It started with "Bibby"

Chapter Sixteen ~ Mr 'stealyogirl' Sims

((title credit to wifibibby🌚))

I woke up to a slight vibration against my ankle. I shook it off slightly until the entire bed began to repeat the actions. Waiting for my brain to function at that ungodly hour I reached down for the device and squinted my eyes at the brightness of the screen. Tom's name flashed across in a bright light along with the picture we had taken a few weeks back, when the boys were first at bootcamp. I slid across the dial and held the phone to my ear.

"Hello?" I spoke, my voice barely a croak.

"Leah?" Tom replied, anxiously.

"Who else is it going to be?" I giggled, clearing my throat.

"Don't get smart with me!" Tom laughed back.

"What's up, Mann?" I smirked, letting the conversation slip by. I twisted my body and slid out of the crisp sheets as both of my feet touched the freezing cold wooden floor boards.

"Are you meeting up with Jake?" He asked rhetorically. The worst type of Tom.

"Yeah. Why?" I replied, squinting my eyes shut and rubbing the palm of my hand across my forehead in frustration.

"Why?" Tom asked after a long pause, as if he was contemplating his reply.

"He's in town and said he wanted to meet up, what's the harm in that?" I asked, my voice raised slightly in frustration as I reopened my eyes and examined my bedroom. Taking in every inch and detail.

"Just be careful" Tom replied, a calm and collective tone in his voice.

"From what?" I laughed back, throwing my left arm up in the air in defeat of the situation.

"Just be careful, okay?" Tom snapped, his voice raising ever-so slightly.

I figured this was a tender subject so I decided to glaze over it and give in to Tom.

"Okay Tom, I get it" I sighed. Rubbing my forehead again but with less pressure.

"I don't want you getting hurt" he sighed. The phone dead silent on the other end, all I could hear was his delicate breaths.

"I won't get hurt, Tom" I giggled, pushing a strand of hair away from my face.

"I know, I just don't want to even think about you getting hurt. So I thought I'd warn you" Tom sighed again but this time with more effort.

"I'm a big girl" I giggled. Trying to comfort Tom in some way.

"I know, just be careful and text me later" Tom eventually mentioned.

"Alright, Mr Mann" I laughed. Moving the phone from my right ear to my left, like it made a difference.

"Alright, Leah. Love you" Tom replied. Comfort and love in his voice.

"Love you too, Tom" I replied before ending the phone call between us.

The love between Tom and I was different from my love with any of the other boys. He was like an older brother to me and in some ways he was the brother I never had. I agree I had a pretty decent older brother, he was cool but he wasn't Tom. Tom would ring me randomly just because he had a suspicion I was down or upset and 9 times out of 10 he was right. He just knew me better than Charlie did and that's saying something.

"Leah?" I heard a voice mumble through the door followed by three soft knocks.

"Yeah?" I mumbled back. Pushing myself off the bed and wandering over to the wardrobe to retrieve my blue fluffy dressing gown that was miles to big for me. In my defence, it was Charlie's.