Neighbours

28: Refrained

"No...I'm in love with you."

I stared at him blankly. A tsunami of emotions washed over me.

Confusion: Since when did he like me like that? Let alone love?
Happiness: Finally...we could actually be together. This could work. He felt the same.
Anger: Why did he never tell me? Why now?
Sadness: Is he just saying it to keep me here? Is he just saying it so he can have emotional support?
Disbelief: No. There's no way he's serious.

"Bridget?" He snapped me out of my thoughts.

"I...I don't uh...when? How?" I stuttered.

He swallowed, "Does it matter?"

I scoffed a laugh then dropped my hands from his chest, running them through my hair.

"I mean, yeah it matters. You just come out with it now like nothing happened. How am I supposed to react, Tom?" I asked, feeling my breathing become rapid.

"I don't know really-"

I pulled off of him and grabbed a jumper that was lying on the floor next to my bed and shoved it on, heading to the bathroom to clean up. I muttered to myself like a madman as I skirted round my bed to the bathroom on wobbly legs.

"You love me." I repeated in disbelief before I entered the bathroom.

"I've felt like this for a while and I just-"

"How long?!" I asked, sitting down on the toilet.

He cleared his throat, "Since your graduation I knew I liked you more than just friends and then it was after my premiere I knew that I loved you..."

I realised I liked him the night of the premiere. What the actual fuck.

"So you just...oh my god." I wiped then flushed the toilet.

I saw Tom scramble his boxers on then he leaned on the door frame and watched nervously as I washed my hands.

"Should I not have said it?"

"No, no, I'm glad you did I just...it's just hard to comprehend."

"Why? I thought you would have known."

"If I knew, I would have said something."

"Bridget," Tom softly grabbed my wrist as I put the hand towel back on the rail.

I looked up into his eyes and they were still dark and dilated. I now knew that was his 'in love' eyes.

"I love you-"

"Stop saying it!" I exclaimed, pushing past him and pacing around my flat.

"Wh-why?" He stuttered, watching me pace.

"Because I don't know how to handle this!"

"Do you love me?" He asked.

I stopped and looked at him.

YES. I love you. I love you. I love you.

"I don't...I don't know..."

What. The. Fuck.

"You don't know? Bridget, don't fuck around."

"This is just a lot for me to think about!"

I paused and looked at him, "Is that why you were jealous over Elijah? Because you liked me?"

"Yeah." He folded his arms.

"But you'd rather me be in a loveless fucking contract with you than be happy in a real relationship with someone else." I scoffed.