Chapter 19
It was a quiet morning at Tom's house. He and Kim were in the kitchen, drinking coffee together while laughing and talking about their plans for the day. Kim was beaming; in the last few months, she had felt more and more connected to him, and his house was already starting to become an extension of her home. They had already talked about how they wanted their relationship to be something discreet, but at the same time, Kim felt like sharing her happiness with the world, as much as possible.
"You don't mind if I do some stories here, do you?" Kim asked, with a mischievous smile as she waved her phone.
Tom smiled, raising an eyebrow.
"As long as I don't show up, I'm fine with it."
She laughed and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, before pulling away to find a perfect angle for the video.
In the video, Kim held her phone, showing a part of Tom's living room in the background, while speaking naturally and with an infectious smile.
"Hi, guys! I just wanted to say how happy I am and how I am enjoying this incredible phase of my life. I know many of you are curious about Tom, but he is a very private person, and his work in the past did not allow him to appear in public much," she explained, in a light and affectionate tone.
The video showed a quick view of the room, where there was a bookshelf with books and paintings, and, in the background, a wall decorated with Tom's military medals and certificates. She made sure not to focus too much on it, trying to maintain his privacy.
After posting the video, Kim went back to breakfast with Tom, satisfied. The conversation with him continued light and relaxed, and they spent the rest of the day together, without worrying too much about what had been posted.
However, in the afternoon of the same day, Kim began to notice that her phone was flooded with notifications and messages. Friends and family commented on the video, but what drew the most attention were the reactions on social media and the comments from the media.
When Kim opened Twitter, she saw that one of the hottest topics was the video she had posted, particularly a comment from an observant fan:
"Has anyone else noticed that medal on Tom's wall? I think it's a Victoria Cross! Not many people get that honor... I wonder if he's ex-SAS?"
The responses to the comment exploded. Soon, many other fans and curious people began to investigate, and some even confirmed that the medal briefly shown in the video was, in fact, a Victoria Cross, one of the highest honors awarded to British military personnel for bravery in combat.
Headlines from entertainment and news sites soon began to appear:
"Kim Kardashian's Boyfriend a Military Hero?"
"Mysterious Tom, Kim's Partner, Identified as SAS Operator"
Articles talked about the possibility that Tom had served in high-risk operations, mentioning that the Victoria Cross was usually awarded for exceptional acts of bravery. Soon, more theories were being floated, and even military experts were asked to comment on what could have led to Tom receiving such an award.
Meanwhile, Kim and Tom were oblivious to the frenzy. It wasn't until the evening, when she picked up her phone, that she noticed the number of notifications and was surprised to see how much the matter had escalated.
"Tom, you're not going to believe this," Kim said, showing him her phone. "It seems like everyone has identified your medal... They think you're ex-SAS."
Tom studied his phone and sighed, shaking his head with a half smile.
"Well, that was something I didn't expect." He sounded relaxed, but there was a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "I knew something would get out eventually, but a medal? It seems I underestimated the keen eye of social media."
