Behind the Scenes

Chapter Fourteen

Amanda smiled at the group of people sat around the table. Tom was obviously next to her; next to him was Ollie Osborn, a friend she'd made on her course; then Jess Sawyer, one of the first people she had ever met when she moved to USA; then Adam Sawyer, her brother and someone who had had a small crush on Amanda; then next to him was Jason Sivia, also from her course; Alice who went to her uni but on a different course; Beth - for some reason -; and Heather McNamara, who was at the uni for a music degree.

There was a pile of presents in the corner waiting to be opened, and somehow Tom had snuck off to buy something while Zendaya and Gwyneth kept her distracted.

The meal was delicious, roast pork with roast potatoes, mash, asparagus, broccoli, gravy and carrots. Every single plate was empty and Amanda sat back to look at everyone who had come with a smile.

"Well, I want to thank you all for being here, because I know everyone has really busy schedules. And it means a lot to me that you would all show up, let alone bring gifts. In fact, this may be my first birthday where I've received gifts since my fourth, so an extra thank you for that. I uh, I won't be opening them here, Tom and I will take them back to the dorm and I'll open them there. Jess, thank you so much for cooking, your food never fails to disappoint anybody. Uh, to being 20." She said, holding her glass in the air and everyone clinked their glasses together, sipping the champagne. She smiled at them all and felt Tom's hand test onto her thigh, squeezing softly and she shivered, hoping nobody noticed her change in behaviour.

A few more hours passed and Tom was calling a cab so they could get home safely with the small pile of gifts. While he was stood outside, Adam stumbled towards her, clearly drunk off his head.

"Amandaaaaa." He drawled, stroking her face. "Why him and not me?" He said in between hiccups, making her pull a face.

"Because I like him like that, and I like you as my friends brother." She said firmly, pushing him slightly further away from her but he just grabbed her hands and yanked her to him. Tom came back in when he heard a whimpering sound and instantly pulled Adam off of her, a red mark on her face.

"What the fuck are you doing?" Tom snapped. "This is her birthday meal, she's taken, and you can't keep it in your pants even though she doesn't want you?" Tom glared at him but from Amanda's whimper of pain he helped her steady herself, and he told her to wait outside for the cab and that he would meet her outside with the gifts, warning her to scream if Adam touched her again. She hurriedly made her way outside as Tom went further in to collect the pile. "Oh, heads up. Adam hates me and he hit Amanda." He said just as he was about to leave, closing the door behind him just as the cab pulled up.

When they got back to the dorm, the first gift she opened was from Tom. It was a silver necklace with a charm of the letter T, and she clasped it on straight away, smiling at him and pulling him into a soft kiss. The rest of the presents laid abandoned by the sofa as she laid down, Tom laying with her and they just kissed for what felt like eternity, being brought out of their daze by a knock on the door. Amanda groaned, not wanting to get up and she eventually - after a third knock - pulled away from Tom and slipped out from under him, adjusting her blouse and skirt and opening the door to see Harrison and her eyes narrow, knowing that he's the reason Tom ended up in that club in the first place.

"Can I help you?" She asked, her hand on her hip with a raised eyebrow.

"I figured Tom would be here and Jacob gave me the address." She rolled her eyes. "Plus, I wanted to apologise to you, for making him go to that club. I uh, I guess it wasn't the best idea." He said, smiling at her and she sighed, opening the door wide enough for him to come in, Leea trailing in behind him.

"I guess this is a double date." She mumbled under her breath as she closed the door, sighing again as she opened the fridge to pull out a drink for herself, moving to sit back down in Tom's lap as Harrison and Leea squish onto the only sofa with them. Tom flicked the tv on, the second Harry Potter film coming back on and Amanda sighed, resting against his chest as he began to stroke her hair, letting her know that she can doze off, which she eventually does, not listening to the conversation between Tom and Haz.

"Okay, I kinda get now why you didn't want to give up on her." Harrison said as Amanda slipped into sleep and Leea nodded.

"Haz told me everything that was going on. I told him sending you to a club was a bad idea, just for the record." She said with a small smile. Tom smiled back at her, but found himself zoning out as he watched Amanda sleeping, wrapping herself around him even while unconscious.

"Tom? You listening?" Haz said after a few minutes and he snapped back to attention.

"Sorry man, she's so gorgeous, I can't help it. What were you saying?"

"Amanda, Z and Leea should have a girls night or something. Then me, you and Jacob could all go out and help him get a date without feeling guilty." He said with a shrug.

"Jacob? Really?" Tom asked and Harrison shrugged. "Alright, I'll talk to Amanda in the morning. You two should go though, I'm gonna put her into bed so she doesn't get a sore neck." He said and Harrison nodded, ruffling Tom's hair on his way passed him.

"I'll see you around!" Leea said before she shut the door, following Haz back out of the building. Tom sighed and picked Amanda up once again, taking her into bed and taking her out of her blouse and skirt so they don't get crumpled, stripping himself down to just his boxers before he crawled into bed with her again, kissing her neck softly before wrapping his arms around her and falling fast asleep.