why, hello there

"Working with Y/n has been such a wonderful opportunity,” Tom proudly announced, causing your smile to widen as you continued to listen to his voice. “I’m so glad I can call her my best friend on and off screen,” he added as he turned to glance at you, his eyes sparkling with joy. 

You felt your cheeks redden as you realized everyone was staring at you, waiting for your response. The interviewer gave you a cheeky grin, and you felt like you were going to faint. No one knew you had a tiny crush on Tom so they had no idea how much you were freaking out on the inside. Tom quickly noticed your sheepish behavior and he brightly beamed at you, wrapping his arm around you and rubbing your shoulder in attempts to make you less tense.

“Oh my god, you’re making me blush,” you laughed, leaning into Tom’s touch while covering your face with your hands. 

“It seems like you two have really good chemistry,” the interviewer mentioned. “Tell me Y/n, how was it working with Tom Holland?” 

You dropped your hands to the side before letting out a big and blissful sigh, fondly remembering your moments with Tom while you were shooting the movie The Devil All the Time. Your smile grew bigger by the second. 

“It was really great. The minute we met, we instantly hit it off, but he was always making me laugh, so it was a bit hard to be serious on set.” You giggled at the end as one particular memory came to mind. 

Tom let out a scoff, placing his hand on his chest as if he was shocked and hurt by your comment. “Me?! You’re the one who can’t keep a straight face!” Tom jokingly argued. 

You playfully rolled your eyes before looking at the interviewer, shaking your head. “He’s lying.” 

The interviewer let out another laugh, and you joyfully leaned back into your chair, glad everyone was having a wonderful time. “So,” the interviewer started off, her gleeful tone turning into a serious one. She wiggled her eyebrows in the process, directly staring at you. 

“I heard that you have a crush on Dylan O’Brien, is that true?” she asked, causing you to become flustered once again. 

You didn’t notice how Tom uncomfortably shifted in his chair, but he continued to smile as if everything was fine, despite that his heart was rapidly pounding in his chest. Tom crossed his arms over his chest and turned his head to the side, glancing at you. Please say no, Tom pleaded in his head, hoping it was just a rumor. 

You nervously giggled at the question, pulling your hair back before nodding your head. “Yeah, I’ve had a crush on Dylan O’Brien ever since I saw him on the show, Teen Wolf. I think he’s an amazing actor,” you gushed out, causing Tom to slightly frown. Tom noticed the way your eyes twinkled with admiration as you continued to talk about Dylan, and it was obvious that you deeply fancied him, causing Tom to be upset. During the production of the movie, Tom grew to fancy you, but he was always too scared to tell you the truth because he didn’t think you felt the same way - and judging by the way you were talking about Dylan, it seemed that Tom was right.  

You and Tom continued to answer the interviewer’s questions, but you noticed that Tom was acting different; instead of him loudly laughing at your comments, he merely chuckled and nodded his head, which was completely unusual for you to see. You slightly frowned, wondering what was bothering him, and you promised yourself that you would ask him after the interview ended. 

“Before we end this interview,” the woman said, “I have a surprise for you, Y/n.” 

“Me?” you asked in shock, completely taken aback that the wonderful woman got you something. Your smile brightened and you moved around in the chair, unable to contain your joy. 

“Yes, and I think you’re going to love it,” she brightly smiled, winking at you. You watched in confusion as one of the crew members handed the woman a tablet and you turned to look at Tom, wondering if he knew what was happening. Tom furrowed his eyebrows and shrugged his shoulders, completely confused as well. 

“I actually interviewed Dylan O’Brien a month ago, and he personally wanted me to deliver a message to you,” the woman confessed, causing your eyes to protrude of your sockets and leave your mouth hanging.

“No fucking way,” you gasped in excitement yet nervousness. Your hands anxiously trembled as you patiently stared at the woman turn on the tablet before handing it to you. Tom carefully eyed the tablet, feeling his heart drop as he stared at Dylan through the screen. 

Hey Y/n! It’s Dylan O’Brien here. 

“Oh my god!” you squealed in delight, feeling your body shake in excitement. You quickly glanced at Tom, tightly grabbing his forearm, unable to believe that Dylan was talking to you. 

“Can you believe it, Tom?! He’s actually talking to me - I think I’m going to cry,” you exclaimed before turning your attention back to the screen. Tom smiled at your reaction, but no words came out of him. 

I wanted to say that I absolutely adore you and it means so much that you’re a fan of my work! I wish I could see you, but just know that if you’re ever around L.A., shoot me a text and I would love to hang out with you. Until then!

The video ended but you continued to stare at the screen like an idiot, an enormous smile plastered on your face, a smile that Tom would never forget. 

"I’m literally going to faint,” you announced, causing the interviewer and the crew members to laugh. “I can’t believe he knows that I exist,” you stated in disbelief, tightly holding onto the tablet. 

“Don’t faint just yet,” the interviewer said, “there’s someone here to meet you.” 

Your eyes widened once again, and you felt tears of joy form in your eyes. You covered your mouth, turning your head to look at the crew members who shared the same grin as the interviewer. You shook your head in denial. 

“No way, no way,” you repeated. Your heart stopped momentarily as the interviewer looked behind you and waved, signaling someone to come over. 

“Hi Y/n,” a voice said behind you. 

You knew whose voice that was. You nearly jumped out of your seat and heavily gulped as you turned around, your eyes meeting Dylan’s. Tom awkwardly turned around as well, his eyes fixated on Dylan. Tom felt a lump form in his throat as he saw your eyes sparkle once again, but he remained seated, unsure of what to do. 

Dylan brightly smiled at your reaction as he opened his arms, and you felt your legs turn into jello. However, within a second, you bolted towards Dylan, jumping into his arms. An echo of awes and cheers filled the room as everyone watched Dylan tightly embrace you, lifting you off the ground and spinning you around in his arms. 

Tom bit the inside of his cheek, his jealousy getting the best of him.  

After a while, you pulled away from the hug, but Dylan rested his hands on your waist. “H-hi.” You sputtered, forgetting every word in the English language. Everyone laughed at how stiff you were - everyone besides Tom. Dylan held your gaze as he gave you a reassuring smile, softly whispering to you to relax. 

“It’s so nice to meet you,” you rambled, feeling that your heart was about to burst in your chest. 

Dylan chuckled at your reaction, his smile growing by the second. “Likewise, Y/n. You look lovely today,” he complimented, slightly stepping back and admiring your outfit. Tom mentally rolled his eyes at Dylan’s comment, feeling the need to vomit, but you were so absolutely starstruck that you failed to notice Tom’s rather rude behavior.

Tom felt his nerves calm down as he watched Dylan pull his hands away from your waist, but then Dylan turned his head to stare at Tom. “Hey, Tom,” Dylan proudly greeted, coming closer and extending his hand out. Tom put on a fake smile, slightly standing up from his chair and reaching over to shake Dylan’s hand. 

“Nice to meet you, mate.” Tom tightly held Dylan’s hand longer than intended but he let go before anyone got suspicious. 

Luckily, the interview ended rather quickly after Dylan appeared to surprise you, but as Tom was about to head out the door, thinking you were right behind him, he noticed from the corner of his eye that Dylan pulled you to the side. Tom felt his lips twitch in anger, but he knew there was nothing he could do nor say. You politely excused yourself before walking with Dylan towards the corner of the room, giving you and Dylan a bit more privacy.

As Tom waited for you in the hallway, hoping the conversation would quickly end, he began to think of reasons as to why Dylan pulled you to the side. Dylan must know that you have a crush on him, Tom thought to himself. Was he asking you out? Was that why he wanted to speak to you privately?

“Hey Tommy,” you appeared, slightly scaring Tom in the process as he was too busy thinking about scenarios in his mind. Tom pulled himself together, hoping you didn’t notice how off he was acting. Instead, he gave you a half-hearted smile before the both of you were escorted out of the building. Tom never said another word as you and him walked to the car, and you began to notice that he was acting the same way during the interview: distant, less talkative. Before you could ask him what was wrong, Tom finally spoke.

“Why did Dylan ask to talk to you privately?” Tom blurted out, catching you off guard. He knew it was none of his business, but he needed to know; the pain of not knowing was eating him up on the inside. 

“Oh,” you said, “well... he asked if I wanted to hang out with him sometime this week.” 

“And... what did you say?” Tom nervously tapped his foot on the floor, hoping you turned down his request.   

You bit your lip, “I said yes.” 

Tom felt his heart drop to the pit of his stomach, and you watched his face fall; it looked as if he was disappointed in your response. You awkwardly waited for him to say something, but Tom remained silent. 

“...Tom?” you quietly asked, gaining his attention. 

“Hm?” he softly replied, rubbing the side of his face. 

“A-are you alright? You look upset.” You furrowed your eyebrows, hoping it wasn’t anything serious. He couldn’t be mad about you and Dylan... right?

“Oh,” Tom felt himself panic, terrified that you were soon going to put the pieces of the puzzle together. You couldn’t know about his real feelings. 

“It’s nothing,” Tom reassured, “I was just kinda hoping we could hang out this week but,” Tom paused, forcing himself to smile through the pain. “You’ll probably be busy with Dylan.”

Your lips formed a firm line as you listened to Tom’s words, but then you gave him a soft smile, shaking your head. “What? Why would you think that? Of course, we can still hang out. You’re my best friend, Tom.” You softly nudged him with your shoulder, hoping it would lighten his mood. 

“We can hang out Friday, if you want. Is that okay?” you asked, tilting your head to the side, waiting for his response. 

“Yeah,” Tom nodded his head, slightly smiling. “That sounds nice.”  

Although you were trying your hardest to cheer him up, you didn’t realize that your words were causing him more pain. Right, Tom thought to himself. Best friend. That’s all I am to her, and that’s all I’ll ever be. 

- - - -

You leaned your head against Tom’s shoulder as you, Tom, Harrison, Harry, and Sam all sat on the couch, all of your eyes focusing on the television. You snorted at Ron Swanson’s comment from the show Parks and Recreation, completely forgetting about all of your responsibilities. Tom smiled to himself as he heard your contagious chuckle, causing his stomach to jump in joy. Moments like these made Tom cherish life; although neither of you were uttering a word, just being around one another made him feel at ease. 

Unfortunately, the moment didn’t last; the sound of your phone ringing caught everyone’s attention, and you loudly groaned in protest. You didn’t want to answer any calls right now. You pushed yourself off of Tom’s shoulder, reaching over the table and grabbing your phone. The absence of your touch made Tom unhappy, and he was hoping you would automatically turn off your phone, as you usually do, but once you stared at the screen, your eyes widened. 

“Shit, shit,” you exasperated before fully sitting up. All of the boys watched in confusion, wondering why you were freaking out. 

“What’s wrong?” Harry wondered, pausing the movie. 

“It’s Dylan,” you nervously stated. 

Tom held his breath as Dylan’s name rolled out of your mouth, his joyous mood quickly disappearing. 

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Sam remarked, “answer the call!”  

You quickly glanced at Peter, holding his gaze for a short moment before nodding your head and pressing the ‘accept’ button. “Hey Dylan,” you calmly said, hoping he didn’t detect your extremely nervous tone. 

All of the boys, minus Tom, leaned forward, hoping they could hear what Dylan was saying, but you quickly stood up and walked away, heading towards an empty room. All eyes were on Tom now.

“Who’s Dylan?” Harrison asked. 

Tom let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head. “Dylan O’Brien. He’s probably asking her to hang out with him today.”

“Holy shit,” Sam exclaimed in a delighted tone, but Harry quickly slapped his brother’s shoulder as he was completely oblivious to Tom’s dejected expression. Harrison and Harry briefly looked at each other, furrowing their eyebrows; they knew why Tom was so upset. 

“Why haven’t you told her about how you really feel?” Harry quietly questioned. 

Tom rubbed his face, unsure of how to answer his question. “I don’t know... I guess I’m just scared that she doesn’t feel the same way.” 

Before any of the boys could say anything else, you entered the room. Everyone turned to look at you, wondering what happened, but judging by the pitiful look on your face, Tom knew it wasn’t going to be good news. 

“Hey guys,” you started off, “Dylan just asked if I could meet him for dinner today.”

“Dinner?” Sam spoke up, “Like... you’re going on a date with him?” 

You rubbed your shoulder, not exactly confident on how to answer Sam’s question. “I-I guess?” you shrugged your shoulders. “I don’t really know what to call it.” 

You twiddled your thumbs, a bit worried that what you were going to say next was going to upset Tom and the others. “I-is it okay if I go meet him today? I know we were supposed to have a movie night, but Dylan leaves tomorrow morning so-”

“It’s fine,” Tom cut you off. 

You stopped talking, diverting your attention to Tom, watching as he took a sip of his drink. All of the boys stared at Tom in confusion and shock, startled that he was reacting in a calmly matter. You pulled your lips into a straight line, a bit hurt that Tom wasn’t doing anything to stop you from going to see Dylan. 

“A-are you sure? Because I can cal-” You offered, but Tom shook his head, disagreeing with your proposal. 

“No, you should go see Dylan. He is your celebrity crush after all.” Tom didn’t mean for his tone to come off as rude and sharp, but he couldn’t contain his frustration any longer. The room remained silent, and you awkwardly stood in the middle of the room, a downhearted expression plastered on your face.

“Okay,” you meekly stated, your voice leaking of disappointment. “I should go get ready then.” 

Harrison, Sam, and Harry gave you a reassuring smile before nodding their heads, wishing you luck as you walked to your room. All of the boys stared at each other, not quite sure what to do next; they hoped that Tom would get off his high horse and confess his feelings, but Tom remained planted on the couch, his stubbornness preventing him from doing so. 

“What the hell are you waiting for?” Tom harshly told Harry. “Press play.” 

Tom ignored the harsh glares he was getting from his brothers and his best friend; instead, he quickly leaned over and snatched the controller away from Harry, mumbling profanities underneath his breath before pressing play, ignoring the pain he was feeling. He didn’t want you to go. Tom wanted you to stay with him, but when he heard Dylan’s name, he got so angry and just wanted to avoid the situation as fast as he could. Tom knew he was being snarky, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to be the one to take you out to dinner - not Dylan. Of course, Dylan was an amazing person; the guy was sarcastic, sweet, funny - he had the best personality - but it made Tom realize that he wasn’t the one for you. 

You deserved someone like Dylan, and no matter how much agony Tom was in, he thought he was making the right decision. 

After an hour or so, you returned back to the living room, hoping they could give you any advice before you headed out to see Dylan. “How do I look?” you hesitantly asked, stepping next to the couch. You worried that you were doing too much to impress Dylan, but you were also anxious that you were going to show up underdressed. 

Tom felt his breathing come to a halt as he stared at you; you were so breath-taking, and at this moment, Tom regretted his words. He should’ve never told you to go, but it was already too late. 

“You look beautiful,” Tom heartedly confessed, lovingly staring at you. You weakly smiled, deeply appreciating his words. 

“Thanks, Tommy.” You stayed silent for a while, staring at the door. “I should be heading out by now,” you announced yet your feet remained planted on the ground. 

“Good luck on your date,” Harrison stated; after, Sam and Harry wished you luck. 

Once again, you stared at Tom, hoping he would say what you’ve been dying to hear, but, of course, Tom simply nodded his head. 

"Have fun, Y/n,” was all he said. 

You hid your disappointment as best as you could, but you knew Harrison and the others detected your sadness. “I’ll see you guys soon,” you said before walking towards the door. Tom stared at the television screen while the rest of the boys waved goodbye until they heard the door close. 

With one swift movement, Harrison slapped the back of Tom’s head, angry at his rude attitude. “Ow!” Tom ushered, rubbing his head to soothe the pain away. “Why the fuck did you just hit me?” 

“You’re such an idiot,” Harrison sighed, rubbing his temple. Tom stopped his movements, intently peering at Harrison. 

“What?” Tom inquired. 

“She’s so into you,” Harrison continued on before taking a sip of his beer. Tom paused for a moment, unable to register what Harrison was saying. No, Tom said to himself, you don’t like him. You’re going on a date with Dylan. If you liked him, then you would’ve said no to Dylan’s question. 

“Mate, what are talking about?” Tom questioned, unable to connect the dots. 

“She was waiting for you to say something. She wanted you to give her a reason to not go on the date, but you completely fucked it up,” Sam easily said. It was so obvious you liked one another, but both of you were too afraid to say anything.

Tom had a blank expression but then he knitted his brow as he dwelled on Harrison’s words. “There’s no way...” Tom said, but then he paused. 

“Trust me,” Harry revealed, “she has her heart set on you.” Tom leaned into the couch, feeling immensely guilty and horrible for not seeing the signs sooner. If Tom could, he could take it all back, but it was already too late; you were going to see Dylan.

Harrison knew that Tom’s silence signified he was panicking, but he reached over and reassuringly grabbed Tom’s shoulder. “Don’t worry mate. When she comes back, just tell her how you feel.” 

Tom forced himself to smile, nodding his head and thanking his friend and brothers for their advice, but Tom still couldn’t get rid of his anxiety. All he could do was pray that they were right. 

- - - -

Tom sat on one of the benches in front of the building complex, hoping you would arrive sooner than expected. He shivered as the wind blew cold air in his direction, but he didn’t move. He wasn’t planning on leaving - not until you came back. Tom continued to sit in the darkness, distraught. What was he going to say to you? He wondered. He knew you were upset at him, most likely because of the way he acted, but he silently begged to himself that you would be willing to listen to what he has to say. 

Suddenly, Tom noticed a taxi drive by, and he felt his anxiety grow worse as he watched the car stop in front of the building. You emerged out of the car with ease, and Tom took a big, deep breath before standing up and heading your way. 

The sound of your heels touching the concrete echoed, and as you were heading towards the entrance, you noticed Tom standing a few feet away from you. You stopped moving, confused about what was happening, but then you continued walking; when you got closer, you noticed Tom’s cheeks and nose were red, he was violently shivering, and his teeth were loudly chattering. 

“Tom, why are you outside? It’s freezing and I don-”

“I need to tell you something.” Tom blatantly said, causing you to stop speaking. Tom rapidly rubbed his shoulders, hoping the friction would provide him warmth. 

You tightly clutched your purse, unsure of what he was going to say. A part of you wanted to say that you were too tired to stand in the middle of the sidewalk, but you noticed how Tom’s eyes begged you to listen. You gulped, nodding your head. “Okay...is everything alright?”

Tom pondered, wondering how to answer your question; for a second, Tom regretted his decision, but then he thought of Harrison’s words. Now was the time. Tom let out an uneven sigh, shaking his head. “No, everything is not alright.” 

Your heart heavily thumped in your chest, but you didn’t say a word, hoping he would continue speaking. 

“I lied,” Tom truthfully admitted. Tom felt his hands turn clammy and he pushed his hair back, trying his best to have a steady and clear voice. He was so anxious he could hear his heat quickly beating in his chest through his ears. “I didn’t want you to go see Dylan - but I was an idiot and a prick, so I didn’t say anything... ” Tom paused as he felt his vision blur with tears. You stepped closer, hoping you could alleviate his pain, but Tom rubbed his eyes, wiping away the tears. 

“- okay... here it is. I’m sure Dylan is a great person, but the truth is... I love you Y/n. I love you so much I would do anything for you,” Tom confessed, a smile on his lips as he finally felt a heavy burden get lifted off his shoulders. "You mean everything to me, and I hope you can give me a chance to show you.”  

You stood in silence, a blank expression on your face; Tom slowly began to assume that you didn’t feel the same way, but then you finally spoke. 

“Why did you wait so long to tell me?” you whispered, gazing into his eyes. 

Tom let out a light-hearted laugh, rubbing his hands on his jeans. “Because I didn’t think you felt the same way - I was going to tell you, I swear” Tom conveyed, “but then Dylan came into the picture and -” Tom closed his eyes, thinking he looked foolish.  

“Was that why you were acting that way ever since the interview?” you questioned. 

Tom looked down at the ground, ashamed of his behavior. “Yeah, I’m really sorry for the way I acted. I was just jealous of how well you and Dylan interacted. I know this is shitty of me to say this right after you came back from your date with Dylan, but I couldn’t wait any longer.” 

You stepped closer, offering Tom a sincere smile. "I didn’t go on the date with Dylan,” you said, causing Tom to lift his head up in shock. 

“What?” 

You sheepishly looked at Tom, shrugging your shoulder. “I was going to... but it just felt wrong so I canceled the date.” 

Tom opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, “I-I’m sorry Y/n.” 

“It’s okay. He just isn’t the one for me,” you honestly said. You gazed into Tom’s eyes, stepping closer until you were inches away from his face. “But you are.” 

“I love you too, Tom,” you revealed, placing your hands on his chest. 

“R-really?” Tom asked, unable to believe this was real. You let out a laugh, nodding your head. 

“Really,” you confirmed. 

Tom felt a warmth blossom in his chest, and the crinkles by his eyes became more noticeable as an endearing smile formed on his face. Tom’s eyes sparkled like a nighttime sky, with stars brightly shining, and he nodded his head, never uttering a word - afraid that if he said anything, it would ruin the moment. 

You pressed your body into his, heavily breathing as you stared into his eyes before finally leaning in and pressing your lips onto his. Butterflies danced around in his stomach, and Tom tightly held you in his arms, pulling you deeper into the kiss; he could smell your enticing perfume and he knew he would never get tired of it. Your lips were soft - silky - and Tom could feel the thud of your heartbeat as your fingers gingerly cradled his face.  

“Finally mate!” Harrison screamed out the window, causing you to pull away from the kiss. You squinted your eyes and looked up, cackling as you watched Harrison give Tom a thumbs-up while Harry and Sam cheered in approval. 

“Were you watching this entire time?” Tom shouted back, a big smile on his lips as he tightly held onto your waist. 

There was a short moment of silence. “No.”