15. I Don't Deserve You

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THIRD PERSON POV

Back at Mandy's apartment, the pair were left unsure of what to do following Vee's departure. Did they follow her? Or did they finally give her some space after spending the last few days hovering over her?

It seemed Mandy made the decision for them as she started towards the door, hands curled into tiny fists at her side. That seemed to snap Tom out of it, and he quickly gripped Mandy's wrist, pulling her to a stop. She whipped around, eyes glaring into his with an unfamiliar fire.

"What are you doing? We have to get her before she does something crazy!" Mandy protested, trying to tug her arm out of Tom's grip.

Tom shook his head. "We have to let her do whatever it is she went to do." Mandy rolled her eyes, once again making a start to the door, huffing when she was yanked back. "Mandy, didn't you see the look on her face? She wasn't going to do something stupid, I can tell."

Mandy hesitated, her eyes darting between Tom's in uncertainty. He seemed sure of himself, sure of Vee. He saw something in her eyes that Mandy didn't quite catch, something strong enough to have all this faith in her that Mandy lacked.

So she gave up her fighting, Tom's grip on her wrist loosening as it fell limp in his hand. Slowly, her arm dropped back to her side, a sigh leaving her lips as she did so. She stepped around Tom, sinking down into the couch with a frown resting on her lips.

"How did you know you loved Vee?"

The question caught Tom off guard, his mouth going dry as his words failed him. He could hear the thump of his heart loudly in his ears, while his face began to heat up. Was he supposed to be honest with her, or continue to deny the sentiment like he'd done so far?

Before he could deliberate any longer, he found himself saying, "I don't know the exact moment." Judging by Mandy's look of surprise, it seemed she hadn't been expecting the confession to come tumbling from his lips.

Tom's gaze cast downwards as the reality of his confession weighed down on him. It was his first time ever saying out loud that he harbored feelings for his "best friend" that was so intense they could be described as nothing less than love. But his confession was nothing short of the truth, he loves Vee, and he doesn't remember when he came to that realization.

There came many times throughout a day spent with Vee that Tom found himself thinking, wow, I love this girl. When that thought first presented himself was unknown, but the fact that it was there was enough to bring an ache to his chest.

"Why haven't you told her?" Mandy broke their silence with a whisper. Tom looked up at her soft voice, lips tilting downwards at the sight of Mandy's wide, curious eyes.

He sighed at that, crossing the room to join his friend at the couch. Sinking down beside her, he hesitated with his response, fingers twisting the fabric of his sweatpants in uncertainty. "She's with Isaac, he matches her numbers." Tom swallowed harshly, feeling his throat tighten as the words left his mouth. Unconsciously, he found himself rubbing at his own hand, smudging the makeup that covered his own numbers. "I'm not going to be the one to ruin her relationship, not with all she's been through."

Only You ── TOM HOLLANDWhere stories live. Discover now