( chapter five )

" Say it before you run out of time. Say it before it's too late. Say what you're feeling. Waiting is a mistake. "

- anonymous

❁

november 07, 2015

IT WAS A SATURDAY MORNING and Y/N had woken up early in the morning to make her very own chocolate cupcakes.

It was her mom's very own cupcake recipe that was written in the 10-year old notebook. As Y/N and her older sister were growing up without their mother, they have learned to cook and bake but Y/N was more on the baking side, and Aria was more on the cooking side.

As Y/N was pouring in the cupcake batter into the cups, Aria was going down the stairs, her hair still a mess from waking up. She saw what her younger sister was doing and smiled to herself.

"It's early in the morning, Y/N." Aria suddenly blurted out that caused Y/N to startle and almost poured too much in a cup.

Y/N stopped and glared at her sister with her poker face. "Morning."

Arian walked towards the countertop and sat on the high chair. She watched Y/N as she continued to pour the remaining batter. "Take your time, Sis," Aria said that made Y/N chuckle.

Once Y/N was done, she placed the cupcakes inside the oven and closed the door, and set the time. She took off her apron that was around her waist and placed it down the table.

"How're things going on in school?" Aria asked as Y/N sat down beside her.

"Different," Y/N answered and wiped her sweat. "Ever since you graduated, I only got to hang out with Erika."

"You still never change. You have to socialize more with people, you know?" Aria said and Y/N just rolled her eyes at her sister's statement.

"People I meet are mostly not my type of people, except for Erika of course," Y/N said and Aria just laughed. "What?"

"I just miss being schoolmates with you. It's different too when you're going to college already." Aria said and looked out the window that was in their kitchen.

Y/N stayed silent for a while, didn't know what else to talk about until she remembered about Aiden and Aria.

"How are things with A-Aiden?" Y/N asked trying not to make her voice shake. Aria looked at Y/N and smiled.

"Great. There were things I knew about him that he didn't mention when we were just friends. You know he's making a song dedicated to me? I can't believe that guy is so talented." Aria said. Y/N felt a pang on her chest as she was listening to her sister. She loves her sister so much but she just can't help the pain that was still on her chest. It may not be as painful as before but it was still there.

"Are you okay, Sis?" Aria asked and at made, Y/N blink, and her thoughts faded.

"Y-yeah. I'm alright. I'm happy for you guys, really." Y/N gave a smile and her sister sighed in relief. Aria suddenly stood up and wrapped her arms around Y/N. Y/N placed her head on her sister's shoulder and hugged her back.

A doorbell rang inside their house and both sisters pulled away from each other.

"I'll get it. Check your cupcakes first." Aria said and walked going to the front door and Y/N went to the oven to check the cupcakes.

She tested the cupcakes by sticking a toothpick and to see if there were still anything sticking to the toothpick and there was. She closed the oven again until she heard her sister from the door.

"Y/N! How come you didn't tell me that you have a boyfriend in school?" Y/N's eyes widen as soon as she heard that. She immediately remembered who it was and she ran going towards the front door.

Why was he here on a Saturday?

Y/N saw Tom standing by the doorstep while her sister was holding the door.

"T-Tom! What are you doing here?" Y/N asked nervously and went closer to Tom and gave a kiss on his cheek. Tom didn't expect that from Y/N and she saw him smile.

Why the hell did you do that, Y/N?

"Just wanted to see if you're up for Harrison's party tonight," Tom said and before Y/N could answer, Tom interrupted her. "Erika is going to be there, don't worry."

Y/N looked at him for a while and he gave her that look of you-have-to-come-with-me-it's-on-the-contract. She gave a smile and finally answered. "I'll be there, babe."

"I'll pick you up by 5 pm." He turned to her sister, who was just there in their entire conversation. "It's nice to meet you, Aria."

"You too," Aria said and Tom waved to them as he was walking away and Aria closed the door.

"How come you never told me that, Y/N?" That was the first question she asked the moment she closed the door.

Y/N sighed as she knew she has some explaining to do but she can't tell the truth.

Let's do this.

❁

It took almost the whole day to explain to her sister about Tom and more of her school life that she hasn't mentioned to Aria.

It was already almost 5 in the afternoon and she was getting ready for the party that Tom mentioned.

"What the hell should I wear?" She asked herself as she looked at herself in the mirror. "Why does it take your time to figure out what to wear, Y/N? It's not like Tom's gonna care." Y/N continued.

Would he?

After several minutes of talking to herself and looking for clothes to wear, she decided to wear a blue floral printed jumpsuit and a denim jacket. She grabbed a blue scrunchie and tied her hair into a high ponytail. She collected a bunch of scrunchies since she was a kid and her mother would always give her one.

She smiled at the thought of her mom until she heard an unfamiliar honk from a car outside their house.

She quickly grabbed her phone and a small purse and ran downstairs towards the front door before her sister will open it again.

She reached downstairs and looked at the living room where she saw her sister sleeping soundly on the couch. The TV was still on and Y/N smiled at her sleeping sister.

She opened the front door and revealed the curly brown-haired boy. Also known as her boyfriend. Pretend boyfriend to be specific.

He wore a denim jacket and blue shirt below it. His pants were also dark blue denim and he wore sneakers. He had a smile on his face as soon as she opened the door which also made her smile back.

"Hey, babe." He said and that made her feel her cheeks heat up.

"Don't call me that. My sister is sleeping so you don't have to pretend." Y/N said and that made Tom chuckle.

"Right." He said. "Is your father home?" He asked.

"He's still in work," Y/N answered.

"Good. I'm not ready to face him, yet." Tom said and grabbed Y/N's hand. "Let's go?"

"Wait." She said and let go of his hand and went back inside the house to get something in the kitchen. Tom looked at her confusingly until she came back with a box on her hands. She let her hand intertwine with Tom's hand and smiled at him.

"Let's get going." She said. They walked together hand in hand until they reached Tom's car. He opened the door for her like a gentleman and she said thank you before going inside.

❁

"What's inside the box?" Tom suddenly asked as they were waiting for the red light to go green.

"These are the cupcakes I made this morning," Y/N answered.

"No wonder why something smelled good this morning when your sister opened the door." He said and that made Y/N chuckle before speaking.

"This recipe came from my mom's notebook. Basically, I have been baking ever since I was little. My sister is better at cooking though and she also has my mom's notebook on that." Y/N said when the green light suddenly appeared in the traffic light. Tom drove straight before talking again.

"How come your mom is never home?" Tom asked.

Pain suddenly filled in her chest when he asked that. It has been almost ten years but she still could feel the pain inside.

"She's gone now," Y/N answered but smiled at Tom. Tom glanced at her when she answered and suddenly felt guilty for asking.

"I-I'm sorry for asking, Y/N. I didn't know." Tom said.

"It's been ten years, Tom. It's okay. At least she's in a better place now and I have something that will remind me of her." Y/N said. It has been the first time that she and Tom are having a deep conversation.

She looked out the window when she suddenly felt Tom's hand on hers. She looked at him and his eyes never looked away from the road. "I'll be here for you, Y/N. Not just a pretend boyfriend but also a friend." He said and smiled.

She smiled and was glad that she and Tom are friends now.

"I trust you, Tom."

Do you really?

Yes.

❁

Tom parked on the side of the house of his best friend, Harrison. He turned off the engine of the car and got out. He jogged towards her side and opened the door again for her.

"Thank you, again." She mumbled and got out of the car and heard the door closed afterward.

The loud music can be heard outside of the house and could feel the ground shaking because of the people dancing inside. This was her first time going to a party of someone she didn't really know.

Y/N and Tom walked together inside the hall where no one is and Tom stopped his tracks to face her.

"Give me your phone." He blurted.

"Why?" She asked him confusingly.

"Do you trust me?" He asked.

Of course, she did so she got out her phone from the pocket and gave it to Tom. He opened the phone and went to the camera app and took a selfie of his face.

Y/N laughed at his action. He gave the phone back and said, "Make that as your wallpaper."

"What about you?" She asked.

He took off the scrunchie from her hair and placed it around his arm
He got his phone out as well.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. The phone camera was facing her.

"Smile," Tom said.

She rolled her eyes before giving a smile to the camera.

"You can't lose that scrunchie. That's my favorite one." Y/N said.

"Of course I won't, love." He replied.

After, Tom looked at the picture and appreciated how pretty she looked before making it into his wallpaper. He showed it to her and that made her chuckle. He kept his phone and grabbed her hand and pulled her going inside.

"Let's go." He said.

"Maybe I should just go home-"

"Nope. You agreed, love."

Both of them went in the room hand in hand and the loud music burst to their ears. Not a lot of people were dancing but most of them were just sitting and chatting with one another with red cups on their hands.

They walked towards the table with people shooting ping pong balls to the red cups. A familiar blond-haired guy was there and looked up when he saw Tom walking towards them.

"Hey, mate!" They did a bro hug with each other and gave one ball to Tom to let him shoot. He aimed for the ball and of course, it went in one of the cups. The boys cheered and went to Tom and all that Y/N could do was giggle at their action.

After that Tom went towards you and asked: "Want anything to drink?"

"Just juice, please. Not really into that alcohol drinks." She answered and smiled at him. Tom gave her a smile and walked away with Harrison to get some drinks.

She was left alone and looked around to see her best friend but she couldn't form the number of people inside the room. She decided to sit down on the couch that was empty and wait for Tom to come with their drinks until she saw her least favorite person in the world.

"Oh hey, Y/N. Didn't expect you to be here." Camille said with her friend beside her. "Mind if we sit down?" She asked.

Y/N motioned her hand to let them sit on the other couch and rolled her eyes secretly. She didn't want to encounter them here. Not now. Not ever.

"So." Camille's friend suddenly spoke and looked at you. "How did you and Holland get together?" She asked.

Y/N was star-struck of the question and glanced at Camille's face who was just rolling her eyes at her.

"It's a long story," Y/N said as she tucked her hair to her ear and faked a smile.

"Oh, we have time-"

"Elise, stop," Camille said to her friend. "They're still a new couple so I don't think she's comfortable talking about that." She continued and Y/N could hear the sarcasm in her voice.

"That sucks."

"Hey, babe." Tom suddenly appeared out of nowhere with drinks already in his hands. He kissed Y/N head before sitting down beside her until he saw who was sitting near them.

"Hey, Camille. Didn't expect you to be here." He said as he placed down the drinks and looked at her. Y/N was just looking at Tom.

Camille looked at both of them and gave the fakest smile to them.

"Don't worry. We're just leaving." She said but Y/N could sense the curiosity about her but she was forced to go with Camille. They both stood up and went with other people.

Tom sighed and Y/N could still feel the sadness in Tom's face but he shrugged it off and wanted to enjoy his time with Y/N instead. He took off his phone from his pocket and opened it to the camera.

"Let's take a picture together." He said and held the phone up. Y/N adjusted herself closer to Tom and smiled with him. There was also one pose where Y/N pressed her lips to Tom's cheek and he smiled and took a picture of it.

"You're doing it." He said as he snapped the picture with a big smile.

"They really are together," Elise said to Camille as they were standing in the corner with drinks on their hands. Camille's grip on the glass was firm when she looked at the couple and she could feel her head getting hot.

"Whatever."

❁

Tom excused himself from Y/N and went inside the restroom to wash his hands and face. He removed the scrunchie that was in his arm and placed it beside the sink. He smiled when he saw the scrunchie and thought of Y/N. He was happy with how much time they're spending together. He knew he will never regret his decision.

His thoughts were interrupted when someone went inside the restroom and his eyes widen when he saw who it was.

"Oh, hello Tom. Didn't see you go in." Camille said in a fake way and Tom could sense that. He always does.

"I was just washing my hands and I'm leaving." He said but before he left, she noticed the scrunchie that was on the sink and suddenly grabbed it.

"That's Y/N. Give it back." He said.

"Among all girls, you chose her. How?" She asked and was twirling the scrunchie around.

"She's-" Tom stopped and could not think of anything that would describe Y/N. They have been just pretending and getting to know for almost a week.

"She's different, Camille." He said and that stopped her from twirling it and just looked at him. "I'm sorry, Camille but I can't deal with you right now."

Did he really just said that? Didn't he want her back? Why is he talking to Camille like that?

Camille just looked at him in disgust. "Alright then." She said and tied her hair using the scrunchie. "Have fun with her. But you'll soon regret this, Tom." Those were her final words before she walked out of the restroom.

She was the one who broke it off with him so why does it bother her so much?

Tom shrugged it off and fixed his hair before going out of the restroom to meet Y/N again.

❁

"It's weird that I didn't see Erika and even Harrison that much in the party today," Y/N said as Tom was driving her back home.

"They were probably together somewhere," Tom said.

"That's weird. She always tells me stuff like this." Y/N said. "Maybe because it's Harrison."

"Haz didn't tell me anything about them," Tom said and turned left and parked the car outside her house. "We're here." He said.

"I just realized that I left the cupcakes inside your car," Y/N said. "I'm just glad they aren't ruined or something." She got out of the car with the box in her hand again. Tom closed it and just chuckled at her act.

They walked silently towards the front door. "Thanks for tonight, Tom. Didn't know that it would be fun to attend a party despite people getting in the way." She said and Tom chuckled again because he knew who she was talking about.

"I still can't believe we lasted a week. I thought we wouldn't because I thought you hated me." Tom said and scratched the back of his neck.

"Same feeling." She answered. "It feels nice to be your girlfriend. Camille just wasted a great guy."

Tom smirked at her and said, "You think I'm great?"

"Take that as a compliment, Thomas." She said.

"Don't call me that." He argued.

"Yes, I will." She said and Tom just rolled his eyes playfully.

"I should head home now. My mom would kill me if I'm home by the morning." Tom said.

Y/N noticed the box of cupcakes that was still in her hand and decided to hand it to Tom. "Here. Let your mom taste it. She will love it. I guarantee you."

Tom received it and said, "She will. Thank you."

Y/N opened the front door and looked back at Tom with a smile. "Good night, Tom." She said.

"Night, darling." He replied with a smile and walked away going to his car. She watched him walk away until he closed the door to his car and started the engine.

She closed the front door and locked it before going up to her room. She dropped her purse as soon as she reached the bedroom and collapsed herself to the bed. Many things have happened today which are good and bad ones. She thought of Tom and that made her smile until a vibrate came from her phone. She grabbed it and saw a notification from Instagram:

[Instagram]: tomholland2013 tagged you in a post

She looked at it with confusion and decided to check it out and as soon as she saw it, she smiled widely.

❁

❁

She commented on a kissing emoji on the post and waited for how many seconds until Tom replied her back with a heart and a kissing emoji. She placed her phone on her chest and smiled. She didn't know what this feeling was but she felt happy about it.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

A/N: damn that was a long-ass chapter and this is the first time i did a 3k words chapter! i hope you guys didn't get bored of it though and i'm sorry i didn't update so much because of school. i'll update as soon as i'm not busy anymore!

WORD COUNT 3,367 words
PUBLISHED september 7, 2019