"Earth to Tommy!" Charley snapped her fingers a series of times when she noticed Thomas' absentminded features for the umpteenth time.
"What? Did you say something?" he shook his head and blinked a few times before looking at Charley who looked completely irritated.
Charley's shoulders lifted as she inhaled deeply and exhaled warily. "I've been here for twenty minutes and the only thing you've put into that box is one single book. One Tommy, one." She raised one finger before him as she told him 'one' again.
"I'm sorry Charles, I just..."
"Tell me what happened. Does it have anything to do with why you left me at the café on Wednesday?"
It was two days later and Charley was there to help Thomas pack up some essentials before he was ready to move out for good. They were seated on the floor with their legs folded. Charley managed to get two boxes packed already but Thomas couldn't get himself to stop thinking about Jonathan and the way he spoke to him last time.
Every time he tried picturing the look on Jonathan's face, he cringed. He expected Jonathan to be chasing after him begging him for forgiveness every dying day, but it took Jonathan walking out those doors for him to realize what an idiot he's been, what he's been always been.
Sometimes he really had to wonder what Jonathan saw in him. What the hell was there to love? All he's been is selfish, hateful, manic, and bitter and Jonathan still wanted him. Deep down he knew Jonathan didn't have any ill intentions towards him but he just allowed all that hurt and anger to possess him.
And what the hell was he even thinking barging into Jonathan's meeting like that? He knew more than anyone how important that was to him but he did it anyway and even after all that Jonathan still defended him.
It wasn't like Belle was gone and he wouldn't be able to see her anymore. He still loved her the same and he had no doubt that she'd love him the same if she knew the truth about her real daddy. He wanted to fix it but he didn't know how or where to start. He was scared.
******
"So what, you crashed his meeting and he didn't lose it on your ass? I know you're hurting babe but what you did..." He already knew he fucked up but to hear how disappointed Charley was in him just killed him, he wanted to cry.
"You're not only hurting him. He's got all these people in the company and other franchises that he's responsible for and you yourself even said how much pressure he puts on himself because he doesn't want to fail, much less disappoint his dad."
Charley watched as Thomas bowed his head down trying to hide his saddened face and quivering lips. She felt terrible; she didn't mean to make him feel bad. She quickly moved to his side on her knees and buried her face on the side of his head.
"That's not all that happened." He croaked and wiped his eyes with the back of his hands.
"Tommy!" She cautioned as she braced herself for what was to come. He took a deep breath ten told her.
"We had sex," he confessed as his face flushed a blushing red.
"Did he...?" Charley began but Thomas didn't need to ask her what she meant. The shock was written all over her face. She wanted to know if Jonathan took what he wanted out of anger after Thomas sabotaged his meeting.
"No... actually I'm the one who initiated the whole thing," he sighed then laced his fingers with hers.
"Then I said some pretty hurtful things to him afterwards." He went on to tell her how angry he was when showed up at Jonathan's place to him letting his guard down for a brief moment when Jonathan kept telling him how much he loved him to how he just went completely cold after they had sex.
"Tommy no!" she gasped and threw her hand against her mouth.
"I didn't mean it alright!" he shot back then stood abruptly. "I know it was fucked up. He started pacing the floor rubbing the back of his neck. "It all happened so fast; I... I couldn't stop I just wanted to hurt him, I really wanted to hurt him."
"And now... do you feel better now?" Charley asked as she stood and at him worriedly.
"Of course not... I feel a hundred times worse. You should've seen him Charley; the disappointment, the grief, the agony, the defeat. I went too far this time, I just know it," he babbled while his eyes welled up but he wouldn't cry. Frankly he was surprised he had anymore tears to spare.
The night he returned from Jonathan's he just curled up in bed on the side Jonathan had slept and literally bawled his eyes out till he fell asleep still sniffling in his sleep.
"Babe, do you need me to be honest right now or do you want me to be supportive?" Thomas looked at her puzzled for a while then answered.
"Be honest," he whispered dreading what she was going to say.
"Jonathan did a really messed up deceitful thing but you've always put him on this pedestal like he isn't allowed to make mistakes; he's human too Tommy and he's bound to make some choices that you aren't always going to agree with.
Did you even listen to the reason why he did what he did?" she asked as she stood in his way stopping him from moving about. When he didn't answer she continued.
"Can you imagine what it must've been like for him to hear his daughter call someone else dad. He wasn't shy in showing how much he loves her but he was willing to give up all of it for you, shouldn't that count for something," she murmured as she reached up and brushed away the one streak of tear leaking from his eye.
"Do you still love him," she whispered vulnerably as tears formed in her eyes. He tried to turn his gaze from her but she wasn't haven't it. She held his head in place as she whispered the same question again. He swallowed past the lump in his throat then answered her truthfully.
