Under a Willow Tree

Tom lived by himself in a comfortable flat near the heart of London. He moved in when he was old enough to live independently. Since then, he depended mainly on his own paycheck for his living expenses, which was quite rare for a 20 year old. His flat was on the 34th floor of a tall condominium building and it showed off a perfect modern interior, which fit this young bachelor very much. Tom spent most of his time in that apartment, when he wasn't working. The view from his bedroom was appealing, with the sun peeking through each morning and the cityscape lights blinking throughout the night.

Tom woke up at his usual time of 7 am, to get ready for work. The sun greeted him, cheerily, as he got out of his bed. Stepping out of his bedroom into the living quarters, he noticed a disheveled figure lying on his couch. Walking over to the couch, he noticed that the person lying on it was clearly frazzled with their body lying face up and arms hanging helplessly over the couch. Tom saw that the person's brown hair was carelessly covering their face, causing difficulty for Tom to identify them. He gently brushed their hair away, and immediately recognized the sleeping figure.

"Jade?" He called out to her. Jade let out a weary groan and threw a throw pillow over her face. Tom knelt by the couch and gently shook her shoulder. "Jade, wake up."

This time, she turned her back against Tom, trying to ignore him. Tom looked up and saw her coat and shoes scattered on the floor of his foyer and he noticed that her purse and keys were on the ground next to his kitchen counter, a sign that she tried to place it on their, but failed. With that, Tom realized that Jade had just spent another drunken night out with her friends, and came over to his place to sleep. He ran his hand over her arm, staring at her sleeping body that subtly moved up and down with each breath she took.

"Darling," He spoke gently. "We've got to get you home. I have to get to work and I can't stay home to take care of you." Tom waited for a few minutes, and then Jade was finally able to speak.

"Can't I just stay here?" She griped. "I feel too sick to move."

"I really wish you can, but no one is going to stay here with you. I've got work until 5 this afternoon, and I probably can't stop by to check up on you. You ought to stay home where your mum is."

Jade turned to face Tom. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, her make up caused her to look unappealing, and she strongly smelled of alcohol. Still, Tom looked at her with endearing eyes and helped her sit up. He strode over to his kitchen where he prepared a pot of hot water for tea. Bringing a cup of tea to Jade, he spoke, "I have to get ready for work. I'll bring you over to your place on the way." Jade nodded, tiredly, as Tom placed a delicate kiss on her forehead and went to get ready for work. When he was done, being the sweet boy he is, he carried an exhausted Jade out to his car and went back up to bring her belongings to her. The whole time, Jade didn't bother to speak, leaving Tom to conduct conversation on their drive to her place.

"So, where did you go last night?" Tom asked, but no answer came from Jade. He tried again. "I watched this pretty cool film last night. Do you want to know what it's about?"

Jade crossed her arms and stared outside the window, still not speaking.

"Jade, are you alright?"

Jade looked over at him and scowled. "Can't you just shut up?"

"I-I'm sorry." Tom said, weakly.

"You really can't stop opening that gob of yours."

"I was just - "

"No, you were just being a big dick." Jade insulted, causing Tom to be silent through the whole drive.

As they waited in traffic in a busy street, Tom looked around the conjoining shops and cafes along the street. In one bistro, he saw two people whom he seemed to recognize immediately. Laughing jubilantly, Rupert and Willow shared a table by the window. Tom saw that they were looking through what looked like photographs. He saw Willow place a hand on Rupert's arm as she laughed at one of the photos. When they finally ceased their laughter, they both looked at each other with a twinkle in their eyes. At that moment, Tom felt as if a big concrete block dropped on the pit of his stomach. He felt his cheeks getting red with what seemed to be...

"Tom, you stupid idiot!" Jade cried.

"What?!" He jumped.

"The cars are moving and you're causing another traffic jam." She replied. Tom could hear several cars mercilessly beeping their horns. To avoid further riotous behavior, Tom slammed onto his gas pedal and sped away. Reaching Jade's mother's house, he tried to place a goodbye kiss on her cheek, but she rejected it by getting out of the car without acknowledging any sense of gratitude for his hospitality. Jade was the epitome of a perfect girlfriend.

"Bitch." Georgia spat.

"Georgia, that's enough." Tom warned. Georgia came over to Tom's place right after she was finished with her classes for the day, when Tom unfortunately spilled out Jane's conundrums that occurred earlier that same day.

"Why are you even sweet to her when all she does is mope around like a princess and not even say a little 'thank you'?" Georgia indignantly threw the magazine she was reading on the ground.

"We've been through this a million times before."

"And a million times you remain stubborn." Georgia snapped her fingers furiously at Tom. "Wake up! Don't you see what she's doing to you?"

"You can be my best mate, and you can be my cousin, but you have no authority to direct whom I date or not." Tom said curtly.

"But I'm only looking out for you."

"I appreciate that, I really do. Yet, I can not accept that type of treatment from you. I prefer that my love life be completely separated from my relationship with my friends."

Georgia gave in and didn't reply back, but Tom made sure that he would step out of the room if she ever brought the subject up again. Picking up the magazine she threw on the ground, Georgia decided to discuss another topic.

"So, how did you know Willow?" She asked.

"Willow?" Tom asked, perplexed.

"Oh, come on. You know Willow Coult."

"Oh, her? Erm... well I guess I met her when she stopped by the set that one day with her great-uncle." Tom answered.

"Do you think she's pretty?"

"I think she is. She has that girl next door look, but you still seem to feel that she has a little bit of that flirtatious edge in her." Tom admitted.

Georgia smiled to herself, listening to Tom turn a simple question into something he really contemplated on. "You're right. She's also very interesting. Willow seems to always have something to tell."

"Yeah. She's a smart kid, too." Tom added, involuntarily. "I'm pretty sure she was head of her class."

"Oh, she is." Georgia noted. "We've got the same courses in uni, and the professors seem to be impressed by her progress."

"Really? What do they say about her?" Tom inquired, trying to sound uninterested.

"You know, the typical stuff. But she's also got quite the personality."

"I know. I've never actually met a girl like her. She's so different, in the good sense. She can be a laugh, and then there are times when she's serious and you really get her. Like, everything she says is like from a book." Tom mused. "And she's so down to earth. I mean, it really takes awhile for a girl to break out of her outer shell. Some don't even break out, at all."

"She would probably be a perfect girlfriend," observed Georgia.

"No way. I think she has a few significant faults of her own." Tom said.

"I don't know... She still sounds like the ideal girlfriend."

Tom frowned, realizing where Georgia was getting at. "Then why don't you date her?"

"Because I'm not the one with a psychotic, manipulative, highly intoxicated girlfriend!" Georgia couldn't help herself. And with that, Tom walked out of the living room and headed to his kitchen, away from Georgia.

Tom's big birthday bash came quickly, and on the day Willow got a call from Rupert, asking her if she wanted to arrive at the party together with him. Without thinking twice, Willow replied that she was delighted to. They arrived at the party, just a few minutes before the celebrant came in, with a look full of genuine surprise on his face. Willow couldn't help but become so bashful seeing how happy Tom was to see a large group of people yell out "Happy Birthday!" to him as he entered the club in which the party was held. Even if he did enter the club with Jade, Willow still cheerfully went up to him with Rupert to greet him a grand 21st birthday.

"Hope this new year would be epic." Willow said, shaking his hand.

"Yeah, it ought to be." Rupert added. "Seeing how happy you are with Jade over here."

Tom was taken aback when he saw Willow standing so close to Rupert. "You two know each other?"

"Oh, yeah. We met a few days back." Rupert said.

"Really? At the set?" Tom asked. Willow bit her lip as Rupert looked at her, puzzled. She hadn't exactly told Rupert that she worked at the Harry Potter set and the two hardly ever crossed paths there whenever she came by.

"Er... No we met at High Street." Willow said quickly.

"Oh, that's nice." Tom deflated.

"Well, we'll see you later." Jade disrupted, pulling Tom towards another group of people. "It was nice meeting you two again."

When Jade and Tom were out of earshot, Rupert turned back to Willow. "You go on the set?"

"Yeah... I work there, but not all the time. Just when my schedule isn't filled up, considering I've got school and all." Willow explained.

"But you never told me."

"I was going to. It just never popped into my mind until now." She lied. She wasn't planning on telling Rupert about her little job on the set, or the fact that his boss was her great-uncle.

"Oh, well. Now I know, so whatever." Rupert shrugged slightly and he and Willow went back to their table to order some drinks.

Willow had a fantastic time with Rupert and a few of their mutual friends who were extras or crew members on the Harry Potter set. Tom was in a booth all the way across the room from, Willow, so it was hardly a chance for her to glance up at him. But Tom seemed to be at ease as he tossed a look at her every few seconds, causing Georgia to smile inconspicuously as she watched him.

"Tom what are you looking at?" Jade asked him when she caught him staring at Rupert and Willow.

"What? Oh, nothing." Tom said, looking back to her. Jade shifted her head to try to see what he was actually looking at, but Tom pulled her face back to him to kiss her.

Her stomach stung and the blood rushed up to her cheeks, and suddenly, everybody else's laughter seemed to fade out. And all Willow could do was watch. She couldn't think and she couldn't speak or turn away, even if it was so painful to watch Tom and Jade share a kiss so passionately. He looked so in love as he place a hand in her hair and angled his head, eating her face off.

"Willow?" Willow jumped suddenly, as she felt Rupert's hand gently upon hers. "Alright?"

"Yes. Was just thinking about something. I'll be fine." She replied, wearily.

"Come on," Rupert gave her a hand a subtle squeeze. "This isn't the time to be thinking. Just have fun this one night. Okay?"

Willow nodded, and then joined in the conversation that her friends were having at their table. As the night wore on, Rupert began to notice that Willow couldn't help but yawn every few moments or so.

"You're getting tired." He remarked to her.

"Yeah, I kinda am." She admitted. "I've got classes tomorrow. Is it okay if I leave now? If you want to stay, it's fine with me. I can head back alone."

"No, it's fine. I can bring you back home. I ought to get to bed soon, too. I've got things to do tomorrow, also." Rupert said. He and Willow got up and bid their friends goodbye. As they were heading out, Rupert remembered that he forgot his mobile phone back at their table.

"Oh, wait here, for a moment. I've forgotten my mobile at the table." He said, and then dashed away. Willow stood by the entrance of the club, waiting for him as he said. While watching the crowd breaking it down on the dance floor, a familiar figure came up to her.

"Had fun?" Tom asked her.

"Yes, very." She replied, simply.

"That's good to hear." Tom said, before a moment of silence came on. He spoke again to relieve the awkwardness. "So are you and Rupert...?"

Willow looked surprised. "Us? Oh, well, we just met. So, not really."

"Ahh..." Tom nodded. "So no boyfriends?"

"No. Not yet."

"Not yet?" Tom chuckled.

"Rupert's a swell guy, you know. There's potential."

Tom's heart dropped. "Potential?"

"Oh, yeah. He's sweet, funny, and there's something about him that makes you want to talk him some more. And he's not taken." Willow added on impulse.

"I think you'd make an ideal couple." Tom commented.

"Probably." Willow shrugged nonchalantly, as she continued watching the people on the dance floor, including Georgia.

"Rupert's a great guy." Tom said. "And you're a really perfect -"

"Willow, ready to go?" Rupert appeared suddenly, with his mobile in his hand.

"Yes, I am." She smiled up at him and then looked at Tom. "What was it you were saying?"

"Er... Nothing. Never mind." Tom shook it off.

"Oh, okay. Well, goodbye then. Happy birthday!" Willow replied.

"Bye. And happy birthday, mate." Rupert patted Tom on the shoulder and then left the venue with Willow. Stepping out into the cold London air, Tom watched as Rupert threw his coat over Willow in a gentlemanly manner and then throwing an arm around her shoulder, causing her to laugh.

___________________________________________________________________________________

The afternoon of the next day, Georgia came over to Tom's flat where she found him sprawled on his couch.

"Didn't go to work today?" She asked him.

"No, hungover." He replied wearily.

"Oh. Well, if you're up to it, you should take a look at this." Georgia said, reaching inside her bag.

Tom slowly sat up to face her. "What?"

Georgia finally found what it was she was looking for and handed it over to Tom. He froze and felt undeniably tense.