Tom's POV
I stood there like a complete dumbass, frozen, my brain scrambling for the right thing to say, the right thing to do. But before I could overthink it, my body moved on its own. I stepped forward and pulled her into me, wrapping my arms around her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
She stiffened for half a second, then melted into me, her forehead pressing against my chest. Soft little sniffles escaped her, muffled against my shirt. I just stood there holding her, trying not to notice how perfectly she fit, how her scent was warm and distracting, how each shaky breath clawed at my chest like it fucking belonged there.
Eventually, the sniffles slowed, then stopped. She pulled back, her eyes darting down like she was embarrassed, before sitting on the bench.
"Sorry," she murmured, her voice low, rough around the edges. She let out this bitter little laugh, but it didn't have a shred of humor in it. "I'm not usually like this."
"I know," I said, automatically, sitting beside her.
And then the second the words left my mouth I wanted to punch myself in the face. Great, Tom. Fucking great. A girl's crying her heart out and instead of saying 'it's okay' or 'you'll be fine,' you basically tell her you've got a goddamn spreadsheet of her moods. Real smooth, asshole.
But then I looked up at her. And there it was. A smile. Barely there, tiny, fragile, but real. Her smile was fucking beautiful, even with the bloodshot eyes, even with the raw edges of sadness still clinging to her.
"Come on, let's go to the park," I finally blurted after what felt like hours of sitting in that heavy silence.
She hesitated, lips parting like she was about to argue, but I cut her off before she could even think of an excuse. "Come on, it'll be fun," I said, reaching out and pulling her up from the bench without giving her a choice.
She giggled—actually giggled—and shook her head. "Okay, okay, jeez, I'm coming, Tom."
Hearing my name like that from her lips—light, playful—yeah, I fucking hated how good it sounded.
We walked side by side to the park, close enough that her arm kept brushing mine every so often, each touch setting my nerves on fire. We settled on the grass near the lake, and almost instantly the silence crept back in. Thick. Awkward. The kind of silence that made me want to claw at my own skin.
Great, Tom. Just when you think you're making progress, you sprint straight back to square one. Real smooth, asshole. Just fucking great.
"Are you mad at me?" she asked suddenly, her voice soft but heavy, breaking the silence like a crack in glass.
"What?" I blinked, caught off guard.
She fiddled with the hem of her sleeve, eyes on the ground. "Are you mad at me? Did I… do something to offend you?"
My throat went dry.
"'Cause if I did, well… I'm sorry," she added quickly, her words tumbling over each other, like she'd been holding them in.
"Where is this coming from?" I asked, more defensive than I meant to.
She lifted her gaze finally, those damn eyes of hers locking on me. "Well, you refused to hang out when I asked you to… and now you've been ignoring me. I just assumed I did something wrong."
Fuck.
I hesitated, my jaw tightening. I couldn't tell her the truth—that I knew she was tangled up with Tyler, that every smile, every glance felt like a trap I couldn't afford to fall into. I couldn't let her know I'd pieced it together.
So I lied.
"No… it's not you. Sorry." The words felt like gravel in my throat, but I forced them out anyway.
And to my surprise, she seemed to accept it. She gave a small nod, her shoulders loosening just a fraction. We sat in silence after that, staring out at the lake, the ripples catching the light as if mocking the storm inside my chest.
Then her phone rang.
She stood, glancing at the screen before walking a few steps away to answer it.
And fuck me—she was beautiful. Even now. Especially now. The way the breeze caught her hair, the way her posture shifted when she thought no one was watching—it all twisted my chest into knots.
Why the hell would someone like her team up with the likes of Tyler?
My heartbeat thudded harder as I watched her retreating form, my fists curling into the grass beneath me.
Damn it, Tom. You can't go down this road. Not with her. Not now.