Marvel Imagines

Lies | Thomas H.

I hummed quietly along to the tune if my favorite song. I was happy, sitting in the living room of our joint hotel room and eating popcorn while reading a book. Life had been treating me well-- I got to do what I loved, be where I loved to be, and be with the man I love to be around.

I was actually waiting for him as I read, subconsciously keeping track if the time. It was 1 a.m., which was a little later than usual, but he was out with Harrison and Jacob, so I has no worries.

Pushing the thoughts aside, I lost myself in the plot of my book again. The timer in my mind ticked a little louder with each passing minute, but I ignored it enough to keep my anxious thoughts from creeping up.

...

I heard the front door open very quietly. I kept reading, but I was acutely aware of how hard I had to strain to hear Tom. Usually, he comes through the doors loudly to let me know that he's arrived. This time, though, he came shuffling into the living room, his eyes looking foggy and his demeanor low.

"Hey, Tom. Had fun?" I asked, closing the book as I greeted him. He nodded absently as he took a seat on the ottoman across the room.

"(Y/N), there's something I have to tell you." He began. "And its even worse because I've been hiding from it." He started mumbling to himself.

"Awhile back... Maybe as long as a month ago... I did something unforgivable. I-- I..." He stopped, taking a deep breath.

"I don't even want to say it because I don't want to be forgiven. It only started a few weeks ago, but-"

"What is it, Tom?" I asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Skip the story and tell me the ending."

"I cheated on you."

"Why?" I asked after a moment of complete, utter, deafening silence. His eyes welled up. Tom stood up and began pacing the room, taking his fingers through his hair.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. It was a horrific thing to do and I am a horrific person and sorry isn't enough, but I don't know what to say."

"That doesn't answer my question." I said, my throat tightening from how hard I was trying not to cry.

"What?" Tom turned to me, his eyes filled with tears. He sat down heavily, hiding his face and shaking. I stayed seated on my couch, dry-eyed and holding it together pretty well.

"Why would you do something like that? It would have been a little easier if I knew you had just kissed another woman, but your demeanor tells me it went a little further than that." I phrased my words so that he had the perfect opportunity to refute me if what I said wasn't true. But when he didn't respond, I felt a pang in my chest. I stood up promptly, walking away from him and pushing my emotions away.

I walked to our to our shared bedroom, where each of us had a queen-sized bed to ourselves. I sat down on the edge of mine, picking up a picture frame I had put on the nightstand next to me. In spite of it all, I smiled at the photo; it was of me and Tom at the top of a waterfall. Our hands were pressed tightly together, and we were seconds away from jumping off.

"I won't ever do it again, please,  let's work this out." I heard his voice call from outside the doorway. I ignored it.

"I was drunk, (Y/N)... Please, just say something." This time, the voice was much closer. Looking up, I saw him sitting across from me, on his own bed. I continued to not speak to him, dropping my eyes back down to the photo.

"Are you seriously not going to say anything?" Tom asked. Part of me truly wanted to forgive him, to work it out and forget it. But cheating is the one thing that both of us said we despised, and here we are, one lie later. He looked heartbroken, I was heartbroken.

"If I'm not good enough for your loyalty, what makes you think-? No, Thomas, I'm not going to say anything." I replied. I was proud of myself for being so calm, though I knew it would all come crashing down later. Tom looked crushed at my words, but the look told me he knew he deserved it.

"I'm hurt. What do you want me to say?" I asked. After another suffocating moment of silence, I held the picture out to him.

"Do you remember this, Tom?" I asked. He took the frame hesitantly, smiling as soon as he processed what it was.

"Of course I remember. I wanted to jump down the falls with you, and you couldn't swim, but we did it together." He answered.

"Yeah," I replied. "I actually did it. Do you remember what that day felt like?" I asked. He looked up at me, confused.

"What? What do you mean-" He geared up to ask, but I barreled on.

"It felt like trust, Tom. I trusted you with my life. I had absolute faith that if I jumped down, you'd be there to catch me at the end." I took the frame back from him, putting it down on the nightstand. I looked him right in the face, looked at that chiseled jawline and into those deep eyes and the slightly crooked nose and the sharp cheekbones. I looked him right in the face, angry and heartbroken and afraid that I would break down.

"I trusted you." I repeated, pointing weakly at the photo. "What on earth am I supposed to say when you tell me you want to work it out, but your actions tell me you don't care?" Tom stared straight back at me, and as soon as I saw a tear fall down his cheek again, I had to look away for fear that I would cry, too.

"(Y/N)... Please." He whispered, his voice cracking. I shook my head, and he squeezed his eyes shut, forcing more tears onto his face.

"You know I can't, Tom. We made a promise when you asked me to be yours, and both of us knew what would happen if... this... were to happen." It hurt me to say it, but I knew I owed it to myself. Cheating is one thing that I can't tolerate. I couldn't just overlook Tom's cheating and think that our relationship would be roses and cream after that.

"So... Are we done?" He asked quietly, opening his eyes. He was asking me outright, but I already saw the defeat in his eyes. He knew my answer.

"I'm sorry, Tom." I replied, and he started crying again. He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes in an attempt to stop the tears.

"Me, too." His voice wavered, and I could hear how thick his words were. I stood up and looked at him, though he couldn't see me. He was crying, and I was not, and it seemed to me like this wasn't going how the books always portrayed it. I fought back the urge to place my hand on his shoulders, opting instead to walk to the door.

"I'll be back tomorrow to pick up my things." I said quietly when I reached the doorway. Tom didn't say anything, but he did turn to look at me, eyes watering and face red. He nodded.

"Okay, love." He whispered, then turned away. I reeled back at the two simple words, not expecting him to speak at all.

"It was a pleasure being in love with you, Thomas Stanley." I walked out of the room, striding purposefully toward the door of his room.