THE INEVITABLE │ t.h

TWENTY FOUR

"How was school?" Tom chuckles as he watches Evelyn slump into the kitchen, finding her barstool and waits for her snack.

"Too many tests," she huffs, tilting her head into her palms. "So tired."

"I bet you did amazing, Evie," he grins, settling her crackers and cheese in front of her. "Where's Venus?" he finally asks, looking around to find her still not inside.

"Oh, she said she lost her phone in your car — she's probably looking for it still." Tom nods, walking out to the garage. He shuts the door, staring at his car. He squints his eyes to try to find Venus inside of his vehicle, but fails to recognize her blonde hair.

A pair of hands settle in front of his eyes, sending him into a sort of attack stance. "It's just me, you psycho," Venus chuckles as she removes her hands before he karate chops her. Tom spins on his heels, gripping onto her waist, pulling her into him. He even dips her, the squeal that attempted to pass her lips vibrating in his mouth.

When they've pulled away, Venus puts on a pouty face. "Now what?" Tom asks softly, mocking her expression.

"You didn't come visit me at work," she whines.

"You'll see why after dinner," Tom grins, stealing another kiss from her before they join Evelyn in the living room.

"Movie," Evelyn pouts, holding up the Beauty and the Beast DVD case.

"Of course, princess," Tom grins. He picks her up, carries her over to the couch, and plops themselves down on it, Evelyn seating herself comfortably on his lap. She pats the empty spot beside them, staring at Venus with wide eyes.

"I've always loved this movie," Venus smiles as she takes her expected seat. She rests her legs on the ottoman before them, waiting for the movie to start before she rested her head on Tom's shoulder. He tilted his head in return, settling his cheek on top of her hair.

➴⋆➶

"That was so good, daddy," Evelyn gushed as she slides off her chair at the dining table and embraces her father.

"Thank you, princess. Now go clean up your dishes and set out your homework. Venus and I will be back," he responds, watching her run off with her empty plate and cup. Tom glances over at Venus, smiling. He holds out his hand, Venus taking it, and drags her to his bedroom.

"Tom-"

"Close your eyes," he whispers as he nears her. She huffs, doing as told. She feels Tom wrap his hands around her waist as he walks them somewhere, careful not to let her bump into a wall. Venus's feet eventually hit cool tiles, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Tom-"

"Open your eyes," he ushers after releasing her. She slowly opens her eyes, a shocked expression taking over her face.

"W-what's this?" she questions as she watches Tom light the various candles that were sporadically placed around the en-suite, her eyes analyzing the red rose petals that gently rested along the floor, complimenting the light grey tiles nicely.

"I figured going back to work after being stuck with me for a couple weeks straight would be a bit much for your returned anxiety," he speaks as he lights the last couple candles, "so, I wanted to help you unwind."

Venus flickers her eyes over to him, watching him stand. He smiles her way, walking over to the tub. He turns on the hot water, mixing it with a bit of cold every now and then so as to not burn her delicate skin.

"T-Tom," Venus stutters, analyzing the scene once more while she waited for her bath to be drawn, "I don't know what to say."

"Say nothing," Tom grins, keeping his focus trained on the temperature of the water. Venus waited patiently, unable to keep herself from staring at his back. She imagined running her fingers through his soft locks, her lips tingling as she yearned for his touch.

Tom finally stood once the bath was full, but instead of returning to Venus, he grabs the pink bottle beside the tub, dumping some of the liquid in. Venus continues to watch him until he's done perfecting the look of the bubble bath, his eyes finally reuniting with hers.

He steps over to her, intertwining his hands with hers, placing his lips where they belonged — on hers. She smiled as their hands moved up into the air, eventually splitting as hers made their way into his hair and his found her waist.

"Lift your arms up," Tom mumbles against her lips. Venus does as told, feeling Tom grip the end of her shirt and swiftly pulls it over her head, breaking their kiss. His hands settle back on her waist, his eyes drinking in every bit of her. Once he's found those dangerous ocean blue orbs again, he can't help but grin. "You're so beautiful," he whispers, bumping her nose with his. Venus blushes, moving her arms to wrap around his neck.

"I wish you could join me," Venus whispers as their lips inch closer yet again.

"Maybe another time, love," he whispers back, colliding his lips against hers again. He found her intoxicating kiss to be his personal heaven. Venus's fingers dove through his curls, gripping them softly. Tom parted only a centimeter, their eyes opening and meeting once more. "You're making this really hard to leave."

"Forgot your daughter's waiting for you," Venus admits quietly, chuckling, her eyes flickering between his.

"Enjoy your bath," Tom smiles, placing a warm kiss on her forehead, pulling their bodies apart.

He was almost out the door when Venus spoke up. "Tom?" she questions softly. She could hear her heart pounding furiously, afraid he could as well.

Tom closes the door, spinning to face her. "Yes, Venus?" he questions with a soft smile. He watched her fingers fiddle with each other in front of her belly button.

"I-" Venus felt a rush of heat overcome her body, her eyes snapping to the floor beside her. "I-I love you."

Tom's smile widens, his feet pounding back to her. He traps her in another kiss, holding their bodies close. She giggles, thankful he didn't run away as soon as she spoke those three daunting words.

"I love you too," he whispers between passionate kisses, not letting his hands roam further than her waist.