Tom drove the car with such deep concentration that I was beginning to worry that he had forgotten I was sitting there next to him. I tapped him on the shoulder lightly, watching as he jumped in surprise at the contact.
"So where are we going James Dean?" I asked lightly as he glanced over at me for a moment before staring intently at the road again.
"You'll see, Jude." He said vaguely as I just shrugged before laying my head back against the seat, letting the cool evening air ruffle through my hair—biting into my skin as I reveled in the rightness of the moment. It was as if the breeze itself were cleansing, washing away all of my troubles and leaving behind only myself sitting in a viper next to a man I had come to care very deeply about. Tom glanced over at me with a small grin as he turned into the parking lot of an overhang.
"You're not asleep are you?" He asked in amusement as I closed my eyes and pretended to snore.
"And if I am?" I murmured softly as I listened to him reach for something in his backseat.
"Then you'll just miss your big surprise." He said in a nonchalant tone as I let my eyes pop openbefore turning to look at him with wide, expectant eyes.
"Surprise?" I asked almost giddily as I looked at an object he was holding wrapped in a brown paper bag before he opened his car door and stepped out into the night. He just chuckled softly.
"What is it about women and that one word?" Tommy said wryly. "You mention it, and the next thing you know, they'd do just about anything for you." He finished as a mischievous glint entered his eyes. I just smiled and jumped out of the car without using the door only because I knew it annoyed the hell out of him. Walking around the side of the vehicle, I leaned casually against the door next to him as I shrugged.
"I don't know about 'anything,' but I'll promise to save you at least one cup of coffee in the morning if you tell me what you're up to." I said with a quirk of my brow as Tommy laughed sincerely.
"You mean you'd actually keep from emptying the coffee pot for me. Wow! I'm duly impressed—must remember to bring bribes more often. Of course, how any normal human being can drink as much caffeine without dying of a heart attack is beyond me." He said as he reached into his back seat, pulled out a blanket, and then laid it ceremoniously across the hood of his car before climbing up and motioning for me to follow. I was definitely curious now as I shrugged and followed suit.
"You want me to be honest, Tom? I actually drink about three cups and then pour the rest down the drain before you enter the room." I said with a small laugh as he threw me an 'excuse me' look.
"What?" I asked on a giggle. "I just like to see you grouchy in the mornings. Besides, you're not missing out on much. They say coffee doesn't do a body good." I said humorously as Tom quirked a brow.
"I'd have to argue with the experts there." He said as he perused me with a look that made me blush from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes. Looking away, I glanced up at the evening sky before glancing back at him again with a look filled with curiosity.
"So, what are we doing here?" I asked softly. Tom just pulled out a small telescope and began fiddling with it as I watched in awe.
"Do you know what today is?" He asked softly. I just shook my head mutely as he looked up at the dark canvas encompassing the air as night fell fully over the overhang. He glanced at me before chuckling.
"It's the anniversary of when you first came into the studio as the new instant star." He said with a shrug of his shoulder as I felt my mouth fall open in astonishment. He remembered that. Wow! We had come a long way from the insulting comments of that first meeting to where we were now.
"I can't believe you kept up with that, but what does it have to do with this?" I asked in a hushed tone as Tom handed me the telescope and pointed at something in the distance.
"See that star over there?" He asked as I took the lens and held it up so that I could see through the hole before nodding. He grew silent a moment before answering.
"It's yours." He said finally as I almost dropped the scope in utter shock.
"Officially." He continued as he handed me a piece of paper from one of those companies that allows you to actually purchase a star. I didn't know what to say. I just peered up at the sky, and then back at him before laying back and gazing up at that particular spot in mute fascination.
"Why?" I finally whispered as he laid down next to me, our hair barely touching as he looked up at the sky along with me. He never answered me as we gazed upward and something told me it was because he wasn't really sure why he had done it himself. I'm not sure how long we actually laid there before Tommy suddenly sat up and looked down at me with a weary look.
"I think it's time I take you back home." He said almost sadly as I just nodded before hopping off the hood of his car, gazing once more at 'my' star before sliding into the seat next to him as he placed the key into the ignition. We didn't speak on the way home. We were beyond words at the moment, and when he pulled into the driveway, I couldn't even say anything as I climbed out of the car and waved at him silently. I finally just whispered 'thank you, Tom' as he nodded at me with a knowing look before pulling out of the drive. I waved until I couldn't see him anymore before turning to run into the house, up the stairs, and into my room before sliding out my bottom dresser drawer and grabbing my diary—wedging the new 'star' document between one of the pages before running my fingers along four beautiful words: purchased by Tommy Quincy.