Breaking Free (Tom Holland) BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Breaking Free Chapter 21

"Can we try that again but without the wind machine?" Tristian called across set. We were filming on location at a lake house. The crew had rigged up a massive wind machine since the weatherman had lied. Apparently it was way too effective. My hair had had to be redone 13 times and counting. Not that I was complaining. Every second I spent with my stylist was a second I didn't have to avoid Tom.

Not that I was running from him... much. It had been a few days since our outing and I had managed to not have a moment alone with him so far. It was totally a coincidence. I swear.

"Okay. Let's try to get at least one good shot before we lose our lighting," Tristian pleaded.

Madison, Rebecca and I stood at the outskirts of the lake house. We began walking and reciting our lines as soon as the cameras started rolling. We managed to get through the scene three more times before the sky became too dark for us to continue. As we were moving the equipment inside to switch scenes Tom finally caught up to me.

"Hey Vanessa can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure," I responded. Madison, who I had been walking with, leaned in closer.

Tom glanced in her direction. "Madison, do you mind if I talk to Vanessa in private?" he requested.

"Of course!" Madison exclaimed. She ran away before I could protest.

We walked to our destination in complete silence. I kept running our inevitable conversation through my head trying to predict the outcome. I came up with nothing. We reached a gazebo that sat near the edge of the water. Tiny tea lights were wrapped all around the gazebo making it sparkle in the twilight. Floral garlands twisted around the chains of the swing that hung in the middle. We had filmed a scene in the gazebo earlier that day. Not even that could prepare me for how beautiful it looked at night.

Tom and I took a seat on the swing. The silence stretched on and on. It went on so long that I almost began to believe that he wasn't going to say anything after all. Finally he spoke.

"I'm sorry."

I turned to him in surprise. "Sorry? Sorry for what?"

"For kissing you and making things awkward between us."

"You didn't make things awkward."

"Vanessa you've been avoiding me for a week straight."

"But you didn't make things awkward. I just got scared. Really scared. I told you I've never done anything like this; acting or not. I wasn't sure how to react. I'm still not."

"Is that why you punched me in the face and ran out of the car?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Tom gave me a small smile. "Look Vanessa. If this isn't what you want then just tell me. I thought we had a really strong connection but if I was wrong just let me know and I'll never do anything like that again."

"There is definitely something here. I'm not sure what it is but all I know is that before you kissed me I thought that nothing in the world could make me happier. After you kissed me I knew I was wrong. I dont want to stop this- us. I want to see where the wind takes us. I want to be with you."

Tom said nothing else. He grabbed my face in his hands and pulled it close. Our lips collided and the world melted away. His lips felt so soft as they pressed against mine. I could still feel them even after he pulled away. We gazed in each other's eyes for what felt like forever. I never wanted that moment to end.

And then it did. "Tom! Vanessa!" we heard a producer calling our names. We quickly broke apart. We joined the producer as casually as we could and joined the rest of the crew.

"Do you want to go anywhere?" Tom asked as we climbed into his car. We had just finished filming for the day.

I pulled my coat closer to me. "No. I just want to go home. I'm exhausted."

"You did do a lot today. I barely had any scenes."

We got to my house and went inside. The house was dark which meant that nobody was home. We flopped down on the couches and watched TV. Before long we had both fallen asleep.

"Well isn't this a pleasant surprise," I heard my sister's voice say.

I opened my eyes and saw her and my brother watching us sleep. "How long have you been there?" I wondered.

"Long enough," Valerie said. She reached down and gently poked Tom's cheek. When he didn't respond she jabbed him harder. He sat up with a start. It took him a moment to adjust to his surroundings. When he realized what was going on he jumped up.

"What time is it?" he exclaimed.

"Late enough that we're not letting you drive home. You can borrow some of my clothes and sleep in the guest room," Jason offered.

"I'm sure he would much rather sleep in Vanessa's room," Valerie remarked.

I jumped up and hit her arm. Jason raised his eyebrows at me but said nothing. The front door opened and Uncle Travis appeared. He took one look at our faces and walked away shaking his head.

"Come on Tom. I'll give you some clothes," Jason said. He and Tom walked out of the room and up the stairs.

I sunk back onto the couch. Valerie came and sat next to me. "So, how was today? Last I heard you were avoiding Tom thanks to a certain lip on lip encounter."

I twiddled my thumbs. "We had a... discussion. And we've come to terms with our feelings."

"Oh spare me the petty details. Are you two dating or not?" Valerie interrupted me.

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. We are."

"Tell me everything!"

"You literally just told me you didn't want the petty details!"

"The person I was a few seconds ago is not the person I am now. Now spill."

I quickly told her what had happened on set. Her grin grew wide with each sentence. By the time I was finished she was practically jumping for joy.

"I knew it!" she shrieked.

"Knew what?" Jason asked as he and Tom came back into the room. Tom was wearing a white T-shirt and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. You could really tell how little muscle my brother had by how tight the shirt was on Tom.

"Nothing," Valerie replied innocently. She gave me a wink before prancing upstairs to go to bed.

I took Tom upstairs to show him where the guest room was. "Good night," I told him quietly. He looked around quickly to make sure we were alone. Then he lifted my chin and planted a soft kiss on my lips.

"Good night," he whispered.

A/N: Writer's block is a bitch!!! Sorry this chapter took so long! Hope you guys enjoy!