrung out from last night and was afraid Tom would go to the beach as well. Granted, that was the main reason. I couldn't romanticise any more moments with him, last night was already too much. A minute later there was another knock on the door and I knew Oliver had forgotten to say something.
"Oliver, I told you I don't want to-" I stopped mid-sentence when I opened the door and saw that it was in fact Tom standing there. Not Oliver. "Oh."
"Hi!" He said, throwing me a hopeful smile. His hair a little messed up and white shirt sitting loosely on his body. Pants on the other side beige, fitting like a glove. Extra handsome if you'd ask me. After all, I was standing in front of him in a pair of jeans plus the next best T-shirt thrown over, which in my case was an ACDC T-shirt from Harrison's 17-year-old self which I had originally packed as a T-shirt to sleep in.
"Hi." I replied, going smoothly through my hair. Hoping it made me look better.
"Are you going to the beach?"
"I uh-" I returned the suggestion for a moment, thinking about it again. Tom asking me that was different from Oliver. But still my answer remained. "no." Took him by surprise. Or maybe he was just disappointed, I couldn't read him.
"Neither do I." He said. I scanned over his choice of outfit again, definitely making sure he was wearing a beach outfit whereas he usually tended to wear work clothes.
"Really?" I asked.
"To 10%. The other 90% hoped you would have said yes to going to the beach." A blush creeped on my cheeks, couldn't hold it back as I looked to the side to hide it.
"Yeah, no, I... think I'll get some rest. After last night..." I trailed off, not knowing what else to say because somehow it sounded wrong to talk about last night, or us in general. There was no 'us' anymore, so no need to bring it up.
"Yeah... okay, I understand." We slowly nodded our heads in uncomfortable silence. Neither of us knowing what else to say. "I mean, if you still feel like it - you know where we are."
"I do. Thanks.. Tom." I closed the door behind him as he disappeared down the corridor. Then I took a deep breath in and out and felt... like I had made the wrong choice. I was in Los Angeles and all I wanted to do was rest?! Damn, I come across like a granny. Still, I didn't want to run after Tom now. So I decided to actually rest for another hour and then set off. After all I was now having a bit more time to dress up.

But the nap didn't work quite well, not having managed to close even one eye. Partly because all I could think about was Tom, partly because at the same time I was too worried about what to wear.
Which was so stupid, because once I arrived, it would be dark outside anyway. Well, or at least twilight.
And it would certainly be chilly, wouldn't it?
So I rummaged through my luggage, finally deciding on some airy pair of trousers with a crop top, putting on a white blouse as well which somehow matched Tom's.

Around 7 pm, I was ready to leave, looked up the address in the company chat and set off. I was already expecting Jenna and Harrison there, but hoped to avoid them. At least my brother, I was afraid of any interaction with him. Thinking that it would certainly be about Tom. I didn't even have the nerve to talk about him nor talk to him at the moment, and that was why I was hoping to avoid Tom as well. But who was I kidding? Every time I promised myself not to look at him, not to talk to him, and not to think of him, but so far I haven't kept any of those promises. That bastard had me wrapped around his finger and that scared me a little, I had to admit. When I arrived, it took me not five minutes to find a drink, but 15 minutes to find anyone to make more than small talk with.
"Y/N?! I thought you didn't feel like coming?" I heard Oliver's voice behind me and turned around. He was holding an orange-pink drink in his right hand, a small umbrella peeping out of the glass, you get when you order a drink at the beach. Then he hugged me and looked me up and down. Sort of like he was checking me out.
"And dressed up too! Want to make me feel ridiculous in my Hawaiian shirt?" He laughed, his soft voice immediately managing to comfort me.
"Trying my best!" I joked. "Did it work?" I asked and he nodded, his laughter slowly turning into a chuckle.
"At least so much that I'm now going to get a fourth drink, what about you?" He looked down at my glass, almost empty with one sip left. But I didn't feel like drinking much tonight, so I shook my head. "Yeah no thank you. I'll wait here." The music was quite loud around us, not only from the bar, but also from the campfire. That's where most of the people were and I was expecting Harrison, Jenna or Tom to be there. That would explain why I haven't seen any of them yet.
Because I stood on the edge behind the bar, where only a few of our work colleagues were. Those who were too old to party, those who had already retired with their partners and were less in the mood to party, and the - well, outsiders who were generally more introverted. That was why Oliver spotted me in the first place, because he was about to get a fourth drink at the bar where I was standing.

With a broad smile plastered on his lips and a fourth glass in hand, Oliver came back. Another button of his shirt open, it seemed to me, could now see further into the neckline, able to see a part of his chest.
"Fuck those who say an appletini is a ladies drink! I fucking love APPLETINIS!" He shouted and took a huge gulp of his green liquid. I laughed, letting my eyes wander behind his shoulders to the campfire. Little part of me hoping to find someone I knew. Tiny... part of me hoping to find Tom.
"Hey have you seen Tom?" I asked, no longer able to play it cool. After all, I came somewhere just for him.
"Tom? Yeah just made out with a little brunette behind the toilets." He shrugged his shoulders casually, pointing to the toilets he said he had seen them.

And then my eyes widened, heart missed a beat as sweat formed on my forehead. I felt my heart literally burst into a thousand pieces like the moment I saw Cassie in the door frame for the first time in months.
I could hardly believe what Oliver had just said when he suddenly bursted into a fit of laughter.
"Damn relax! No idea where he is. Haven't seen him myself yet." I wanted to slap him, rip out his hair or cut off his lips so he couldn't make me look like a fool anymore, but instead I tried to play it off cool, laughed along with him like it was a funny joke. Stupid boys! Period.
"Ahaha" I SAID. Waited until he was done laughing at me. And when he was, I- "You should have seen your face. Like a ticking bomb about to explode." I took the drink from his hand and splashed the green liquid right into his face before walking past him to the campfire. His laughter slowly dying down in the background, replaced by disgust. Trying to rub the alcohol out of his eyes.
Luckily Oliver was one who took it as a joke, so I knew he wouldn't be mad at me. In fact, he probably would have done the same if he were in my position.

~I'm just dropping in this little part, so there's something new to read. Let me know what you hope/think is going to happen next. I will try to continue writing on this story in the future!~