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

Part 61.

Y/N's pov~

I believed Tom would soon be fired. It was the fifth time within two weeks that Ron's yelling echoed from Tom's office, and the conversation ended with a loud door slam. As much as I tried to steal glimpses of him, it was challenging. We did our best not to look at each other during working hours, and I especially tried to avoid any contact with him because every conversation and every touch posed a threat to both of our jobs.
Though it didn't weigh as heavily on my shoulders as it did on Tom's because as much as I enjoyed working with my brother and him, and I couldn't complain about how much I earned, this job didn't make me as happy.

What was I really doing besides answering calls, sorting files, and with luck, having a small say in one of the many projects? On the other hand, Tom was on the verge of being appointed CEO. On the verge... Now, he was on the verge of losing everything he had built over the years, and it was all because of me. At least I felt quite responsible for it, and rightfully so.
I shouldn't have gone to him before the speech, and I should have kept my distance in the first place.

Three soft knocks on the door brought my attention back to reality. Although two open folders lay in front of me that should have been finished half an hour ago, I had completely lost myself in my thoughts.
"Hey." My brother's head peeked through the door slit he had opened, his dark blonde hair all tousled, as he, too, hadn't had an easy time lately. While he had a girlfriend he occasionally slept at, lately, I almost felt like he had moved in with her. With luck, he slept at home one night a week, and that was it. I strongly suspected it had more to do with Tom than with me. "I was thinking of calling it a day. Do you want a ride with me?" he offered, and my first instinct was to shake my head since usually, Tom drove us home. But he still had enough work to do, and as mentioned before, I was trying to keep my distance. So, maybe it was for the best. I wouldn't get anything done today anyway.
"Sure." I threw him a soft smile, packed my things, and returned the folders to their cabinet. The cold breeze swept over my arms as we stepped outside, no trace of sunlight left from the day. With bad luck, it might storm later, but I couldn't see that far ahead yet.

I had considered letting Tom know I left, but he would notice that I was no longer there once he checked up eventually.

"I'm also a bit hungry. Do you fancy grabbing something to eat on the way home? We could have Indian from the place around the corner or our usual Chinese," he suggested. I didn't really have a preference, but Indian sounded good, and since it was Harrison's first suggestion, I suspected he leaned towards it too. So, on the way back, we picked up Indian food, engaging in conversations about anything that crossed our minds, with the only rule being that neither of us could bring up Tom. I believed Harrison still didn't fully accept the idea of the two of us, but why would he if it meant losing his best friend?
"Mom called earlier." Harrison's voice echoed through the car, our mother's call being a rarity. So it surprised me how casually Harrison mentioned it, and even more so what the reason for our mother's call was.

"What did she want?"

"She asked if we're celebrating Christmas at home again this year." It was tradition, even if it didn't always go perfectly. It wasn't really about our relationship with each other, more about the family dynamics our family brought with it.

"And did you agree?"

"Yeah. You're okay with that, right? Or do you have other plans?" With other plans, Harrison was referring to Tom, and even though I didn't know what Tom was doing, it was also a tradition for the Hollands to come together again by Christmas. Apart from all the boys in the Holland household, I don't think there were as strict rules imposed by the parents, and if there were, Harrison knew more about it than me since he was Tom's best friend.