Noir (Tom Holland)

Twelve

Authorities arrived before the dancing could commence, but considering there had been a triple homicide not even an hour ago, I figured there would be no conclusion to the gala. Tom had made a few calls while we rushed upstairs to our room, coercing the pilot to get out of bed and start readying the plane up for us. As soon as we made it to the room, he quickly shut the door and took his jacket off, throwing it on the bed. He then took my bloodied face in his hands and kissed me hard. It was the kind of kiss that made me think I would never see him again, like we were saying goodbye. But we weren't, we were just full of emotions.

    As much as I wanted to continue the kiss, I broke it and pulled away. "Sorry, this is too gross for me. I'm going to shower," I entered the bathroom and started the shower, "Whether you join me or not is up to you." Tom gave a half smile and shook his head, "You're tempting, but I have some unfinished business to attend to, maybe later." He winked at me and my heart shit itself. By now the adrenaline had worn down and it was me acting on my feelings. I really felt for Tom, I even believed I loved him.

    Stepping into the shower, it was relaxing to see all the blood slip away from my skin and fall to the drain. I imagined I was a warrior returning from a brutal battle protecting the king, when in reality I was. Though the blood wasn't mine to sacrifice, my actions were. I put my head under the nozzle carefully, not wanting to aggravate my stitches and closed my eyes, soaking in the increased weight as my hair became wetter.
    Coming out of the shower, I felt like a new person. I didn't feel like Andi or Alessandra for that matter. My names didn't fit me at all for some reason. I was still me, but I wasn't. As I stared at my reflection, I tried to find a name that would suit me, but none came to mind. Nothing except Reese. "Reese," I whispered to myself, a smile tugging on my lips. It felt weird hearing me say it; I was so used to Tom muttering it every five seconds. However, it felt right when he said it, like it was made for him.

    As I got dressed and left the bathroom I was greeted to an empty room. The bed was perfectly made, my clothes packed, and Tom absent. I called his name out but there was no answer. From my peripheral vision I noticed something white on the bed. Facing it, I saw a note and my heart sunk. Picking it up, I scanned the words scrawled:

    Reese,
As much as I would've loved to take you up on that wonderful offer of showering with you, my business in Vienna is not done. You, however, are. As you read this note, Jacob will knock on your door within a minute or so and you will go home with him. I'm not done with you yet, however. When I call, you will answer. Until then, this is goodbye.

    I love you.

    As soon as I read the last sentence, there were three knocks on the door. I opened it and faced Jacob who also seemed to have cleaned up. "You ready, Andi?" he asked, his bag draped over his shoulder. "Hold on a moment," I said and I tucked the note into the waistband of my shorts. Once I grabbed the bag, a thought popped up in my mind and acting upon it, I opened the closet to grab "Tom's" dress. The closet was empty though and I knew he took the dress with him. That fucker, I thought to myself.

    Jacob cleared his throat rather loudly, catching my attention. I snapped out of my thoughts momentarily and grabbed my bag, following him out the door. As we left the hotel, the note replayed in my mind over and over like a broken record. I love you, he wrote, he actually fucking wrote that. The corners of my mouth tugged once again and I tried to force myself into a frown, but I couldn't. I couldn't help but smile. I love you too, I thought to myself. How convenient was it that the only times we expressed feelings for one another was when the other was unable to respond?

    The silence lasted for a month. I hated to admit it, but it was unbearable. I never knew how much I depended on the flip phone to ring until it never did. The day after I returned from Vienna, I went back to the school, a day earlier than expected. Katy was teaching my class (apparently every substitute in the entire tri-state area had the audacity to catch a cold) when I walked in. Her eyes widened when she saw me, dropping the baton in her hand. The kids all turned to see what was wrong and once they saw me they simultaneously beamed and ran up to hug me.