Skinny Love

Petunia, the Gardener's Daughter

I sat on the couch in my living area, looking out the window to the distant London skyline. My fat, old black cat Petunia was laid across my lap and I stroked her generously, hoping to calm my nerves.

Tom was to be here soon, picking me up for dinner. I was much more unsettled about this date, as I knew it could be the beginning of the end. I thought about calling my older sister to get her whole opinion on me dating a famous person, but knowing her she wouldn't listen to my concerns and just scream on the other side of the line. So, I kept who I was dating to myself, making it difficult to make any kind of decision. All I knew was that I didn't want to be famous and I didn't want my relationship in the public eye, but I also knew that I liked Tom.

A knock came from the door of my flat, and I stood up, brushing the cat hair off my ivory green satin wrap dress. It wouldn't be my first choice in wardrobe, but it did hug my curves nicely and made my eyes pop. In such short notice, it was the best I could do. "Coming!" I called towards the door as I grabbed my purse off the counter and headed in his direction. My stomach was fluttering, my heart was pounding and I was even slightly sweating. I don't know what had come over me, celebrities have never made me nervous. I mean, I guess I would kind of have to keep up with them in order to know if I had ever met one, but I expect I wouldn't feel like this.

As soon as I opened the door, my eyes met Tom's and everything settled. I'm not sure what it was, but I felt safe under his gaze. A smile spread across his lips as he took all of me in, examining me from my toes and back up to my face. "You look absolutely stunning." I felt a blush come over my cheeks as I took in what he was wearing. Black slacks, black dress shoes, a white T-shirt tucked in under his black belt, and a black blazer. His curly hair was somewhat gelled back, and he held a single rose in his hand.

"You don't look too bad yourself." I smiled back at him and he seemed frozen in time. A look of what I presumed was adoration filled his eyes, making me giggle. "Is that for me?" I pointed at the flower in his hand and a fleeting look of confusion covered his face before responding. "Oh uh yes of course!" He handed me the rose and I gladly took it, pecking his cheek with a kiss as a thank you. "Come inside real fast and so I can put it in a vase."

I turned and lead him inside. He shut the door behind himself and I made my way to the kitchen to grab a vase from the cabinets. "Oh hello." I heard him say from behind me and I turned to look. Petunia sat on my counter next to Tom and purred as he pet her. "You like cats?" I asked him as I filled the vase with water from the sink. "Uh to be honest, not really. They're kind of evil." He shrugged his shoulders, as if embarrassed of his response.

I laughed and placed the flower in the middle of my dining table where it could be seen from every point of the room. "I can assure you that that cat is anything but evil. She literally cuddles with anything in her path." Petunia kept purring with her eyes closed as Tom scratched her between the ears. The handsome man looked up at me with a smile on his face. "Well I hope she proves me wrong about cats then." I returned a smile to him and he patted Petunia on the head one last time before stretching his hand out to me. "You ready to go?" I took his invitation and slid my small hand into his big, calloused one and he lead me down the stairs of my building.

When we reached the front doors, I saw a two door, convertible Audi waiting for us. "No security tonight?" I mocked and Tom opened the door to the passenger seat for me. I slid in to the car with no top, and he gently closed the door behind me. "No darling, just the two of us tonight." He smiled down at me and made his way over to the driver's side.

....

Tom had taken me to a nice restaurant near his childhood home, where he said the waiters always took good care of him and his family. They walked us through the back to make sure no one spotted us and sat us in a private room. We chatted and we ate, avoiding the elephant in the room as long as we could. Instead we spoke of our families and shared childhood memories, and Tom talked with me about his best friend Harrison. Getting to know him just made me fall further for him, and I knew it'd be difficult to just give up this connection we had just because of his career.

After dessert, we sat and drank the last glasses of champagne when I finally brought it up. "So were you just not going to tell me you're my favorite superhero?" Tom shook his head and leaned back in his chair, running his fingers through his curls. "I'm sorry Y/n. It just so refreshing to have someone like me for me, and know nothing about my career." He sighed and looked in his lap while running a finger around the top of his glass.

"I can understand that, and I'm not mad." He looked up at me with a slight smile on his face, obviously relieved. "I just think I should've been given the chance to know what exactly I was getting myself into." Tom cocked his head in my direction, hurt strewn across his face. I broke eye contact and it was my turn to look at my lap.

"I agree and It was unfair for me to put you in this kind of position. And I understand if it changes things for you, but I really hope it doesn't. I have feelings for you, feelings I haven't had in a while, and I want to see where this goes." I looked up at him and he was leaned towards me. Concern and sincerity across his face. It was like he felt exactly what I did, like we were in sync. But there was still that nagging voice in the back of my head reminding me of what a relationship with this man would mean for my life.

"I don't want this to end. But I honestly don't think I want a public relationship. And although I feel things for you as well, I'm not sure if it's enough to give up my privacy for." Tom grabbed my hand from across the table and rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. "Well let's not make it public then." I could feel the confused look cover my face. "What do you mean?"

"I mean that plenty of celebrities keep their private things private. Kylie Jenner was pregnant for nine months and no one knew until she had the baby!" Toms excitement had grown and I could tell he was convinced this would work. And I really didn't want to let the poor guy down. I mean, do I really want to be the women that breaks Spider-Man's heart?

A shy smile spread across my face as I made my decision. I was hesitant but it was worth trying. Plus, if we broke up, I doubted the media would keep up with me if our relationship did turn public. "Okay... we can try." Tom rushed up from his seat and pulled me up from mine, wrapping his arms around my waist. I was surprised at the movement and barely registered at first when he crash his lips onto mine, but soon sunk into his deep and passionate kiss.

I pulled back before it could heat up too much, placing my hands on his chest, and he looked at me with his dopey confused look again. "Just one question," he nodded with concern, "which one is Kylie Jenner?"