Okay, I'm sorry everyone for the long wait for this. But Microsoft didn't decide to work and I had to re-write half the damn chapter. It's not as great as the original, but it's better than nothing.
Nonetheless, thank you everyone who reviewed/favorited/alerted this story so far. I really, really appreciate the input you guys give. The reviews really help me see what's wrong and if I need to improve anything. And for those who just read and not review; shame on you, you silly readers.
And last but not least, I'd like to give a very special thank you to my betareader OnyxvanGem.
And now, without further ado.
It was three days before Amie's brother's award banquet as the said female was stuffed up into the hotel room packing for the week long trip. Thomas had already packed and was working with his personal assistant out in the living room whilst Amie was doing everything last minute. . .as usual.
Apparently, they were talking about upcoming interviews and premiers that Tom would have to attend. Amie didn't' mind, she was used to this already, but she was worried about Thomas. He seemed to be stressed and worn out as of late due to all the running around he does. But, it was his choice, he got into the movie business on his own accord; something he keeps telling Amie when she brings it up.
She didn't want to be a bother and bring Tom along with her trip back home, well, more likely they'll be staying in a hotel in Ohio, considering that's where Chris' award banquet is going to be held. She didn't want to drag Tom around and cause him even more stress.
Maybe, just maybe, she could tell Thomas that she rescheduled the flight and leave without him, hoping that he'd get some rest. Just at that thought, Amie found herself laughing lightly. That's something that she couldn't do, not only would it cause a fight between the two, but it would put more stress on the poor man.
Tom agreed to go, she thought to herself, placing clothes into the bag. Yes, he did want to go, he told her that he wanted to finally meet her mother and brother. Amie frowned at the thought of him meeting her mother. Just last month she was happy about Tom going with her, but after thinking about it for a month it seemed like Thomas meeting her mother wasn't really a good thing after all.
She loved her mom, yes, but they weren't really on good terms as of late. It seems that since Amie moved away that her mother got even colder towards her. Gabriella, her mother, has always been a strict woman. But she's not a bad mother, no she's far from it. Though, Amie has never had that mother-daughter-relationship with Gabriella. Their relationship was more or less 'listen to mommy and you'll be fine'. Her mother never asked what Amie wanted, it was always what Gabriella wanted.
Amie heard laughter ring out through the room from the room where Tom and his assistant was. She realized that she stopped packing when she was wrapped up in her reverie. Was she really this nervous about going home? She hadn't really planned on returning so soon, it's only been five months since she was home - and it's only been a month since she's spoken with her mother.
Amie's frown increased as she groaned and fell onto the bed face-first. While her legs dangled over the bed, she toed her shoes off of her feet and sighed. She wasn't really nervous about going home, but she was more nervous about Gabriella and Thomas meeting for the first time.
She heard the front door open and close - his assistant must've left already - and not soon after that the bedroom door open. The bed dipped as Tom sat down next to her a smile playing on his face. He honestly could say he was amused at the state he found his girlfriend in.
Tom brought his hand up and began stroking Amie's dark hair and said softly, "Darling, is something bothering you?"
Amie didn't move, but kept her face planted in the bed as she spoke. "Thomas, if you don't want to go to this thing, you don't have you, you know." her voice slightly muffled due to her face being shoved into the pillow.
"But what if I want to?" he replied, still running his fingers through her hair.
This time Amie did move, she turned her head so she was looking at Tom, well, more or less his waist, and spoke. "Really? Because I can always go by myself. You really need the rest anyway."
Tom groaned and laid down next to her and rested his chin in his hand. "Amie did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to meet your family?"
"But why?" she asked, not meeting his gaze. "They're nothing special, I mean-"
"That's your family, Amie." Tom scolded her. "They should always be special to you."
Amie groaned again. "That's not what I meant, though." she was beginning to get frustrated. Can't he just realize that her family wasn't the picture perfect family that his was?
"Then, tell me, Amie, what did you mean?" Uh-oh, she thought. She's heard that tone before. She's starting to make Tom mad.
She shifted a bit so she was on her elbows and finally looked him in the eyes. She could defiantly tell he was getting frustrated with her, but, like a blind idiot, she continued on.
"I really don't know, all right?" she cried, pulling her eyebrows together. Why couldn't she just tell him how her family is?
Tom raised his own eyebrows. "What do you mean 'you don't know'?"
Amie looked down for a second before bringing her eyes up to meet his once more.
"I just-my family's not really-" she didn't finish because she threw her head back down on the bed and sighed.
She felt the bed shift and figured Tom got up or moved away from her. She bit her lip and mentally scolded herself. She didn't mean to make him mad. But she knew that she was doing so, yet she didn't stop herself.
"Tell me," he began speaking from across the room. His tone was more gentle than it had been a few seconds ago. "do you want me to go or not? Are you really that ashamed of your family?"
"I'm not ashamed of my family," came her reply, her face still buried.
"Then what is it? Are you hiding something from me?"
Amie groaned for what felt like the millionth time that day, and shot up out of bed, glaring at the man that stood leaning against the wardrobe.
"No, Thomas, I am not hiding anything from you, would you stop accusing me of stupid things?" she cried out in frustration.
Tom raised his eyebrow. "Stupid things?" he scoffed. "Well, seeing that my girlfriend is hell-bent on not wanting me to go so a banquet for her own brother, that in which, you wanted me to attend to just last month, I think I've earned the right to ask 'stupid' questions."
Amie let her face fall. Here they go again, fighting. She didn't want to start a fight, they've been doing that a lot lately, but that seems where this conversation was going. Why couldn't she just tell him that she didn't want him to meet her mother? Why couldn't she just bring up those few words; my family isn't perfect like yours.
Even if Tom's parents were divorced, Diana still held a healthy relationship with Tom's father. Gabriella couldn't stand breathing the same air as her father, which was understandable; despicable man, he is. But, Amie's family is broken apart whilst Tom's is still happily together. Even though it's a stupid thought, she was afraid that Tom would see her dysfunctional family and think less of her.
"Are you ashamed of me?" the question snapped her out of her daze as she looked up to Tom with confusion.
"What?" she whispered. "Ashamed of you? How the hell did you come up with that?"
Tom rolled his eyes. Normally she liked it when he did that, she always thought it was cute. But right now, at this moment, it irked her, inflamed her anger even.
"I introduced you to my mother, Amie," he stated in a low voice, his eyebrows coming together. "Am I not good enough to meet your mother or even your brother?"
Amie's mouth fell open and she shook her head. "No-no, that's not it! Why would you think-"
"Why would I think that?" he finished, crossing his arms over his chest. "Really, now? Why don't you go over the conversation we just had and ask that question again, alright?"
And with that he turned on his heel and exited the room. Amie was shocked to say the least, though she knew that she shouldn't be. She did provoke this fight after all.
"W-wait!" she called, jumping from the bed and running out of the room only to find Tom pulling on his coat. He turned to her when she called out to him, but he still had a mask of indifference on his face. "Where are you going?"
Amie saw his face fall for just a second before he turned towards the door. "Out, obviously." he told her, not even looking her in the eye.
"Goddammit, Thomas!" she growled out, causing him to stop, but not turn to her. She took in a deep breath before she continued. "No, I'm not ashamed of you, hell, sometimes I think you should be ashamed of me."
She gave a humorless laugh before she continued on. "I want you to come with me, but I'm afraid of you meeting my mother and my family. They're nothing compared to your family; we're too broken apart to even call ourselves a family, and forgive me if I sound like a child here, but comparing your mother and family with mine. . .Diana makes my mother look like the worst mother in history. And your family looks golden when standing next to mine.
"I guess I'm just afraid that you're going to look at Gabriella and…" she trailed off, noticing that Tom finally turned around. He didn't look frustrated anymore, so that was a plus.
"I'm sorry, I really am." she told him.
Tom got a hard look in his blue eyes and shook his head. Amie's heart fell. He was disappointed. She shouldn't be shocked, really. She was acting like a impudent child tonight.
"I can't believe that you would think that I'd think less of you because of who your family is?" he started, staring her down. "Did you honestly think that? Because if you did, then you obviously don't know me very well, Amie Baron."
Mentally, Amie groaned, but she kept that hidden and held her best straight face. "Excuse me for thinking ahead for the possible."
Tom scoffed. "The possible." he laughed. "No, you're impossible! Thinking that I would actually…" he trailed off, running a hand over his face, still giving off that humorless laugh.
Amie looked to the ground trying to force her anger away when Tom strode over to her in just a few short strides. He was so close that Amie could smell the delicious cologne that he was wearing. Despite being this close before, closer even, Amie couldn't help but be a tad bit shocked at his actions. It didn't take long for her anger to die down and her guilt inflate itself.
She looked up to his face hoping that he was finally cooled down, but to her dismay he looked even angrier than he had previously been. She frowned and opened her mouth to speak but Tom beat her to it.
"No, don't say anything," he told her in a distant, yet calm voice. "because I don't want to hear any excuses. This-" he said, motioning around them. "-was something that shouldn't have happened." Amie's face fell at those words. He noticed his mistake in that one sentence and added quickly, "The fight, I mean. It could've been avoided but it blew up more than it should've been."
Amie sighed and tried to respond, but Tom kept talking.
"I'm disappointed that you would even act this way, I figured you would be better than that. Yes, I know you were probably thinking that I would meet your family, see how 'horrid' they really are and think that you weren't any better than the dirt on my shoes. But there, darling, is where you have misjudged me.
"I've seen people come from the worst of families. And when I say worse, I mean the worse, and do you think that for one second that I judged whomever it was who had that family? No, I didn't. You're not your family, and your family is not you. Whatever they've done or haven't done will not change how I see you. Only you, yourself, can make that change happen. And these actions that you showed me tonight made me see you as childish."
Amie winced at those last few sentences, but still didn't say anything and kept very still, eyes cast downward.
Tom stepped back and tossed off his coat, throwing it on the couch. Amie stood in the same spot feeling worse than ever. She didn't look back at him, she couldn't bring herself to look at him. She was too ashamed to look at him.
He was right. Oh, was he right. And she felt like she was three feet tall at that moment. How could she have been so stupid? She should've known that Tom would feel hurt if she said she didn't want him to meet her family. It doesn't matter how they'll act because she's not them, just like Thomas said. Tom isn't as ignorant or thick-headed as to judge her because of where she came from. No, she's the one who's thick-headed for even thinking that in the first place.
Stupid, stupid Amie.
"You should go to bed if you're done packing." Tom said from somewhere behind her. At least his tone is softer, she thought. "We have to get up early tomorrow, so you need all the rest that you can get."
She wanted to protest and tell him that he was the one that needed the rest. But the position that she was in, and because of their fight, she figured that it wouldn't be the best thing to say to him. It might provoke the fight even further.
Amie nodded and turned around, keeping her eyes anywhere but where he was, and walked off to the bedroom. Before she made it to the end of the hallway she heard him call softly, "Good night,"
She stopped and felt her chest tighten. "Good night, Tom," she spoke equally as soft back to him before retiring for the night, feeling like the child she just made herself out to be.
The next morning went just as planned, though Tom and Amie still weren't on the best of terms. They arrived at the airport right on time, got in their seats and made their selves comfortable for the long plane ride ahead of them.
Tom would speak to Amie, but only if necessary, and when it did it was short-spoken. Amie knew that he was still angry at her, as he should be, but she couldn't help the feeling of her chest tightening when he would speak to her, especially if he called her 'darling' or 'love'.
Amie groaned but knew that she couldn't' really do anything about it. She was the one who called for a fight, and a fight is what she got.
Now, they've fought before, over stupid things even. But unlike all the other times, this time Amie really made Thomas mad. He's never told her that he was disappointed in her despite how stupid or childish their fights would get.
Amie sighed and looked out of the airplane window. They were to be beginning to take off in about a minute and she couldn't help but feel antsy. She's always hated riding on airplanes, they make her nervous as hell. Plus, dealing with the guilt of the fight that she caused last night didn't really help that much. Especially since Tom was sitting next to her, softly humming to a song that was playing for the plane's passengers.
The dark-haired girl bowed her head in shame. I should be ashamed, she thought. After everything I caused last night, and just like Tom said it could've been avoided. Stupid, me. . .
Sooner than later the airplane began to take off. Amie held her breath and grabbed the armrest on hers and Tom's seat as her heartbeat picked up at a fast pace. Did she mention that she hated riding airplanes?
Closing her eyes, Amie tried to think of anything but the airplane. But it seemed absolutely futile.
She tried thinking of birds. But the birds made her think of the damned airplane.
She tried thinking of flowers. But the clouds looked like flowers sometimes, and thinking of clouds reminded her that she was surrounded by them, and that brought her back to the airplane.
She tried thinking of Sam. She hasn't spoken to her short friend in awhile. He loved to fly in airplanes-
Amie groaned. Thinking about other things wasn't really working out for her. She was about to give up and call it quits, just officially letting her fears get the better of her when she felt Tom's arm wrap around her shoulders and pull her closer to him.
Shocked, Amie opened her eyes and looked over at Tom who was smiling softly at her. It made her chest clench and her heart hurt.
"I remember you telling me that you hated riding on planes, so this must make you feel like a wreck then, hmm?" Oh, queue her chest tightening even more as her heart decides to tear itself apart.
Amie merely nodded and took this moment to heart, shoving her face into his offered shoulder, trying to block out the world around them. She wanted to cry, but she wouldn't let herself do that. Despite having such a huge fight last night Tom was being nice to her. He was still mad at her, that Amie could tell. It'd take a moron not to notice a change in Tom's usual cheery demeanor.
Amie half wished that he would still be cold and distant to her like he was last night. After their fight and after Amie returned to the bedroom, she expected him to come to bed not soon after, but he didn't return to her that night. She planned on apologizing to him when he came in for bed, but alas, he didn't show up. He stayed sleeping on the couch in the sitting room. Amie woke up early due to her alarm clock and found him sleeping on the couch, no blanket, just his coat.
She bit her lip thinking about it. She knew that she pushed it too far this time, especially since they'd been fighting and tense around each other for awhile. She knew she messed up when she pissed off a man who fought with her one day and smiled the next, just wanting to move passed it. But, that's not what happened. When she woke up she could tell that he was still upset, he didn't act like it didn't happen, if anything he acted like they were mere colleagues than a couple.
It hurt her, but she deserved it. To not have faith in Tom, thinking that he was actually childish enough to judge her based off of where she came from was absolutely, utterly juvenile.
Amie took a deep breath, breathing in Tom's lovely scent and sighed. She could only hope that they can move past this. What am I thinking? she thought. Of course they'll move past this. They haven't spent the last seven months together for nothing.
"We're finally up in the air," Tom spoke to her. "so there's no need to be nervous for much longer. Try closing your eyes and sleeping a bit, we'll be in the States in no time."
Amie sighed, trying to think of something to say but couldn't think of the right thing. She just settled with nodding and doing as he said. And he was right, she fell asleep almost instantly on his shoulder.
She wanted to have a pleasant nap, but that proved to be pointless with the dream that she had. The dream itself was short but the message was rather large.
Amie was sitting in front of her mother crying while Gabriella told her that she should've have gotten involved with a movie star. Amie cried, cried saying that Tom would never leave her because of a little fight, but her mom kept telling her the exact opposite.
The next thing she knew, Tom was at her side, shaking his head.
"I'm disappointed in you, darling," he said as Amie's heart fell. "you're nothing what I thought you were. Just look at your family! Look how messed up they are!"
"But, Tom!" Amie's voice cracked as she cried out to him.
"How can I love someone who comes from such a broken family? How can I be with someone whose family is so crushed beyond repair? I'm sorry, love, but I have to go now. I hope you're happy living back in the States."
Amie cried out to him several times. Telling him she's nothing like her mother or her family. She kept crying out that she loves him, that she would never be as broken as her family was.
But it was futile.
Tom was gone.
And she was now alone.
The only thing she could hear was Tom's words echoing around her like it was on repeat.
"I'm disappointed in you."
"Disappointed."
"Disappointed in you. . ."
Amie woke to Thomas shaking her shoulder, telling her they arrived in Ohio and that they needed to get going. She nodded her head, which was still filled with those words that echoed in her dream, and stood up, ready to exit the blasted airplane.
They arrived at the hotel they planned on staying at and immediately went to lay down. Jet-lag really gets to you, especially when it's nearly three o'clock in the morning.
Tom and Amie barely spoke to one another, only when necessary, and slowly made their way to the bed. Amie wasn't very tired due to her dream that she had on the airplane. So she just laid there, listening to Tom's soft breathing while she curled up next to him, hoping that tomorrow things will be better.
Despite it being just a dream, she couldn't help but feel that fear of Tom breaking up with her because of her childishness. Amie turned around and lay on her side, looking at the sleeping form of Tom.
He looked so peaceful and content. Dreaming about things that she would never know about. She wondered what kind of world he was in at the moment. Where he was at and who he was with. Would he be talking to someone he knew, or a person that he's never met? Is the dream a good one, or a nightmare? Is he happy? She could only hope that it was.
Amie brought her hand up and lightly stroked his high cheekbones. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. "I've caused a lot of unwanted stress on you because I'm a moron." Tom began to stir but he didn't wake up. "I know I'm still young and I make mistakes, the same goes with you. But, please, whatever you do, don't think of me as one of those mistakes."
She lay there for a bit longer, just watching as the man slept, peaceful in his dreams. She hoped that he was having a better dream than she did. After all, he deserved sweet dreams. She couldn't help the tears that burned her eyes and fell down her face. She knew she was afraid, but she didn't want to be stupid again and think so rash like before.
Surely Tom wouldn't end their relationship with her because of a silly fight, despite how it turned out. They've gotten in fights before, one even lasted an entire day, so why should they let something like this get to them? They shouldn't, and Amie knew that.
Amie knew that Tom wouldn't break-up with her because of this. But she couldn't help but feel that fear that was dwelling in the pit of her stomach because of that damned dream she had.
That fear and sadness she felt when Tom walked away. The feeling of being alone, empty, and lost. She didn't want to feel like that again, not now, not ever. But even just the thought of that, and what she felt in her dream, was enough to bring more tears about.
Amie sighed and closed her eyes. They were beginning to become heavy with sleep despite her having a nap on the plane. She didn't want to think of such things anymore, she just wanted to sleep this off.
Finally, after what seemed like an hour but was really thirty-five minutes, sleep was beginning to take over. Her mind was beginning to grow foggy as sleep was settling itself inside her conscious with plans of taking her away to dreamland.
She was nearly sleep when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist, bringing her closer to a hard body and a pair of lips plant a chaste kiss on her brow.
The girl smiled and buried her face into Tom's shoulder while he held her and began to drift off to sleep. But not before she felt her chest tighten because of a few simple words that Tom had whispered in her ear.
"It'll be okay."
So, is everyone ready for the world to end next week? (Just to let you know, I'm merely jesting when I wrote that. I don't believe in doomsday.)