(no subject)
“This is it?” Bill breathed in awe, as if he was afraid that speaking loudly would wake them all up from a dream. “It’s really done?”
“We watched them go through all the motions,” Georg nodded, giving their stage technicians in the booth at the back of the concert hall a thumbs up. “The stage is working. If we get through rehearsal okay today, we’re done. David said so.”
“Home sweet home, I’m coming!” Bill chirped, bouncing in place. “I can’t wait for my bed. And my doggies. And all my clothes!”
“I thought you had all your clothes with you,” Gustav said dryly. “What was in those twenty suitcases you brought?”
Bill smacked him lightly. “Do you really want to talk outfit choices?”
“Guys.” Georg jerked his chin at Tom, who had climbed the stairs to the stage and was now shuffling down the length of Bill’s runway like a doomed man walking a pirates’ plank. “Dude, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Tom said mechanically.
Four days. It had been four days since he’d last seen her, but he couldn’t get her off his mind. She was in his dreams when he slept at night and distracting him during the day, visions of her pale, wistful face swimming before eyes that were unseeing to anything else. When he tied his shoelaces in the morning, he thought of her. When pyrotechnics bathed the stage in glowing red light, he thought of her. When a girl from their stage crew tried to hit on him, all he could think of was Katie.
His head was full of her; so why did he feel so empty inside?
The stage was ready. The band was prepared. They could finally go home, to rest up before the tour began. He should have been happy. What difference did it make if she was five or five hundred kilometers away, if he couldn’t be with her anyway? It should’ve been all the same to him. But it wasn’t.
“Tom?” A hand touched his arm, and he glanced up to meet the worried eyes of his twin. His band mates huddled around him, closing rank instinctively.
“What’s wrong?” Bill asked. “Is it her?”
Tom shrugged.
“I still think you should go back,” Bill said. “The way you parted ways… You can’t just leave it at that.”
“It’s what she wanted,” Tom muttered.
“Well, it’s stupid!” his twin burst out.
“Bill,” Gustav chastised. “Don’t start that again.”
“I’m sorry, it needs to be said!” Bill furrowed his brow indignantly. “It’s not every day one of us finds someone he likes. It’s pretty damn unlikely, actually! If it was you, would you just let it go?”
Gustav thought it over. “But it’s pointless. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
“Which gives him one night.” Bill nudged his twin none too gently. “Tom, you can’t just give up. Georg, say something!”
The bassist shrugged. “If I had just one night left with my girl, I sure wouldn’t spend it with you idiots.”
“She’s not my girl!” Tom erupted forcefully. “And she said she’s not interested in a one-night-only sort of thing. But that’s all I know how to do, so just…forget it, okay?” He brushed Bill’s hands off his arm and turned sharply, walking back to his customary place on stage. Irritatingly, the others followed him.
“It’s not all you know,” Bill beseeched him. “Why does it have to be all about sex, anyway? Since when does true love have anything to do with sex?”
Tom snorted bitterly. “We’re not talking about true love here.”
“What are we talking about then, when you can’t see straight for how much you want her? And don’t tell me you just want to fuck her or I’ll punch you.”
Tom might have welcomed the punch; anything to distract him from the hollow ache inside. “It doesn’t matter, okay? I can’t go back. She doesn’t want me to.”
Bill sighed deeply. “Okay. But you should at least say goodbye. For closure.”
Tom didn’t know what that was supposed to accomplish, but Bill wouldn’t shut up about it, so when they stepped out of the venue for the last time that evening and their driver was waiting for him, Tom was hardly surprised.
“Go.” Bill’s voice brooked no argument. “I’ll pack your things. Take your time.”
Tom shuddered at the thought of his twin packing his bags, but he felt too drained to put up a fight. One more glimpse, he thought to himself, couldn’t hurt; he didn’t even have to go inside the shop. He could just stand outside, watch her through the window the way he had that first night, and imagine that he’d never crossed the street to talk to her, never known what it felt like to hold her in his arms.
For once, it wasn’t raining as he arrived in the city. The sky was clear, and a few stars sparkled overhead, rivaling the flashing neon lights that lit his way left and right. Once more, he walked up the now-familiar street; once more, he stood in front of the colorful shop window where everything had started.
There was movement inside. The door opened, and a pair of girls stepped into the street, laden with shopping bags.
“Cheers!” a voice called after them.
Tom sucked in a startled breath; the winter air burned in his lungs. A hot shiver started at the back of his neck and raced down his spine. Suddenly, he knew without the shadow of a doubt where he needed to be, what he needed to do. The door bell screeched its welcome, and then he stood inside the bright store between all the sneakers that had drawn him in at first, and now didn’t interest him at all.
She looked up; their eyes met, and Tom felt his heart begin to hammer in his chest. She looked lovely and sad, and he couldn’t just let her go; Bill had been right.
“Hey,” he said, tenderness warming his voice.
Katie started. “Hey.”
“Do you have a minute?” She didn’t move from her spot behind the counter, so Tom went to her. Her hair was half up, messily pinned back, the rest of it hanging down over her shoulders. There were dust bunnies in her bun. He reached out and picked them out, frowning when she moved back.
“Dust,” he said by way of explanation, his arm dropping uselessly at his side.
“Oh - I made an inventory list of the stock room, earlier.” She ran a hand through her hair. “It’s dusty in there.”
Tom nodded awkwardly.
There was an uncomfortable pause. Finally, Katie straightened up behind the counter and said, “What are you doing here, Tom?”
He fidgeted. “We’re going home tomorrow.” He saw her eyebrows rise high on her forehead and quickly added, “Look, I don’t… I’m not expecting… I really just wanted to see you again. I thought we could… I don’t know, spend some time together.”
She bit her lip. “Are you coming back to London?”
“I don’t know. Not for a while.”
She nodded. “I’ve…been thinking too, and I… Oh, damn.”
Color rose in her cheeks. Tom looked at her expectantly. If nothing else, he could still make her blush. “What is it?”
She faced up to him almost defiantly. “This needs more than just a minute. I’m off in half an hour. Can you wait?”
Shocked, all he could do was nod.
“All right. Let me finish up here, okay?”
Tom went outside to smoke a cigarette or ten, trying to calm his frazzled nerves while he waited for her.
“I have to get some groceries,” she told him curtly when she finally stepped outside after what felt like an eternity. Her cheeks were still pink, and she was avoiding his eyes, but she was there. For the moment, it was enough. “You can come along if you want?”
“Sure.” Honestly, he didn’t even care where they went; it made no difference. All he wanted was a little more time with her, a chance to make right what had gone so terribly wrong somehow. “What are we buying?”
“Stuff.”
She didn’t want to talk to him, but that was okay too; he could wait.
They popped into the next Sainsbury’s, where Tom picked some wine gums for Bill while Katie all but ran through the store gathering strange snack foods that he had never even heard of. When he made to pay for everything, however, she ushered him outside to wait.
“No. I’ll get this.”
“But I--”
She glared. “I’m paying for my own groceries. Save your money, going on tour can’t be cheap.”
Tom went to wait outside without putting up an argument. He leaned against the wall and lit yet another cigarette, contemplating the evening setting of the city again, like he had that night he’d first met Katie. It seemed far away now; a lot had happened since. He could barely believe his time here was already coming to an end. In a way, it had seemed never-ending: moments suspended in space and time, light years away from his real life. He had known he didn’t have long, but he hadn’t realized how soon it would be now.
Every time he’d been with Katie had felt like it could last forever.
“Oh my god!” a shrill voice close by pulled him rudely from his thoughts. Two girls about his age had stepped out of the supermarket, made a half-turn, and spotted him. They were both blushing furiously, trembling with excitement. No amount of time out of the spotlight could make Tom forget what the manic look in their eyes meant. These were fans.
“Tom!” one of them shrieked.
“Oh my god!” gasped the other.
Tom’s whole body drew tight with apprehension. He pushed off the wall, keeping a distance between himself and the girls, who were now coming at him with cell phone cameras. One of them shoved a pen and notebook at him.
“Can I get an autograph?”
“Are you going to play a show here?”
“No, we’re rehearsing,” Tom said shortly. He glanced around for Katie, hoping that the line at the checkout counter would be long.
“Are you excited for the tour?”
“Where’s Bill?”
“And the others?”
“Which hotel are you staying at?”
He felt the skin at the back of his neck begin to prickle as the hair there stood on end. Tom gritted his teeth and smiled as he signed the girls’ things, letting them prattle and squeal. A few people looked at them oddly. He just wanted them to go away.
“I have to…” He made a vague gesture.
“Oh - sure.” Thankfully, at least the girls weren’t of the clingy sort; they backed off immediately. “Thanks, Tom!”
“It was great meeting you!”
“Bye.” He watched them disappear around the next corner, clutching at each other, whispering and giggling.
“What was that all about?” Katie asked.
Just in time. He turned around, intercepting her smoothly to steer her in the opposite direction of the girls’. “Nothing. They were just, uh, fans.”
“Right.” She put a shopping bag in his hand. “Here, carry that.”
She led them down the street in a direction Tom hadn’t gone before. A few turns later, he was already lost. He hadn’t really gotten to explore the city, outside of his trips with Bill to the main shopping hot spots, and now he was beginning to regret not looking around more. He had no idea where they were going, and half the time, he had a feeling that she didn’t, either.
They wandered aimlessly for a while. Each time Tom worked up the nerve to say something, he glanced at her tight, shuttered face, and closed his mouth again. She seemed preoccupied by something, chewing on her lip, a deep crease between her brows.
“Katie?” he asked quietly when he couldn’t bear the charged silence anymore.
She shook herself as if to shrug off the heavy weight of her thoughts. “Hmm?”
“Where are we going?”
“Oh - I like to take a walk by the river sometimes. I thought that might be nice. The weather’s good.” She gestured vaguely, and her arm bumped his.
Tom wished he could take her hand and walk with her like he had only a few days ago. The city hadn’t felt so strange when he was exploring it with her. For a little while, it had been homier than any place he’d known in a long time. He didn’t want that to be over yet. They still had this evening; why couldn’t they make the most of it?
Suddenly determined, he reached out and took her hand. Katie flinched a little as his cold fingers wrapped tightly around hers. Her eyes flew up to meet his doubtfully, and Tom saw all the uncertainty and inner conflict that led them to almost literally walk in circles.
“It’s okay,” he told her, smiling slightly. “It’s just…just this. It’s okay.”
She didn’t look entirely convinced, but she didn’t pull away either. Tom counted that as a success. They walked on, hand in hand, until the street opened up in front of them to the riverside walkway. A bridge led across the water, stretching endlessly into the darkness.
Katie’s hand slipped out of his. She walked onto the footbridge, her hand trailing gently over the railing. Halfway across, she braced her elbows on the steel bars and turned to look out over the river. Tom went to stand beside her. Not far away, Big Ben and Westminster stood out against the dark night sky, illuminated by yellow lights. On the other side of the river, the enormous London Eye Ferris wheel made its lazy turns. The nightly panorama was beautiful, but Tom only had eyes for the girl who stood beside him, shivering gently in the cold breeze. She didn’t resist when he laid his arm around her shoulders.
“I do love London,” she said. “Did you like it here?”
“Sometimes,” he shrugged. “When I was with you.”
She laughed quietly. “I didn’t even show you any of the good sights.”
Tom wasn’t complaining; he’d been happy when he’d seen her. “Next time?”
She glanced up at him. “Is there going to be a ‘next time’?”
“I don’t know.” He swallowed hard. “Do you want one?”
She didn’t reply. She looked out over the dark water, her eyes far away. “I went through a really bad breakup. Just a few months ago,” she said suddenly. “And then last week, my ex came by and knocked on my door… It wasn’t good. I swore to myself I wouldn’t do this again so soon.”
“Do what?” Tom asked.
Katie took his hand. Her cheeks burned. “Fall for someone.”
They stared at each other under the flickering street lamps until the image of her blurred in front of Tom’s eyes. “I’m leaving tomorrow,” he said, low. “It’d be just for tonight.”
“I know.” Her sigh carried with it something like sadness. “That’s another thing I swore to myself I’d never do again.”
They stood in silence on the bridge for a long time. The night air was cold. Tom drew her into his arms, burying his face in her hair. “I’ll give you my number. We can still talk,” he promised quietly. “And I could get you tickets to one of our shows. Maybe Brussels? Could you come to Brussels?”
“I don’t know,” she murmured. “Maybe.”
He huffed. “Maybe?”
She drew back. A tiny smile played around her lips. “You don’t hear that often, do you?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Would you really want me to visit you?”
“Maybe,” he said grumpily, and she laughed.
“I do like you.” She laid her hands on his chest and rose on tiptoes to kiss him. “What have you done to me?”
“What have you done to me?” he countered. That was the real question, but when she kissed him again, Tom shoved it aside. In the end, he didn’t care. All he knew was that he wanted her; there was no room in his mind for any other thought.
“Nothing. Yet.” Her bright eyes flashed. “And I think I’d never forgive myself if I let it end like that.” He watched her breathe quickly, anxiously, in and out a few times, working herself up to a decision. “Okay. My place or yours?”
“Yours,” he said hoarsely, barely believing his luck when she smiled up at him and nodded.
His heart beat faster in anticipation. Not even the dust that filled his nose as they entered the underground station at Embankment could annoy him, even though it settled in his clothes and clung to his squeaky clean white sneakers.
"Wow," he commented as she dragged him down a scarily long escalator that took them into the depths of the London underground.
Katie laughed. "What kind of country bumpkin are you?”
“I never use public transport,” he defended himself. “We have drivers.”
“Oooh!” she gasped in mock amazement. “I’m sure you do. Come on.”
Tom tried not to look too lost in the maze of tunnels, but soon, he couldn’t remember where they’d come from, or how he’d get back there. They switched trains once and took the Red Line to East London, where they got off at an almost abandoned station to come up from the underground into dark, empty streets.
He had never visited this part of town, nor did he feel that he’d missed much. There was a bus stop, a supermarket on the corner, a burger place that smelled like stale beer and old grease. The cars that went by spattered them with dirty water from the gutters. He wrinkled his nose. “This is where you live?” he asked, taken aback a little at the utter ordinariness of someone else’s real, actual life.
“In student housing, yeah." Her campus was nearby, an unexciting cluster of plain, functional buildings, arranged village-style around a main road that led to the student apartments. From the hall, they stepped right into her apartment's common room.
Katie led him inside by the hand, nodding briefly at a girl who poked her head out of the kitchen door as they entered. The smell of ready meals wafted into the hall.
"Hey," Katie greeted her brightly. She turned to Tom. “This is Hannah, one of my roommates. She’s from Germany too, like you.”
Tom quickly ducked his head, but not before catching Hannah’s surprised look. “Hey.”
“Hello.” Hannah drew a startled breath. “Are you--”
“No, sorry.” Without another word, Tom brushed past her. Tonight, he wasn’t anyone. Just a boy meeting a girl.
“Good night, Hannah,” Katie smiled, unlocking a door to the left.
The girl started forward as if to follow them into Katie’s room. “Katie, wait--”
“I'll talk to you later, okay?” Without further discussion, Katie shut the door in her roommate’s face. Tom breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He looked around curiously. Her room really was little more than a shoe box: small and rectangular, with a desk, a shelf on the wall above it, a narrow closet, a bed. The furniture took up almost all the space. If he spread out his arms, Tom was pretty sure he could touch both walls at the same time. It was a cramped little space, but Katie had decorated it with bright, floral curtains and matching pillows on the bed that made the place seem cozier. There were open textbooks on her desk, and a note pad with neat rows of numbers, written down in tidy handwriting. She seemed to be halfway through her accounting homework. Next to a pencil box full of glitter pens sat an open jar with some sort of funky-smelling breakfast spread.
Tom smiled, thinking of the weird cheese balls she’d offered him after their date at the museum. She liked the oddest things, but maybe that worked in his favor: he was a little odd too, after all.
"Well."
At the sound of her voice, he turned around to find her leaning back against the door, her smile impish. "Couldn't wait to be alone with me?"
Only now that she said it did he realize that it was the first time they were alone together. Suddenly, the tiny room felt very warm. He unzipped his jacket, letting it gape open at the front, showing the black sweater he wore underneath. He always felt a little self-conscious when he was wearing it, because it was tighter than his other things, but Bill had insisted he put it on, and Katie seemed to like it.
Here, locked in together with no danger of being disturbed, she didn't hesitate; she shook off her coat at the door and sauntered towards him, all sinuous movements and fluid grace. There was a wicked glint in her eye when she planted her hands on his chest and walked him backwards until his legs hit her bed.
Tom sat down hard, knocked over as much by the expression on her face as by her gentle push. She shoved his jacket down his arms, her eyes almost glowing with the heat of her look.
"Katie..." he murmured, mesmerized. "I..."
She was kissing him. She was kissing him, and there was no room for anything else in the here and now. Her tongue pressed into his mouth, and Tom happily gave up breathing in favor of that hot, demanding kiss. She clutched at his shoulders, bunching the sweater in her fists.
Groaning, Tom snaked his arms around her hips and pulled her closer to stand between his knees. He had to tilt his head back to meet her lips, submitting to the kisses she pressed to his mouth, his jaw, his neck. Her tongue flicked his lip ring, and he shuddered.
"Damn, that thing is sexy," she breathed. She touched the small ring with her fingertip, outlining the shape of his mouth.
Tom bit playfully at her finger. "Yeah?"
She smiled. "Only you." She tugged gently at one of his braids, her fingers sneaking up under the brim of his beanie. "Can I?" she asked before tugging it off, as if taking off his hat meant exposing an intimate part of his body. In a way, it was.
He felt a shiver of anticipation race down his spine as she bowed her head over his and kissed his newly exposed forehead. Her breasts pressed close to his face, her shirt stretching tightly over her chest as she raised her arms. She cradled his head in her palms, turning it this way and that, studying his face, a look of fascination lighting up her face.
"You're..."
"What?" he asked softly.
Smiling, she shook her head. "You don't need to hear it."
"Aw, that's unfair," he complained, but he sounded fond even to his own ears. What had she done to him, he wondered, something warm and wild flaring inside him as he looked into her smiling eyes.
"So what's under that jumper?"
"Jumper?" he asked, confused.
Giggling, she tugged at his sweater. "We call this a jumper."
Tom gave this some thought. "...Why?"
"Because...because... Well, because!" She shook her head, amused. "Doesn't matter, because we're getting rid of it anyway!" And with that, she grabbed the hem of his sweater and pulled it right off him.
He shivered in the thin grey tank top he wore underneath. The tiny room was overly warm with the heater running at maximum temperature, but it was her heated gaze that burned, icy hot, on his skin, slithering over his broad shoulders and toned arms.
She drew back. Her mouth opened and closed a few times. "Tom," she whispered, suppressed laughter choking her up, “Why do you wear all these oversized things?”
He shrugged. “Why do you?”
“I...” She hugged her arms around her chest, clutching her shirt to her.
Tom stared at her. He couldn’t imagine what she’d have to hide. “Come here,” he said hoarsely, tugging her closer still, one arm hooked around her waist, holding her to him as his other hand trailed lazily up along her side. Her chest moved with each deep breath she took; the buttons on her shirt strained against the wispy, see-through chiffon material. Tom could guess at a lacy camisole underneath. He wondered if it was the same one he'd sneaked a glimpse of in that alley, where his impatience had carried him away.
He glanced up at Katie's face and found her watching him closely, but there was no apprehension in her look now, only curiosity. His eyes never leaving hers, Tom reached up to undo the top button of her shirt, relieved when she smiled at him.
"It's okay," she whispered. "It's okay now."
He raised an eyebrow. "What changed?"
"Nothing," she said, shrugging slightly. "But I don't care. I want this."
"You sure?"
Instead of an answer, she took his hands in hers and slowly, slowly, raised them to the neckline of her shirt. The gauzy material slithered through his fingers as he began to undo the rest of the buttons, noticing with some surprise that his hands were shaking. He hadn't been so riled up since...when?
Never.
Tom groaned, the sound rumbling through his chest, when the last button came undone and she stood before him, her floral shirt gaping open, showing pale, freckled skin above the bright green lace of her camisole that dipped down in a deep vee at the front. A matching satin bra cup peeked out from under the lace, snugly fitted around the curve of a breast. She breathed deeply in and out, and Tom watched her, hypnotized, as she let the shirt drop off her shoulders to drift to the floor, then reached down and pulled the cami over her head.
He might have forgotten how to breathe; he only noticed because his eyes began to water and the vision of her, pale and glorious, swam before his eyes. He blinked rapidly, gasping for air. "You..." This time, it was he who couldn't find the right words. Instead, he laid his hands on her chest, thumbs feathering over her collarbones, feeling the rapid thump-thump-thump of her heart as he let his palms skim down over smooth flesh, gently mapping out the shape of her.
"Nice," was all he managed, his brain having short-circuited along the way somewhere between the hollow at her throat and the little satin bow between her breasts.
"Too big," she replied, bouncing in place a little with sudden nerves.
Surprised, Tom glanced up at her face, saw her mouth wobble uncertainly, and hauled her forward, against him, before she had a chance to protest. She landed in his lap with an indignant squeak, bracing her hands on his shoulders, and he leaned forward and kissed at the soft swell of a breast.
Silly girl.
"No," he smiled against her skin, "Perfect."
She grumbled something, but Tom was too busy tracing the rim of her bra cup with his tongue to listen. He imitated the motion with his fingertips at her other breast, feeling her nipple tighten against his palm through the slippery satin. He rubbed his nose over the fabric teasingly, chuckling when she moaned, low in her throat, her complaints forgotten.
"What's that?"
"You're right," she breathed, "Perfect," and swooped down to kiss him again, nipping playfully at his lips.
It was; and yet, there was so much more to come.
Groaning, Tom buried his face against her neck as his hands came up again to fondle her breasts. He found the small bruise he'd left behind her ear with his lips, scraping his teeth over the fading mark. He didn't need to be so obvious tonight; when they were done, the lingering memory of his touch would be all over her: in every salty drop of sweat, every aching muscle, every cell of her body humming with pleasure. He'd make sure of it, make sure that she wouldn't forget, just like he knew he'd never forget this.
He fumbled with the clasp of her bra, suddenly impatient. It gave way with a quiet snap, her breasts spilling out into his palms, soft and warm and heavy. He cupped them in his large hands, admiring the size, the shape, the pink blush that crept down her neck to where he was touching her. She made a small noise of delight when he leaned in and captured one nipple between his lips, her arms coming around his head to hold him to her.
Tom showered her skin with small kisses, torn between focusing his attention where he knew she would enjoy it the most, and touching as much of her as he possibly could. His hands were all over her, reveling in the expanse of skin that was suddenly bared to him, craving his touch. He kneaded one breast with his hand while his tongue teased at the other, drawing soft little gasps from her. When he tickled the round underside, he found that she squirmed and giggled; when he rolled a taut nipple between his fingertips, her back arched, bringing her closer to him. He dragged his teeth over the pale flesh that was offered to him in silent supplication, biting down gently on the rosy areola until she moaned loudly and pushed him back.
"My turn," she gasped, her eyes gleaming as she nudged him backwards on the bed.
Tom went reluctantly. Now that he'd started, he didn't think he could stop touching her. He lay back on her bed that was barely more than a mattress on four plywood posts, but he didn't feel any discomfort when she crawled over him, her breasts pressing against his chest. She straddled his hips, her ass grinding down on his erection as she kissed him, and Tom saw stars.
She made quick work of his tank top, and then she was back, kissing a line down from his neck to his abs. The muscles there jumped as she dragged her tongue over his flat belly, tasting his skin and making pretty little noises in her throat. Tom closed his eyes against the rush of need that flared up inside, a red haze burning behind his eyelids. He felt her fingertips trace the muscles on his chest almost idly, but her tongue was on a steady path downwards and he couldn't think, couldn't feel anything else as his focus narrowed down to the slick touch of her tongue swirling around his belly button, winding him up like a toy. Her toy.
"Hmm."
He opened his eyes a crack to see her hovering over him, deftly undoing the buttons of his jeans. Her tongue was peeking out between her lips, wiggling in anticipation, and Tom almost lost it as her hand sneaked into the opening at the front of his boxers and wrapped firmly around his erection.
"What was it you said?" she purred, her eyes wide and shiny as she peered up at him, "Nice?"
It was more than that, but he couldn't remember the words as she worked him slowly, exploring the length of him with hot fingertips. Tom’s hips bucked up into her touch. He shifted restlessly, wanting to savor the pleasure, but needing to move, act, seek something more.
Katie’s lips whispered over his hip bone as she tugged his pants down, carefully easing his shorts over his straining erection. He kicked his shoes off, then the restrictive jeans, uncaring where they fell when her hands wrapped around his cock again and squeezed. He could feel her breath on his hot skin as she leaned over him, her hair falling down to tickle his thighs.
Tom squirmed. He reached down and brushed her hair back from her face so he could look at her. “I want…”
"Oh, I know." Her eyes flashed. "Next time, okay? I’ve got to save something for you to look forward to."
There were a million things he wanted to do with her; one night would never be enough. Still, they could make the most of it, and they would. He sat up, drawing her into his arms so she was straddling his thighs again and he could kiss her. Her bare breasts pressed against his chest, skin to skin at last. She moaned a little at the contact, rubbing up against him boldly.
Tom wanted to roll them over, but there was barely enough room to move. Clumsily, he scooted to the edge of the bed with her in his lap and stood on wobbly legs so he could turn them around and lay her down on the mattress.
Katie giggled when he popped the button on her tight jeans and his fingertips skimmed her stomach. “Tickles,” she murmured, squirming a little under him.
He smiled, taken by the rapturous expression on her face. Her head was tilted back against her pillows, and her breaths came in shallow gasps that made her slender body quiver. She was beaming up at him, pink-faced and giggly, all doubt and uncertainty forgotten now that they were here, together, and he was touching her as tenderly as he knew how.
It was right then and there that Tom vowed to himself that he would make her happy, whatever it took.
He peeled the jeans off her legs, smiling at the smattering of freckles on her knees. Her skin was almost luminous in the dim light of the room, lit only by a small lamp on her desk. She was wearing a pair of pink cotton panties that didn’t go with her fancy bra, and for once, he delighted in the mismatch of her attire. She hadn’t planned for him to see her like this - neither of them had - but they were here now, and Tom appreciated it all the more for how unexpected this second chance really was.
He crawled over her and kissed her again, his fingers tangling in her thick, silky hair. Katie made a pleased little noise against his lips. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and pulled him in towards her until they were skin to skin. His erection poked against the crotch of her panties, and he could feel that the thin material was damp and warm, clinging to her skin.
Groaning, Tom detached himself from her to kiss a line down her breastbone. He couldn’t resist lavishing kisses on her breasts, swirling his tongue over her skin in tight circles until she arched off the bed, pushing up against him impatiently.
He laughed quietly. She was beautiful, all flushed and ready for more, making grabby hands for him when he shifted lower still until his tongue was tracing the waistband of her panties. They were skimpy and thin and almost transparent now. He rubbed his nose over the triangle of fabric at the front, breathing in the sweet scent of her.
“So,” he murmured, his lips moving over the damp cotton, “What do you call this again?” He let the waistband snap back against her stomach.
“Knickers, Tom. Knickers!” She wiggled her hips, moaning. “Go on!”
He grinned up at her before easing the panties down her hips, exposing more pale, smooth skin to the touch of his lips. Her legs fell open, and he moved to kneel between them, reaching down to cup his hand over her soft mound. Her skin radiated heat that burned his palm. He let his fingers play over her slick flesh, getting a feel for her, for what she enjoyed. Light, feathery touches made her sigh and squirm; a firm thumb pressing down on her clit garnered a moan.
Tom breathed deeply through his mouth, trying to keep his own raging need in check so he could focus on her. She parted her legs further when he worked her open slowly, spreading her wetness as he teased at her entrance with gentle fingers. Her knees came up to nudge his sides as he hovered above her, silently urging him on before she let them fall open, exposing herself to him shamelessly.
He bit back a smile at the sight of her, so needy, rolling her hips in time with each stroke of his fingers. She wanted more - everything - and he would give it to her.
Smiling, he leaned down and kissed at the top of her cleft, working his way down methodically over the swollen nub of her clit, the soft folds, to the opening that his fingers still hadn’t breached. He sneaked out his tongue for a taste, shivering with the strange sensation that was all her, unique. His erection strained against his stomach, but he ignored it for the moment as his tongue plunged inside her and Katie’s hips lifted off the bed.
“Oh!” She shuddered violently.
Tom pulled back, licking at his lips, watching her fingers fist in the bed sheets. He wanted to make a cocky remark, but he couldn’t think of one in English, and there were better things he could be doing with his mouth anyway.
He lowered his head again and dragged his tongue up through her folds, circling her clit until her breathing became labored and he could sense her arousal building. She was rocking her hips into the touch of his lips now, in time with the quick little licks of his tongue. He alternated soft, wet caresses with the firmer press of his lips, the light scrape of teeth over swollen flesh, working out what she liked so he could do it over and over. Flicking his tongue against her was good, sucking hard on her clit was better. Tom filed it all away in the small part of his brain that was still working.
For next time.
Desire prickled over his skin, raising goosebumps in spite of the warmth that had fogged up the windows. Sweat trickled down his back, gathering in the dimples above his ass. He came up for air, breathing hard. Their eyes met, and Katie reached for him, meeting him halfway for a wet, sloppy kiss.
“Condoms,” she gasped. “In the shopping bag.”
He snatched the bag from the floor by the bed where he’d dropped it before and began to rifle through the contents: beer, strange vinegar flavored chips, a glass of pickled onions that Tom found vaguely disgusting, and finally, condoms. A thought registered with his mind as he held the box in his hands.
“You planned this?”
“Not really.” She touched his face tenderly with her fingertips. “But then you said you were going away.”
Condom packet in hand, Tom paused briefly, frowning. “Yeah.”
“And you’re not coming back.” Her voice was sad.
“No.”
Even if he returned to London, it could never be this way again, a chance meeting of two strangers. The weeks they’d had were over, and they weren’t coming back. Maybe they’d see each other again, but if they did, it would be outside of ordinary life, somewhere on the fast track between tomorrow and the day after that, where all the rules were suspended. He was living on stolen time, Tom knew; when he returned where he belonged, the clock would start ticking again. There would be no breaks, not for a long time.
“I’m going to be so bored at the shop,” she smiled. “It was fun while it lasted.”
He couldn’t but return her smile. “It’s not over yet.”
This show was one night only, and he had to make it count.
He sat back on his haunches as she took the condom to put it on him, stroking the length of his erection until he groaned and had to bat her hands away. Smirking, she lay back and tried to pull him over her, but the bed was too short for him to stretch out and too narrow to roll them over. They shifted around a little awkwardly, trying to figure out their angles. Tom bumped his head against a bedpost and cursed, and she laughed, startled.
“Sorry!”
“It’s okay,” he grumbled, grabbing her waist to lift her up over him as he rolled to his back, his feet dangling over the edge of the bed. He nudged his hips up, she sank down, and then he was inside her suddenly, wet heat enveloping him completely.
Her mouth fell open, but no sound would come. She braced her hands on his chest, fingers fanning out to touch as much skin as she could as she pulled herself off him almost completely, then rocked back, taking him inside her again centimeter by centimeter.
She was unbelievably tight. Tom searched her face for signs of discomfort, but after a few shallow, experimental thrusts, she became bolder. She rolled her hips, taking him deep inside her, and he groaned, grabbing on to her hips to keep her there for a moment.
“You like that?” she smiled, her hands closing briefly around his wrists, fusing them together.
“Süße, wenn du wüsstest…” he whispered, warmth flaring inside him as he looked up into her lovely, bright eyes.
“Huh?” she gasped, but then he was thrusting up inside her again and she let out a startled laugh. “Hey!”
Tom grunted as she moved above him, her breasts bouncing gently. He reached up one hand to caress them, the other keeping a firm grip on her hip now that she was moving faster. Her nipples were hard and pink, begging to be touched. He plucked at one of them, drawing a long moan out of her. He needed to be touching her, everywhere, now.
He sat up, taking her into his arms again so she was cradled against his chest, moist, sweaty skin sliding together, creating the most delicious friction. He cupped her breasts, pressing them together to lick first at one, then at the other nipple, the salty taste of her skin burning on his tongue. Having her close like this was wonderful, but he wanted more; he wanted to move.
Katie squeaked, startled, as he dipped her backwards, pulling up his legs under him so he was kneeling and she was on her back, her legs splayed on either side of him. He hooked her knees over his arms and thrust deep inside.
“Oh, Tom!” Any reservations she might have had against being folded in half and fucked through the mattress seemed to fly out the window as her hips lifted off the bed with the impact of that first hard thrust. All she could do was moan when he leaned over her and teased at her clit with his fingers, rubbing her in time with the steady rhythm of his hips.
The pleasure was intense, and it spiked with every little gasp, every quiver of her body clenching around him. Tom had had some experience with ‘love for one night’, but this was different: it really was love for one night, and he wanted it to last.
He couldn’t hold out forever though, not with the feel of her all around him and the sight of her under him, her eyes half-closed and her lips moving soundlessly, carried away on the rush of pleasure that rolled over them. He felt the pressure build in the way her body drew taut, her inner walls tightening around him until he was hanging on by a thread, only waiting for her release to signal the moment he could let go.
When she came, it was with a start: her eyes flew open, her body shook and quivered around him as she rode out the cresting wave of her orgasm, drawing out an answering shiver from him. Tom let his hips snap forward hard and fast, his movements less measured now, wilder, rougher. He thrust in once, twice more, then held himself inside her as the pressure that had built over weeks of frustration released in a white-hot rush of ecstasy.
Spent, he fell forward into her arms, meeting her lips for a brief kiss before he collapsed on the mattress, his body bent awkwardly on the narrow bed. Eventually, Katie shifted under him, and he lifted himself up just enough to let her slip away. The bed felt instantly colder without her. Now that the arousal had ebbed off, he suddenly felt exhausted. Dragging himself up, he lay back against the bright, flowery pillows and watched her sit on the edge of the bed, combing her fingers through her tangled hair. Her skin glowed rosily; the contrast of colors was striking.
She glanced back at him. “That was…”
Tom smirked, satisfied with himself and all the world. “Yeah.”
She smiled, amused. “Where have you been all my life?”
He shrugged. “Around?” and she laughed.
“I’m sure.” She leaned back over him and cupped his cheek, kissing him softly on the lips. “Well. I’m glad for the strange shoe addiction that brought you to my shop.”
“I’m not addicted,” Tom protested. It was a good thing Georg wasn’t here to hear this, or Tom would’ve been forced to pay up on that bet after all. “Not to shoes.”
“To what, then?” she asked.
“You,” he said simply. “From the first day, it was you.”
They shared a long look, wrapped up for a blissful moment in the quiet tranquility of this secret little place, hidden from all the world.
“Stay for the night?” She licked her lip. “We should make the most of your time here.”
They could’ve gone back to his hotel, to enjoy all the comfort and luxuries of five-star service that his job afforded him. It was a nice place, the Ritz, but it didn’t fit who she thought he was, or who Tom felt like tonight. Her room was small - smaller, even, now that he had time to really look around - but it was hers, and that was where he wanted to be right now. “I’ll just call my brother,” he said. “Then I can stay.”
“Great,” Katie smiled. “I think I’ll make beans on toast. Do you want some?”
“Beans…on toast?” It seemed like a weird recipe, but as he looked at her sitting there, naked and beautiful, with her candy-colored hair all over the place and her odd eyes resting on him so fondly, he would’ve taken anything she offered him, and loved it. “Yeah. Please.”
“Okay.” Her smile was dazzling. She kissed him again before slipping away to put on a bathrobe against the winter cold as she bustled about. She handed him a beer from the small fridge under her desk, then switched on her tiny TV to watch some panel show while she cooked.
Tom didn’t get any of the jokes, but he laughed with her anyway.
~*~
He slipped out of the apartment while Katie was still sleeping. Morning fog hung over the campus; no one saw him climb into a car with tinted windows that took him straight to the airport.
“How’d it go?” Bill asked when Tom met him in the first class lounge after the usual security checks. “Is she coming to Brussels?”
“I don’t know.”
Bill elbowed his twin gently. “Make her come to Brussels,” he told Tom. “I want to get to know the girl who makes you go back for seconds.”
“Shut up,” Tom grumbled, and his brother cackled madly.
“You like her,” Bill grinned. “No shame in that.”
There wasn’t, but Tom didn’t want to think of her in such terms. If he did, he’d begin to regret leaving London, or maybe going to London in the first place, starting something with her that he had never had a chance of seeing through. He didn’t want to feel regret. The past two weeks had been too good; he didn’t want to have to feel resentment because they were over. Now, they had a tour ahead of them, no time to look back, only forward. Tom wanted to hang on to hope that there was something in his future to look forward to.
His phone ringing brought him out of his contemplations. He fished it out to find a UK number flashing on the display.
“Oooh!” Bill gave him a thumbs up as he saw the caller ID. In one fluid motion, he stood, giving Tom some room. “Good luck.”
Tom swallowed hard around a lump in his throat before he picked up. “Hello?”
“You just left.”
He smiled upon hearing her grumpy voice. “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“You could’ve.” She sighed. “I would’ve given you a kiss goodbye.”
“I kissed you goodbye,” Tom said, eyes closing briefly against the force of the memory. It was a good thing her bed was so uncomfortable; otherwise, he might not have wanted to leave.
“Well, I would’ve liked to remember that.” There was a pause. “Hannah just told me who you are.”
“It was never a secret.” No; for once, he hadn’t had to put on any airs. What she’d seen was what she’d gotten. She simply hadn’t figured it out completely, and she couldn’t have, not in the short time they’d had. After all, he hadn’t figured out everything about her either; not yet.
But oh, he wanted to.
“I thought you were…”
“Lying?”
“Exaggerating.” She sounded sheepish. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry.” Tom noticed the others looking at him curiously and lowered his voice. “It was nice. Just the way it was. I liked it. Being with you.”
“Me too.” She cleared her throat. “So this is it?”
“Look under your pillow,” he told her, and waited patiently as she rummaged around to find the tour pass he’d left for her. “I can’t come to you. Not for a while. But you can come to me if you want. Wherever we go… That pass is good for the whole tour.”
“Oh,” she breathed. He wished he could’ve seen her face. “What’s going to happen if I visit you?”
He didn’t really have an answer to that. They would have to try and find out. “What do you want to happen?”
“More of…everything.” Her breath hitched. “More talk about shoes. More bad snack food - hey, maybe even a proper dinner, this time?” Her voice became quieter, softer, with every wish she made. “More of your weird color coding obsession, and your funky English. More of what we did last night. More of you.”
He smiled to himself. “Greedy.”
Katie chuckled. “Might as well cram as much as we can in there if it’s just going to be the one day.”
There might be more days if she wanted them, but Tom couldn’t promise them to her now, or ever. His life was what it was; their weeks in London had been stolen time, a magical parallel universe where he could be everything he never usually was. It would never be that way again, but if he could carry just one thing over from that bubble of happiness, he’d consider himself lucky.
She liked him, and he liked her. It was a beginning. They would just take things one day at a time.
“Sounds good,” he said, a smile in his voice. “So when are you coming?“