LONDON BOY

10. Clean

Listen to this song on repeat to get in this chapter's mood:
CH10: You Are In Love - Taylor Swift

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"Meg?" You can hear Tom's voice and can feel his soft touch on your arm. "We're here." You open your eyes and realize the car was now parked in a driveway. A yawn escapes your mouth and you quickly cover it with the palm of your hand. "Cute." Tom remarks with a small snicker.

You gather your stuff, step out of the car, and are now standing in front of a beautiful, modern house. It isn't as grand as you thought a superstar's home would be, but that only made you like it more.

You follow Tom through the doors as he carries your suitcase inside. As he stops to put it down, you pass him and continue to explore. You open a door that leads to a spacious dining room and kitchen, attached to a cosy living area. As you trace the marble countertop with your fingers, you hear a voice you hadn't heard before, "Hi! You must be Meg."

As you turn around, you see a figure that looks somewhat familiar to you. "I'm Haz, Tom's best friend and housemate." He reaches out his hand. You take it and introduce yourself, as you try to remember where you recognize him from, he continues, "You are prettier than I remember. I apologize for any rude remarks I might have made; I was so buzzed that night!" You vaguely remember seeing his figure in the club after you'd kissed Tom.

"Tom, great pick mate!" He says as looking at you, as Tom walks into the kitchen. Tom shortly places his hand on the small of your back before grabbing two bottled juices from the fridge and handing you one. "Oh, cut it out you two!" Harrison snarks, "You don't have to pretend around me remember! Kayla told me that dating Meg would help with the publicity for the new movie. I think it's a brilliant idea. And by the looks of it, it shouldn't be that hard for you to fake it, ey Tom." Harrison looks you up and down, and you can see Tom's cheeks flaring up.

"Let me show you to your room!" Tom says to fill up the awkward silence. You follow him up the stairs as he starts, "I'm sorry about Haz, he can be so ... blunt sometimes. He's staying in the room downstairs. But he won't bother you, he's barely home."

You step into your new room and take it all in. It is definitely way bigger than your room in Amsterdam. Yet somehow, it's still cosy. You walk over to the queen-size bed and the nightstand next to it. On the nightstand are some candles and a book. You pick it up; Little Women. Did I tell Tom that it's my favourite novel?

You didn't expect the room to be this feminine. The men's houses you'd been in before, were your typical man-caves, and you expected this to be no exception. "I hope it's to your liking," Tom says, and as if he could read your mind he adds, "I asked mum if she would bring some things over to make it less of a man-cave." You turn to face Tom, "I love it. It's great. Thank you for letting me stay here." "No problem, I'm glad to have you." He looks into your eyes.

After realizing he might be staring a little too long, he scrapes his throat and continues the tour. "The bathroom is over here." He opens the door to a sleek bathroom, equipped with both a bath and a shower, two separate sinks, and another door opposite of yours. "My room is just down there. Remember to lock the door when you're in the shower and want some privacy." He chuckled.

Before Tom departs the room, he turns and says, "Harry and Sam are coming over for dinner. Any particular take out you're craving?" You don't need to think about it for a second and blurt out, "Pizza!" Tom laughs at your determination, and you cock one brow as you say, "What Tyler, did you think I wanted a salad? Trust me, I'm not like those other girls." She sure isn't – Tom thought walking down the stairs. 

The evening went smoothly. Laughs were shared, Sam apologized again for your rude introduction the last time you saw him, and you ate way too much pizza. You couldn't help it – traveling made you hungry. And sleepy. You excused yourself from the party, telling the guys you had a fun evening, and made your way up the stairs. On the last step, you could hear Tom's voice behind you, "Good night Meg. If there's anything you need, I'll be right through those doors."