REAL LIFE
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cariad and tom's home, london
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─ tom couldn't ignore the way his body shook with anxiety as he waited for cariad to return home.

he'd been stupid, so fucking stupid. he knew it as clear as day now even though he also knew it shouldn't have taken him this long to realise.

he loved her. fuck, he loved her. he really, unfathomably, with every fibre of his being just loved her.

his hands firmly grasped a bouquet of flowers, his senses overwhelmed with the sweetness of their scent. it only nauseated him further as he tried to internally fathom what it was he would say to the girl he loved when she arrived.

cariad entered the house silently, keys clutched between her fingers and a bag slung over her other shoulder containing a beatles shirt, a gift from harrison to celebrate the release of her single.

he'd pulled her into the tightest hug, obviously aware of the premise of the song, and told her to speak to tom at the soonest opportunity. he knew tom would've listened to the song wherever he was, and so as he kissed her forehead and told her to head home, something in his gut told him tom would be there waiting for her.

"tess, ozzie," she called, the two dogs standing from their position at tom's feet in the lounge and darting to where she was standing still in the hall, "there you are babies!"

tom couldn't help the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, his heart flooding with warmth at the sound of her voice and how desperate the dogs were to see her.

he stood up now, wiping down his shirt and pacing into the hallway to meet the girl to whom he was about to make the biggest confession of his life, his heart racing faster than it ever had before. you can do this tom, you can do it.

as soon as she came into sight he broke out into a run, startling her so much that the keys she was holding clattered to the floor along with her bag.

tom thoughtlessly dropped the flowers he was holding, his arms immediately scooping cariad up towards him, his lips meeting hers in a split second and she took no time to deepen the kiss even as she tried to comprehend what was going on.

tom pulled back briefly, hands cupping the girl's face and his forehead pressing to hers, "i love you."

cariad bit her lip, "you do?"

"i do, cari. i'm so fucking sorry for not doing something about it sooner. i'm sorry for being a dick and for making so many mistakes, i'm sorry for getting a girlfriend when all i have ever wanted was you, and i'm sorry for not just getting a fucking grip and talking to you about how i felt instead of being so pathetic."

cariad looked down for a moment, suddenly overcome with anxiety, "you heard the song, i guess?"

tom nodded, kissing her quickly again and savouring the strawberry sweetness of her soft lips in a way he hadn't in their previous kiss(es).

"it's amazing, love. not just because it's about me," he laughed a little, a flutter in his stomach at how his joke made her laugh subtly too, "you're so talented and— well it made me see sense. i'm in love with you, cariad. i knew that anyway but... listening to it made me realise that 'just friends' isn't what i want. it's not enough and never was."

"i love you too," cariad interlaced their fingers, shyly looking into tom's eyes as they glistened in the dim light of their hallway, "more than i think you know."

realising he'd dropped the flowers he spent fifteen minutes meticulously selecting for her, he looked down awkwardly and picked them up, "these are for you."

cariad eyed the slightly tattered flowers with a giggle, taking them from his hands and breathing in their gorgeous smell as she was overwhelmed with adoration for not only the flowers, but of course the boy in front of her.

she could barely take in all that had gone on, pulling tom into a closer vicinity again so that the flowers were behind his head as her hands wrapped around his neck. she kissed him gently once more, almost as if to remind herself that she could.

"we have a lot to talk about, don't we?" she chuckled as she pulled away, tom blushing red now at her words.

"i suppose we do, sweetheart."

———
so ... that happened ! hope u enjoyed !

writing a fred weasley fic cos...well cos i'm
me and can't not excitedly start fics when i
have an idea — if anyone would read it lmk
and i'll tag u when it's up <3