Back To You // T.K

Pearl

That night, Tom drove me home and spent the night at my place.
It felt almost surreal to be reunited with him, as we finally left the past behind us.
As soon as we got home, we cooked some dinner and caught up on how our lives had been for the months we've been away from each other.
He explained the stories behind some of his tattoos, pointing out that he did some of them just for the design.
My favorite one was the Japanese one on his chest, which translated to 'I don't want to love, if it's not you.'

When we finally got in bed, we did everything but talking and sleeping, therefore when the alarm rang at 7 a.m. that Monday my eyes struggled to open.
Tom's arm was wrapped around my waist, and his head laid on top of mine.
I slowly and carefully got out of bed, letting him rest for a little longer, while I began to get ready.
Tom slept so peacefully and comfortably in my bed that it almost made me want to call in sick, but it probably wasn't the best idea, considering me and Alec's fight.

I kissed his cheek and smiled at the way his nose wrinkled, then I walked out of the room and to the kitchen to make some breakfast for the both of us.
I couldn't stop myself from smiling, as I kept on thinking about the night we had.
We weren't necessarily a couple again, but we were working on it, and I felt like the pieces of myself I had been missing for those months finally came back to me.

'You're actually cooking?', Tom's tired voice brought me back to reality.
He was leaning against the fridge with a smile and bags under his eyes, which probably matched mine.

'I had to learn if I wanted to survive here', I replied, putting the eggs and pancakes on a plate.
'Go back to sleep, it's early.'

'And waste precious time that I could be spending with you?', he took the plates in his hands and placed them on the table.
'Fuck no.'

Giggling, he spun me around and wrapped me in a tight hug, kissing my head and brushing his fingers up and down on my back.
I closed my eyes and allowed myself to relax against the warmth of his hoodie, as I, too, held him tight.

'Thank you for spending the night', I whispered, lifting my head.
'I get scared of sleeping alone, sometimes.'

He tucked my hair behind my ears and kissed me on the forehead.
'You'll never have to sleep alone ever again, baby. I'm here now, and it's going to take way more than before to push me away from you.'

We spent the rest of our breakfast laughing and looking at each other as we were newly-weds.
It was refreshing to finally feel like we could be together, no matter the fights, the breakups, the tears, - it was me and him, and it was enough.

'Why don't you stay home today?', he asked me for the fourth time, while he hugged me from the back as I finished washing the dishes.

'I wish I could', I sighed, 'but I don't want to disappoint Alec, I think he's upset enough.'

'Okay', he said, a hint of confusion in his voice, 'come sit down, we can talk about it.'

He took my hand in his and lead us both to the couch, looking at me and waiting for me to say something.

'Please, don't get mad about what I'm going to tell you', I said, as I started fidgeting with my bracelet.
As I expected, he already looked like he had lost his patience, so I cut straight to the point.

'He apologised for everything that happened between you two, and he kind of confessed his feelings for me', I said as fast as I could.
He stared at me for a few seconds without talking; then, he took his eyes off of me and, with a deep breath, he rubbed his hand on his face.