The Other Side - A Jamilton Fanfiction

Chapter Twenty Nine

I stood outside the door, heart pounding. My hopes at the moment were raised as high as the ceiling, and it wouldn't take much for them to come crashing down.

What else could Peggy have been referring to? And whatever it was, if it wasn't Thomas, I didn't want it.

I found myself frozen to the spot. What would I say to him, if he was awake? What did I expect after all of this, for everything to go back to normal? How could anything ever be the same again for me?

Closing my eyes, I widened the crack in the door slowly so I didn't make any noise and alert Thomas of my entrance. I needed to have a moment, if he was awake, to see him. To soak him in.

I slipped inside, feet brushing against the soft, unworn carpeting and stopped right next to one of the bookshelves.

My breathing hitched in my throat at what I saw.

There he was, perfect in every aspect. Even better than I had remembered or imagined.

He was sitting up in bed with the blankets still covering his lower body. His head was resting on one hand, the other holding the book that was sitting in his lap. A pair of birds, Amica and one other that I didn't recognize, were brushing his hair. The other held the strand of hair while Amica would brush it. I couldn't hide my smile.

The room was just as alive as he was. Birds and butterflies of all shapes and sizes were perched in different places, though each one was relatively quiet and content in their joined song.

I leaned against the wall and watched Thomas quietly. I soaked in the moment and its entirety, careful not to miss out on any detail. The cute yet bored expression on his face as he flipped through the pages, the way the sunlight from the window danced across his face just right, the wonderfully peaceful nature of the room.

But before I had enough time, Belletra erupted from my coat pocket and let out the loudest noise a bird could make as she hurtled herself towards Thomas. He glanced up at her and grinned. "Yes! Yes, Belletra! I missed you too!" He pulled her out of the air and held her to his chest, running his fingers down her back.

A second later, and he glanced up.

The gentle, almost embarrassed smile on Thomas's face froze as he shooed away the birds and moved his hand to his cheek.

"Hi," he murmured, voice hoarse from lack of use.

"Hi," I returned.

There were so many things I wanted to do. To run to him, wrap my arms around him, kiss him. Instead, I settled on walking over to the bed and sitting down on the side and shooting him a smile.

"I missed you," I said simply.

Thomas slid his hand to mine almost hesitantly, pausing just inches away from my skin. I gripped it and tightened for a second, feeling the familiar warmth and pulse of blood.

And then, the dam broke.

"I missed you so much," I repeated, staring at the bed, trying not to cry.

"Alex," he said softly, leaning forwards.

I lunged forwards before he could say anything else and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. He caught me readily, and there was no pause when I felt his arms return the gesture, holding me gently.

"I'm alright Alexander," he murmured.

"I missed you so much," was all I could utter. "I missed you so damn much. Don't ever do that again, understand? I... I thought that—"