Feelings

Realisation

He paced the floor, watching the time on his watch tick away. When would she call? Should he call her? What if she forgot to give him the signal? It all hinged on Emma. "Come on, sis!" He muttered, his nerves shredded.

At last, he heard a knock at the door.

In a couple of strides,  he was at the front door.  Yanking it open, he almost bodily dragged Emma inside.

"So, what the SODDING HELL do I do now?" He asked plaintively. Emma looked at him as if he were completely mad. It had virtually been laid out on a plate for him.

"You ask her out again, you wally!" Emma snorted, you DO know how to do that, don't you? I mean, I know they normally fall at your feet, so if you don't ..." he stopped as Tom raised a hand in defeat.

"I get it. Ok, jeez, you don't take prisoners, do you? Straight for the jugular!"

"Where you're concerned? Not likely. Now you listen to me.Don't, and I mean DON'T mess about. You'll only get so many chances before you destroy her. When you love someone, your heart is as vulnerable as it's ever likely to be. Be kind to her Tom, be the man I know you are. The man she doesn't realise she's fallen in love with."

She smiled up at him. He put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, "What did I do to deserve you?" He said quietly. She shook her head.

"Dunno? Break a mirror?"

"Horror!" He laughed, and they hugged. "Now, if I have a phone call to make, then you should make yourself scarce. I am NOT humiliating myself in front of you deliberately! I do it enough by accident."he pushed her towards the kitchen. "Go on, make yourself useful. Milk and two, please."

She stuck her tongue out at him and walked off laughing evilly.

Tom patted down his pockets. Where was his blasted phone? The last time he saw it was.... oh shit. He knew exactly where it was - lying on the counter in the Chinese.  He groaned and shouted through to Emma.

"Just popping out, be back in half an hour, ok?" He grabbed his coat and headed out.

Emma appeared at the kitchen door, clutching 2 mugs. "Tom? Tom? What did you... oh!" She heard the door click shut, and silence descended. She smiled. He was a dork, but he deserved happiness. If she could help him get it, so much the better.

Tom walked slowly towards the restaurant. Not that he was reluctant to retrieve his phone, quite the opposite. It was more that he was trying to work out what to actually say. She was in love with him? That was quite a leap on from the crush she'd admitted to. What if Emma was wrong? 

As he walked, he lost himself in thought. He imagined telling her that he was sorry. He imagined holding her hand and telling her how beautiful she was and how he'd been a fool.  He imagined begging her for a second chance. He imagined her smiling and giving him that chance.

Before he could imagine anything else, he was brought back to reality. By a screech of tyres, a blaring horn, and a loud curse.  Coming back to the present, he realised he'd walked out into the road. 

Waving an apology, he retreated to the pavement and took a breath. As he did so, a small voice next to him made him jump.

"The thing about walking into traffic is that it tends to hurt you more than the car."

He turned, and there she was. As if he had manifested her appearance just by thinking of her.

"Sophie!" He was breathless and nervous and smiling and surprised all rolled into one. His mind whirled into action, Emma's words echoing,'she loves you, Tom....'

"Tom... I think I owe..." he grabbed her, and before she could say another word, there at the side of the road; in broad daylight, in front of the world he kissed her. His lips crushed against hers, his hands on her cheeks, holding her head gently.

At first, she raised her hands in shock, her eyes wide, then as the feelings they had so long denied themselves surged, she closed her eyes and buried her hands in his hair.

They stood, like some real-life Rodin statue, all sense of reality lost.  Only they existed, only the kiss, only the realisation that this was what was meant to be.

After a minute or two, they broke the kiss, smiling and breathless.

"Well! That was a thing." He swallowed and looked down at her, his eyes shining.  She blushed delicately.

"Not much point denying anything then, I guess." She smiled, "does this mean we're back on for that lunch then?"

Tom laughed and hugged her tightly "oh Sophie, lunch, dinner - anything you want love." He pulled back, and she looked at him steadily.

"What about tonight?" She was amazed at her own temerity.

Tom just smiled and kissed her again, softly, as if savouring the taste of something delicious. In truth, he was.  He nodded. "Yes, dinner. Tonight. Meet you at The Roundhouse at 7? There's a restaurant not far from there we could try. Small, intimate." He still held her hand, and his voice was low. "Very... intimate."

Her face reflected her thoughts, desire and surprise, and joy. "Intimate." Her voice was barely a whisper, but even with the traffic, her desire was clear.  "I - I should go." She said, not moving an inch.

"Yes. Me too. I left my phone. In the Chin...." he trailed off, realising what he was about to say.

Her eyes narrowed, and she took her hand away. "The what?" There was a dangerous quality to her voice. "Where did you leave your phone, Tom?"

He swallowed. Suddenly, this had gone horribly wrong. He knew he couldn't lie.  It would only make things worse. If he could have defined worse at that moment.

"The chinese." He said quietly.  "But Sophie.."

She was already walking away.

They'd set her up. It had all been engineered.  She was furious.

For about 30 seconds. She stopped dead, then spun on her heel and stomped back.

He stood rooted to the spot, watching as his future walked out of his life.  Devastated didn't come close. Not only that, but he'd have to confess to Emma what he'd done.

Before he could even register fully that he should run after her, she was walking back to him. Her face a determined scowl. Her eyes flashed with an emotion he barely comprehended.

She walked right up to him, heart pounding. She didn't speak. She stopped and looked up at him. She raised her hand, and he flinched, waiting for the slap.

It didn't come. He opened his eyes as he felt her grasp his jacket collar and pull her down to him. Eyes falling out of his head in surprise, her mouth crashed onto his, and she kissed him hard. 

Before  he had a chance to react, she let him go.  "7. DO NOT be late." Was all she said and walked away.

He couldn't see her face, he didnt need to. She'd given him that chance.  He wasn't about to waste it.  She crossed the road away from him and paused. This time, when she looked back, he waved and smiled.  She smiled gently and turned away.

As Sophie walked away, her heart was pounding so hard she was sure she was about to have a coronary. Making it to the nearest bus stop, she sat on the little ledge for a minute and caught her breath.

What had she just done? Kissed him. That's what. She really hoped that tonight, there would be more of the same. Alot more.