Is this seat taken?

Awake

After getting out of the shower, I threw on my favorite v-neck shirt and a pair of jeans, left my hair down to let it dry, then exited the bathroom and made my way downstairs. When I got to the kitchen, Tom was still at the table, but now his mother and sisters had joined him there. Tom stood as I entered, like the gentleman he is, and introduced me to his sisters. I sat down and dinner was served.

We had a wonderful time. The meal started with Tom's mother and sisters asking me about myself. After we had finished talking about me, a topic which I was happy to diverge from, we moved on to stories about our lives. They told me about Tom in his childhood, and I talked about mine back home. All in all, it was great. When everyone had finished their shepherd's pie, I helped Tom's mom clear the dishes and everyone washed them together. Once that was done, we all headed to bed, exhausted after a long day.

I reached the room and collapsed on the bed. I heard Tom come in after me and laugh. "What?" I asked, raising my head to look at him.

"Nothing. That was just funny. How do like everyone?"

"They're all wonderful Tom. Dinner went much better than I expected." I wasn't lying either, I thought that meeting Tom's family would be horribly awkward. I thought that they might not like me, and now those fears seemed ridiculous.

He smiled, "Good, I knew they would love you, I told you." He looked so happy that it made me smile.

I hauled myself off of the bed and started to get ready for sleep. I brushed my teeth, washed my face, and changed into my pajamas, thankful that I happened to bring my few sets of pj pants. Tom got ready while I did, and we both headed for bed. He turned out the light and said, "Goodnight, Gabi. And thank you for being such an amazing friend and coming here with me. You truly are incredible, and I'm so glad you're in my life." Just as the night before, I found myself glad for the darkness of the room, and happy that it hid my face. I was completely shocked. Tom had never been one for seriousness; it wasn't that he wasn't deep, he just preferred to joke around and laugh.

"You're welcome, Tom. And I'm glad you're in my life too, I don't know what I would do without you." That had gone farer than I intended, but I hoped that he thought I was just returning his feelings. I prayed he didn't hear that statement the way I truly meant it: I needed him, like some sort of twisted drug. I was an addict who, rather than take the substance I so desired that lay right in front of me, would rather just sit and look at it.

Tom turned so that he faced my back. We were as far apart on the bed as two people could get without falling off. My hands longed to reach out and feel him, to bring him close to me, but I didn't dare move. I heard Tom's breathing become steady behind me after about 20 minutes, and relaxed a bit. He was asleep, and I could be alone with my thoughts for a while.

Sleep evaded me for hours. I was just stuck there thinking about Tom, about his warmth and his smile, about how he was always so kind, and how he was the most wonderful person I had ever met. I checked my watch: 3 am. Great. I turned over, hoping that a change of position was what I needed to finally get to sleep.

I jumped when I saw Tom lying there, eyes open, studying me. "Can't sleep either?" he asked. Hmm, so he hadn't been asleep after all.

"Nope, honestly, I haven't slept well the past few nights."

Tom's eyebrows furrowed, "Why is that? Is something bothering you?"

Yes. "No, I guess it's just insomnia or homesickness or something. How about you?"

"The same as you," he answered.

"Well, I guess we could talk until we fall asleep. It's better than just sitting here in silence."

And so we did; we talked for two hours before my eyelids got heavy. The last thing I remember is turning over to my original position and hearing Tom's voice in my ear, saying "Go to sleep darling."