Shared Secrets

Chapter 3

Grace's POV

"Don't stop." I murmur breathily, deepening the kiss. I can feel his arms wrap around me, his breath on my skin lighting a fire inside of me. I don't want this feeling to end. "Grace" he breathes out, looking at me for the first time. I recognize those brown eyes and those caramel curls. "Tom," I whisper.

BEEEP BEEEP BEEEP

I wake with a jolt scrambling for my phone to turn off the blaring alarm. Why am I dreaming about Tom? Am I really that desperate for male interaction that I'm fantasizing about a man I barely even know? Last night feels like it's a world away. It didn't mean anything, right? Tom had asked for my number because my running into him jogged some sort of childhood nostalgia, right? All his other friends weren't here anymore so he likely figured hanging out with me was better than nothing. So why was my unconscious mind fabricating fantasies of the two of us? That's never happened before in all the years of known Tom.

I'm over-analyzing it. I know I am. But I can't help it. I've always had an overactive brain. Constantly going through all possible outcomes of every decision I make, scrutinizing any interaction from every angle. It's who I am.

I reluctantly get out of bed and start preparing for my shift at the hospital. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a nurse. My mum was a nurse and my oldest sister is a nurse, so I've had a lot of preparation. Every day is something different and I've had the chance to make a lot of connections with the patients, which makes the profession that much more rewarding. I trudge down the stairs in my scrubs yawning as my body finally starts to wake up some more.

I walk into the kitchen to make breakfast and I see my two roommates, Nia and Jenny, seated at the kitchen table. "Hey what are you two doing up?" I ask. I'm surprised to see them awake and functioning at 7 in the morning, considering they hadn't returned home last night until well after 1 am. I heard them both drunkenly giggle as they crashed through the doors after a long night of bar hopping and clubbing. Nia is currently a grad school student studying Environmental Law and Jenny is working as a bartender at one of the downtown clubs. We've been friends since we were 11.

"I have a massive paper I totally forgot about due in two days," Nia replies, not looking up from her laptop.

"I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd just get up and take Chester for a run," Jenny says stretching her legs out in front of her and flexing her feet. It amazes me how quickly she can recover from a night out. "So, what did you end up doing last night? Fall asleep knitting a scarf?" Jenny and Nia seem to go out every single night on the weekends and they love to tease me when I don't go with them. While I do love going out with them, I'm more of a once or twice a month is enough for me, kinda person.

"Actually, when I was taking Chester for a walk last night I ran into Tom Holland, You remember him right?" I say as I crack an egg onto the skillet.

"Ohh," Jenny squeals. "I used to have the BIGGEST crush on him. I'd see him at parties all the time. I once even tried to make out with him, but he rejected me."

Nia snorts. "That would be the thing you remember about him. The only boy to ever reject Jenny Park's advances."

Jenny just shrugs and grabs Chester placing him on her lap. "So what did he have to say?"

"Nothing much," I say, flipping the egg onto my plate and walking over to the table. "He said we should hang out since all of his friends aren't in the area anymore. So I gave him my number."

"Oh, you have to ask him to come hang out with us tonight!" Jenny exclaims delightedly. She's probably just more excited about the fact that I actually gave a boy my number.