Searching in the silence

Velvet kisses

Tom sat in the rust coated VW beetle outside the mall, tapping his foot impatiently against the pedal. He'd been waiting now for what seamed like hours for Hazel to finish her 'much needed' shopping spree. He didn't fully understand women's love for pacing up and down an aisle, frantically looking for the best discounted items to inevitably return them within a week but it seamed to make is wife happy so he played along.

He'd reached the the point of boredom where he was making up stories for each passer by; the woman with the red coat flowing in the harsh wind was buying gifts for her grandchildren, the group of intimidating teenagers with their hoods up, lingering outside the revolving doors were planning their next heist, the man wheeling the off white pram with the squeaky wheel was a lawyer on his way home from a tough day.

Tom slowly began to sink into the cottony greyness, letting each passing thought wash over him until the rapping of knuckles on glass pulled him unwillingly back into reality.

**

5 weeks earlier.

Tom and Hazel lay in bed, their limbs intertwined. Although he didn't like to admit it, Tom enjoyed these moments the most, Hazels fingers soft to the touch caressing his bare skin, her warm breath soothing against his cold neck, the silence as they lay perfectly still just listening to one another's heart beat.

Toms day had been in short, shit. Working in an office 10 hours a day, 6 days a weeks was draining and provided him with little to no comfort. He would file through masses and masses of paperwork willing away the hours till he would be home listening to the soft thud of Hazels heart against her ribs. Tom hates most of his co-workers with a burning passion. The thought of Terry telling him another anecdote about taking a poor young girl home to (in his own loving words) 'bang the living daylights out of' made his skin crawl.

His boss Carl (or otherwise known around the office as 'little prick') was a 5'3 devil in corduroy shorts. It appeared he took pleasure out of causing misery amongst his staff. Today especially 'little prick' was on the prowl for anything and everything that he could pick apart and shove down his employees throughs and when Phil and Susan jammed the printer, he pounced like a cat on a unsuspecting mouse.

"That's it your all staying after hours until I say you can leave!" Little prick boomed across the office, barely visible over the partitions.

His words were met with a load groan of pissed off people as the went back to staring at blank screens. Toms expression fell as he realised this meant longer away from Hazels soft touch but he knew he could (would) make it up to her.

For a moment Tom considered pushing back his squeaking chair and punching the living daylights out of 'little prick' right then and there but he knew better. He needed this job and he was going to let bastard ruin everything so he sorted the mounds of paperwork until his eyes began to fail him and they were allowed home.

The cab journey wasn't much better. The rain shot down from the clouds like bullets from rifle, ricocheting off the roof. That paired with the copious amounts of traffic was gradually driving Tom insane as the red stop light pooled in thought the window. When he reached his apartment he practically jumped out of the cab and ran up the steps longing for Hazels warm embrace was he fumbled to unlock the door.

Tom disrupted the stillness and turned to face Hazel, all the pains of the day long forgotten. He gazed at her, completely in awe of her beauty that was ever so slightly masked by her auburn hair. He slowly traced his hand up her arm and rested his fingers gently on her cheek. He moved his thumb methodically along her delicate skin as she eased her eyes open.

They lay there for a moment, exchanging messages without uttering a single word. He loved that about her, the way she could control a room with just a glance. He gently moved his hand into her hair and pulled her closer until their foreheads touched and they exchanged velvet kisses.

He loved her. He would do anything to protect and care for her. He would never leave her. He relied on her.

Perhaps that's what scared him the most.