Call Out My Name|| Tom Kaulitz

epilogue - Pearl

Three months later

I walked around Francesca, who was standing on a little platform in the middle of the wedding dresses shop.
She was trying on her fourth dress of the morning, but she didn't look too pleased with it.

'I like it', she said, touching the white fabric, 'but I don't know, there's something missing.'

'Like sleeves, maybe?', I suggested, but she gave me a look.
She was the only girl crazy enough to get married in January, but while I thought it was better if she found a dress with sleeves, she refused to look for anything else other than a mermaid and sleeveless dress.

'You're going to freeze Fran', I said, as she rolled her eyes.

'I'll be too emotional to feel any cold at all, trust me', she smiled, as she took the dress off and looked at another one.

I sat on a sofa in front of her and observed her.
Francesca was one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen: her wavy brown hair fell perfectly on her back, and her blue eyes where shining with joy as she looked at all the dresses around her.

I smiled while continuing to look at her, until my phone buzzed in my hands.

Francesca turned around and giggled, shaking her head.

'Is it Alec?', she said.
'Is he mad that you're late for your workouts?'

I rolled my eyes and sighed.
Alec was my personal trainer, but he was also my boss and friend.
He was an athlete from London, a professional boxer, and he had just bought a whole gym when I first moved back to Italy.
We immediately got along, and he offered me a job at the front desk so that I could provide for my university and apartment.
He had always been kind to me, but for some reason Francesca thought that there was something going on between us.

'He could never get mad at me', I laughed, as I took my phone and looked at the notification on my phone.

My smile faded away as fast as it came, when I saw who really sent the text.

'Get ready, blondie', the message said, 'I warned you, you can't get rid of me so easily.'

I gasped, and covered my mouth with my hand.
'Tom?', I whispered, so that Fran couldn't hear me.

Me and Tom hadn't spoken since I left.
Bill and Jocy called me every week, but he never did.
I understood why, and I was glad that he didn't reach out to me, it would've been too painful for the both of us.
That's why that text surprised me, I didn't expect to hear from him, ever again.

Francesca looked at herself in the mirror while trying on another dress, but she quickly looked at me once she noticed I wasn't paying attention.

'Is everything okay?', she asked me, noticing my shocked expression.

I lifted my gaze from the phone to her, and nodded.

'Yeah', I replied, 'that dress is not okay, though', I said, making a disgusted face.
She laughed and shook her head, starting to undress.

'Yeah, it's pretty ugly', she agreed.
'You can go now, if you have to meet up with Alec.'

'Oh, it's okay. He can wait.'

Francesca walked down the platform and came up to me, as I stood up from the chair.
She hugged me tight and smiled, brushing my hair with her fingers.

'It's okay Perla, we'll come back tomorrow, I'm tired. You can take the car', she said, as she took her purse and handed me the keys to her brand new Lamborghini Urus.
Money had never been an issue for her.

'How are you getting home?', I asked, as I took the keys.

'Luca is picking me up when he goes on lunch break.'

I nodded and hugged her, before walking out of the shop.

I looked at my phone once again, reading the text and trying to understand what he was saying.

'Get ready, blondie. I warned you, you can't get rid of me so easily.'

Blondie.
I missed him calling me with that nickname.

'Tom?', I texted him back, 'what's that supposed to mean?'

I sent the message and threw my phone in my purse, while walking to Francesca's car.
Was that supposed to be a threat?
Or some sort of surprise?

I didn't know whether I should've felt happy that he reached out, or scared because that text sounded nothing like him.
Did he still love me? Or did he despise me the same way I despised myself for leaving him?

I tried to ignore that thought, while I began to drive to Alec's gym.
I guessed I would've found out soon.