old friends • tom holland

twenty nine

The sun was beaming through the window of my childhood bedroom. I rolled over and glanced at the clock, deciding that it was probably a good time to start the day. There were big things on the agenda after all. My sneakers, running shorts, and a long sleeve t-shirt had all been neatly laid out on a chair the night before, and I quickly pulled them on and swung my hair up into a ponytail. 

"Hey Tom!" I said after waiting for him to groggily answer his phone. An unenthusiastic response was all that I got, but I would not be deterred. "Can you meet me on the street corner in twenty? Wear some athletic clothes."

After confirming that he would in fact be able to make it outside in that time, I made my way downstairs and grabbed a banana. My leg bounced excitedly as I watched the minutes tick by before I left the house and walked towards the meeting point. 

Tom made his way to the end of his block a few minutes after I arrived, thankfully wearing running shoes and a gym-appropriate outfit. He squinted at me, obviously confused about what was happening. 

"We're going on a run." I let out breathlessly, barely able to contain my excitement about actually doing something that involved physical activity. 

"No way, man. There is no way that you're ready for that."

I attempted to remind myself that he only wanted what was best for me, but I was not going to change my mind. "I promise that I'm cleared for this. We'll go slow, and I'll be careful, but I have to start now if I'm ever going to get back on the field. Besides, you should be thankful that I invited you at all."

He continued to look at me reluctantly, but I was definitely making progress. After a couple of seconds of staring hard at the sidewalk, he nodded. "Okay, but we are going slow. And you are going to tell me if anything hurts at all in a way that it shouldn't."

"Yes, yes, of course."

With his permission we started down the road. I was nervous, but my leg held up. The purple scar on the top of my knee rippled with every movement, and I glanced down every once and a while to make sure that it was still there. It held, even if it was a bit more wobbly than before. Even that minor discomfort couldn't distract me from the feeling of the wind in my hair and the sun on my face. I grinned, looking over at Tom who was watching me carefully. However, even he couldn't keep the smile off of his face. It felt like so long since I had felt this type of freedom. 

After almost twenty minutes of running, I was starting to feel it. Although I never would have wanted to admit that a twenty minute run tired me out, I knew that I had to take it slow or something bad would happen. I looked over at Tom as I wiped sweat off of my forehead. 

"Ready to call it a day, Noelle?" He asked it carefully, not trying to offend me, but he was clearly right. 

"Race you up the hill first?" I pointed at a small hill that was just inside the park ahead of us.

"I never can turn down a race." I felt the breeze as he rushed past me, and soon I was only looking at the back of his navy shirt. Tom quickly proceeded to glance over his shoulder and grin at me. 

"Cheater! I didn't say go!" I couldn't contain my laughter, and attempted to make my tired legs more a little faster. 

My feet pounded against the dirt. I forced them up the hill one at a time, working against the screaming muscles, and made my way quickly to the top. By the time that I was face to face with Tom again, my breathing was labored and my hair was plastered to the sides of my face and my neck. 

Tom stood a few feet away, wiping his face with the bottom of his shirt. "Impressive abs you got there sir." I said in a formal tone, smiling as he dropped his shirt and looked at me in surprise. 

"Noelle, don't scare me like that. I'm not prepared to manage other girls hitting on me yet." He smirked, stepping closer to me. "But yeah, I know."

"Sorry, I'm kind of sweaty and also probably smell really gross."

"Just one of the downsides of dating a professional athlete that I'll have to learn to suffer through."

With that, Tom wrapped his arms around me. There was no one else around, and it was a relief to be able to enjoy this small moment and success in private. 

"I love you, Noelle." The words came softly in my ear, and for a second I didn't register them. Then I knew, and I realized that it was everything that I had ever wanted to hear. "I love you. And I am so proud of you and all that you have accomplished. I am so glad that I get to be with you now, and I'm even glad that we had time to grow up without each other, as hard as it was. It makes me value you all the more." He finished, kissing me softly on the forehead, then on the lips. When we broke apart, it was my turn. 

"Tom, I have always loved you and I always will."