The Rendezvous // Thomas Sangster

And Then, a Pinprick of Hope

I wake up the next morning with Thomas's arms wrapped around me and my face buried in the crook of his neck. I feel hot, the kind of hot that one would usually think is uncomfortable, but at the time being it's the perfect temperature. My palms, which are placed on Thomas's chest are the most warm and I can feel his heart beating steadily against them while he snoozes peacefully. His mouth is open slightly, so warm breaths fan across the top of my head every few seconds.

After I've contently remained in this position for several minutes, enjoying cuddling, as well as the feeling of being well rested and having an empty mind for once, I turn my head to look across the room at the second bed. Kaya is fast asleep, her dark hair covering most of her face. I hope she didn't feel uncomfortable when she came in last night and found Thomas and I in bed together. I mean, it's not like he and I had done or were doing anything but sleeping. All the same, I didn't want to cause Kaya any discomfort.

Untangling myself from Thomas, and trying to to wake him, I slide out from under the covers. The air in here is slightly chilly, so I wrap my arms around myself and cross the room, grabbing a sweatshirt that Asket has let me borrow and slipping it on. I quietly open the door, casting one last glance at Thomas, who still hasn't stirred.

The rest of the house is quiet. Every door is closed along the hallway. I make my way to the kitchen to see if anyone is awake, and when I get there I find Hero, leaning against the counter with a glass of orange juice in his hand. His eyes meet mine as soon as I enter the room.

He nods, as I step in, "Morning. You hungry?"

I shrug, looking around the kitchen, which seems different in the early-morning light. I glance at the clock to see that it's 8:00. "Yeah, I am a little bit."

"We've got muffins and cereal in the pantry." Hero says, "I'm just about to eat breakfast too. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all." I shake my head.

Hero pulls the muffins out of the pantry and we both settle for chocolate. He places them on separate plates and hands mine to me as we walk towards the table.

He takes a bite of his muffin, humming, "So, everyone is still asleep?"

"Yes." I nod, "Yesterday was a long day. I expect they'll want to sleep in a little bit. Even Dylan, who seems to never run out of energy."

"You've made some interesting friends. Dangerous ones." Hero looks carefully at me, "Although, based off the way one of them looks at you, I'm guessing you've made more than just friends."

My eyes shift away from Hero to look out the window. I hope that he doesn't sense my embarrassment, but my lack of eye contact certainly doesn't help matters. He used to tease me about guys all the time when we were younger. I would never tell him who I liked, because he would always bother me about it after that. We were grown now, but that was still no guarantee that Hero would be mature about this.

"So, Thomas, huh?" Hero presses, the corners of his mouth twitching a little.

I force myself to look back at him, attempting a smile, "Yeah. Thomas and I are together."

Hero raises an eyebrow, "Thought so."

I expect him to continue, to say something embarrassing or gross. However, it never comes. Instead, he just stares at me, watching me from across the table.

I stare at him in anticipation, "What?"

He tilts his head, "Nothing, nothing."

Raising an eyebrow, I lean forward, "No way. I know that look. What are you thinking?"