The Rumour Mill - Completed

41. Encounter

TOM'S POV

I'd tried really hard to concentrate on the road as I drove home to my parent's house, but the thought of Libby draped around Elliot, enjoying a good old laugh at how pathetic I was had my mind wandering and I wondered how I'd made it home in one piece. As I grabbed my bag I reached into my jeans pocket and retrieved my phone. I'm not sure if I was surprised or agitated to see I had three missed calls from Libby and a text. Despite myself I opened her text and held my breath as I began reading.

"Tom, we need to talk, Libby" I looked at it over and over again, it hadn't been the message I had wanted, this was cold and curt and well not the text I'd wanted.

I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and stalked into the house.

"Oh it's so good to have you home" my mum gushed as she raced towards me, arms out stretched. As she embraced me tightly I could hear the disapproving cough from my father.

"He's a man, not a child, let him be, woman." He sneered around the broadsheets.

"Nonsense, he'll always be my little boy." My mum argued, hugging me tighter and grinning mischievously as me.

"Love you, mum." I whispered in her ear. As she finally pulled away from me I could see her batting her eyelashes furiously as she tried to contain the tears she was holding back.

"Right love, let's get you something to eat, shall we?" She instructed as she regained her composure, I didn't argue, I nodded my agreement and let her lead me into the kitchen. I watched as she fused in the fridge, pulling out a huge pile of different things for me to eat.

"A sandwich would be great mum" I offered as I smiled warmly at her.

Within a couple of minutes she had rustled up a plate of assorted sandwiches and a mug of tea. "Now are you sure there isn't anything else I can get you?" She asked as she sat on the kitchen stool next to me, sipping her herbal tea.

"No mum, this is great" I answered before pushing the plate in her direction, tacitly offering her one of the sandwiches she's just made me.

"It's lovely to have you home son, the place isn't the same without you." She smiled as she finally agreed to share my sandwiches.

"I was here only a few weeks ago, you can't have missed me that much?" I teased.

I remembered the last time I'd been home and everything that had happened in those few short weeks. I'd taken a beating and lost most, if not all of my friends. I'd chased round after a girl who was probably at this very minute shagging her idiot of an off/on boyfriend. Even more nauseating was the fact I'd let her get to me, at best we'd had a turbulent relationship, from the very first day I met her she'd spelt nothing but trouble for me. Even knowing all this I'd hoped and watched and waited for my opportunity to finally win her round. For fuck sake I'd declared my undying love for her and she'd just stood there staring at me, there's only so much of a prick I'm willing to make of myself, even for Libby 'Fucking' McKenzie - yeah that ship had sailed...and sunk, it was time to look to the future and the Summer of wild debauchery I was intending on having.

"A penny for them" my mum said, pulling me from my internal resolutions. "Your thoughts?" She pressed as I looked at her blankly.

"Oh I was just planning my Summer break." I replied, which technically wasn't a lie, she looked at me expectantly, waiting for me to elaborate. "I'm thinking of spending most of the Summer with my friends from uni, we might go abroad, bum round Europe, get part time jobs, see the sights..." I stopped my rumination when I saw my mums face drop. "Not yet though mum" I corrected, taking her hand and squeezing it lightly. "Next week, it's nice just being back here with you, relaxing." Although she tried her best to cover up her disappointment, I could see through her sad smile this was not the Summer she had been planning.