6. You can miss what you almost had, but you have to move on even though you can't forget them.

"H-Hey." Tom managed to croak out as his watery eyes found yours, "I-I — I'm sorry, I didn't -"

"It's okay." You smiled, "I would've reacted the same way." Stepping back from the door, you allowed Tom to step inside, leading him into the direction of your living room before sitting down on the couch next to the boy.

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I just - I want to tell you that I am incredibly sorry for not believing you. I-I thought she loved me! I thought we were going great and that there was no way she would ever cheat on me." Tom said as a few tears escaped his eyes, "I saw my future with her."

"Oh Tom." Scooting closer to the boy, you pulled him into the hug he probably needed right now. It had only been four days since the tables had turned, and somehow, you felt like seeing this right now, was breaking your heart again, although you weren't involved in it.

Tom's face was buried into the crook of your neck as sobs raked his body. Your hands were rubbing up and down the boy's back, trying to comfort him as much as you could, but seeing him like that, made you hate Byron and Jo twice as much as you already did and for some weird reason, you hated Jo more for breaking Tom like that than you hated Byron for breaking you.

"I'm so sorry." You whispered as you felt a tear roll down your cheek as well, "Everything's going to be okay, Tom."

"I-I just don't understand." Tom said as he slowly lifted his head up and let his arms drop back to his sides again.

You didn't either. Was it really that hard to stay faithful to each other? Was it that hard to break up with your partner before getting involved with someone else? Was it that hard to just not be a cheater?

"You're going to be okay." You smiled as you instinctively raised your hand and wiped away the tears on Tom's cheeks.

"I-I searched for his name in her phone, y'know. She didn't even bother to put him under a different name. He texted her saying that he finally broke up with his girlfriend and that Jo should finally break up with me."

"Of course he did." You scoffed as you shook your head.

Yes, you missed Byron and you missed what you used to have, but everything that had happened made it really fucking hard to not want to strangle him. How was he playing the victim part so well when he had been the one to straight up murder your heart?

"I'm really sorry for not believing you." Tom said as he sent you a soft smile, "I-I just thought that she would never betray me like that."

"It's fine. I could have handled the situation a lot better. I didn't mean for you to find out like that."

"I feel like we both could have handled it a lot better, but it was time for me to find out." Tom let out a chuckle as he shook his head, "This is so fucked up. Why do they get to be the ones happy and living life while we are sitting here, drowning ourselves in tears and heartbreak?"

"Life's messy, but I'm a strong believer in Karma and I can promise you we'll be the ones coming out on top in the long run, we just don't know how long the run is right now." You smiled as you got up from your seat, you throat aching for some water - or maybe wine.

"I've got ice cream, beer and wine." You said as Tom's lips spread into a smile, "Want one or two of those things? Or maybe just a glass of water?"

"I'll have what you have."

"Ice cream and wine it is then." You grinned as you made your way over to the freezer to grab your much earned love in a tub and a bottle.

It didn't feel weird spending the day with Tom, it was quite the opposite. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who knew exactly what you were going through. The two of you were in this together and somehow, you seemed to make it your own mission to be the ones to cheer each other up.

After watching half a season of Brooklyn-99, you knew a lot more about Tom than you had ever imagined you would. The boy was the eldest of four boys. His brothers were Harry, Sam and Paddy. His best mate was obviously Harrison - and he had a dog who was currently staying at his parents' place because he was too busy at the moment.

"Y'know what I don't understand?" Tom asked as he threw a gummy bear at you.

The two of you had finished your ice cream after half an hour before drinking a bottle of wine, the tears long dry. It wasn't until the latest episode that you were craving gummy bears and more wine, which could both be found in your kitchen.

"What?" You asked as you shoved the gummy bear in your mouth before taking another sip of your wine.

"Cheating." He mumbled, his eyes focused on the gummy bear bag in front of him, "I feel like it's just — I don't know, unnecessary, y'know?"

"Yeah, I get that." You said as you straightened your back before turning your body towards Tom and crossing your legs, "They could've just broken up with us and dated each other, but there Byron is, telling me he loves me."

"D'you think it just like, I don't know, gave them some wild kick while hooking up? Knowing that they could get caught?" Tom said as he let his head fall against the back of your couch after throwing another gummy bear at you.

"All I know that the boy could've used that wild kick here and there when we were together." You mumbled, not realising that Tom was able to hear your comment about the bad sex life you had while you were with Byron.

The wine was getting into your head, and alcohol always meant that your filters went away, but you were also feeling very comfortable around Tom since it felt nice to be able to talk to someone who wasn't involved in your failed relationship.

"That bad, huh?" Tom chuckled as he turned his head to look at you.

"Let's just — not talk about that misery." You laughed as you shook your head, "What about you though? I assume everything went well?"

"Y-Yeah, great, actually. The news hit me out of the blue, not gonna lie, but I assume you realised that when I snapped at you."

"Still sorry about how I told you." You smiled as Tom shrugged, taking another sip.

"It's fine. Should've believed you in the first place, you didn't have a reason to lie to me, I just thought that — I don't know-"

"- That it wouldn't happen to you." You finished his sentence for him.

"Y-Yeah I guess so. When did you realise he was cheating on you?"

"I've felt it for about four to five months, I guess. He got the new job like six months ago and from there on it was just working overtime and sneaking in secret text messages in between dates. I've been living in denial for most of that time, thinking he still loved me and that I was crazy for thinking that this perfect guy would ever cheat on me." You scoffed, thinking about everything he had done to you, "The worst part isn't even that he did those things as my boyfriend, it's that we were friends before we started dating, and yet, he still didn't give a fuck about my feelings."

"You deserve better." Tom smiled as you felt a tear escape your eye, "It's so cliche to say and it won't make the situation better, but like, you should be happy about finally knowing the truth."

"So do you, Tom." You mirrored his smile, "It's amazing how wrong you can be about a person. I never thought he'd be anything but a great boyfriend, but I guess that's what they all thought." You said with a shrug followed by you emptying your glass.

"This is so pathetic, drinking wine and eating ice cream and gummy bears like two fucking losers who just got cheated on." Tom chuckled as you let out a laugh.

"That's because we are two fucking losers who got cheated on." You laughed, "Throw me another one. I'll catch it with my mouth." You grinned at the boy who grabbed a red gummy bear to throw into your mouth.

"We're getting back on our feet. You're going to meet someone nice and decent and I'm just — not going to date ever again." Tom laughed as he filled up his glass before handing you the bottle so you could do the same.

"Might stick with your plan though."

"We should throw another party!" Tom suddenly said before pulling his phone out, "I'm going to text Harrison!"

"Where did that thought come from?" You laughed as you watched Tom squint his eyes a little, probably trying to find the right button as you were both at the point where texting was getting a bit harder with every sip you were taking.

"Party means alcohol and alcohol means party and party means — alcohol." Tom grinned as you rolled your eyes at the brunette, "Besides, we need to introduce you to the whole gang since we are now the bestest of friends."

"Alright." You grinned as Tom threw his fist into the air before continuing to write his text message.

"Let me read you the text," Tom grinned, "Dear Osterfield, Harrison Osterfield, I hereby invite you to our party on Friday. It is going to be amazing, no, fucking amazing. It's at our flat and you gotta do the planning and the inviting, (Y/N) and I will be doing the alcohol shopping. Tell Harry to get some friends he can invite as well, (Y/N) needs someone decent to date next."

"Delete that last part!" You laughed as you tried to grab the boy's phone, "You're making me sound like I'm getting back to dating after I just cried my eyes out a few days ago."

"I'm going to send this." Tom giggled as he started typing more, "Please RSVP if you can come —just kidding, you live at the place. You can't say no."

"Delete that part about me needing someone to date, Tom!" You laughed as you kicked your right foot towards the boy's hands, attempting to get the phone out of his hands.

"Stop kicking!" Tom laughed as he held his phone above his head before hitting: "Send."

"You're the worst guest ever."

"I literally feed you with gummy bears and I keep refilling your glass, I'm a fucking great guest." He laughed as he threw another gummy bear at you.

"Gummy bears from my cupboard, wine which I bought and ice cream from my freezer, mate."

"Yeah, but fucking amazing throws from my side." The brunette grinned, making you roll your eyes at him.

You spent the next two hours talking about life and your lost relationships as there were now three empty bottles of wine decorating your couch table - B99 completely forgotten at this point as you enjoyed your conversation way too much.

He had told you about how he had met Josephine on a night out with his mates and that they had started a conversation after she had bumped into him at the bar. You could tell that Tom loved this girl just from how he talked about her, but you also knew that Tom was trying his best to leave this relationship behind him as fast as possible. It was nice to have someone who felt exactly the same as you did and it was nice that that someone was Tom.

The two of you felt comfortable with each other. Yes, the alcohol helped a lot and especially the stories you had to tell about Harrison made you bond a lot, but there was something about the boy you had only really get to known a few hours ago that made you feel at peace with yourself and with the situation you were in right now.

"It's just — I don't know, is it bad that I miss him?" You asked, as you turned your head to look at Tom lying beside you. You had moved the conversation from your couch to your living room floor as you were just lying there staring at the ceiling and feeling sorry for yourselves.

"No, I think that's quite normal, isn't it?" He said, lost in his own thoughts, "Means that you cared about him and had a good time at some point, I suppose."

"Y-Yeah, I guess." You smiled as you felt a tear slip your eye, "I just wish I didn't care that much, would hurt less."

"It's okay to miss things, but you're going to be fine without him. He's clearly the one who's losing." He said as his eyes caught yours.

"Am I though?" You asked, "How hard is it going to be to trust someone again after what he did to me? Byron was great until he just — wasn't, y'know? How do I seperate the good and the bad guys?"

"Never start dating again, I guess."

"Aren't you scared that this fucked you up to a point where you can't trust people again?" Another tear escaped your eye as you felt a lump form in your throat.

"Yeah, I-I am, but I know I've got my mates to back me until I can trust again, I guess." He smiled, "And even if Will is being an idiot right now, he'll realise he's made a mistake, but until then, maybe you're just quite happy about being part of our squad."

"You know you're just really fucking nice, Tom." You chuckled as you wiped away the stray tear on your cheek.

"Guess that's what fucked me in the end." He shrugged as he felt his phone vibrate.

Harrison: ?????

Harrison: Okay?

Harrison: Sure why not, I guess. Friday it is.

Harrison: Are you drunk??

"Harrison's asking if I'm drunk." Tom laughed, "Am I drunk?"

"We've emptied three bottles of wine, I don't know about you, but my answer is yes."

"Come here, boy's getting a selfie." Tom laughed as he patted the space beside him, making you scoot closer to the brunette. Holding up his phone, he put his arm around you and pulled you close so you were both appearing on the screen in front of him.

The effects of the wine clearly showing, Tom somehow managed to drop his phone into his face immediately after taking the selfie, resulting in you bursting out into laughter.

"I'm fine, my nose is not broken, thanks for asking." Tom pouted as you tried catching your breath after laughing so hard.

"You're an idiot." You laughed as you turned your head to look at the boy beside you.

You hadn't realised how close you still were and you were only now aware of the boy's arm still being placed beneath your head as his hand was resting on your shoulder and drawing soft circles onto the fabric of your shirt.

You didn't know Tom well, but after spending the day with him, you didn't know how Jo could fuck the relationship with him up like that. Tom was incredibly kind and warm hearted, and you could already see the two of you becoming friends. He was a handsome guy, there was no point in denying that - and you would be lying to yourself if you couldn't see girls around the city falling for his pretty brown eyes.

You felt Tom watching you as you took in his features yourself. From his little crooked eyebrow, to his jawline, back to his puppy eyes, everything about him made him likeable.

Tom watched you. He was still drawing soft circles onto the fabric of your shirt while he seemed to get lost in your eyes. The boy hated that he could still see the remainders of your tears from just minutes before. He didn't like to see you cry - and he didn't like Byron for making you cry. His eyes wandered from your eyes down to your lips, making him wonder what they felt like on top of his own.

Shaking his head, he pushed that thought back into the darkest corner of his brain as he wished you hadn't drunk that much. The wine was getting to his head and he was enjoying your company more than he was supposed to - more than he had planned when he first came over. He just came here to apologize to you for not believing you and to tell you that you were right, but he hadn't thought about ending up where you were right now.

You saw Tom's eyes flicker down to your lips as you couldn't help but wonder the same thing he just did. How soft were his lips? And how would they feel on top of your own?

Fully knowing that you should probably leave the boy's arms and get back to crying about your failed relationship, you couldn't seem to move away right now. Every force on this planet seemed to keep you from moving away, and somehow Tom was fine with it as well.

Both of you knew that this was a stupid idea. Both of you were heartbroken at the moment and both of you knew you were going to regret the moment your lips touched his for the first time.

Tom's lips felt soft against your own. Tom's lips felt new - they were something new, something exciting. You hadn't kissed anyone but Byron for the past four years, and you had to admit that it felt nice to know that Byron wouldn't be the last guy your lips had touched.

Tom's heart was racing, he knew you would regret how stupid you were being right now. He knew you would regret how his hand found its way to your waist, pulling you closer. He knew you would regret how your hands were tangled in his soft brown curls - but he couldn't stop, he didn't want to, and neither did you.

"W-We shouldn't be doing this." You mumbled against the boy's lips as you parted to catch a breath.

"I know we shouldn't." Tom said as his lips brushed yours again, waiting for your reaction. He wasn't going to push you into kissing him again, but he'd be damned if he didn't try to do it again. Your hands played with the curls on the back of his neck as you took in the handsome boy hovering above you, placing a soft kiss on your cheek as he was waiting for you to do something.

"This is a fucking bad idea." You said as your lips collided with Tom's for the second time that day.

Tom understood what you were saying. He was thinking the same, but right now it just felt really fucking nice to be kissing you. It was just you and him right now, no relationship drama, no cheating ex's and no one trying to make up excuses for being an asshole.

You didn't know how long it had been since you had started your little make out session, but you two had both stopped it from going further when Tom had managed to leave a hickey on your neck. You knew that if you didn't stop right now, the two of you would regret it even more in the morning.

It felt nice, more than nice actually, you would be lying if you said that you didn't enjoy what happened, but you were now lying on the boy's chest as you were both trying to catch your breath and calm down a little when Tom's phone went off again.

Pulling out the phone from his jeans pocket, you felt him stiffen beneath you, "I-It's a text from Jo. She— she wants to meet up - to explain everything."