Inner Peace, Outer Chaos| Alex Rider+Tom Harris|

Six: Gorgeous In His Eyes

Tw: someone who is unhappy with their body

We finally break apart, and we realise that we'll have to get ready for school soon, if we both want to take showers and not be late. While we head down, we decide that I'll shower first while he does... whatever he said he was doing. To be honest, I'm still a little taken aback by the fact that he kissed me. He kissed me.

I watch him as he speaks, not particularly listening to his words, just letting his dulcet voice wash over me. He's smiling, a big ear-to-ear banana smile, and I'd like to think that it's because of me, because of our kiss.

But before I know it, we have to get ready for school. He goes to walk into his room, but before he does, he plants a big kiss on my cheek. Alex smirks, turns  his back on me, enters his room and closes the door.

I get out of the shower, and start to put my uniform on. I've got my pants on, my shirt is on but unbuttoned and my tie is loosely slung around my neck, when Alex shouts:

'Tom? Are you done yet? The shower went off like five minutes ago,' and opens the door.

Alex is stood in the doorway, bright red, and staring, wide-eyed, at my half-clothed chest. I'm standing frozen, watching Alex's face as he looks at everywhere that is exposed.

I suddenly feel self conscious, and I grab a towel to cover my chest. I've never liked my body, and I can't believe he saw that. What's more, I can't believe he hasn't looked away in disgust yet. I'm scrawny and I manage to look too skinny and too fat at the same time. I'm weirdly shaped, like a piece of self-assembly furniture gone horribly wrong. I can kiss goodbye to whatever blossoming hopes I had for a relationship with Alex, because why would he want to be with me after he's seen what I look like? Why would he even want to be my friend? Nobody is friends with ugly people.

'Oh my God, he's so hot,' Alex mutters, and I don't think I was meant to hear. Whatever, he's wrong anyways.

'You're delusional, Alex. I'm disgusting,' when I ay this, Alex looks angry... and hurt?

'It's a fact,' I tell him, knowing that soon he'll put down his act and call me out for being such a horrible looking mistake. 'Why won't you just acknowledge that I'm a horrible looking mistake! My parents don't want me, I'm just a burden! I know you think you made a mistake kissing me.'

'No.' he says firmly, 'No.'. Then he drops his clothes, walks over to me. 'You will never be a mistake. Kissing you was the best thing I've ever done! You aren't a mistake, and anyone who tells you that, even you, can sod off. You're so gorgeous, Tom. Don't ever think otherwise,'

I stand, so taken aback that I'm unable to move. He-he really thinks that? The next thing I know, he's pulled the towel from my hands and wrapped his arms around me. I'm shocked, scared, and head-over-heels, unstoppably, irrevocably, helplessly, happily in love. I can't help crying, and I think Alex knows that. He straightens up, and kissed the tears off of my face. This only makes me cry harder.

'How-how do you think I'm g-gorgeous? Have you seen me?'. It comes out as a pathetic whimper, but it makes Alex cry.

'How can you not!' he exclaims through a waterfall of tears. 'You have blue eyes that make diamonds jealous. They're like jewels, and they are gorgeous. Your hair is so cute, and it makes you look seriously hot. It's gorgeous. I always find it perfect that you're bigger than me, because I can just snuggle with you, and nuzzle into you. I always want to be closer, even when it doesn't seem possible. I'd do the impossible for you, I'd do anything. I love you, so so so much, but it's time you loved you too.'

As he finishes, he reaches forwards and engulfs me in another embrace. This time he connects our lips, and kisses me slowly and sweetly. He pulls away, and rests our foreheads together. By this point, I'm crying harder than I ever have, and I feel ashamed of letting Alex see this side of me. Whatever his thought are, he takes me by my arm, and gently pulls me into his room. He sets me on his bed lightly, and places my head in his lap. Then he does something completely unexpected. He starts to sing.

He sings Read My Mind by The Killers, and his voice is so beautiful. It's like liquid gold, flowing delightfully. I never knew that he could sing, let alone this well. He would make sea sirens jealous, and it just gives me another reason to love him. His eyes are closed, and his voice matches his looks. I realise that I've stopped crying, and so has he.

The morning sun frames his edges, and he looks like a painting by a world renowned artist. Except it's better than anything those artists could do, because that never had someone as beautiful as him to paint. His voice is the soundtrack to his image, and it makes my heart hurt. The scene is more than I can handle, and I can't believe someone like him cares for someone like me.

He finishes the song, and I find myself almost asleep.

'Tom?' he says it so softly, like I might break if he's too loud. 'I'm going to tell Jack that you're ill, and I'm taking care of you, so we're not going to school today.'

If I was able to, I would have been more excited at the prospect of a day off school, but I'm too tired, so all I can manage is a weak nod. He tucks me into bed, when he does I'm overwhelmed with my feelings for him. He kisses my head, and leaves to speak to Jack.
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Woohoo! Finally done. Honestly, this chapter was so hard to write. I feel so sorry for our poor boy Tom! On the bright side, I have the rest of this fic planned out! It'll have a grand total of 15 chapters with 2 epilogues.
~HJ