Double take | T. Blyth

16

"You have a motorcycle?" Esmeralda asked the male that was walking next to her. Tom nodded with a large smile. The two of them were walking along the streets, holding hands while softly talking to each other.

"Yes, it's one of my favourite ways to travel through New York." He answered while they stopped outside a store. Both of them were starting to do some Christmas shopping together for their friends and families.

"Cool." She said as she opened the door to the store. "Not going to lie, but you did not give off motorcycle vibes until you told me about it."

Tom chuckled. He walked into the store right behind her. In truth, Esmeralda did not truly know what she wanted to give her friends and families. 'Perhaps, coal would be a perfect gift for her mother.' She thought to herself.

"So, do you have any idea of what you want to buy?" The Birmingham man asked. The pair continued to walk further into the store.
"Socks filled with coal for mother, licorice for father and a trip to Ibiza for my brother." She mumbled, her dislike for her mother very prominent in her musing.

"Coal for your mother? Isn't that quite extreme?" Tom asked as he tilted his head and looked at the shorter woman.
"Not really. My mother is not that likeable if I am going to be honest. In fact she backed me into a corner so now I need to find a friend willing enough to fake being my boyfriend for the Christmas Ball." She said, while blurting out the one thing she had tried to avoid saying for the past two weeks.

"Fake pretend relationship?" He asked, his eyebrows raised. In truth, Tom could not see the sweet woman next to him being someone that would willingly enter a fake relationship. He, himself, did not know if he would be willing to offer himself to be the one she enters a fake pretend relationship with.

"Yeah. Only problem is that most of the men I know are people my mom would immediately know are not truly dating me. Every man but you." Esmeralda confessed as she carefully felt the shirt's fabric, trying to ignore the reaction she would probably receive from the man.

"Let me guess, you had this great idea then to ask me to enter one with you?" Tom curiously asked, he was not really hurt or offended by the truth that the younger woman had revealed.
"That was the plan, but then I realised that I did not want to drag you into my messy family drama with something that would be built up on lies." She explained as she turned around to face the male.
"If I am to attend the annual Christmas ball with someone, that someone being you, I want to attend it with you as my real boyfriend." She continued.
"Therefore, would you give me the honour Tom Keir Blyth to take you out on a date and formally ask you to be my boyfriend?" She asked with a shy smile on her lips.

The male smiled as he gave a nod towards the dark-haired woman. He watched as the smile grew bigger at his silent yes. The two of them did not seem to care about how little time has actually passed since they first met.

"So, you are about to record a new song?" Tom asked as he held the door open for Esmeralda as they both exited the store without having bought anything.

"That is the plan at least. I have the lyrics written down, I just need to find a suitable beat for it. In fact, I've got a couple of songs I wish to record." She answered, grabbing the man's hand while they continued to stroll down the street. Both of them were heading to a five-star restaurant that she had already planned in advance to bring him too. It would also be the restaurant where she would properly ask Tom to be her boyfriend.

Fortunately for her, it all worked out in the end. She would not have to lie to her mother, and she could be together with the man she had developed a crush on. Seems like lady luck was smiling down at her.

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