#i love how like almost all official renders of them have six being silly and mono being strange/ominous

[caramsels]

six gnawing on treats while mono stares blankly at the gingerbread house. they are so unhelpful🖤

[tomcuddlesfic]

The Truth Between Me & You

TITLE:  The Truth Between Me & You

ONE SHOT / MULTICHAPTER: One Shot

AUTHOR : tomcuddlesfic WHICH TOM/CHARACTER:  Tom x OC

GENRE: fluff / romance / angst / family drama FIC SUMMARY: Ever since she could remember, Lily knew she was the black sheep of the family. She was always in her older brother Phillip’s shadow and she was never taken seriously. When Tom, Phillip’s best friend, shows up to the wedding, Lily’s attraction to him flares up and suddenly, she’s caught between telling the truth and losing everything or the man she loves.

RATING: T

AUTHORS NOTES/WARNINGS:  It’s been SUPER LONG since I last updated on this page and yes, who am I? Who is she? I completely forgot about her. Well, I can’t say I’m officially back but I was inspired by a song and my head kind of went crazy and I really needed to write it down. So here it is. It’s super long (5,200 words) and I was going to break it down to two parts but I have no time for that.

Tom didn’t know how long he sat in his car outside his best friend’s house. He continued to stare at the modest red bricked house he practically grew up in with Phillip and his little sister, Lily, remembering his life before he was launched into the spotlight and made it big. Before where he wasn’t constantly being followed by cameras and he could get a damn cup of coffee from his neighborhood café without it being splashed on the front pages of The Daily Mail. The simpler days were what he deeply craved right now especially since at the age of thirty-eight, he was sending off his last bachelor friend into the land of holy matrimony while he had no inkling of a love interest in sight. Of course, despite his desperately single status, the tabloids had a way to spin anything into a story.

Just last week, his publicist, Luke, rang him at five in the morning, alerting him that he wasn’t going to like what he sees when picks up the paper. Apparently, Tom was in a secret relationship with Ukraine’s top model with icy blue eyes and hair so blonde, it was almost white. Tom had only met her in passing at one of the galas he was forced to attend because his agency thought it would be a good networking session and if he was being honest, he couldn’t quite remember her name. Lydia? Linda? Lisa?

“Are you just going to sit there all day or are you going to come in?” A female’s voice broke through his thoughts so abruptly, he jumped up in his seat, and banged his head on the roof of his car. The owner of the voice snorted.

Rubbing the top of his head, he whipped his head and glared at the strikingly beautiful woman standing next to his car. For a moment, Tom was rendered speechless. It has been a long time since he saw Lily. Aside from the few short emails and text messages exchanged between them and any news passed on from Phillip these past few years, Tom hadn’t actually seen Lily all grown up. Instead of the awkward gangly kid sister he had engrained in his memory, Lily, at age twenty-nine, had filled out her figure. From her silky violet bridesmaid’s dress that hugged her body, he could tell her breasts were full, probably spilling out of his large hands if he were to cup them. His eyes lowered from her cleavage to a trim waist and hips that flared out. He didn’t have to look to know that Lily had a great ass.

“Tom?” Lily knocked on the window when he continued staring. “My eyes are up here.”

Tom gulped, his cheeks warming. Did he really get caught staring at his best friend’s little sister?

“For the record,” He opened the car door smoothly, effectively pushing her back away from him, and slammed it shut. “I was looking at the stain on your dress.”

Lily gasped, looking immediately down at her spotless dress and growled. “Still haven’t grown up?”

“No, I’m afraid not.” Tom smiled smugly and walked past Lily, leading the way into the bustling house filled with family and friends. Phillip and his fiancée had chosen to keep the celebrations small, opting to hold the ceremony in the backyard they played in during their elementary school years. “How bad is it in there?”

“Why do you think I’m out here talking to your lanky arse?” Lily huffed, trailing after him. Her dress was so long, she had to lift up the fabric just to walk. She picked up her pace and walked ahead of him, confirming his earlier suspicion. Lily had an ass that made Tom’s mouth dry and his pants a bit tighter. “Brace yourself, mom’s a bit high-strung.”

 **

It had been almost six years since Lily last saw Tom. That is, of course, if that didn’t count all the movies or television appearances and the tabloids Lily religiously watched Tom in. One movie was all it took to take her brother’s best friend from small town actor that barely scraped by to a hot heartthrob that was loved by all. Sometimes she hated the character Loki. If Tom never got casted as Loki, he would have stayed in London more. He wouldn’t miss any important traditions or events like Christmas, Phillip’s birthdays, or most importantly, her birthday. Every event Tom missed because of his hectic schedule, was an event that Lily felt an unexplained feeling of emptiness to. It just wasn’t the same without the curly blond boy who taught her how to ride a bike because her father was too busy at work and Phillip had more important things to do than to teach his kid sister. Or how Tom always managed to keep the peace between her and her older brother when things got too heated. Without Tom as a buffer, Lily often struggled being in the same room with her family.

Lily sighed deeply, watching wearily at her loud obnoxious aunts who caged Tom in like animals ready to pounce and feast. She had finally moved out recently to a nice studio flat near the inner heart of the city and every time she had to step back inside her parents’ house, she felt like she was trapped. Lily always knew she was an outsider, a black sheep that nobody understood. Her father had pushed for her to get a reputable business degree but she still managed to continue her passion for photography on the side. In fact, she worked was an investment banker during normal working hours and a professional photographer after. Lily was good at her work. She was proud of it but her family never understood it. They thought of it as a silly fad that would pass soon enough and even laughed when she brought up the idea of quitting the bank to be a full time photographer.

It was another reason why her showcase was so important. Lily needed her family to see her work and take her seriously. She poured her heart into every photo taken, capturing the right moments at the right time to tell stories that could never be told with words. Just then, her Aunt Shirley, dropped her the contents of her purse, leaving Tom to bend down to pick it up. His dress pants pulled tight across his butt, leaving little to no imagination. Tipping back her flute of champagne, she gulped it down in one shot.

He had suffered enough.

“Tom, I think Phillip wants to see you.” Lily walked over to where he stood and squeezed his forearm for his attention. Her mind instantly went to dangerous territory that came with being near him. He smelled good. His lanky build had been replaced with thick muscles and the way he looked at her never failed to send shivers throughout her body. Lily was going to be in trouble if she spent any more time with him.

“Great!” Tom smiled broadly and excused himself from her aunts who tried to hold him longer with more questions and compliments about his latest work. Once they made their way back into the house where Phillip and Holly were getting ready, Tom’s smile immediately dropped. “You know you could have saved me sooner.”

“I was busy.” Lily shrugged, grabbing another flute of champagne off the tray from the passing waiter, and drank a long sip.

“You were watching me being eaten alive.” Tom grit his teeth and narrowed his gaze on her. Did his eyes linger on her mouth or was that just her being loopy from so much alcohol?

“You were fine.” Lily retorted.

“Your aunt grabbed my ass.”

“She must have been disappointed.”

“You didn’t seem so when you were staring at it earlier.” Tom pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Says someone who stared at my tits longer than my face.” Lily mimicked his stance, and raised an eyebrow. His eyes met hers and grew darker. The room suddenly felt a few degrees hotter as they properly studied each other. She had a few boyfriends growing up but nothing ever lasted long enough to get past the heavy petting stages. If she were to be honest, she probably wouldn’t have let herself take any step further. None of the guys she went out with ever stirred the unwarranted feelings inside her now than Tom.

“Hey, shit head.” Lily’s brother’s voice broke the delicate silence between them. Phillip walked into the room, dressed in his sleek black suit, and clapped a hand on Tom’s shoulder before embracing him in a hug. “I’m glad you made it or else I would have dragged your ass here no matter which country you were in.”

Tom laughed, squeezing his old mate tightly before pulling back. “I had to give my condolences to Holly for marrying your ugly face. How she holding up? She’s not still crying or trying to escape right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Phillip rolled his eyes, his face growing somber. “I mean it. I’m glad you made it.”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Tom replied, feeling his chest constrict. He hadn’t been a good friend. With his crazy lifestyle involving long extended filming schedules, he had found it extremely difficult to keep up with everyone. When he was immersed in a project, he tended to leave things by the wayside. It had gotten so bad that Tom almost forgot about the wedding if it weren’t for Lily’s email asking if he was going to have chicken or fish at the wedding. His eyes flickered to Lily who seemed fascinated by the floor.

“Lily, why don’t you go and see if Mom needs help?” Phillip asked, his voice cold to Tom’s ears.

Lily looked up immediately. Her jaw tightened and her eyes narrowed. “Sure.”

What had happened between these two? When the three of them had been in the same room together six years ago, the brother and sister duo seemed as tight as ever. But now, they appeared to be strangers.

Squeezing past the, Lily ventured back out into the backyard where everyone sat waiting for the ceremony to begin.

“Something wrong?” Tom asked, watching Lily go. Her shoulders hunched as she walked closer and closer to her mom.

“Nothing much changed.” Phillip sighed, his gaze following where Tom watched. “She’s been a brat then and a brat now. I thought she would have grown up by now after graduating from University but she’s gotten worse.”

“Come on, Phillip.” Tom laughed lightly. “What could have she done?”

“She stole from my parents, Tom.” Phillip said gravely. His face was filled with pain as he relayed the story. “Took my mum’s pearls and pawned it off for money so she could buy a new camera.”

Tom had trouble believing Lily would do such a thing. After all, this was the same Lily that had been shoved across the playground after she told her teacher which one of her classmates cheated on a test. She didn’t care about the consequences simply because she did what was fair and right. But it had been six years since he’s last seen her. Six years could change someone. It had definitely changed him.

Tom swallowed, finding a lump in his throat. “That’s awful.”

“She paid her back soon after she started her job but…” Phillip inhaled a sharp breath. “It’s hard to regain trust after something like this. I just never thought she would go to these lengths just for her silly hobby. If she needed money, she could have asked. I would have lent it to her but she went behind our backs and it’s tough…”

Tom could only nod, digesting the information that he was once again fooled by his attraction towards a woman.

**

The ceremony had ended an hour ago. Dinner was served and in proper wedding fashion, Lily had gotten borderline drunk. It was all she could do as she watched her brother and his now wife slow dance across the makeshift dance floor in the backyard. Lily had slipped inside, unnoticed like always, and watched the festivities from the kitchen window. She sipped on her glass of wine, and hummed along to the soft music playing outside.

Holly was a good woman. Lily could sense someone and tell who was genuine and sincere. Although Phillip was a news anchor, it was never Holly being the lucky one who snagged someone as famous or as wealthy as him. Lily saw the opposite. She saw Phillip being the lucky one to marry a woman like Holly who was forgiving, selfless, and extremely loving. In fact, Holly had made Phillip a better person and that was something Lily could attest to.

Something moved behind her.

Startled, Lily let out a short yip before splashing the contents in her glass across the floor.

“Tom?” She squinted at the dark figure standing a few feet from her.

“Lily.” Tom confirmed with his low crisp voice that made her brain run wild. How did he sound like when he woke up in the morning? How would he sound like if he was on top of her or when he came? Lily mentally shook her head before looking at the floor.

She grabbed some towels and threw them down to soak up the mess, watching them stain red.

“Already tired of being the center of attention?” Lily asked, cleaning up the mess as best as she could. She could only do so much as intoxicated as she was.

Tom grunted before kneeling down and helping her clean. She looked up just as he did, locking eyes.

“Why are you in here?” He asked, quietly.

She blinked, taken aback by his question. Her heart clenched as she stood up straight and went to the sink to wash her hands. “Some people don’t like big social gatherings.”

Lily said calmly, not facing him because she couldn’t trust herself with him. She felt raw and vulnerable around him with her piercing eyes that seemed to see her for who she really was. When everyone else seemed to be hearing static on a radio, Tom always seemed to find the right notch and hear her loud and clear.

“You’ve been avoiding everyone.” Tom stated, and walked right up behind her. She could lean back and fall into his safe embrace. Where was he when she needed him the most?

“There’s no proof.” Lily turned around, letting her eyes slowly run up from the middle of his chest to the base of his neck and finally to his devastatingly handsome face. She gulped.

“Lily, tell me what happened.” His voice firm, completely opposite to the fluttering of her heart. Her chest ached because Phillip had told him and now he was no longer going to be on her side. Tom probably thought the worst of her just like her family when she revealed the truth.

The truth made her laugh.

“You already know.” Lily laughed bitterly, moving away from him but only to have him grab her forearm, holding her in place.

“I want to hear it from you.” Tom spoke louder, irritation lacing his words. It made Lily sick to hear how he was speaking to her. Never once in their years of friendship did Tom use this tone of voice with her.

“I sold my mother’s pearls for an old camera so I could take photos for my portfolio.” She let the words fall out robotically. It was the same story repeated over and over again whenever someone asked why she wasn’t close with her family anymore. The people who she told were always taken aback by her bluntness and her character but what could she do?

The statement was met with silence.

She shook her arm, peeling back his fingers that gripped onto her and caressed it to her chest. She needed to leave. Her emotions were already wrung out by everyone’s judgmental stares this evening. Nobody could ever get past the idea of the groom’s little sister stealing from her own family. If she left now, she could get to the grocer’s and grab some ice cream before they closed and return home to a bubble bath where she soaked and ate ice cream by the pint.

“I don’t believe you.” Tom finally spoke. “The Lily I knew wouldn’t do that.”

“You barely spoke to me in the past six years, Tom.” Lily scoffed, fighting back tears. Damn, she really needed to go before she exploded. “I’ve changed.”

**

Lily was back at her parent’s house again. It was a week after the wedding so she thought it would be an appropriate time to go back and retrieve the last few remaining items in her bedroom. This would hopefully sever the strings attached between her and her parents. With proper planning and execution, Lily believed she could get away from seeing them except for the holidays and birthdays. Inhaling a deep breath, she braced herself for the awkward greetings but no amount of deep breathing exercises would prepare her for the sight of Tom in her parent’s house.

Lily had left after their conversation in the kitchen, refusing to look back at the house, and saying goodbye to everyone. She knew her aunts would have something to say about her rudeness but she didn’t care at that point. She needed out. Tom had not tried to contact her afterwards and for that, she was glad. Lily didn’t need the constant reminder that Tom was disappointed in her as well.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” Lily closed the door behind her and stood from the doorway, watching him sit on the couch in the living room, watching the morning news.

“I was invited for brunch.” Tom explained, watching her closely when her face crumpled and quickly snapped back to a fake happy self.

“Right.” Lily blinked, refusing to let being uninvited to Sunday brunch dampen her moods. This was what she wanted. A clean cut from her family so she can go on and live a happy life where people never thought of her as a pest or menace. “I won’t be staying…I have some things to pick up and then I’m out of here.” She laughed breezily before running up the stairs to her bedroom.

She slowly cleared off her bookshelves, taking the photo frames off and carefully putting them in an empty box. Lily sniffled, allowing a tear slip when she saw a photo of her brother and her at the local fair. They were happy then. It was one of those rare moments in their siblings dynamic did she feel equal and appreciated. Growing up with Phillip had been hard as she was constantly in his shadow from his grades to his sports events to his family’s general appreciation for him.

When she finally packed up the last box, she started carrying them one by one to her car parked outside. The outside porch steps creaked as she climbed down and when she climbed back up, her grip on the railing slipped. It was shaky and loose. Frowning, Lily went to the garage and grabbed a hammer and some nails to fix the mess before her mom got hurt.

She was just about finished fixing the mess when Tom’s voice broke her concentration.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t believe you.” Tom said behind her.

“I can’t help you there.” Lily packed up her tools, turned and squinted up at him. “I am what they say.”

“If you were really as awful as others say, you wouldn’t fix the railing for your mom.” Tom pointed out simply. “You would have left that railing like that and not care if your mom or someone else had gotten hurt.”

Lily was gob smacked. Once again, Tom saw right through her charades. She wanted to cry into his arms, have him tell her everything will be okay, and let her have things return back to normal. But she knew nobody could be her hero.

“Got me there.” Lily admitted defeat and slowly got back to her feet. She walked back to the garage to put away the tools as Tom followed her.

“Why did you tell everyone you did it?” Tom asked urgently. “Why? Who are you trying to protect?”

“Tom, I’ve been an outsider in this family since the day I was born.” She whipped around, her eyes fierce, and voice strained with emotion. “Let’s face it, I wasn’t your friend. I was your best friend’s annoying little sister. You had to play with me or be around with me because I was part of the package deal. I’m not little anymore. I don’t need you to be here out of obligation.”

Was it really that bad? Tom thought back to their childhood days and slowly pieced together faded memories. Him and Phillip raising hell on the school playgrounds, Lily always following closely behind, and Phillip telling her to leave. It was what normal brothers do. Or how dinner time at their house went down and Phillip would always be able to share his school stories at the table but Lily’s stories were ignored or cut off by someone. Or when Lily expressed her interest in arts during school and everyone taunted her for it, telling her it was a silly dream for someone like as she had didn’t have talent. One memory burst in his memory. It was when Lily wanted to audition for a lead in the school play and her parents had laughed and told her she shouldn’t bother if she wasn’t good as Tom.

Tom had laughed along with them, taking it in as teasing but now in hindsight, he wanted to punch himself.

“You are not an obligation.” Tom gritted his teeth. “You are special to me and I care about you. I can tell, Lily. I can tell that you’re breaking so just tell me so I can help.”

Lily squeezed her eyes shut and put her hand on her forehead, willing silence in her mind. Her brain was swimming with memories and emotions, dizzying her to no end. “I lied for Holly.”

“Jesus.” Tom ran a hand through his hair. He swore. “Holly?”

“Her uncle needed to repay a loan and threatened to ruin her relationship with Phillip if she didn’t give him money.” Lily spoke quietly but firmly. She wrung her hands and sobbed. She had no clue what to do when the pearls went missing and Holly came crying to her, asking for advice. Holly was so afraid of losing everything with Phillip, it broke Lily’s heart. So she protected Holly by lying. This was for the greater good, she had thought. She didn’t feel like she was part of the family already so what harm would it have done if she lied for Holly?

Only she didn’t know it would hurt so much worse.

“You let everyone think the worse of you because of Holly?” Tom began pacing, clearly agitated and frustrated. He could punch a wall. He wanted to scream for the injustice.

“If you can’t beat them, join them.” Lily shrugged, and laughed sadly before wiping her tears away. Thrown back from the embrace of his hug, she stumbled little before he righted their balance. Tom hugged her tightly as if he was trying to hold it all together for her.

“You have not changed one bit.” Tom muttered, pressing his lips to the top of forehead and inhaling the sweetness of her fruity perfume she wore all throughout her teenage years. He pulled back and looked her in the eyes. “You are still a bloody idiot.”

Before Lily could have a chance to retort, Tom pressed his mouth on hers. His body felt alive as he finally did the one thing he wanted to do all along. Deeply relieved that his premonition was right and that Lily was nothing like the deceitful women he met in his life, he slowly it himself fall for her.  He wasn’t sure but somewhere between remembering their earlier days together, her growing up to the woman she was today, and watching her go to great lengths to save her family, he found himself in love. His heart thumped against his chest as he deepened the kiss, savoring the softness of her lips, the short sighs escaping her mouth, and the feeling of her body melting into his. She was all he needed. And she was right there in front of him all along.

Lily felt like she was in one of her dreams. More specifically the dreams she had when she was a teenager and when she had a secret crush on Tom. The dreams had always ended up with a kiss from him. She would never admit this to anyone but when she watched him kiss his costars in movies, she often wondered how it would feel like. She imagined it to be great but definitely not this good. Inching up her tippy toes, she gained better access to his mouth. Her breasts rubbed against his solid chest, aching to be touched. She wanted him. She needed him.

“What the fuck!” Phillip’s voice roared. Her body slammed against the garage door before she was able to right herself. For a second all she saw were two bodies wrestling on the grass. They tossed and turned, Phillip, at one point straddling Tom, and throwing a punch right to his nose. A sickening crunch made Lily shrill hysterically. Undeterred, Tom grabbed Phillip’s shirt and tossed his body like a rag doll off of him. He rolled on top of him and was ready to beat the shit out of the man who was supposed to protect his little’s sister and instead turned his back on her without hearing her side first when Holly ran out of the house and got between them.

“Stop it!” Holly yelled, separating them with her hands. “Stop it right now!”

Tom exhaled a deep breath and dropped Phillips shirt, and backed away. His eyes landed on Lily who was cradling her arm close to her chest and clearly in shock.

Phillip slowly rose up from the floor and looked at Tom like trash on the street. “You’re really out here trying to fuck my little sister?”

Tom shook his head, ready to explain himself and his feelings when Lily cut in.

“It was me.” Lily said, looking at Phillip. “I kissed him first.”

Phillip looked back at Tom for confirmation but Tom was flabbergasted by Lily’s lie. Frozen solid, Tom blinked in confusion at Lily when she spoke again.

“It didn’t mean anything though.” Lily smiled, shaking her head. “I just wanted to kiss a movie star and I did it.” She shrugged and looked at Tom. “It was good but I’ve had better kisses.”

Tom didn’t meet her smile. His stomach had fell when she saw the fake Lily take over the one he loved. The one who acted like what everyone thought of her and pretended like she had no feelings or regards for others. It was complete bullshit. No one kissed him back like that unless they felt something. And what they shared during the kiss was everything. He wanted to vomit. This was all going entirely wrong and there was nothing he could do to get her back. It wasn’t his secret to tell because he knew if he did, it would ruin all of their lives.

“I guess I’ll go now.” Lily moved away from the crowd, still holding onto her arm. Tom could see her shoulders folding in, the way she did when she was holding in a sob.

“Wait!” Holly cried, her big eyes glistening with unshed tears. All eyes focused on her as she looked to the floor. “I have something to confess, Phillip. I’ve been carrying this guilt ever since a month ago when all this started.” She gestured with her hand, the space between him and his little sister.

“It’s my fault.” Holly said quietly. “I’m the one that ruined your relationship with Lily.”

“What?” Phillip breathed. “Darling, I don’t understand.”

“My uncle.” She hiccupped, silent tears falling down her cheeks. Phillip tensed at the mention of him, inching closer towards Holly. “He needed to pay back a loan.”

Lily watched at his brother squeezed his eyes tightly, digesting the news. He swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down his throat. “Did he hurt you?”

“No.” Holly cried. “He wanted me to give him money or else he would do everything in his favor to ruin our engagement. I couldn’t, Phillip. I couldn’t. I didn’t have the money and I became desperate so that’s why I took your mom’s pearls. I was going to earn back the money and buy it back but she found out.” She paused, shaking her head. “I confided in Lily but I didn’t expect her to cover for me like the way she did. She didn’t steal the pearls for a camera, Phillip. She never did. It was me.”

Phillip watched his wife cry as she hugged herself tightly. He didn’t know what to do or how he should feel. As his gaze left his wife and slowly went to his little sister, his heart squeezed tightly.

“Lily…” He said, not knowing where to begin. “I’m the worst brother.”

Lily inhaled a sharp breath.  She was crying just as much as Holly now. “You’re not.”

“I am.” Phillip shook his head. “I’ll never be able to forgive myself for how I treated you and I can never apologize enough. I’m so sorry.”

He reached for her, stopping halfway, unsure about his actions. Lily met him halfway and walked into his arms, hugging her older brother tightly. Burying her face in his chest, she squeezed tighter, crying for all the times she wanted her brother to protect her and letting go of the past.

When Phillip pulled away from Lily, he looked at Tom. “I may not have been a good brother back then but this shit changes now. If you fucking break her heart, I’ll break you.”

Tom grunted. “No need for the threats. I will never hurt her.”

Phillip nodded and released Lily to attend to his wife. He grabbed his hand and murmured into her ear, leading them back into the house where they could have some privacy.

“Let me see your arm.” Tom demanded, rushing to Lily’s side. He gently inspected it, noticing the slight bruising but nothing too serious to raise alarm. “You’re going to need ice.”

He frowned when she winced.

“So much for never hurting me.” Lily teased and yelped when he pulled her into his embrace, careful not to hurt her more.

“Are you always going to be this sassy?” Tom pressed his forehead against hers, allowing his heartbeat to go down from the adrenaline rush.

“Yes.” She quipped, kissing him softly on his mouth.

“I thought I was going to lose you.” He confessed quietly, his chest constricting at the mere thought. Lily was the only constant in his life that grounded her at this point. He couldn’t imagine days without her.

“It broke me more than I thought it would.” Lily stroked the side of his face with her index finger, studying his facial features.

“Promise to always work things out instead of running away?” Tom kissed her mouth softly.

“Promise.” She said, returning another kiss.