It was June 1st. Tom's birthday. His 23rd birthday, to be exact.
With all the stuff Tom had been going through with the Spider-Man: Far From Home press tour, he barely had any proper time to dedicate to himself. Going to Bali, meeting the myriad of fans, answering the repetitive questions and so on and so forth... well, it'd just been pretty challenging, and once returned to London, all he wanted was - quoting his own words - to spend as much time with his loved ones as possible, including me, his girlfriend.
We've both been dating for about three years, ever since filming for the Spider-Man: Homecoming movie ended back in October 2016. I was one of the many extras of the movie, so I didn't have a huge role in it, but we hit it off right away and kept in touch.
Our encounter had been great. Tom was so welcoming, charming and kind the whole way through, which made me instantly attracted to him. I couldn't deny I had found him handsome and fit at first sight, but getting to know him better day after day I realized he was so much more than just a pretty face. His mannerisms, his talent, his passion for what he does and his sense of humor simply captured my heart and soul and won me over in no time.
They've been the best three years of my life. I couldn't have asked for a better partner in my life than Tom. He's comforted me in my moments of need, he's made sure I never felt abandoned, he's always been supportive of my personal decisions, whatever they might've been, and he's always made everything feel so effortless. And speaking of effortlessness, two years after we started dating, Tom even offered me to move into his new house with him, which was something I'd never taken into consideration up until he suggested it, but when he did... 'yes' was the only answer that popped inside my head.
Since it was Tom's birthday, and the producers of the film let him come back to London to spend the day with his loved ones, I knew he was pretty tired from promoting the film, but I wanted the day to be special for him, to let him know how grateful I was for him and to show him my undivided support in his career.
I woke up around 7:30 AM, silencing the alarm clock as fast as I could in order not to awaken Tom. There was a seven hour difference between Indonesia's Bali and London, so the second he arrived home at 11:30 PM he was so jetlagged he didn't even want to have dinner or wait for the clock to strike midnight because of how tired he was, which I completely understood.
Tom lied there shirtless on his right side facing me and the freshly washed blankets covered him up to his upper abdomen. His left arm rested on the white fabric and the right one was under the pillow. The light - and occasional - rays of sunshine penetrated the room's shutters and illuminated Tom's facial features, enough not to wake him up. His lips were slightly parted, signaling his deep sleep, and a little bit chapped because of the air he unconsciously inhaled, causing it to dry them out.
It was a beautiful view and I couldn't keep my eyes away from him. Knowing that I had this wonderful guy's heart in the palm of my hands, being his girlfriend and best friend at the same time made me realize just how lucky I've been to have him in my life.
As I tried not to make too much noise, I blew up a red and blue balloon and tied them to the bed's headboard. Then, I went in the bathroom and took a brisk shower with the album Making Movies by Dire Straits playing as background music on my phone. As I stripped down to nothing and entered the shower, I began reflecting on how to structure the day. What I had planned was pretty simple: have late breakfast in bed, have lunch with the family, spend the afternoon watching one of Tom's favorite movies, Saving Private Ryan, getting ready for dinner in London and the huge surprise I had in mind for him, which I have been planning since the beginning of April.
