#thomas mac

There they were.

Wren and Thomas.

Asleep on the couch.

Wren was curled tightly into Thomas’s side, her cheek resting just above his chest, one hand lazily tucked beneath her chin. Thomas had his arm wrapped around her like it was the most natural thing in the world, his head tilted slightly so that his chin nearly brushed her hair.

They looked... peaceful.

Too peaceful.

And close. Way too close.

Wren’s face was only inches from Thomas’s.

Cooper blinked.

Then blinked again.

Nope - still there.

Still tangled up together. Still sleeping like that couch belonged to just the two of them. Like this was normal. Like this was theirs.

He crossed his arms and stared for a long moment, debating his next move. He could wake them up. He could yell. He could make a scene.

But instead, he just sighed - a deep, tired sigh - and muttered under his breath, “Unbelievable.”

Then he turned around, shaking his head as he walked back toward the kitchen, mumbling to himself, “I knew it. I knew it.”

Wren would probably try to lie her way out of it.

Thomas would probably try to charm his way through it.

And Cooper? Well… he was going to need a lot more coffee to deal with whatever the hell this was turning into.

But his door hadn’t creaked, and the house stayed still.

Thomas looked over at Wren, his voice barely louder than a whisper. “You think he knows?”

She smiled and shook her head, her cheek brushing against the couch cushion. “Not yet. But he’s suspicious. You saw the way he looked at us earlier.”

Thomas huffed a soft laugh. “Yeah, I thought he was gonna drag me off that porch and interrogate me.”

“He might still,” Wren teased, eyes sparkling. “You’re playing a dangerous game, Mac.”

He grinned and leaned in, pressing a slow kiss to her lips - warm, unhurried, like they had all the time in the world.

When they broke apart, Wren’s eyes stayed closed for a moment. “You know we’re probably gonna get caught eventually.”

“Probably,” Thomas agreed, brushing his thumb over her hand beneath the blanket. “But I kinda like it like this.”

Wren peeked one eye open. “Like what?”

He shrugged, another kiss pressed gently to her temple. “Just ours. No label, no pressure. No one else knowing yet.”

She nodded, smile soft. “Yeah. Me too.”

They fell quiet again, only the low hum of the TV filling the room.

Every couple of minutes, one of them would lean in - another kiss, a smile, a whispered thought or inside joke.

They didn’t know where it was going yet.

But right now, in the quiet of the night, with the world asleep and their secret safe between them, it felt like exactly what it needed to be.

The swing creaked softly as it rocked, and for a moment, Cooper didn’t say anything. He just… looked.

Wren and Thomas sat side by side, bodies relaxed, legs nearly touching. Neither of them said a word. They were just looking at each other.

Smiling.

Not laughing. Not joking. Just quietly smiling in a way Cooper had never seen from either of them - at least, not like this. Not with each other.

He froze for a second, brow furrowing.

The air between them felt… thick. Soft. Familiar in a way that made something in his chest twist.

Thomas was the first to glance over, catching the motion of the door. “Hey, man.”

Wren turned too, her expression easy, that same soft smile still tugging at her lips. “Dinner ready?”

Cooper hesitated a beat before nodding. “Yeah. Come eat before it gets cold.”

Wren stood, stretching her arms above her head and tossing her brother a grateful grin. “Smells amazing, Coop.”

She disappeared into the house, barefoot and still glowing with that lake-day sunburn across her nose.

Thomas followed a step behind, brushing his hand along the guitar’s neck as he passed.

Cooper stayed there a second longer, frowning slightly as he looked at the now-empty swing.

Something had changed.

He just didn’t know what yet.

But he had a feeling he was going to find out.

Good. Distracted.

She turned back toward Thomas, her expression unreadable at first. Then, without a word, she leaned in and pressed a soft, feather-light kiss to his lips.

It lasted only a second - barely enough time to register - but it sent a warm jolt straight through him.

When she pulled back, she was smiling, calm and just the tiniest bit smug.

Thomas blinked, caught somewhere between stunned and completely charmed. “What was that for?”

Wren shrugged, still looking at him like she knew exactly what she was doing. “I felt like it.”

Thomas huffed a laugh, low and amazed. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”

She leaned her head back on the swing and looked up at the sky, totally unbothered. “Then I guess it’s a good thing you’re used to danger.”

He watched her for a long beat - her messy hair, the corner of her hoodie slipping down her shoulder again, the curve of her smile - and felt the kind of warmth that had nothing to do with summer.

Inside, Cooper opened a drawer.

The moment passed. For now.

But Thomas couldn’t stop the small grin tugging at his lips.

Neither could Wren.