It's Only The Heat [TharnType 18+]

-13- 🌗 Come Close ( + Q&A pt. 1)

"Come close, my dear. You don't have to fear, you don't have to fear."
~Willamette Stone, 'Heart Like Yours'

~~~

[A/N - POV changes partway through. This chapter and the next were short, so I just combined them. Enjoy!]

*Tar's POV*

The doorbell rings, and I rocket out of my seat. I had spent the morning cleaning the house like crazy, and my stomach is a nervous wreck. Pausing to glance at the mirror by the door, I quickly smooth down my brown hair that's so dark it's nearly black, and straighten my clothes. I take a deep breath to calm myself and open the front door.

My breath catches at the sight. In front of me stands a tall, beautiful man with bleached white-blonde hair. I wonder if he would be offended that I think he's beautiful, but for some reason, I think he'd be okay with it. He has a few piercings on each ear to himself some sort of 'tough guy' look, but that's not who he is at all. He's kind, and gentle. He didn't have to save me all those months ago, and he certainly didn't have to keep checking up on me and hanging out with me, but he did.

"Hey!" Tum smiles brightly, holding up a plastic bag of what I'm assuming is food from his university. "Can I come in?"

I nod shyly and step aside to let him in the house. Tum grins and tousles my hair as he walks by. I wrinkle my nose and use my fingers to smooth down my hair again, which isn't difficult considering how silky my hair is. Tum chuckles and heads for the kitchen. He sets the bag down on the counter and pulls out two styrofoam containers.

"I brought lunch!" He announces with a grin. "I got you your favorite; fried rice with shrimp."

"Thank you," I say softly, trying not to show how much his presence affects me. My heart pounds in my chest as he opens my box of food and hands it to me. "D-Do you want to watch a movie?" I ask, making Tum blink in surprise. "I-If you have time..."

Tum's smile widens. "Of course I do! I'll get our food set up in the living room if you want to go choose the movie."

I nod and set my food back down on the counter and head for the movie cabinet. I can hear Tum shuffling around in the living room as I scan the movie options. My gaze falls on a movie I haven't seen in a long time, and I snatch it from the cabinet and head back to the living room. Tum has our food laid out on the coffee table. He smiles at me when he sees me, and my stomach does little flips. I blush and go to put the movie in the DVD player.

"So, how's school?" Tum asks. I bite back a smile. It always amuses me that Tum asks about how I'm doing in school. I'm in my last few months of high school, and he's in college. There's no way it's interesting hearing about my high school.

I shrug my shoulders. "It's fine. Pretty boring. I don't really talk to the other students." Tum's eyes fill with sadness at that. "I don't mind it," I tell him quickly. "It's my choice to keep to myself."

Tum cocks his head to the side. "Why is that?"

I sit down next to him and look at the fried rice on the table. "I don't really like talking to people," I say honestly. My gaze flickers to his before I shyly add, "Besides you." Tum smiles and tousles my hair again. My bottom lip pokes out in a pout as I fix my hair, making Tum laugh.

"Oh! I almost forgot. Hang on," Tum says before scrambling up and heading out to his bike. I frown in confusion as I wait for him to come back. When he returns, he's holding a brightly colored paper bag. He holds it out to me, and I furrow my brows. "It's a birthday present."