Cold sand was pushed into the ground, footprints leading away from the big white house by the coast. Janelle raced past the thin trail that Tommy had left behind, matching his quick strides with similiar marks scattered all across the beach.
"Tommy, wait!" Janelle called out to him when she was a few yards away, air escaping her lungs.
His body flinched in surprise, not expecting to have been followed.
Blue eyes lingered on the horizon instead of meeting the soft brown ones. Slowly, Tommy took a deep breath and turned around to face Janelle, attempting to hide the blatant pain that covered his face.
Tommy knew he had no right to be hurt by Janelle, he knew that she owed him nothing. Deep down he would take being apart from her if it meant that she was truly happy with Ranboo. But knowing this fact was far different from accepting it. His eyes were rimmed with red and he refused to look her in the eyes, knowing that the moment he did he wouldn't be able to maintain his composure. He did his best to hide his feelings, refusing to allow her to be guilty about her own happiness when his heart felt so broken. He owed her that, at least.
"H-Hey," a tan hand reached up to touch him but quickly pulled away, crossing her arms instead. Janelle could tell that something was wrong, and seeing Tommy so distraught hurt her more than she ever could have imagined. She would have given anything to help carry the weight of whatever pain he felt, help take the burden that he carried alone. "What's wrong?"
"What are you doing here?" He avoids her question, distracting her with one of his own.
"Tommy, why are you out here alone?" Another dismissal of the real question being asked. Janelle inched closer to him, a small step forward until they were only a foot apart. Tommy stood still, not reacting to her attempts to comfort him. Worry is etched across her face, fear reflected in her eyes when she looked at the boy she loved. Still, Tommy thought he was doing what was best for her when he pulled away.
"You should go, Janelle," despite the situation, he said her name with reverence, like a pious man who has only ever believed in the goddess infront of him. His voice raised the hair on her arms, teasing her failed efforts to ignore it. "Nothing's wrong, I just needed to clear my head."
A pause.
They each let out a breath, looking at each other and memorizing every line in each others faces. Quietly, slowly, Tommy cut the connection between them, turning away from her and taking a step towards the other end of the beach.
"I love you!"
Janelle's heart battled between regret and relief, the words finally leaving her mouth after weeks of laying on her voiceless tongue.
She knew she should be more apprehensive when confessing her feelings, but at that moment she would rather have been too blunt than allow him to walk away from her. The scorn or anoyance she would feel from him was worth him turning back to her, if only so she could hear him talk to her one last time.
Tommy stopped walking, he stopped breathing.
"What- Janelle, what are you saying?"
"I have loved you this whole time, maybe as long as I have known you. Since before we went on rollercoasters and picnics and late nights together." Janelle's eyes found the ground, and she blinked back the tears threatening to break free. "You're the best person in my life, and I understand it's not the same but I just thought you should-"
He turned around faster than Janelle could process, intensely closing the gap between them.
Her head was tilted backwards, slightly looking up at him while he stared openly at her, and the distance between them was diminished into inches.
"Do you really mean that?" His hand slowly reached up to rest on her cheek, reassurance and joy overflowing his systems. His left arm wrapped around her waist and settled on her back to keep them close. His thumb gently rubbed her cheek and she could do nothing but swallow.
A single nod.
Timidly, he left the rest to her, his grip on her body loose so that she could easily pull away if she wanted to. Eventually, Janelle moved closer, finalizing the decision they both have been anticipating and imagining for months.
The kiss was soft, their bodies both reacting sowly to each other. They moved calmly, like they were just now figuring out that they will have years to rush kisses or move too fast. This kiss was meant to be enjoyed, tentatively and unhirredly. Tommy tasted like honey to Janelle; sweet and overpowering her senses until she couldn't taste or feel anything that wasn't him. Janelle's strong scent of vanilla wrapped around Tommy's mind, her full lips pushing against his with a hunger that made Tommy forget there was ever a world without it.
The two separated, their faces flushed pink. Brown eyes stayed on the floor, too scared and vulnerable to reach up to his. Tommy, however, was unable to look at anything that wasn't her. That wasn't the dark haired and golden skinned girl in front of him.
"I love you, more than you will ever understand." He reached for her hand, pulling it between his and placing a gentle kiss on it. His actions were messy and thoughtless, but now that he could act on impulses and desires, it's all he wanted to do.
Giddy smiles painted their faces as they walked back to the house.
Their gait was impractical, moving so leisurely that they wouldn't be able to get anywhere at all if the house wasn't already so close by. But they didn't care. Time didn't reach them as they played in the cold water or swung their connected hands between their happy bodies.
The blushes didn't leave their cheeks, the whole situation being too new and perfect that they felt like they were in a dream. Janelle felt exposed to him, her dirty secrets aired out with nothing to hide behind, while Tommy could only pretend like the permanent grin on his face wasn't beggining to hurt.
They didn't think about how their lives would look now that they loved each other, or how their relationship would work being divided by the Atlantic ocean. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered besides the warm feeling of his hand in hers.
Neither of them could have predicted a moment more perfect.
Once they finally reached the door of the manor house, the sun mirroring their disappearance and choosing to set below the skyline, they hesitated to twist the doorknob.
Gingerly, Janelle jumped onto her toes to kiss him one more time, enjoying the moment they shared alone before telling everyone else what had happened.
If the first kiss between them was perfect, the words to describe this one hadn't been invented yet.
Passion fell between them, sparking across the spaces where bare skin touched. Lacing her hands behind his neck to deapen the kiss, Tommy couldn't help but smile into her delicate mouth. Teeth clash and neither of them knew what they were doing, but they can work on their rhythm later.
They have their whole lives together to figure out how they want to kiss.
______________________________________________
AHHHHHHH
oh my god it's over. i'm so sad and happy and miserable and proud. i really hope you all have enjoyed this book, over a year in the making. THERE WILL BE EPILOGUE CHAPTERS because i am a bitch for a cute after story, but technically this book has been completed :(
i am so incredibly grateful for every one of you for reading this story. i hope it lived up to your expectations and if you have any comments or complaints i would love to hear them.
again, i owe so much to my readers. you all are so fucking nice and supported me throughout the entire book. <3
my first ever book, i can't wait to see where else we will go :>
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talk too much -- tommyinnitxoc
Romance❝ you know I talk too much honey, come put your lips on mine and shut me up ❞ Janelle was content with her calm life, until she was introduced to a loud british boy and she learned what she was missing out on. ❝ stay cool, it's just a...
