𝐲𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 | tom blyth

.004 // tom

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"SINCE WHEN are you ever late for hair and makeup?" Rachel questioned with an eyebrow raised and the mouth of her coffee lid hovering her lips. It was a question on everyone's minds as they saw Tom and his bloodshot eyes walk through the trailer that early morning.

He didn't answer. His head felt light and dizzy, and his eyes felt heavy, but the smallest grin couldn't stop playing his lips.

"Tom," her sing-song voice sounded in the chair next to his. "I assumed you fell asleep when you didn't answer my texts."

"I did, I just..." His throat cleared with a shake of his head. "Video games happened and I lost track of time and passed out."

"So this has nothing to do with you saving Claire?"

"You give me too much credit, Rachel."

"You didn't update me so I thought you guys were together!" A hand hit his bicep. "She finally came back to my place, like, two hours ago. Like, really happy and not complaining about how much she missed the water."

As much as Tom didn't want to react to what was being shared, his body language gave him away. Slight lift of his shoulders, perk of his brows, and turn of his face... he was interested and Rachel could tell, even if she assumed it was out of friendliness.

"Claire was humming some song I didn't even know. It was the cutest thing." Then Rachel gasped excitedly, "I bet she met a boy!"

Tom coughed, choking on surprise and holding his hand up in apology to the person focusing on prepping his skin for the makeup about to be applied. "What?"

"A vacation romance?"

A beat passed. A blank stare. Then confusion etching across the male's face.

"What, have you never read or seen anything romance related?" Nothing. "What is it with you men and your lack of... of... of love?! Claire's humming a song! Tom, that's unheard of."

"You're being dramatic, Rach. Maybe she had a really good croissant or something."

"No way."

"And why not?" he pushed.

"Well, maybe because she hates croissants?"

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"WHY DON'T you talk more about your hometown?" Tom asked, fingers inching closer to hers ever since they sat on the wooden bench near the apartment she was staying at. Her voice sounded like music to his ears and anything he could think of to make her continue talking was what he would ask. "What's it like?"

Between chewing the croissant and swallowing, Claire's mind reeled with memories to share. She could mention the week they had a bonfire every night and got too drunk to remember anything. Or maybe summers as a waitress at the local restaurant her and her friends frequented growing up. The memories of falling in love, or the heartbreak... all clouded by the reminder that she wasn't welcomed in town anymore.

"Why would I want to talk about that when I'm here?"

"It's okay to miss home, Claire."

Brown eyes shifted to Tom's face and then away. "But is it okay for home to not miss you?" A soft smile formed and her nose scrunched. He wished he had a camera to capture the expression. Fingers lifted her almost-gone treat to show him. "I really like this thing. It's fancy bread. Back home they sell a dozen mini ones in a plastic container at the grocery store. They're way more stale, though."

Tom's hand wrapped around hers, the croissant close enough to his fingertips to grab it away from her. His blue eyes looked over her face; eyes, nose, cheeks, lips. Lingering on her lips. Inching his face to hers. Claire's eyes fixing themselves on his and then his lips. Her heart beating faster with every second that passed.

Then she stood and he retracted his touch, following her stance and hovering over her.

"Rachel's probably freaking out. I'm sorry, I... went off on her and I really should go before she thinks I'm not alive."

"Let me at least walk you there."

"It's fine, really. I know how busy your filming stuff is so you should go before you miss out on more sleep." Tom didn't move, only eyeing her. "I promise. I can handle myself."

"Get used to me handling you as well, then. C'mon," he took off the jacket he was wearing and wrapped it around the blonde's shoulders. It was cold. If he was going to make sure he got her home safely, the least he could do was make sure she didn't get sick the next day.

Tom couldn't help but bite back a smile at her lack of refusal. She was warming up to him. And although he was trying to repress the shivers being sent to him by the cold, he'd take sickness over her feeling discomfort any day.

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omg hi sorry for going mia but I'm back and will be posting a lot more chapters tomorrow and Friday!!

also I hope the flashback to the night before makes sense cuz it's 12am and im writing this with no thoughts in my wee lil brain......... next chapters will be more thorough but I needed to write a cute moment ok???? like cmonnnn her LYING about liking the croissant cuz he loves them??? PLSSSS

promise next chapter will be WAYYYY LONGERRRR and have more claire x tom content :) just wanted to get a little bit into tom (and i lowkey love writing in the male pov)

hoping to bring angst and slow burn and all that fun stuff in the upcoming chapters!!