Sweethearts [1] || tom holland

Chapter 22: Girlfriend Status

April 8, 2017
Richmond Park

The typical Saturday morning was doused in drizzling rain and cloudy skies. Tom and I strolled through the deserted park as Tessa galloped across the grassy fields chasing the pigeons and sniffing the ground. Tom held an umbrella over our heads and I was holding his arm for support.

"It's a lot pretty than this in the sun, trust me," Tom said.

"I'm sure it is," I said. "I love parks regardless of what the weather is."

"That's a good attitude to have for British parks."

"You adapt to your surroundings."

Tom chuckled at my joke. He readjusted the umbrella in his hand as we walked down the path into a wooded area. Tessa trotted in front of us along the path, stopping occasionally to check we were still following her.

"What do you think of her?" Tom asked, nodding at Tessa.

"She's so loyal and surprisingly calm for a pit bull," I admitted.

"Yeah, she's a little angel," Tom gushed about her. "She loves you, you know."

"Oh, she tell you that herself, did she?" I laughed.

Tom chuckled and shook his head. "I can tell by the way she acts around new people. She did sleep on top of you the first night she met you."

"Don't all pets do that? I know my cat does."

"Well, your cat likes you. That's why he sleeps on you."

I smacked his arm and scoffed. We continued to another open field with long grass and a few trees dotted around the field. Despite the dreary weather, the park was beautiful. Spring flowers were blooming and there were signs of new life blossoming in the park. Suddenly, Tom halted and pulled my arm back to stop me walking. I furrowed my eyebrows and searched the field to see what he was looking at.

"What?" I asked.

"Look, over there." He pointed to the left and I saw what he was pointing at. A herd of deer flooded into the field and elegantly glided through the long grass. Some of them stopped to graze and others kept moving along. I gasped quietly and gripped onto Tom's arm tighter.

"I've never seen deer this close up before," I whispered. "Actually, that's a lie. I have at the Safari Park."

Tom chuckled and patted my hand.

"All part of the service, darling," he said.

I turned to him and titled my head to the side.

"Oh, yeah?" I asked inquisitively. "And what service is that? The boyfriend service?"

Tom turned his head and copied my expression. He turned his body so he was facing me and furrowed his eyebrows.

"I heard what you called me at breakfast. You said I was your girlfriend." I told him.

The realisation flooded his face and his expression changed quickly. He exhaled nervously and scratched the back of his neck. He struggled to find the words for his next sentence and I laughed at his bashfulness.

"You never asked me. And we've never talked about it," I said to him.

He shrugged. "I thought it was obvious."

I put my hands on my hips and balanced my weight on my left left.

"Thomas, I have never had a boyfriend before. I've never dated anyone, I've never kissed anyone and I've never slept with anyone. So it might be obvious to you but it's not to me. If this is going to work, you have to actually say things and not think they're implied or I'll get the wrong end of the stick because I'm a naive person when it comes to romance," I ranted.

He stood in silence listening to my words. When I was finished, he scoffed and shook his head. He started laughing and I got self-conscious. Did I get the wrong end of the stick already?

"What? Why are you laughing?" I asked.

"You," he said. "Of course, I want you to be my girlfriend, Ellen. I know we haven't been around each other that often recently, but I've got two weeks to make up for the loss."

I chuckled and brushed a piece of hair behind my ear. Tom brought his hand up to me cheek and stroked it with the back of his knuckles. I gulped and our eyes locked instantly. He leaned into me and I felt myself moving forward as well. Our faces got so close that I felt his hot breath against my lips. His lips connected with mine and he kissed me. I kissed him back and our lips moved in unison. I had no clue what I was doing so I tried to copy what Tom was doing. Wow, he was a good kisser. He was a GREAT kisser. His hand cupped my cheek and I placed my hands on his waist. He titled my head to the side more and kissed me deeply. Seconds later, we drew back for breath and our foreheads rested against each other.

"Now you can tick two of those things off your list," he said quietly.

"And you're sure you wanna be with me?" My voice cracked at the end. I hated that my insecurities were showing but I didn't want to be used again.

"If I didn't, would I do this?"

He leaned into me again and kissed me once more. This time, the kiss was interrupted by Tessa barking at us. We moved away from each other quickly and saw Tessa running at us at full speed. Tom chuckled and flung his arm over my shoulder.

"Welcome to the Holland clan."

Note: short chapter but a necessary one... THEY FINALLY KISSED 😝😝