Chapter 10: A friendly face

You hold me without touch

You keep me without chains

- Sara Bareilles

It took more than a moment to process the sight before me.

That twinkling pair of brown eyes. That easy smile. The forehead-brushing curls.

"Hello Ali." That warm, slightly husky voice.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, forgetting to even say hello back.

Tom shrugged, still smiling, as if his appearance was nothing out of the ordinary. "I was on the way to New York City and then decided to make a pit stop for some of Lou's tiramisu."

"Wow. Lou will be honored to hear that."

"Did I disturb you? You look like you're in the middle of –" Tom paused, gesturing at where I was standing, with the pail and used paper towels on the window sill next to me.

"No. Well, yes. But it's not a big deal. Let me get you a table first."

I was more than a little flustered for sure by Tom's unannounced presence. I had to remind myself to breathe as I led Tom to a small round table close to the pastry display.

"Do you know what you'd like? Or can I get you a menu?"

"I know I definitely want a slice of the tiramisu."

"Good choice. How about some coffee to go with that?"

"Yes, I'll have a latte, please."

"Sure. Coming right up."

I quickly washed my hands before steaming the milk for the coffee and preparing the espresso shot on the machine. Once I was done making the latte, I transferred a tiramisu slice from the display onto a clean plate.

"Here you go," I said when I brought the cup and plate to Tom's table.

"Cheers," he replied with a huge smile.

"Enjoy."

"I will. Hey, Ali. Do you get to go on a break anytime soon?"

"My shift will end in another forty-five minutes, actually," I told him.

"Okay. I won't need to get back on the road for another two hours or so. I'll let you get back to work now and we can catch up later?"

"Sure thing."

At that moment, Lou emerged from the kitchen, saying loudly, "Ali, are you chit chatting with Jayna when you're supposed to be working – again?"

"Of course not, Lou," I responded with a huff. "I'm just serving one of your loyal customers here. You know, Tom Holland?"

"Tom who?" Lou came over to the table, scrutinizing Tom with suspicion.

"The actor from Spider-Man and The Avengers. You watch E! News every night, so you oughta know."

"Tom Hiddleston?"

I rolled my eyes, while Tom laughed.

"No, Lou. That's the other Tom," I clarified. "Tom here, he was the one got you the catering gig in New York City with Blake Lively."

"Ah!" Lou's eyes lit up. "You like our tiramisu very much!"

"Yes," Tom confirmed with an enthusiastic nod.

I left the two of them to talk while I resumed my window cleaning task. I snuck glances at Tom, noting how good he looked in a dark denim jacket and light grey tee. His hair had grown longer, curlier.

I wished I had been friendlier to him, and had let him know how glad I was to see him. It was just that I was so unprepared for him to show up in one of my comfort zones, and now Café Luna felt a bit different with him in it.

As if reading my mind, Tom turned to look at me from where he was. I gave him a quick smile then looked away.

He's just a friend, I reminded myself. And he's only here to satisfy a craving for cake. There's no need to get caught up in emotions.

So why was my heart still beating twice as fast?

"It's a gorgeous day. Let's take a walk?" Tom suggested as I removed my waist apron to signal the end of my work shift.

"Okay. Just give me a sec." I went to retrieve my backpack and jacket from behind the counter. After yelling a quick "Bye!" to Lou, I met Tom at the door. Together, we walked out into the crisp autumn air.

"How did you enjoy your coffee and cake?" I asked.

"It was amazing," Tom declared. "Between Lou's tiramisu and your ace cup of latte, I think I've found my favoritest café ever."

Despite his exaggerated words, I beamed. He was just constantly filled with such positivity and enthusiasm – Tom was like this eternal ray of light assaulting the muted landscape that had been my world for so long.

I mean, I wasn't unhappy. That wasn't the case at all. But I guess I couldn't remember the last time I was truly happy, just being me. And in walked Tom Holland, who somehow made me feel like it was enough to be just me. Despite the cracks and broken pieces. It was okay. I was okay.

I tucked my hands in the pockets of my jacket, still smiling as I replied, "Great. I can give up my dream of becoming a doctor and rely on my winning barista skills for life."

Tom laughed and was about to respond when two girls stepped right onto our path, making us halt mid-stride. One was a redhead and another had dark hair and an olive complexion – both didn't look a day over fifteen, and they could barely contain the excitement and nervousness on their faces as they gazed at Tom.

"Tom! We're really, really big fans of yours," the redhead spoke, her eyes darting in my direction before fixating on Tom again. "If it's not a bad time, can we get a picture together?"

"Uh, sure," Tom said, throwing me an apologetic look before giving his attention to the two girls.

I stepped aside and whipped out my phone, randomly tapping and scrolling at the screen without really focusing. I couldn't explain why but the scene that was unfolding before me was a jolt to the senses – and I felt silly about it. It wasn't like I didn't know about Tom's celebrity status. This was the world he lived in. And didn't Jayna say he would get a million comments for every Instagram post he made? That was insane and so foreign to me. Heck, I didn't even have an Instagram account.

Without realizing it, I had started to walk again, every step bringing me further from Tom and his fans. I placed my phone back in my bag and began to silently count the burnt orange leaves on the ground as I stepped on them – one, two, three and four and five…

"Ali."

I stopped when I felt the tug on my jacket sleeve. Tom was next to me now, and it looked like he had ran to catch up with me, judging by his slight breathlessness.

"Trev, hey. I'm sorry, I wanted to give you some time with your fans, so I continued walking…"

"Are you okay?" His brown eyes were flashing with concern.

"Of course," I assured him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Tom pursed his lips. "Well, sometimes the fans can get a little.. curious. I think these girls were okay though. They didn't try to snap any photos of you…"

"Photos of me?" My eyes widened. "Why would they even think of doing that?"

"Some people have a weird interest in who I appear in public with," Tom explained, shaking his head. "I thought I wouldn't be spotted here in Warren, but... Anyway, I'm sorry about our walk being interrupted."

"It's fine, I understand. It comes with the territory of – well, of being who you are."

"I hope you don't like me any less for it," Tom said, a playful tone creeping into his voice as we started walking side by side again.

"I don't know how I can like you less than I already do, Trev," I quipped with a dramatic sigh.

"Ouch. You're such a heartbreaker, Ali," he replied, laughing.

"That's me," I played along, rolling my eyes. I thought about how it was far more likely for Tom to break my heart, but I didn't say so. "Have you been to the lake before? It's less than ten minutes away, and it'll be nice and quiet at this time of the day."

"No, I haven't. Nice and quiet sound good. No fans there, right?" Tom chuckled.

"No guarantee of that, but I like our chances," I told him.

We made our way to the lake in silence, passing by shops that emitted scents of pumpkin bread and cinnamon-laced lattes. Fall was officially here.

"So Ali, what's new with you… since our last exchange of texts yesterday?" Tom grinned cheekily.

"Well, as you can see, I've gotten a Mohawk, two tattoos and a nose ring," I quipped, gesturing at myself.

Tom nodded. "Oh yeah, I'm absolutely digging the new look."

With the way Tom was gazing at me unwaveringly, one would think that I had actually done something drastic with my looks. I couldn't stand it. I felt as if I actually meant something to him – which was of course ridiculous. If he felt anything for me at all, he would've said something, done something by now. Which he hadn't. So the message was clear, wasn't it?

I had to stop him from looking at me like that. From making me feel like this. Right away. So I blurted out, "Well actually, here's a real update. I'm meeting this guy from college tonight. For a date."

Tom blinked, then said, "Ohh. That's great, Ali. Who's the lucky guy?"

"He's in my Statistics class. His name's Owen…" I didn't know if I should offer further information. Would Tom even be interested to hear?

"Well, I hope you have a good time with Owen tonight," Tom replied, his sincerity evident. "Where is he taking you?"

"We'll probably go to this Spanish place that has this really amazing seafood paella."

"You like Spanish food?"

"Only paella and churros. The rest of their food are just weird to me."

Tom smiled. "So let's see… You like paella, churros, popcorn and gin and tonic."

I had to stop and stare at him. "How do you even still remember…?!"

Tom laughed softly. "I remember everything, Ali."

We continued walking as I took in what he had just spoken. Trevor McGeek never ceased to mystify me, that was for sure.

After crossing a main road and walking down a short path, we were greeted by the autumn foliage surrounding the cool blue waters of the lake.

"Oh wow. This is beautiful," Tom intoned in awe as he took in the scenery.

"This is my favorite spot in town," I said. "Do you come by Warren often?"

"This is maybe my fifth or sixth visit. My uncle has a business share in Nuovo – the rooftop place where we first met, if you remember? So I do drop by once in a while."

The place where I got hit by a huge wave of midnight sparks and became unexpectedly captivated by you? Sure, I vaguely remember it.

"That's why the guy at the door recognized you," I guessed.

"Yeah, Ron! He's a great guy." Then he seemed to remember the less-than-friendly treatment Ron had given Jayna and I. "Well, once you get to know him."

"I'm sure," I said with a laugh, remembering the way Jayna had brazenly tried to get past Ron.

We walked right to the edge of the lake and sat down on the grass, soaking in the tranquility. I could've sworn I heard a soft sigh from Tom, which made me turn. And that was when I noticed his strangely solemn expression.

"Trev?" I asked as I was hit by a hunch.

"Yes, Ali?"

"The uncle with the share in Nuovo – is he the one you said were sick?"

Another sigh, this time distinctively audible. "Yeah. He's still in a pretty bad condition."

I couldn't help it – I leaned in and gave his sleeved arm a squeeze. "I'm sorry to hear that, Trev."

"Yeah. It's cancer… Quite an advanced stage of lung cancer. I don't know what to do." Tom had a faraway look in his eyes. "Uncle Ollie – he's my favorite uncle. He's the one who taught me how to golf. Bought me my very first set of clubs. Cheered me on as I hit my first hole-in-one. He was the liveliest person I know, and now… He's just stuck in a hospital bed with tubes all over him…"

My heart ached in a way that it hadn't done in a long time. "I always wish I could somehow take the place of a loved one when they're in pain…"

Tom nodded. "That's how I feel too."

Feeling emotional, I began to think of the song Eternity by Robbie Williams. I had checked it out on Spotify after Tom mentioned it in one of our chats – and now I would forever associate the song with him.

I can't promise I will heal you

But if you want to I will try…

I leaned sideways until our shoulders touched. He leaned in too, so we were both supporting each other, not letting the other person tumble onto the grass. It was warm and comforting.

"Thanks Ali. A friendly face is what I really need right now."

I was puzzled. Someone like Tom Holland must have more friendly faces in his life than he could count. "You didn't have to come all the way out here to Warren for that."

Tom murmured, "On the contrary, Ali, I think I really did have to."