Temptation

Chapter Sixteen

The following day, Alice waited patiently outside Tom's office for him to arrive for his office hours. He arrived a few minutes after and the two greeted one another as they stepped inside. Alice completed a few of his tasks before they got to discussing the play. He ran lines with her and discussed some of his ideas with her and taking any idea she had into consideration, sometimes drawing a red line over his idea and replacing it with hers. After a moment, Tom asked her to get him a book from his shelf.

"So that's the kind of boyfriend you'll be? Bossing me around." She teased, standing from her seat.

"What?" Tom asked.

Alice stopped in her tracks, realizing what she said and widened her eyes.

"I meant that as a joke. I was just teasing." She spoke.

"It didn't seem like it."

Alice took a deep breath and glanced down at the floor before gathering the courage to look him in the face.

"Actually, I did, sort of, mean it."

"Boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I consider you my boyfriend. Do you consider me your girlfriend?"

"... Yes."

Alice furrowed her brow and scoffed.

"You hesitated." She remarked.

"Well, I wasn't exactly planning on having this conversation now, in my office, at my place of work." Tom told her.

"Do you not consider me your girlfriend then?"

"I... I don't know." He replied.

"So... what are we then?"

"I don't know." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"You don't know? Tom, we've been on four dates, I've done things with you I haven't done to anyone I've dated, and I've let you touch me intimately in a way no one else has. You have to have at least some idea."

"I don't. Okay?" Tom replied.

"So, what? We're just going on dates that lead to nothing?" Alice asked.

"No. I do hope that these dates lead to something. I just don't know if I'm comfortable saying you're my girlfriend yet." He admitted.

"Why? If I can say you're my boyfriend, why can't you do the same for me?"

"I just can't."

"So I was right." Alice spoke to herself.

"Right about what?" Tom inquired, folding his arms over his chest.

"I was just a rebound for you."

Tom's expression softened as he exhaled sharply. He walked over to Alice and stopped a few inches away from her.

"You were never a rebound, Alice."

"I knew we started this too quickly. You just broke up with her. Of course, I'm a rebound."

"No, you're not."

"We should've waited. We shouldn't have done any of this." Alice gasped.

"You're not a rebound! I wanted to start this relationship with you so fast because I knew it always had been you. You were the one I wanted, not her!"

"I told you a lot of personal things about my life. Things I don't normally go talking about unless I trust the other person. If I had known, I never would have said anything."