Endless Roads
Chapter 11 - Continuing Hearts
Tommy sat on his bed, watching Kat quietly asleep beside him. Never in his life did he feel this guilty. While Kat was innocently sleeping, her boyfriend could only think about the pervious night when he kissed his ex-girlfriend. The moment replayed in Tommy's mind. Kissing Kim one more time, having her in his arms one more time, it made him feel good, but awful all at once. He turned his head, and looked down at Kat.
"How could I do this to you?" He thought to himself. "I'm so sorry Kat."
Yes, he felt sorry, but in ways he didn't. Ever since Kim came back, he had those feelings building up inside, and now that Kim knew a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders. The feeling of the kiss was so great and intense; it was something he could have never shared with Kat.
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Kim sat at the kitchen table, munching on cereal, staring at the spot where it had happened. A smile glided on her face the more she thought about it. The kiss was amazing; a feeling she had never felt in a long time. But when the thought of Tommy already taken by Kat came into mind, her happiness sank to the floor. She wished to herself that it wouldn't get to her, but no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't.
"Geez, something real serious must be on your mind if it's got you looking like that." Someone said from behind Kim, interrupting her thoughts.
"Hey Lace." Kim muttered.
"What's up with you?" Lacey asked.
"Nothing."
"Nothing huh? Liar."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh come on Kim. How long have I known you?" Lacey replied. "You do not make a face like that, not unless something major is on your mind."
Kim paused and looked at her.
"You know me too well." Kim muttered, and she ate another spoonful of cereal.
"So out with it." Lacey demanded.
"Why?" Kim sighed.
"Why? Because I want to know! Do you not remember what happened last night? There has to be a follow up after all that."
Kim gave her a blank stare back.
"Spill it woman."
"Look… it was no big deal. Tommy and I just had a talk last night… that's all."
"About…?"
"Do I seriously have to tell you all the details?"
"Yes!" Lacey exclaimed. "Of course you do."
"Oh God." Kim muttered underneath her breath.
"Well…"
Kim remained silent. This topic was too personal for her to share; just thinking about it made her blush. But Kim knew that Lacey would never let her off the hook until she got her way, which was something that annoyed the hell out of Kim. She gave a little laugh seeing how desperate Lacey looked sitting right in front of her, and after awhile Kim finally gave in.
"Fine, fine, fine. I'll tell you." Kim muttered.
Suddenly a huge smile appeared on Lacey's face.
"Obviously you know how upset I was last night." Kim replied.
"Yeah, after some of the stuff they said to you, I wasn't surprised."
"Yeah, well anyway, Tommy and I were just talking about that. How I shouldn't let it get to me, and that they'll come around sooner or later." Kim began to explain. "And he was so supportive… I mean, I totally forgot what a gentleman he is. And while we were talking all I could think about were my feelings that I still had for this guy."
"So you still love him?" Lacey quietly asked.
"You know…" Kim paused. "If you asked me that before last night, I wouldn't have been too sure of the answer, but after… yeah I think I am." She replied.
"Why? What happened last night?"
Kim paused once more remembering back to last night in the living room. She replayed what the two had said in her mind, and remembering what she had felt.
"I don't remember how it came up, but Tommy just started talking about how much in love he was with Kat, and all I could think was why the hell am I listening to this." Kim replied. "He just went on and on about how as long as Kat's happy, he's happy and all of this fluff, and I'm sitting there thinking there's no way in hell I could tell him the truth about my feelings."
Lacey nodded.
"But you know, you can always see it on my face when there's something on my mind. And he just forced it out of me."
"W-wait… so you told him?" Lacey asked.
Kim nodded. "It was so hard to do… I thought I was a complete idiot telling him that after all the stuff he just said about Kat."
"What did he say?"
Kim smiled. "You'd be surprised." At that moment, she could hear the exact words that Tommy had said:
"You and I... we've been through a lot, and we've loved each other way too much to just let our feelings for one another stop. But I'll admit I actually convinced myself that you did. Believe it or not, but your letter must have been the worst thing that could happen to me. I tried to get over you, and I thought I did, but the moment that you came back, those feeling hit me harder than I thought it ever would."
"Well… what did he say?" Lacey interrupted.
"He said that he wasn't over me either, and there is still something between us."
"Your kidding me… he feels the same way?" Lacey muttered. "… that's so sweet."
"And then after that… I don't know what exactly happened, but all of a sudden I kissed him."
"You what?!"
"I kissed him."
"Kimberly!" Lacey stammered.
"What?"
"The dude is taken! What if Kat finds out? I don't exactly know her, but from what I've seen she's not exactly the nicest person."
"I know… I know." Kim moaned, putting her hands over her face in shame. "And that is exactly why I don't want you saying a word to anyone about this."
"My lips are sealed." Lacey responded.
"Good." Kim replied.
"But I just can't believe it. You really kissed him." Lacey muttered. "Was it just you? Or did he… you know, kiss you back."
"Well he didn't really automatically pull away, if that's what you mean."
"He kissed you back." Lacey smiled. "That is so cute!"
"Shutup Lacey." Kim mumbled.
"So what was the kiss like? Is he a good kisser?"
"Okay, you're taking it a little too far. That is out of bounds for you, missy."
"Fine whatever." Lacey gave up.
"You can be really nosey sometimes… you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah… whatever." Lacey replied, walking into the kitchen. "Damnit! Jason forgot to buy coffee yesterday, didn't he."
"Yeah…" Kim muttered.
"Hey, you want to head over to Starbucks? I cannot start my day off without any caffeine."
"Hmm… that must explain you're wild behavior everyday." Kim laughed.
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Later at Starbucks…
Tommy had begun his morning, with a little visit to Starbucks with Rocky, Billy and Aisha. Rocky filled Tommy in about what happened at the party after he had left with Kim. Supposedly, the rest of the night wasn't much since Kim left everyone in a bad mood. Tommy tried to defend her from the criticism that Aisha and Billy had to say, but it just didn't seem to work.
As the two continued on and on about how hurt they felt about Kim lying to them, Tommy once again went back to remembering last night. It just couldn't escape his mind, the more and more time that passed, the more he thought about it. And it made him feel so guilty because even if he did feel bad about kissing Kim behind Kat's back, it felt good having Kim back in his life. He always wanted to know how it would feel like if he and Kim had remained together, and maybe what had been going on between the two of them now was a sneak peak of what it would feel like. Kim's presence was so familiar and it brought him back to the good old days when they were younger. He remembered how uncomplicated life used to be back then, and that was mainly because of the impact that Kim had made on him. With her, everything seemed so simple and easy, but unfortunately, that would never be the case now. Kim had changed, and life was not so simple for her. And now with the kiss, life wouldn't be so simple for Tommy either. But it still wouldn't leave Tommy's mind how great the kiss felt. It left him smiling at the table while Aisha and Billy continued to rant about their feelings.
Little did he know that at the exact moment as he sat at his table, Kim and Lacey had walked into the café. Outside was a bright, hot day and the two slowly slid their sunglasses to the top of their heads. As soon as the glasses came off, Tommy realized that one of the girls was Kim. His eyes widened in excitement at the sight of her. His head lifted up from the table immediately, but as soon as he moved Aisha and Billy had spotted her as well. Tommy could hear them groan.
"Oh great. Just what we needed." Aisha replied. "You guys want to get out of here?"
"Yeah… let's head out." Billy mumbled as he got up from his chair. Kim spotted the two getting up about to leave. She noticed Rocky following along and Tommy remaining sitting at their table. She paused for a moment unsure as to what to do. Should she approach them and try to mend things over, or let them be and wait till they make a move. But while standing there, deciding on what to do, the three had left the café and headed to their cars. Soon as she realized they were gone, she turned around to order her coffee. Soon as her order was done, she turned around to grab a table, only to see Tommy standing right in front of her.
"Hi." He replied.
"Hey." Kim smiled awkwardly.
"I'm sorry about the others. I guess they're just not ready as of yet to speak to you."
Kim let out a big sigh. "Tommy, I know you're trying to help, but maybe you should just let them be. If they don't want to speak to me then they won't speak to me. I don't want you ruining you're friendship with them just because you're supporting me."
"That's not going to happen." Tommy muttered.
"And you're certain?"
"I'm positive." Tommy answered. "Kim… listen to me. There is no need for you to worry about them, because they will get around to forgiving you. How can they possibly remain mad at you, when they know your trying your hardest in getting better."
"I wish I could be positive like you." Kim muttered looking down at her coffee.
"Listen… why don't we go somewhere where we can talk more?" Tommy asked.
"I-I can't… I'm here with Lacey."
"Well now you're with Tommy." Lacey quickly butted in.
"Excuse me?" Kim responded.
"It looks like you two need to talk some more, don't let me get in the way of that." Lacey replied. "Look, I'll take the car back home, and you can mooch a ride off Tommy. All is good… I'll catch ya later."
Kim watched as Lacey walked off with Kim's keys, leaving her stranded inside the café alone with Tommy.
"And then there were two." She muttered, turning back her attention to him. He remained staring at her with a smile on his face.
"What?" Kim asked. "Why are you looking at me like that."
"Because now, for the first time, you don't look too pissed off like you used to."
Kim smiled. "Well… I guess I have you to thank for that."
"Why is that?" He asked.
"Because as much as I hate to admit it, you've actually given me some hope."
"That's good to know." He nodded. "Look, I got this awesome place where we could talk, but it's a surprise."
"So what… you're gonna blind fold me or something?"
"Of course not." Tommy replied.
"Well good." Kim responded.
"I am, however, gonna conceal your eyes like this." He said, as he place one hand over her eyes and led her out the door.
"Watch it! I don't want to spill my coffee."
"Yeah, yeah, I got you." Tommy replied, as he walked her to his car.
"Tommy? What is the point of covering my eyes when I know we're in the parking lot." Kim said.
"You know what? You're right." Tommy admitted and removed his hands.
"So where on earth could this place that you want to take me be?" she asked.
"Nope! I'm not telling you anything!" He exclaimed, as he opened the passenger's door for Kim. "Get in."
Kim gave a quick smile and sat herself down in Tommy's car. As soon as Tommy got in, he took a towel that sat in the back seat of his car and gave it to Kim.
"Here, put this on your head."
"You're kidding me right?" Kim snapped.
"No… put it on your head." He replied.
"I'll look like an idiot."
"I don't care, as long as you don't see where your going I'm fine with it."
"Fine then." Kim snarled and placed the towel on her head.
"Can you see?" Tommy asked.
"No."
"Good." Tommy smiled and began driving off.
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Fifteen minutes later…
Tommy had finally arrived at his destination. He hadn't been at this location ever since the letter he had received from Kimberly. And hopefully returning back to it, with Kimberly by her side would make the moment more special.
"Where the hell are we Tommy?" Kim asked.
"Hold on a bit." He replied, guiding Kim down to what he wanted to show her.
"I can't breathe under this towel anymore!" she exclaimed.
"Hold on, this will only take a few seconds." Tommy said, holding onto Kim so she would trip on anything. Soon, he had sat down Kim on a large boulder, which would give Kim the greatest view of the place. Tommy had a huge smile on his face, excited to see what Kim's reaction would be. Slowly he placed his hands on the towel and pulled it away from Kim's face.
As soon as Kim's eyes opened, and took a glimpse of where she was, her eyes widened from shock.
"Oh my god." She muttered.
"You remember this place?" Tommy asked.
"Of course I do." Kim replied. "This was the very exact pond that we had our very first kiss, and you asked me out to our school dance."
"Right on target." He smiled.
"Wow Tommy. This is… this is just so… why did you bring me here?" she asked.
"Because this is our spot. We used to come here all the time, and I honestly thought this would be a great place where we could talk. Just like the old times… why? Is there something wrong?"
"No!… no of course not. It's just… I never thought how overwhelming this place could be. We've shared a lot of memories here."
"Yeah we have." Tommy smiled as he stared out into the still water of the pond. Vibrant pink Lillies floated along the pond, as the reflection of the trees made the scenic view captivating. Tommy took a glimpse at the rock that Kim had been sitting on. That was the exact same rock that the two had spent so much time sitting on as they embraced each other in the cold air. It was teen love that the place reminded them of. And Tommy missed it. But soon he snapped out of the trance that the scenery had trapped him in, he immediately got back on track on the main reason why he brought Kim here.
"Look about that kiss last night Kim… I wanted to talk to you about it."
"Tommy…"
"I know you're thinking that it might have been a little too fast for you, so I want you know that I'll never do it again." He quickly interrupted.
"Tommy…"
"It's just I guess we were caught up in the moment, and I guess we both got carried away, but honestly Kim, I don't want you thinking that I'm forcing anything on you." He interrupted again.
"Tommy…"
"You know I would never want to hurt you in anyway, so if you feel offended by it…"
"TOMMY!" Kim exclaimed. "Are you finished? 'Cause I'd like to say something about it too."
"What?" He replied.
"You weren't forcing anything on me… remember? I was the one that kissed you."
"You were?" Tommy responded, a bit confused.
"Yes." She nodded. "And how on earth would I feel offended by it, when I enjoyed every single moment of it." Kim replied.
Those words were like a sigh of relief to Tommy. It felt good to know that Kim felt the same way about the kiss.
"But the only thing that bothers me about it, is that you're sneaking around behind Kat's back."
"I know." Tommy muttered. "This morning all I could feel was guilt. The more I looked at her, the more it hurt, knowing that I've been doing things that I know would hurt her."
"I'm sure it does hurt Tommy." Kim whispered. "You two have been together for some time now."
"But there's something about you, that just makes me want to not care." He blurted out.
Soon as Kim heard those words, she quickly closed her eyes, taking in what he had just said.
"Tommy… I want you to tell me if any of this is uncomfortable, or if you feel that something is wrong, because I want to know."
"In ways Kim, I know this is wrong… but you mean a great deal to me. I can't just ignore you."
"So what do we do now?" Kim asked.
Tommy said nothing and the two remained silent. Both stared at each other for minutes, not moving a muscle. They just continued looking into each other's eyes in the place that first started them. That moment was filled with emotions until it reached the point where the emotions dug deeper. Tommy then began to lean forward down to Kim as his lips met hers and the two indulged into another kiss.
