A Chance Encounter (Tom Holland AU) [1]

Seventeen

A few minutes later, I heard footsteps on top of the roof. I looked back, smiling as I saw Tom stop in his tracks. "You're so beautiful." He whispered, and I blushed as he sat down right next to me. He wasn't making this any easier, that's for sure. "How was your talk with Z?"

"It was nice. She really helped me figure some stuff out." He smiled, and he seemed to just be watching as the wind blew my hair back gently.

"That's wonderful." He whispered as I laid my head on his shoulder.

"What do you wanna do on our day off tomorrow?" For the first time since we started shooting, we didn't have any scenes to film tomorrow.

"I think just a lazy day here would be lovely. We could play Cards Against Humanity with everyone else." He grinned, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

"That sounds wonderful." I smiled gently. A comfortable silence fell between the two of us as we sat on the roof together.

"I see how you enjoy thinking like this." He said softly after a few minutes of us just sitting there.

"It's hard for things to distract me when I do this." He looked over at me, pushing some of my bangs out of my eyes.

"You really are something special, Grace." I raised an eyebrow gently. "The first time I went through what you did today, it took me like a week to feel like my normal self. You bounced back in the course of one afternoon."

"That's not because of me, you know." He returned the perked eyebrow, and I grabbed his hand and laced our fingers together. "Your constant source of positivity, along with Z and Ali's, is what bounced me back."

"Oh, come on." He chuckled, and I shook my head. "You're serious?" He bit his lip, which was extremely attractive.

"Yes, I am. The three of you doing what you did made me feel so much better. Hell, you probably drove to three different flower shops to find peonies to cheer me up, and it means the world to me."

"Four." He whispered, and I smiled. I leaned up and pressed my lips to his, pulling him close. As he kissed me back, I could feel a smile on his lips.

"If anything, you're the one who's really something special." I grinned as we pulled away, and I saw him smile as he cupped my cheek.

"I guess we could just say we both are."

"I like the sound of that." I grinned. As soon as I said that, it started raining out of nowhere. "Shit."

"Come on, let's go inside." He grabbed the bowls Z and I had used as we rushed inside and closed the window. We ended up on my bed with Tessa as a thunderstorm brewed.

"Can I tell you something not many people know?" I looked up at him as Tessa laid down, ending up in both of our laps simultaneously.

"Of course, darling." He smiled gently.

"I may or may not be terrified of thunderstorms." I blushed slightly, biting my lip. As soon as I did, he pouted and pulled me close.

"I've got you, darling." He whispered as a loud crack of thunder filled the air. I buried my face into his neck, grinning softly as he held me tight and I felt his heart beating. I could feel Tessa snuggle into me, and it made me smile even more. While I was genuinely scared, the way the three of us sat calmed me down in an unexplainable way.

"Tom?" I whispered after a while, looking up at him and biting his lip.

"Yes, Grace?" He pushed some stray hairs from my face, cupping my cheek softly.

"I love you."

I wasn't expecting what happened next. As another loud crack of thunder boomed, Tom let go of me and stood up. He left the room, closing my door behind me. I pulled Tessa close as I started panicking. What about everything Zendaya said?

I grabbed my phone and did the first thing I could--call Ali. "Gracie! What's up bitch?" I know this was the third time I had called Ali today, but I needed it.

"Ali, I fucked up. Badly." I knew she could hear me hyperventilating, and I felt terrible. She had never seen me like this, and the first time she wasn't even able to see me.

"Woah, Gracie. What's got you so upset?" I could see the peonies Tom had brought me today and they brought tears to my eyes. 

"I told Tom that I love him. I guess it was too early because he got up and left me alone. In the middle of a storm, right after I told him I was terrified of them. I fucked up."

"So you're alone in the middle of a storm?!"

"I mean, I have Tessa, but..." I could hear action from Ali's side of the call, but I couldn't tell what she was doing. "Can you stay on the line with me?"

"Of course I can, babe. What would you like to talk about?" As Ali and I talked, I could hear a commotion from downstairs. It was as if all four of my housemates were in a heated debate, and whatever side Zendaya was on seemed to be winning. I couldn't tell what they were yelling about, but Zendaya's voice was the most prevalent.

At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the line with Ali, because I woke up the next morning with my phone in my hand and Tessa curled in my arms. This was the first time I woke up without Tom since we began shooting, and it was weird.

I made my way downstairs to make breakfast, still wearing his hoodie. I rubbed my eyes and yawned as I grabbed a mug from our pantry, getting ready to make myself a mug of coffee. Once I set the coffee maker up, I turned around to see Zendaya. "Hey, girl. How are you feeling after last night?" When I raised an eyebrow, she sighed. "Ali texted me while you two were on the phone. She was pissed, and so was I. Hell, I still am." She pulled me into a tight hug.

"Is that what everyone was yelling about last night?" I asked, and she nodded.

"Trust me, the three of us against him was not a pretty sight. You didn't want to be there." I looked down at the floor, playing with the sleeves of his hoodie. She sighed again as she pulled me to the table. "I'm sorry I told you that you should have said it. I honestly thought he would be ecstatic to hear it."

"Don't be, Z. I'm glad I said it, even after what happened. I really do love him, and I wanted him to know." I placed a hand on hers, giving her a gentle smile. "I really did love our conversation last night. You shouldn't beat yourself up over this."

One thing I didn't realize was that Tom was right around the corner, biting his lip as he stood with his back against the wall and listening to us.

I originally was gonna have Tom say it back, but I do love a little drama every once in a while ;-). Let me know your thoughts!