The Veil

Chapter Thirty-Five

I felt like I'd only been asleep for minutes when I was woken up. "It's time, it's time, it's time." Jade was banging on the door. 

I groaned and pulled my pillow over my head. 

"Come on, it's time." I was surprised when I heard Tom's voice from the other side of his room and not groaning about Jade making noise next to me. 

"Time for what?" I said, my head still under the pillow, no intention of leaving his bed yet. 

I knew it was too early for me to be at work, the sun wasn't even up. 

"We're going for breakfast before work!" I could hear rather than see him smiling. 

His voice was closer when he spoke again, "Get your ass up Lily." I moved the pillow from my head to see he was bent down next to the bed, his head the same level as mine. 

"I'll skip the diner today thanks, I need sleep." I mumbled. 

He laughed and pulled the pillow away from me, pulling the covers back. "Come on, we're hungry." He laughed again before moving away from the bed, towards his closet.

"Why are you guys so annoying today, jeez." I pulled myself up off the bed with a sigh, Tom had his head in his closet so while he was distracted I pulled his favourite sweater from the back of his desk chair, I slid it over my head to cover myself before I walked out his room, Jade was darting in and out of the bathroom, a big smile on her face. 

"Don't you ever tire Jade, you're like the energizer bunny." I commented as she breezed passed me heading for her room. 

"I can sleep when I'm dead." She laughed and she was in her room before she'd even finished talking. 

"You're pregnant you know, you should probably slow down." I called to her as I ducked into my room. 

I pulled on a pair of panties and a light blue skinny jeans, I quickly threw a bra on under Tom's sweater, it of course drowned me but it was comfy and still smelled like him. 

I went to grab some perfume and frowned at my desk, why did it seem like things were missing? 

I spun around to face my room and I couldn't pin point it but it seemed like things had been moved. 

A cold chill went through me, my room was becoming too terrifying to be in for any length of time. 

I shivered and quickly left my room, almost slamming the door behind me. 

I walked back into Tom's room, his door still open and Sky still asleep on his rug.

I grabbed my phone from the bedside table and stuffed it in my back pocket. 

Tom turned around when he heard me come in and then frowned "I was going to wear that today." 

"You get me up before the sun and you lose sweater rights." I smiled up at him and he moved closer to me, and wrapped his arms around my waist, I thought he was going to hug me but before I could pull my arms around his neck, he quickly grabbed me up and threw me over his shoulder. 

I screamed before I could stop myself and sky jerked awake. 

"Put me down." I laughed, breathless from shock. 

Tom didn't respond, just laughed and started to leave his room. 

Sky started trotting behind him, tail wagging. "Oh my god I'm going to die." I shrieked as Tom started to descend the stairs, my stomach bouncing on his shoulder. 

"I wouldn't let you die." He laughed and then without warning dropped me to my feet at the bottom of the stairs, I almost fell backwards but Tom caught me, still laughing. 

"Such an asshole." I growled as I slapped his chest and turned to grab my shoes where I'd left them in the hallway the night before, too tired to put them away. 

Jade and Andrew were waiting at the door, Jade's foot tapping. 

"Shit guys, it's like six am, I know we all want the pancakes but let's calm down shall we." I rolled my eyes at them all being so pushy. 

"We just want to eat, we're starving." Andrew smiled at at me, pulling the door open. "Sky." He tapped his hand on his leg to get her to follow him, not her usual command for come but she wasn't stupid and started to follow.

"I have work early today, I can't take her with us this morning." I frowned down at her retreating figure, I wished she could come to work with me. 

"I'll swing by the house and drop her off after the diner." He shrugged, it wasn't an unusual thing for him to do for me.

We were four (five including Sky) of eight people in the diner, everyone else sensibly in bed still. I put my head down on the table and groaned, "Next time you get me up this early I'm pretending to be dead." 

"So dramatic." Tom said, I could hear the smile in his voice so I turned my head on the table towards him. 

He was rolling his eyes at Jade and Andrew and his smile sent an electric shock through me, almost powerful enough to trick my body into thinking it wasn't tired anymore. 

He was so beautiful that he could probably get me to do anything with that smile. 

Before I could look away and recover he looked down at me, still smiling and bent to kiss my forehead. "You can sleep in tomorrow morning for your birthday, grumpy." 

"Yeah, sure, that'll help my sleep deprivation today." I mumbled sarcastically, rolling my eyes.  

It was nice to get pancakes without the mad rush to get there in time, I didn't even have my usual milkshake for a sugar rush, I had coffee with the rest of them.


We piled back in the car, I was stuffed between Tom and Sky in the backseat, but I wasn't complaining. At least the sun was up now. 

Jade started up the car and eased out of the space, she turned right out the parking lot, the opposite direction of the tattoo studio, I glanced at the clock on the radio, I had to be at work in ten minutes. 

"Jade, work." I reminded her. 

"Oh crap, yeah." But she didn't make an effort to turn around, just kept going. 

"Serious Jade, I can't be late, it's inventory day." I moaned, inventory was my least favourite day, but I always offered to help Joe out. 

"It's ok I'll cut through to Pine, you'll get there." She waved her hand at me, like my worries were nothing. 

I looked up at Tom and he was looking out his window, trying hard not to smile. 

I wondered what he was thinking about but got distracted when Jade missed the cut through to Pine. 

"Jade!" I whined, "I'm gonna have to text Joe and tell them I'm gonna be late." I sighed and leaned into Tom's side to grab my phone from my back pocket. 

Before I could even unlock it Tom grabbed it out of my hand, holding it above his head as much as the roof of the car would let him, laughing. 

Andrew started laughing as well, "Ok guys, what the fuck is going on?" I frowned at them all, this was beyond their normal weird. 

Jade started to almost bounce in her seat, smiling at me in the rearview mirror. "Tell her, tell her." She did bounce a little then.