Expectations
Thirteen | Come Stand A Little Bit Closer; Breathe in and Get A Bit Higher
Annette’s POV
I woke up with only a slight pain in my lower back from the couch, and rose to make coffee. It appeared Tom was still asleep, which was a little awkward because I’d need to get my uniform from my room pretty soon. I mean, it was only 6AM so I didn’t exactly blame him. I wouldn’t have woken had my alarm not gone off.
One coffee and a piece of toast later, and I really needed to get my uniform and shower. I knocked lightly on my bedroom door before I walked in, sneaking past Tom as he still slept. I guess my searching about had woken him though, as I turned with my uniform in my hands to see he’d sat up and was rubbing at his eyes.
“Am I in your way?” he asked, and I shook my head ‘no’. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when I’m done in the shower so you can have one if you wish.” He smiled and lay back down against my pillow, finally closing his eyes and allowing me to blush profusely. He hadn’t worn a shirt to bed, and gosh, he looked absolutely stunning in the morning light like that.
I showered quickly and dressed, then went to wake up Tom who had, indeed, fallen back asleep. I sat at the edge of my bed as I prodded his shoulder, a little harder the second time, and his eyes flickered open once more.
“Tom? You can use the shower now if you wish. I got a towel out for you and sat it on the edge of the bath.”
“I had a dream about you just then,” he said, completely ignoring what I’d just said. “I don’t remember much of it, just that you were in it.” I smiled as he got up and tried to think nothing of it, my blush returning as my eyes moved over his chest once more then around to his lower back as he walked out the door. I took to lying down on my bed for a while as he showered, in the place that was still warm and smelt slightly of aftershave. It’d been a while since my bed had smelt of anyone but myself, and it was something that I sorely missed.
Tom didn’t take very long in the bathroom, probably because he came out only half dressed and still drying his hair. All I could think about as he stood across the room staring at me as I pretended not to notice was that I wanted him to stand a little closer. I wanted to giggle as his hair dripped onto my face as he shook it in a playful manner, and I wanted him to hug me so I could feel his chest against mine. Since his girlfriend was out of the picture, I now couldn’t help but to think of him as a single man. An attractive, single man, standing topless in my apartment. I was in a bit of trouble.
I must have been a little out of it at work a few days later, because Lucy managed to pinch me on the butt without me having noticed what she was up to. I was about to turn around and slap whatever filthy pervert had touched me until I remembered I was in the staff kitchen, and saw Lucy giggling up at me as she finished placing the plates back in the cupboard.
“So have you seen Tom lately?” she asked, that stupid grin not having left her face.
“Kind of. Why?”
“You’ve been in your own little world this afternoon, that’s all. I figured it must be a boy and well… Tom, he’s a boy. Or a man. Whatever.” She took a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me once she was back on her feet with a bit of a smirk showing on her face.
“What’s this?”
“He left it here earlier, because your shift hadn’t started and he didn’t feel like waiting around for an hour. Well… he didn’t say that exactly, but it might have been a bit creepy, I guess.”
“Thanks…” I was scared to open it, for some reason. My hands were shaking as I unfolded it.
’Annette,
It looks like I’m slipping – my timing is way off today! I just wanted to stop by to make sure you’re doing okay and to ask, what do you want for Christmas?
xx Tom’
I blushed as I read the note again, that included a couple of ‘x’s at the end. Were friends allowed to write like that to one another? I would have thought so, once, maybe. It didn’t feel like Christmas was just around the corner, and Tom made me realise this. I found myself freaking out a little on the walk to the bus on the way home, about what I was supposed to get him.
I woke up with only a slight pain in my lower back from the couch, and rose to make coffee. It appeared Tom was still asleep, which was a little awkward because I’d need to get my uniform from my room pretty soon. I mean, it was only 6AM so I didn’t exactly blame him. I wouldn’t have woken had my alarm not gone off.
One coffee and a piece of toast later, and I really needed to get my uniform and shower. I knocked lightly on my bedroom door before I walked in, sneaking past Tom as he still slept. I guess my searching about had woken him though, as I turned with my uniform in my hands to see he’d sat up and was rubbing at his eyes.
“Am I in your way?” he asked, and I shook my head ‘no’. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Now go back to sleep. I’ll wake you when I’m done in the shower so you can have one if you wish.” He smiled and lay back down against my pillow, finally closing his eyes and allowing me to blush profusely. He hadn’t worn a shirt to bed, and gosh, he looked absolutely stunning in the morning light like that.
I showered quickly and dressed, then went to wake up Tom who had, indeed, fallen back asleep. I sat at the edge of my bed as I prodded his shoulder, a little harder the second time, and his eyes flickered open once more.
“Tom? You can use the shower now if you wish. I got a towel out for you and sat it on the edge of the bath.”
“I had a dream about you just then,” he said, completely ignoring what I’d just said. “I don’t remember much of it, just that you were in it.” I smiled as he got up and tried to think nothing of it, my blush returning as my eyes moved over his chest once more then around to his lower back as he walked out the door. I took to lying down on my bed for a while as he showered, in the place that was still warm and smelt slightly of aftershave. It’d been a while since my bed had smelt of anyone but myself, and it was something that I sorely missed.
Tom didn’t take very long in the bathroom, probably because he came out only half dressed and still drying his hair. All I could think about as he stood across the room staring at me as I pretended not to notice was that I wanted him to stand a little closer. I wanted to giggle as his hair dripped onto my face as he shook it in a playful manner, and I wanted him to hug me so I could feel his chest against mine. Since his girlfriend was out of the picture, I now couldn’t help but to think of him as a single man. An attractive, single man, standing topless in my apartment. I was in a bit of trouble.
I must have been a little out of it at work a few days later, because Lucy managed to pinch me on the butt without me having noticed what she was up to. I was about to turn around and slap whatever filthy pervert had touched me until I remembered I was in the staff kitchen, and saw Lucy giggling up at me as she finished placing the plates back in the cupboard.
“So have you seen Tom lately?” she asked, that stupid grin not having left her face.
“Kind of. Why?”
“You’ve been in your own little world this afternoon, that’s all. I figured it must be a boy and well… Tom, he’s a boy. Or a man. Whatever.” She took a folded piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me once she was back on her feet with a bit of a smirk showing on her face.
“What’s this?”
“He left it here earlier, because your shift hadn’t started and he didn’t feel like waiting around for an hour. Well… he didn’t say that exactly, but it might have been a bit creepy, I guess.”
“Thanks…” I was scared to open it, for some reason. My hands were shaking as I unfolded it.
’Annette,
It looks like I’m slipping – my timing is way off today! I just wanted to stop by to make sure you’re doing okay and to ask, what do you want for Christmas?
xx Tom’
I blushed as I read the note again, that included a couple of ‘x’s at the end. Were friends allowed to write like that to one another? I would have thought so, once, maybe. It didn’t feel like Christmas was just around the corner, and Tom made me realise this. I found myself freaking out a little on the walk to the bus on the way home, about what I was supposed to get him.
♠ ♠ ♠
Thank you to those that commented the last chapter! Really. When I've almost completely lost interest in something like, unfortunately, this, it's that one comment that makes me write something. :)I'm starting a new Tom fic, because I can. I fully intend to finish this, I just need something new for the time being and I watched Easy A for the first time last night which inspired me in allll the wrong ways.
It's Friday, I'm in Love ;)
Also. THIS FIC HERE is the most amazing thing ever, guys. I'm so insanely jealous of the author for being so awesome.
Chapter title credited to I Want You by Savage Garden. If you haven't heard this song then really, you must click. No seriously. It's soooo good, even now at 4:30AM. :D