My famous foreign exchange student//Thomas Brodie-Sangster

Chapter 14

"-And then they rushed us to the hospital, so I'm sitting in the waiting room for the second time now."

Dylan's voice rang loud and clear through the phone. I was too shocked to speak, so I handed the phone to Tommy. I could faintly hear Dylan retelling the whole story, and I watched Tommys face slowly drop. He too was in shock.

I got up and walked outside to the backyard of Tommys childhood reign. I sat on the steps, looking at the flower bed next to me, wondering why I was so stressed about this. I mean, no one got hurt... And the house can be rebuilt.

Then it hit me.

All at once, I realized that the stressing part of that whole mess was when I realized how quickly you could lose someone. How fast everything you've held onto for so long can, sometimes literally, burn down. Which makes me think of Riley, who is far away from home, alone in a hospital bed, waiting for the doctors to tell him the rest of his life.

I didn't even realize I was crying until I heard Tommy sit down next to me and brush the salty tears from my cheeks. I leaned my head on his chest, and he wrapped me up in his arms. The sun wasn't up yet, and the stars were still out. We silently gazed at them, letting the moment pass in peace.

The tears began to secede, and the terrifying thoughts were being erased from my mind. I was suddenly completely aware of Tommy holding me on the steps of his backyard. He began humming. It was a soft tune that I wasn't familiar with, that is, until he began to softly, silently, carefully sing the lyrics.

"It's just another night
And I'm staring at the moon
I saw a shooting star
And I thought of you

I sang a lullaby
By the waterside and knew
If you were here I'd sing to you".

Then I decided to sing with him.

"You're on the other side
As the skyline splits in two
'M miles away from seeing you

I can see the stars
From America
I wonder
Do you see them too?

So open your eyes and see
The way our horizons meet
All of the lights will leave
Into the night with me

And I know these stars will bleed
The both of our hearts will bleed
All of these stars will
Guide us home"

We sang the rest of the song quietly, weaving the lyrics into the shape of our lives. We could almost physically see the relations that are the same between the two.

He held me tighter. By this time, the sun was beginning to peek up. We watched as the black sky turned into purples, pinks, oranges, reds and, eventually, light blues. It was beautiful.

Tommy bowed his head down to my ear, whispering, "You are the only person in the world who I'd ever share this moment with. I'm so glad it's you." I smiled, and closed my eyes.

****

I woke up slowly, confused by my surroundings. Dazed, I looked around, noticing Tommy was fast asleep on the ground to my right. I was laying on a stair above him, obviously outside in the backyard. A blanket was draped around me, and a plush brown pillow was under my head. My fingers were still interlocked with Tommys, who also had a blanket and pillow. It was warm out, so it couldn't be that early.

After racking my brain for reasons why I'm outside, I remembered the events that took place only what must've been hours ago. From the call, to singing, to eventually falling asleep.

Tommy groaned, then yawned. He too was now awake. He looked confused at first, but in a much shorter amount of time than it took me, he remembered. I could tell my the look on his face.

"Good morning, gorgeous," he whispered, standing up and stretching out.

I got up and did the same, replying with a "Morning, handsome." He smirked and grabbed the pillows and blankets, then bringing them inside. The second we stepped through the door, we smelt the glorious scent of breakfast. Tasha must've made it.

I walked into the kitchen, the smells and sights overwhelming. She went all out. There was coffee, juice, pancakes, French toast, buttered toast, bagels, blueberries, fruits, crepes, eggs, bacon, sausage, yogurt, muffins, all sorts of stuff. She turned around and greeted me, handing me a plate and a napkin. I nodded in appreciation, and ended up grabbing a yogurt, eggs, and a bagel. Tommy bounded down the stairs and took one of everything. Ava wasn't yet awake, so we began to eat.

"Well, I decided to make a big buffet for your guys' last day here," Tasha said, stuffing a forkful of eggs in her mouth. Last day? Already? I looked over at Tommy, and he nodded. Wow, the trip has gone by fast...

"Thank you, you're an amazing cook," I replied to her. She looked up at me, her eyes sparkling.

"Tom, she's a keeper."

He chuckled a bit as I went extremely red. He looked over at me and grabbed my hand.

"Don't worry, mum. I know she is," he said, squeezing my hand before letting go. I smiled uncontrollably, barely able to keep from letting the world know about the fireworks bursting in my tummy.

After breakfast, Tommy and I went upstairs to pack our stuff. We finished in about an hour, listening to music and dancing like fools most of the time. Finally, we announced that we had to leave. Ava was awake by this time, and she gave me a huge hug. Tasha grabbed her son in a huge hug as well, not wanting to let go of him. She patted his back and kissed his cheek. Ava started to cry a little when we pulled away. Then Ava hugged Tommy and Tasha hugged me.

Before she let me go, she said, barely audible, "Honey, come back whenever you want. You are so perfect for Tom, I'm so glad he has you. I saw you two sleeping outside, so I decided to give you guys the blankets and such. But from your being here, I've been so happy and open. I'm really gonna miss you two." I smiled and promised her that her son has made me the happiest person in the world, and that we would certainly be back. She kissed my cheek before letting go. Tommy grabbed my hand, then led me out to the car. When we got all the bags in, we got in ourselves. Tommy started the car, then waved to his family. Ava was crying, but smiling too, and Tasha was waving back. We backed out of the driveway and headed for the airport.

"Your family is incredible," I told him.

He smiled a knowing smile, and replied with a simple, " I know. You are too... and that's why I can't wait for the day you lawfully become a part of it."