Thomas peeked at my phone as I placed it onto the table and nudged it a bit closer towards him. My cheeks were bright red, but all he did was stare at the photos I had wanted an opinion on. 

“I think my friend did a good job with these photos. She was a great help. But … what do you think?” 

And just as he had promised earlier on, he gave me compliments. “I think you’re very handsome.” 

I blushed as he looked up at me, and a giggle crept out of me, and almost, almost, would I have fallen off the chair when his fingers reached for mine. “I looked into the casting, and it seems to be for a hand cream this time. It’ll be just your pretty little hands in the photo.” 

Gazing into his eyes, I let him intertwine his fingers with mine, and his hand was so large, and so warm, and wrapped mine up completely. How smooth he’d done it, and how it robbed me of my breath, was impossible. 

“I should have asked my friend to take pictures of my hands, then,” I pouted, and Thomas chuckled. 

“You’ll be fine. These are very nice,” he whispered, lifting my hand up to his mouth, and all while never breaking our eye contact, he kissed me onto the back of my pale hand, forcing me to a gulp, and of course, my fingers shivered, and gazes turned towards us, igniting whispers. 

“P-People are staring,” I stuttered. My hand prickled as an aftermath of the little kiss he had given me.

“Let them stare. It’s because you’re stunning.”

“I don’t think that’s it…”

Did he really care so little about other people’s thoughts and opinions? Even though he was in such a high-ranking position at his job? Wasn’t his public image somehow important? But he wasn’t worried at all, and I was mesmerized by that. 

“If you’re uncomfortable, I’ll stop,” Thomas assured me, but as soon as he offered to stop, I shook my head all the quicker, because I enjoyed all this attention, and all these sweet moments a little too much. 

“I’m just not used to it,” I admitted truthfully, and he simply smiled at me, his eyes practically telling me to get used to it, because he wasn’t going to stop showering me in compliments anytime soon. “W-Will you tell me now? About your old relationships?”

“Hm? Still need a list of names?” Thomas scoffed, and my cheeks burned up, and I pouted, because I was simply curious about it, which he noticed and of course knew. He simply taunted me a little. “I’ve had a few long-term relationships, the last of which ended about a year and a half ago.” 

“How long … have you dated?”

“About seven years.”

“Why did you break up?”

“It was a mutual decision.” 

I sulked, and lowered my gaze. “Oh …” But my expression made him laugh right away, as if I was sadder about it than he had ever been. “And the others? I told you about mine.” 

“Are you having fun interrogating me?” Thomas chuckled. “There really isn’t anything to tell. They didn't work out, and ended rather uneventfully. Of course, there have been some unfortunate events, being cheated on and so on, but there is no need to think about it anymore.” 

Tilting my head to the side, some of my curls dropped into my face, and I observed Tommy’s expression, and I didn’t know at all what to think. 

"Who would cheat on someone like you?" I whispered more to myself, because I was too flabbergasted to comprehend such a statement. Thomas simply chuckled, shrugging all the same.

"It's all in the past. And when I see who's sitting beside me now, it must have been for the best."

My heart exploded, heat shot up into my face, and I didn't even know how to react. I could only giggle and hide myself, shake my head as I was too overwhelmed with his smooth transition into a compliment for me. Seriously, Tommy was way too smooth!

When our food arrived, and we got a refill on our wine, my eyes simply shone. The food we had ordered looked so delicious, my lasagna looking like a dream, and Thomas’ steak was perfectly medium rare the way he had wanted it, and already, I reached for my phone to take a photo, because it was just that beautiful. 

Thoughtlessly, I posted the photo on my story, and only after I’d already published it did I notice Thomas’ hand in the top corner of it, his fancy silver watch and that strong-looking hand with a shimmering cuff link decorating his wrist, but it only made my heart tremble louder, and I didn’t mind it all that much.

So, what if anyone saw his hand? It didn’t matter to me. Let them know I’m on a date. And Tommy’s hands really were attractive, so it was a nice memory to look at, too, and the food was too amazing not to show off. 

I tried a big bite of my lasagna, and my eyes grew bigger than ever before, what Thomas commented with a pleased smile. 

“Is it good?” he asked, and eagerly, I nodded, over and over again.

“Hmm! It’s so yummy!” As the flavors exploded in my mouth, lasagna melting into my tongue, I had completely forgotten about the outrageous price Thomas would pay for it. 

Thomas chuckled. “I’m glad.” 

As we ate, my phone vibrated multiple times, but I never bothered checking it once, stuffing my face and telling Thomas about the last casting experience I had had, wondering whether that was a normal thing. For them to immediately pick me, it had surprised me.

“When they see a face that fits, that’s all they need,” Thomas said. “Aren’t you happy?”

“I am…” 

“If it works out, you can stop working all these silly side jobs, and focus on your classes.” 

“Y-Yeah … the pay was insane, I still can’t believe it. For a single shoot…” 

Thomas smiled, and I could tell he enjoyed seeing me happy and amazed. But then, he did allow himself a question. “Is there a reason why you’re doing all this alone? Your parents don’t support you?” 

I flushed my food down with a good sip of my wine, our eyes meeting more often than not. I cried about pretty much everything, but this was something I had long come to terms with, and something I wasted no more tears over. 

“Um … My dad was never in the picture, and my mom … I moved states to get away from her, because she … Well, it’s like the crabs in the pot, you know? She’s been alone and at the bottom her whole life, and when I said I was applying to college, she was trying to drag me down. She made me waste my time with jobs, wasted my earned money on her own vices, because she loves to drink and smoke, and just … she didn’t want to see me succeed, and to top it off, she was always mean to me, as well.” 

“…”

“No matter how many hours I worked, she’d waste it all. I grew up … in a damn trailer, and it seemed she wanted me to stay there forever. I moved away, and I would call her every now and then, but she never did, and in the end, she changed her number, and I have no way of contacting her now. So … yeah.” 

Thomas’ gaze had turned softer as I spoke, and he’d even stopped eating halfway through my monologue. He let out a quiet sigh. “I’m sorry about that. It must have been hard for you.” 

“It’s okay …” I tried shutting myself up by stuffing my mouth with more food, because otherwise, I’d just complain on and on about it, but I didn’t want to. It wasn’t a fun topic to talk about, was it?

And even Thomas realized it wasn’t something I wished to talk about much more. “Would you like dessert?” 

I nodded immediately. “Tiramisu, of course! It’s a must!” 

With a gentle smile, Thomas nodded, calling over a server to order our dessert. 

While we waited, I wondered. “What do you do in your free time?”

“My free time? Ah, well, I don’t have a lot of it,” he chuckled. “But when I do, I play tennis, I suppose.” 

“Tennis? Are you any good? I’d love to watch you play tennis…” 

“I’m alright. You’re invited to join, if you like,” he smiled. “I play Sunday mornings, usually.” 

“No, no, no, that’s when I’m still sleeping! I’ll sleep until, at least, noon! Sunday is my sleep day.” 

“That’s a bummer,” Thomas chuckled. “So, in your free time, you sleep?”

“I sleep! I also don’t have lots of free time,” I mumbled. “In the evenings, I’m working at the bar, my mornings are full of lectures, and in-between, I’m doing homework and assignments. It was even worse before, when I had my second part-time job, but since that’s done, I actually started watching my favorite shows again! So … all my hobbies are in bed, I guess.” 

Thomas held back another laugh. “Yeah? What do you like to watch?” 

“There is this anime, and they finally released another season! I’ve been watching that, but I always fall asleep…”

“Anime? Back in college, there were some popular ones I watched, as well.” Tommy watching anime ... That thought was so endearing, I blushed immediately.

“We could watch some together! It’s super fun! I also love competition shows, like baking, or the creative ones, like glassblowing or body painting! … The one I want to win never wins, though.” 

Our conversation was put on a hold, but it was a distraction I greatly welcomed when a tiramisu landed on our table, and I clapped my hands together in excitement, reaching for my phone to take a photo once again.

But then, messages completely jumpscared me. 

21:03: Vince: hi

21:19: Vince: what u up to today?

21:43: Vince: saw your post. Who are you with?

I gulped, quickly swiped them away, and took a photo of the tiramisu, instead. Why did he care where I was? It was none of his business anymore. Well, since he’d never wanted to be my official boyfriend, it had never been his business in the first place! 

It made me so angry, I drank the entirety of my wine glass in one go before I dug into the tiramisu to enjoy it, and of course, Thomas noticed, but he didn’t ask, because unlike Vince, he respected my privacy! 

The tiramisu’s deliciousness immediately calmed me, however, and it made me all the happier when I watched Thomas enjoy some, as well. “It’s good, right?” I grinned.

“It’s sweet.” 

“That’s the whole point, you know?” 

“You’re right,” he smiled. “It’s good, then.”

"This is the only thing with coffee I tolerate," I giggled.

"You don't like coffee?"

I nodded all the more energetically. "It's too bitter ... But this is super yum!" 

Time flew, and I felt so, so comfortable. When we returned to his car, he held the door open for me once again, but I didn’t dare step into it just yet.

It was the wine heating my cheeks, it was the wine turning me to face him, and take on those fierce eyes with a gaze just as strong. “What are we doing now?” I wondered.

Leaning against the car door, Thomas cocked his head to the side, and this time, it were his eyes that wavered up and down, all across my face. 

“I thought I’d drive you home,” he said in a low hum.

"Oh ..." I peeped, making my disappointment known.

“Unless that’s not what you were expecting.” 

“It’s not,” I whispered, stumbling forward. Only the door he held open separated him and I, and he was all the taller as he stood on the curb, and I already stood next to his car on the street. On my tiptoes, I tried coming ever so closer, and I could watch his jaw tighten. 

“The weather is nice. Do you want to take a walk? We could get a drink along here somewhere.” Was he being polite, or was Thomas a bit dense, after all?

“I was expecting something more private,” I finally admitted, and his eyes practically flickered in a glow of surprise, and then he chuckled and shook his head, lowering his gaze first. 

“You’re quite daring when you want to be, aren’t you?” 

“I already told you,” I mumbled. “I want you to show me … more.” 

My fingers reached over, tugging at the knot of his tie, and he saw it as an immediate invitation to lean into me.

Thomas was attractive. His compliments worked on me, and frankly, I didn’t care anymore. I wanted to feel that bliss he had mentioned existing, and I wanted to know what I had missed out on this entire time with Vince, and all my ex boyfriends. 

“I didn’t prepare for this, I must admit,” Thomas whispered against me, and my next few words completely provoked him.

“I did…” Even though I blushed as I said it, Thomas grit his teeth, and his gaze changed completely.