Tom Kaulitz

♡Part 39♡

I tucked at the hem of my top, turning slightly in the mirror as Jayla sprawled across my bed, flipping through a magazine.

"What about this one?" I asked, smoothing out the baby pink cami layered over a white tank top. I paired it with a denim mini skirt and a wide, studded belt, the ultimate combo. My hair was half up, half down, clipped in place with butterfly clips, and my lipgloss was borderline excessive—but that was the style.

Jayla barely glanced up. "It's cute, but you know we're gonna find something even better at the mall." She tapped on a page in her magazine. "Look, this is what we need to find today."

I leaned over eyeing the picture. It was a low-rise, jean and a cropped hoodie combo, topped off with a chunky belt and platform sneakers. So very now.

"We have been hunting for weeks," I groaned. "If they don't have something like this today, I might actually lose it."

Jayla smirked. "That's why we're starting early. Now, come on, slowpoke."

We hopped into Jayla's car—well technically it was her mom's car, but she had unofficially claimed it. The second we started the engine she cranked up the radio, blasting Hollaback Girl by Gwen Stefani.

"I swear, this song follows me everywhere," I muttered, buckling my seatbelt.

Jayla gasped, turning the volume down just enough to glare at me. "You did not just complain about Hollaback Girl."

"I mean, it's good," I said, holding up my hands, "but do we have to hear it every time we get in the car?"

Jayla scoffed. "You have no taste."

She turned the volume back up, drumming her fingers against the steering wheel as she pulled out of my driveway. We sped down the road. The windows rolled down the warm breeze messing up our hair.

"So," Jayla said over the music, "what are the chances we actually find the outfit today?"

I sighed. "Considering we've been looking for, like, ever? Not great."

"Well, we have no choice. We have to find it." She tapped her fingers against the wheel. "It's a necessity."

"A necessity," I echoed, laughing.

"Yes," she said seriously. "We can't not have the most iconic look of the year."

I rolled my eyes but grinned. "Fine. But if we don't find it today, I'm giving up forever."

"Liar," she said. "You'd still check next week."

I mean she wasn't wrong.

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The moment we walked into the mall, we were on a mission. We headed straight to the best stores—Wet Seal, Delia's ,and of course Forever 21.

Jayla grabbed a bright pink cropped hoodie off a rack, holding it up. "This?"

I wrinkled my nose. "Too bubblegum."

She rolled her eyes and shoved it back into the rack. "Picky."

We spent the next hour rifling through shelves, flipping through racks, and holding up different outfits against ourselves in the store mirrors. Everything was almost perfect, but never quite right.

At one point, Jayla pulled out a pair of flared jeans with rhinestones on the pockets. "These are kinda cute."

"They're so cute," I agreed. "But do they have my size?"

After a few minutes of digging, I let out a triumphant gasp. "Yes!" I help up the jeans in my size, hugging them like they were a long-lost friend.

Jayla snorted. "I've never seen someone so happy over pants."

"You don't understand," I said dramatically. "This is a journey."

After checking out, we wandered through the food court, splitting a soft pretzel and a lemonade chatting about everything and nothing.

And then, the energy shifted.

A certain buzz of voices, camera flashes, and the unmistakable sound of paparazzi chaos filled the space.

"Oh my god," Jayla whispered, grabbing my arm. "It's them."

I didn't need to ask who them was. My stomach twisted as I followed her gaze, my heart, jumping into my throat.

Georg, Gustav, Bill and Tom stood in the middle of the chaos surrounded by flashing cameras and shouting reporters. They looked every bit like the rock stars they were—Bill in a dramatic layered outfit with his signature spiked hair, George and Gustav more low-key but still effortlessly cool. And Tom...

Tom, in his oversized shirt, baggy jeans, and signature cap, was standing slightly apart from the group, his face unreadable beneath the weight of all the attention.

And then, somehow, as if he could feel me looking, his gaze lifted.

Our eyes locked across the crowded mall.

For a second everything else blurred—the noise the cameras, the people. It was just me and him, the weight of unspoken words and unresolved tension hanging between us. His expression didn't change, but there was something there something sharp something undone.

I could feel Jayla watching, waiting for me to react, but I couldn't.

I broke the eye contact first.

"Come on," I muttered, grabbing her hand. "Let's go."

She didn't argue. We turned and walked away, leaving the chaos, the flashing lights, and Tom Kaulitz behind.

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I was curled up on the couch, mindlessly flipping through TV channels when the knock came.

I froze.

Jayla had already gona home. My dad and siblings were upstairs. No one was expecting company.

Another knock, this time firmer.

I knew who it was before I even opened the doorZ

Tom, who stood on my doorstep, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans, his usual air of confidence dulled by something heavier.

"Can we talk?" he asked, his voice low.

I gripped the edge of the door, my stomach tightening. "No."

His jaw tensed. "Kiara."

I shook my head, stepping back. "There's nothing to talk about."

Tom let out a sharp breath, running a hand over his face. "Can you just—" He cut himself off, looking at me like he was trying to figure out he right words.

I didn't give him the chance.

"I don't want to do this," I said, my voice colder than I expected. "Not now. Not ever."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. For a second, I thought he'd push back, but then his shoulders dropped slightly, and I saw the moment he gave up.

"Fine," he muttered. He took a step back, shaking his head like he was mad at himself for even showing up. "Forget it."

I didn't move.

I didn't call him back.

I just watched as he turned and walked away, disappearing into the night.

And even though I had been the one to shut him out, I couldn't shake the feeling that I had just lost something I wasn't ready to let go of.

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My back hurts so muchhh but mb this is a late update i've been asleep all day

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