Adore

Chapter 17

"Hey, you look lovely" Tom said as he kissed my cheek, a hand falling lightly on my hip.

"Can I take your jacket?" I asked and Tom shrugged out of the leather piece. I hung it up on the coat rack and we walked further into my house.

Archie came bounding over to Tessa giving her a friendly kiss and they started playing.

" This is my house" I said lamely gesturing to the room. My house was light and open. The colour palette being mostly white or light grey with hints of pastel pinks and navy.

"It's a great place" Tom said having a look around.

"I bought this" He handed me an expensive looking bottle of red wine.

"Trying to get me drunk again are you?" I said with a laugh.

"Oh, uh no I just, I thought it would go nice with dinner"

"Relax, I'm teasing you" I said placing a hand delicately on his shoulder trying to lighten the mood.

I had already put together the lasagne in a baking dish so all it needed to was cook. I switched the oven on low and put it on a rack inside closing the door.

"Why don't we take this outside and sit for a bit?" I asked him.

I grabbed two large glasses from cabinet in my kitchen and asked Tom to follow me.

I opened the back door and the dogs came barrelling past us running out onto the grass.

My back yard had an outdoor three seater that sat in front of a small circular fire pit. The other day I had decorated the tree trunks with fairy lights and wounded them up through the trees. I switched them on while Tom held the glasses and wine.

The out door space came alive with the twinkling lights as the sun started to set changing the colours of the sky. The spa cover was littered with leaves that had fallen from the trees above.

Stepping out onto the grass I walked the short distance to the chair and placed the glasses on the edge of the fire pit as Tom set the wine down next to them.

On the grass next to the outdoor furniture was a plastic storage container with a divider down the middle that held materials to build a file on one side. And in the other side was a blanket.

I pulled out the blanket and draped it over the seat in case the fire didn't keep us warm enough.

"I was gonna light this, is that alright?" I said pulling out some fire starters, small twigs and sticks and then other bigger sticks and cuts of wood.

"That'd be great, do you need help?" Tom asked.

" I got it, how about you pour us some wine" I said while busying myself getting the fire ready. Tom poured us a modest size glass of wine each and was unsure where to put the bottle down. I'd just lit the fire starters and as they burn the twigs crackled to life and the fire grew bigger. Adding some larger logs to the flames the warmth from the fire got more intense.

I put the lighter back in the container and took the wine from Tom.

"Have a seat"

Tom sat down crossing a leg over his other knee and I sat with my body turned towards him. One leg tucked under my bum, the other in front making sure my skirt wasn't revealing anything.

"Cheers" I said tilting my glass towards his.

"Cheers" our glasses clinked together. I took a small sip of the wine, having not drunk many reds before I wasn't sure what to expect. The flavours danced along my taste buds and I thought I picked up hints of rich, sweet fruits and the bitterness of something like dark chocolate.

" Wow, that's delicious" I said taking another, bigger sip.

"I'm glad you like it"
"I wasn't really sure what to pick, the lady at the store helped me out" He said with a shy smile.

This gorgeous young man was blowing me away. From being so nice to me when we first me, welcoming me into his friends group and looking after me when I was hurt. To seeking advice about a wine which would compliment the dinner I was making.

Maybe to other people it wouldn't seem like he was doing anything magical. But to me, he was. I felt so comfortable with him and was so glad to have met him.

"How are things going with Spiderman?" I asked him.

" Well, the movie is doing really well. I'm actually going away in a few weeks for some press stuff" He said lifting the glass to his lips.

I'd never been jealous of a glass before, but in that moment I was.

"Oh cool, where abouts are you travelling too?"

"We're heading off to Ireland, then in France and then a long stretch in Japan"

"Thats amazing. I've always wanted to visit France. I figure after I work for a bit and save up I'd like to go there"

" I can sort out with my assistants and stuff for you to come with us if you like? " Tom said excitedly.

"Oh, I don't know, I don't wanna be like intrusive of your work" I said tucking some hair behind my ear.

"Don't be silly, Harrison comes all the time. He's joining us this trip too, it wont be a problem" Tom said turning his body towards me with a big smile on his face.

He seemed so excited by the idea of me tagging along for the trip, and I was too.

"Only if it's not going to be a hassle to organise or anything like that"

"It's more than okay, we're gonna have a great time!"

I took a large sip of my wine, excited by the idea of what this trip could mean for us.

We sat listening to the crackling fire and talked some more. I could feel myself opening up to Tom much more and we talked about aspirations, fears and past relationships.

I felt comforted by the fact we both had similar hopes for our futures.

The sun had well and truly set and a starry night shone above. I checked my watch and realised we had been talking outside for two hours.

"Shit, the lasagne!" I shouted. I slammed the cover over the fire pit to smother the flames and ran back inside.

I yanked open the oven door and was relieved to see the food was okay, if only a little charred on the top. I pulled the baking dish from the oven and sat it on a heat proof mat.

Tom joined me in the kitchen with the wine and glasses.

"It's a little burnt on the top, sorry" I said softly.

"It looks great to me" Tom spoke enthusiastically.

" I have some garlic bread and salad to go with it" I said pulling the salad from the fridge and garlic bread from the grill.

The table was laid and I brought over the lasagne and salad while Tom carried the garlic bread. He went back for the wine and our glasses.

I got out Archies food and set out an extra bowl for Tessa. Checking with Tom it was okay to give her some. The dogs ate their dinner at lightening speed then curled up together under the table near us.

Tom and I dug into our dinner. I was relieved when it tasted great and wasn't too burnt.

"This is delicious" Tom said with his mouth full. I laughed at his mumble words.

"Another one?" I asked him holding the bottle of wine.

"Please" He smiled.

I poured us a rather generous glass each. The wine complimented the rich flavours of the Italian food. Tonight was going so well.

I felt like I had gotten to know him much better through the course of the night. He ticked every box in what I hoped a partner would have.

A/N new update!! Sorry it took so long, I had a chaotic weekend lol. Comment & vote if you're enjoying!