TWH

3 - the next morning

The next morning my head was feeling more than a little fuzzy. I woke and led in the bed a while contemplating what had happened the night before. Had it really happened? I was doing so well trying to ignore that fact that Tom was super cute and then before I knew it, he was in my doorway and kissing me. Emma would go mad!

I made my way slowly down stairs. Emma had yet to surface but Tom and Diana were in the kitchen making their breakfast.

"Good morning love. Did you sleep well? Would you like a tea or coffee?" Diana was sat at the kitchen island with a book and a cup of something. Tom looked around from where he was stood at the toaster and smiled.

"Morning. I slept like a log. Thank you. Coffee would be good, I'll get I though" I made my way over the the kettle and next to Tom.

He looked over at me and gave me a stupidly sexy grin. "Good morning Sophie, how's the hangover?"

"Morning, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. How about you?" I tired to play it cool.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Struggled to sleep though"

"Oh yeah? Why's that?" I cocked my head to one side.

Tom got a bit closer and reached around me for the jam on the shelf above my head. He got too close, his breath on my neck made my body tingle as he whispered in my ear. "Well, I couldn't get a certain someone out of my head" he got the jar and headed back towards his toast as I just stood looking a little gobsmacked.

I poured my drink and headed to sit at the breakfast bar with Diana, as Emma came downstairs.

"Morning fam'. We all good" she chirrped.

"Good morning darling. You not feeling as hungover as these two then?" Diana gave Emma a kiss on the cheek as she passed and cheerily popped the toaster back on.

"Oh dear. Are they feeling dodge? I feel good actually. Full of the festive spirit!" She was far too upbeat. Tom and I ate and drank quietly as she and Diana chatted away.

Every now and then Tom's knee would brush mine under the counter. Each time it did, I got goosebumps. He looked over out of the corner of his eye and smiled, he was being a little tease and he knew it. Diana made her way back upstairs to get ready for the day and left us in the kitchen.

"So, you managed to resist him last night then?" Emma joked. Tom sat and looked pretty smug as I nearly chocked on my mouthful.

"Despite my best efforts she did" Tom winked over Emma's shoulder at me as she gave me a hard stare and he headed for a shower.

"You ok?" She looked stern

"Umm Yeah. Just coughed and tried to swallow at the same time, you know?" I took a drink and tried to hide behind my mug.

"Ok. You sure he wasn't too creepy last night"

"Definitely not creepy." I paused. "He's kinda cute" I tested the waters.

"Oh fuck off!" She exclaimed

"What?"

"You do not fancy Tom!"

"Well he is kinda cute though"

"He a fucking dork. He's lanky, and annoying and his hair's all shades of curly shit..." she tried to go on.

"He's your brother. You're not gonna find him hot are you!" I interrupted her.

"Now he's hot?" She looked at me - mouth open. I couldn't tell if she was pissed off or going to burst out laughing.

"Kinda Yeah" I braved it.

"Pah!!" She chuckled. "If you fucking say so" she seemed to relax a little now. "So, nothing happened last night then?"

"Well..."

"No fucking way!" She looked intrigued rather than pissed off like she'd heard juicy gossip. "What, What, what? You have to tell me"

"It was nothing really. We just stayed up until like 3am talking. And then as we went to bed he kinda kissed me"

"Fuck off! The slimy git!" She was smiling now "and?"

"And that was it. One kiss, then he said goodnight and went to bed. And then this morning he whispered in my ear that he couldn't sleep because he was thinking about me"

"Wanking over you more like" Emma scoffed.

"Eew. Thanks for that." I paused. "And now that's it. He's your brother and I shouldn't be thinking anything more about it" I sat back down and sipped my now cold coffee.

"On the contrary. Yes he's my brother, and you're my best friend. Which means I know he's annoying but he's also a good guy, with a fantastic family. And I know that you won't screw him over and that you really need to get laid. We can have some fun with this!" She looked over the table at me and smiled.

I'd not really though past as kiss. He was my best friends brother. Older than me, more experience in life as well as sex. Emma knew I'd not slept with anyone and she was respectful of that. It wasn't like I was prude or holding off until marriage or something. I just went to a single sex boarding school, and never really had time for any serious boyfriends. The last guy I'd dated properly was when I was like 16. We had some fun and fooled around but never went all the way. Then as I got a bit older, I didn't want to just have a one night stand, and I didn't want someone to just sleep with me and sell a story to a paper about fucking that guy from the telly's daughter.

Now Emma was practically marrying me off to her brother and it all seemed a bit surreal. All that had happened was one drunken kiss and a bit of flirting.

We were snapped back to reality with a roar of "yyeesss!!!" From Tom upstairs.

We ran to the hallway as Diana came out onto the landing upstairs.

"Thomas. Are you ok?" She asked.

He burst out of his door, looking very excited.

"I'm fucking brilliant mum. That was the call from Cymbeline people and I got the part" he hugged Diana and jumped up and down a little.

"Congratulations darling" she gave him a squeeze and he took a deep breath.

"Well done shit-bag!" Emma shouted up.

"Emma! Language!" Diana scalded down the stairs.

"Cheers small one!" Tom thanked her as we walked upstairs to join in his congratulations.

"Well done, how exciting" I added smiling over. He grinned back.

He took a deep breath "I'm going to ring dad, you know? Let him know" he shook his phone and headed into his room.

We all stood for a moment and then finished getting ready for the day.