The Art Teacher

Chapter 7: First Kisses

"What do you want to do for the school holidays hun?" Tom asked, while they were waiting together at work.

"I don't know, can we go to the movies, go to the beach maybe, it's starting to get warmer" Hazel replied.

"Sounds like a plan darling" Tom said.

"Can I ask Harrison if he wants to join us" and "can you ask Harrison to come as well" came out of their mouths at the same time.

"Yes we can ask Haz" Tom replied laughing. So that's how the two Hollands found themselves spending two whole weeks with one very special teacher. It went like this.

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"What Movie are we going to see Hazel?" Haz asked.

"Black Widow!" Hazel exclaimed and both Tom and Haz looked at each other and laughed.

They walked to their nearby cinema, and once again, Hazel was holding both Harrison's hand and Tom's hand and walking in between them. They'd just left the house and Hazel being the smart ass she was, decided Tom and Haz should hold hands. She pulled their hands together until they touched. She then let go and Harrison and Tom soon realised that Hazel had linked their hands instead. Tom blushed and hoped Haz wouldn't pull away.

Haz didn't try to pull away though, in fact, Harrison pulled Tom closer to him and they walked hand in hand with Hazel holding her dad's other hand. They arrived at the movie theatres in no time and they grabbed tickets, drinks and popcorn.

"Where do you wanna sit Hazel. In between me and Tom?" Harrison asked when they'd found their seats.

Tom held a response hoping she'd choose to sit on one of their laps because Tom really badly wanted to sit with Harrison and cuddle his daughter. Hazel thankfully said she'd sit next to Harrison, by that I'm pretty sure she meant on Harrison. They all sat down and Hazel cuddled Harrison and Tom did the exact same thing.

"You're just a bigger version of her darling" Harrison whispered as the movie had started. Hazel did in fact move back to her own seat to watch, Tom, well he didn't move at all except closer to Haz, if that was possible anyway.

"Ok I take that back, she's more sensible than you" Harrison said, after she'd moved. Tom ignored the comment giggling instead and Harrison happily opened his arms for Tom. If you had've asked Tom what the movie was about, he wouldn't have been able to recall much at all except that Scarlett Johansson played the main character, and that was only because he'd worked with her!! He was too indulged in the warmth of the man sitting next to him, not to mention that fact that he smelt like fresh raspberries. Hazel was too busy watching the movie to notice anything. When it had finished, it was late...for Hazel at least. Tom picked her up as she was slowly falling asleep on his shoulder. About half away home, Harrison offered to carry Hazel for Tom, and at first Tom didn't want to annoy Haz by doing that, but Haz reminded him that he wouldn't have asked if he didn't want to. Tom gave her to Harrison who placed her head on his shoulder and held her with one arm. The other hand in Tom's.

This continued a lot through the two weeks of Holiday. Harrison hung out with the two a lot and tended to sleep at their house more than his own, but the first time they started acting like an actual couple as actual parents was when Hazel woke crying one night. It was the first time she'd done it in a while, but all kids do it, you can't delay the inevitable. Tom woke when he heard her and Harrison who was lying next to/half underneath him woke as well.

"What's wrong darling?!" He asked as Tom got up, but he didn't need an answer he could hear Hazel as well. He rushed to get up with Tom.

"No no it's ok go back to sleep" Tom said.

"Don't be silly, I'm not just going to lie here, how stupid, anyone who did that, would be an idiot!" Harrison exclaimed.

Tom bit back tears. Now that he'd actually found someone who cared he was beginning to rebuild the walls that had been broken down all those years ago, and pull down the other walls he'd brought up when Lily left.

He nodded and Harrison grabbed his hand and they made their way to Hazels room.

"Haze, shhhhh, it's ok shhhhh" Tom said as he lifted her from her bed.

Harrison stood beside Tom gently threading a hand through her hair, until she woke.

"Are you alight darling, you were half asleep" Tom said as her eyes fluttered open properly.

"Dad..." and then she burst into tears again.

"Shhhhhhhh" Harrison cooed and he pulled Hazel into his arms.

Hazel stopped crying after a while and she breathed deeply, gasping for air.
She reached for Tom and he took her from Harrison, snuggling into his chest.

"You're alright now" Tom comforted.

After a while of the two of them standing there cuddling Hazel. She spoke.

"I don't want to go back to bed" she said timidly.

"I don't mind if she wants to come and sleep with us for the night" Harrison offered and Tom nodded.

"Does that sound alright?" Tom asked Hazel and she nodded.

Tom proceeded to carry her back to their room and place her down before getting into bed. She lay in between Harrison and Tom, and they wrapped around her.

Both Harrison and Hazel fell asleep together, but Tom lay awake. The tears that he'd held back before, streaming down his face. He'd thought the way Lily treated him was normal, until he met Harrison. He thought it was normal for her to not want to deal with her daughter, but Haz came along and he's not even related to Hazel and he's barely known her for half a year and he's acting like this. I mean come on, Lily carried her and she couldn't even come and kiss her goodnight or help her when she cried and then Haz, who fed her, and picked her up and gave her tickles and cared for her like she was his own. Maybe Harrison wasn't as asleep as Tom thought, because he felt a hand reach his own.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Harrison asked.

"Uh? Oh nothing, I'm just really happy" Tom replied, smiling through his tears.

Harrison smiled and Hazel who had somehow moved so she was on the other side of Harrison, rather than I between, murmured something in her sleep and Tom chuckled.

Harrison moved over and wrapped his arms around Tom.

"Why are you crying?" Haz asked.

"I don't wanna come across as being an emotional mess, but when we first had Hazel and Lily was around, she never use to do things like that, come an comfort her own daughter and all, and then there's you and you're not even her mother and you come and give her kisses and cuddles. I never thought I'd fall in love the way I fell in love with Hazel again, but you might be proving me wrong" Tom confessed and Harrison's heart softened completely.

"Darling, you don't know how happy I am that you told me that, I know how hard it is for you to talk about these things and I'm so grateful and honoured you are telling me" Harrison said.

Tom smiled and Harrison leaned forward more, moving his head so he could connect his lips with Tom's. Tom didn't move back or pull away, instead he let Harrison's lips meet his own. Electricity danced between their lips and the whole world stopped. Time stopped ticking and the world faded away, leaving just Tom and Haz in the moment. When Harrison broke away, he found Tom chasing his lips, with a guilty look in his eyes. Tom felt bad asking for more kisses, but Harrison was more than happy to offer. He offered his lips and Tom's locked into place with his. They fit perfectly. After their short make out session, they two curled up asleep together with Hazel sound asleep on the other side.