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pollenallergie · 1 year ago

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Enough | A Make Up Story | Tom Grant x You | Series Masterlist

Chapter 12: A Bittersweet Feeling Words: 2k

On Friday, you woke up in Tom's arms.

You'd eventually stumbled to bed last night after the storm blew over, and spent another hour taking things soft and slow. Like you had all the time in the world.

Even though you didn't. You could practically hear the clock ticking as you mapped out the rest of your stay. You're expected back at work in three days. Your chest felt heavy. You stared at the ceiling as if it were going to start moving downward and crush you.

And then Tom turns over, slings an arm across your stomach, and buries his face in your neck. You smile and tilt your head toward his, bringing up a hand to stroke his arm gently.

You let him lie there and doze until his alarm goes off. He twists around and smacks the clock with a grumble, then returns to you.

"Was dreaming 'bout you," he mumbles.

"Was it a good dream?"

"The best dream." He nuzzles into you again, and warmth spreads through your whole body.

"Are you gonna tell me about it?" you whisper.

"Nope." Tom nips at your shoulder, kisses your cheek, and rolls out of bed in what seems like one move. You chuckle, roll your eyes affectionately, and sit up.

"You don't have to get up with me." He bends to pull on his pants. "You're not on a Shirley Schedule."

"If I get April's done while you're working, that's more time to spend with you."

"You're almost done?" he asks, turning around with a shocked look.

"I mean, it's a little place," you yawn. "Only so much she could fit in there."

"I didn't mean to make you do all that on your own," he says, sitting on the edge of the bed next to you. "I really thought we'd be doing it together… but between trying to get caught up on my regular work, and the rain last night…" He winces.

"It's alright, Tom. I've enjoyed it." You pick a stray hair off his shirt. "Not nearly as much as my evenings with you, but I've enjoyed it."

He cups your cheeks and comes in for a kiss. You wrap your arms around him and wish you could keep him here forever. Just like this.

Tom rests his forehead against yours. "I wish I didn't have to go." Before you can whisper that it's alright, he continues. "I wish you didn't have to go either."

Why does it feel like you just got stabbed in the heart?

Tom kisses your forehead and stands to continue getting dressed as if nothing had happened.

"You want me to make you breakfast?" you ask from the bed, trying your damnedest to make it come out in more than a whisper.

"Cereal's fine, love."

He's never called you that before.

Tom ate standing over the sink while you slowly dressed, came back for a peck, and left for work.

You gathered April's bedding and the clothes from her hamper - which you'd been too embarrassed to deal with yesterday - and hauled them to the laundry room in the main building. Thankfully, no one else was there this early.

While you waited for the laundry to finish, you wondered what your life would be like if you didn't go home. What if Tom really did want you to stay? Would you always feel this way about each other? Would it always be this easy? Not trying desperately to be seen, or begging to be loved? What if you found a job down here that you didn't hate? Or even if you did hate it, would coming home to him make it seem worth it? Would you still be this happy together a decade from now?

Or would he tire of you in a week or two, like she did? What if Ruth came back? He seemed adamant about being done with her… but if anyone asked, you felt that way about Jade, too.

Why were you never enough for her? Do you even have a right to be heartbroken over her, since she was never really yours? You can see why she'd want someone other than you, but how could Ruth leave someone as sweet as Tom? Was he obsessing over these kind of things when you were apart as well? Why did it feel like everything was okay when he was around? Why did he want you around? Why was it so easy for him to ask you to stay? Why was it so hard for her?

No matter what, your thoughts always came back to Jade.

You'd spent five years holding onto a life you didn't like while you waited for her. The same job. The same tiny bedroom. The same flatmate you think you might hate. And for what? A few crumbs of affection. A few weeks with her that could make you forget how awful everything else in your life was for a little while.

Did you really think leaving her would be this easy? That you could just say "goodbye" and you'd be over her?

What were you supposed to do now? Wait for her to cast Ruth aside and come back to you? What if she didn't? What if it was truly over, and you were never going to see her again? What if Ruth really could give her what you couldn't? You didn't even know what it was she wanted. Only that you couldn't provide it.

As the pressure in your chest approached unbearable, a neon pink blur flashed in front of your face and jolted you out of your thoughts. You jumped in surprise, and then turned your head to watch it… bounce. It's a little bouncy ball, the kind you used to get out of gumball machines as a kid.

Squeaking sneakers and a strange clacking follow, and a kid skids to a stop in front of you.

"Have you seen a--"

You point to the direction the ball went, and the young girl runs to find it. She comes back a second later, ball in hand, and you finally get a good look at her.

She's young; maybe eleven or twelve. A cute kid with long, braided hair with beads at the bottom. That explains the clacking.

"Sorry. Didn't know anyone was in here."

"It's alright. Most exciting thing that's happened since I got here," you smile.

"I'm Kippa. Who are you?"

You introduce yourself and tell her that you're just visiting.

"I live here with my grandparents. It's boring in winter."

"So I've heard."

She stands there awkwardly, sizing you up.

"I like your hair," you compliment, to break the silence.

"Thanks! My friend Jade did it."

That's Jade; making friends everywhere she goes.

"Your friend Jade did a very good job. Not very stealthy, though," you teasingly gesture to the beads.

"Gran says it's like putting a bell on a goat," she rolls her eyes.

You laugh.

The dryer finally buzzes, and you get up.

"I better go," Kippa says hurriedly, as if she thought she might be roped into helping a stranger with their laundry.

"It was nice to meet you. Happy bouncing!" She smiles and disappears, and you empty the dryer feeling oddly peaceful.

You returned to April's house and got back to packing.

Your mind drifted to Tom.

He was hiding it well, but he was probably just as lost as you were. You were so grateful for him. You don't know what kind of mess you'd be in if he hadn't come into your life that awful Friday night.

Tom was wonderful. He was sweet, and kind, and funny. He cared for people, and it was genuine. On Friday night, when you saw Jade with Ruth, you didn't think you'd ever be okay again. But then you nearly ran over Tom, and everything changed. He brought you into his life when he didn't have to, and turned what could've been an awful week of moping into something amazing.

But what if he only wanted you there because you muted the Ruth in his brain, like he did the Jade in yours? Even if he did want you for real, how could you really start something this soon? You'd both just had your hearts broken by people you'd loved for years. People that you'd built your lives around. Hoped for futures with.

You adored him. He was one of the best people you'd ever met. He didn't deserve to have his heart broken. He deserved to be loved, and held, and cared for. He deserved to be happy. Tom Grant deserved the world.

But you couldn't give it to him.

Not when you're still haunted by thoughts of her.

After a while, it began to feel like you were packing your feelings away just like April's treasures.

You were taping up the box of bedding when you heard Tom calling your name from the front door.

"Hey," you greeted, emerging from the back with what you hoped was an unbothered expression.

"Ready for a lunch break?"

"Sure," you smile. Tom reaches for your hand, and you walk together across the yard. You stand side by side at the counter and silently prepare a sandwiches. You're going to miss this.

He comes alive once he starts eating.

"Talked to April this morning."

"Yeah?" You feel your spirits rise.

"Yeah. They're releasing her next week. Physical therapist is coming to her, so she can recuperate at her granddaughter's house."

"That's wonderful! It's gotta be a lot easier on her, being somewhere comfortable instead of the hospital."

Tom nods.

"You wanna go out tonight?" he asks suddenly.

"Out?"

"There's a pub just outside of town I think you'll like. Might be fun to get outta here for a bit."

"Sure," you smile. You don't care where you are, as long as you're with him.

"I'll try to get off a bit early today, help you with the packing. Then we can shower and head out around dark."

"Sounds good."

You finished packing in that gray area between late afternoon and early evening. You walked through April's small house, making sure you hadn't missed anything. But the pictures from the walls were stacked in the living room. The bed was stripped and the sheets were washed, folded, and packed. The closets and cabinets were empty. April's entire life had been carefully packed, meticulously labeled, and stacked in the kitchen in just a few days. Is this what a person's life comes down to? A lifetime of memories packed in cardboard?

You eyed a box with a star on each corner. It contained April's freshly laundered bedding, and clothes that would be easy for a person with a broken hip to get in and out of. You wish you'd known her well enough to have packed her favorite books or trinkets in the box as well, but you figured she'd appreciate the gesture anyway.

You were sitting on her front porch when Tom came to find you.

"Sorry, lots of leaks last night with the rain." He rubs the back of his neck like he's embarrassed. "Shall we?"

"It's done."

"What?"

"The packing. It's done."

Tom walks by you and into the house, returning a moment later. "You really did it."

"Yup." It's a bittersweet feeling. You've done something to help out a friend. It was relaxing work. But that was your last reason to stay. Why hadn't you taken longer?

Tom drops into the chair next to you. "I'm really sorry you had to do all that on your own. That's not at all what I meant to happen."

"It's fine, Tom," you assure him. "It was for April. I didn't mind a bit."

"You know this was her idea?"

"It was?"

"I volunteered to pack for her the second she said that she didn't want strangers touching her things. Then she asked me about you. Told her we were going to pick up your car after we left, because that's why you were still with me. Told her I was gonna miss you. So she invented a reason for you to stay."

A tear slides down your cheek.

"Maybe she just didn't want you to be lonely, with her away."

"Are you ever going to fucking accept that I like having you here?"

"Probably not," you laugh, swiping at your leaking eyes.

"C'mon, you stubborn woman, let's go get ready. Can't let your entire vacation pass you by without having at least a little fun."

#oh 🥹🥹#oh this is so sweet #oh my god #please don’t goooo tom has feelings for youuuuuu #this could be loveeeeeee don’t goooooo #don’t leave that poor man lonely #he’s so sweet #i love him #my sweet boy #tom grant is enough #tom grant x reader #fic recs #fic rec #wheels <3 #moots my beloved <3

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