The New Girl

40.

I couldn't sleep. I grabbed my phone and looked at the blinding screen.

04:21

Fuck.

I sighed and put my phone back on the bedside table. I looked over to Tom who was sleeping peacefully next to me. On his back, he had one arm splayed across the pillows, waiting fo my body to re-attach to him. The light duvet was just covering his lower abdomen and he had a leg poking out, hovering over the floor.

I lay on my side, watching him in silence. His chest rising and falling at a slow and calm pace, his nose letting out small snores every once in a while and his messy hair falling on his forehead and on the pillow his head rested on.

I didn't even realise I was crying until a tear tickled it's way down my chin. I wiped it away quickly and took a deep breath. I couldn't believe this was it. I wasn't going to see him again for months. Were we even going to survive it? Or would Tom just become some guy I had a forbidden fling with? Would he be someone I'd tell my kids about when they're old enough to understand?
Would he be the guy I think about constantly despite being in a loveless marriage?

"Hey," Tom whispered groggily with his morning voice, breaking me out of my heartbreaking thought train.

"You okay?" He asked softly, wiping his eyes to look at me.

I gulped and shook my head. He smiled weakly and tapped me with his hand to come closer to him. I sniffled and shuffled closer to him, wrapping my arms around him and nestling my head in the crook of his arm.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing my head.

"I love you too." I whispered back.

-

"Laptop?"

"Yup!"

"All of our chargers?"

"Yup!"

"Toilet bags?"

A pause.

"One sec!"

Tom scurried into the bathroom and brought out his toilet bag, quickly shoving it into a suitcase.

He grabbed my handbag on the way down the stairs and brought the last suitcase down too.

We were late like usual. Harry and Sam were waiting for us in the lobby, constantly messaging me to hurry up.
We were so focused on getting out the door in time that we hadn't really thought about us leaving.

"That us ready?" I asked, taking my handbag from his hand.

"Yeah." He sighed.

We both gulped, the realisation setting in.

"Let's go before Harry blows my phone up." I laughed weakly, trying to relieve some tension.

"Okay." He smiled.

We grabbed out suitcases and bags and headed to the lift. I hit the button with my foot and the lift dinged almost immediately, the doors opening. We both walked in and sat our bags down, clicking the lobby button and sighing as the doors closed in front of us.

"I can't believe it's been nearly 6 months since we met." Tom chuckled.

"It's insane...time flies when you're having fun."

We both forced a laugh, easing the awkward and painful atmosphere.

The lift finally stopped at the bottom floor, opening up to reveal the twins waiting for us and the distant noise of paparazzi and fans.