Helloooo, can you do a blurb about the reader having an important birthday/milestone and Tom can’t make it because of his busy schedule? + #1 from the angst list and #15 from fluff!
1. “I can’t do anything right.”
15. “I missed you so much.”
hope you like it, love! 🌟
you knew. as soon as your phone lit up, his name flashing across the screen, you knew. momentarily, you contemplated letting the phone call go to voicemail, not wanting to hear what he had to say. but you missed him - you missed his voice - so you answered anyway. you could already tell by his voice that you were right. he wasn’t going to make it.
“i’m sorry, darlin’, i really am. i told them i couldn’t stay an extra day but apparently, they booked a last-minute press thing i can’t miss.”
as for how excuses went, this one was the one you liked the least. it was one you had heard numerous times throughout your (almost) three years together and it didn’t get any easier. it came with his job, he had been pretty adamant about that as your relationship got more serious. you accepted it and you supported him, but it didn’t make the cons of his job any easier. dating a world-famous actor was tough, you knew that much, and sometimes it fucking sucked.
admittedly, it wasn’t his fault, but you still felt the disappointment and frustration bubble within your stomach and you had nowhere to direct it except at tom. exhaling deeply, you nibbled at your lip as you tried to form an acceptable response. you weren’t in the mood to argue, but the feelings were difficult to swallow.
“i can’t do anything right.”
“what do you mean?” tom questioned through the phone.
“i-i just feel like no matter what i do, nothing goes the way i want it to. i got yelled at again at work, marley is still mad at me, and i-i just really wanted to celebrate our anniversary together. i had the whole thing planned.”
there was a noise coming from his side of the phone call and as he released yet another sigh, you knew what message was coming. tom apologized about five times before he bid his final goodbye and ended the phone call. you could tell he was sorry; his apologies were genuine. but you couldn’t help but think how he could’ve tried a little harder.
so, you put away the ingredients you had brought out to bake his favorite dessert, deciding it could wait for whenever he came home. you retreated to the living room, plopping down on the sofa with a sigh. you tossed your phone down next to you, knowing you wouldn’t need it anytime soon. tessa cuddled up next to you on the sofa, her snout resting on your bare feet. you fell asleep like that, wrapped up in tom’s favorite blanket and the tv playing old episodes of csi.
the next day was fairly uneventful as well. nikki had stopped by with paddy; the two of you hadn’t had time to catch up in a while, but you knew the youngest holland had come to play with his canine friend. eventually, they bid their goodbyes, letting you know that you were welcome to come over whenever you wanted. you thanked her for the kind offer and closed the door, once again left alone in the small house with tessa. the grey staffy was perfect company, but you were beginning to crave human attention - tom’s attention.
after watching titanic, which you had randomly came across while going through the channels, you decided to clean up the glasses left after your guests. while doing so, you found paddy’s new earbuds on the counter. you sent him a quick snapchat to let him to know, to which he responded with a bunch of sad emojis. telling him to stop by and get it whenever he has the chance, you placed your phone back down on the counter and began unloading the dishwasher. tessa’s paws scratched against the hardwood floors as she came to investigate the noise you were making. you cooed at her, apologizing for getting her hopes up about food, and she grunted and plopped down in the middle of the kitchen floor. she stayed like that while you continued your chore until the doorbell rang, startling you both.
“who could that be, huh, tess? let’s go see, yeah?”
wiping your hands on the dishtowel hanging from oven, you looked at tessa before heading toward the door. she followed you closely, eager to see what new guests might be hiding behind the door. it was comforting, having her with you. there was no doubt within your body that she would protect you if, god forbid, uninvited guests made their way into the house. the staffy had been shared between all the hollands, but when you moved in with tom and his schedule got busier and busier, he had insisted she stay with you.
“hey, paddy, here to pick up your- tom?” your voice dripped with confusion and your boyfriend responded with a sheepish smile.
tessa whined happily, forcefully pushing her head between your leg and the door to great her owner. tom bent down immediately, rubbing her head affectionately, his eyes never leaving yours. he cleared his throat and stood back up, readjusting the strap of his bang slung over his shoulder. you suddenly realized he was still standing outside his own home and opened the door for him. he stepped inside, a silence you couldn’t quite place falling over you.
“what are you doing here?”
“i missed you so much,” he admitted, his earnest coffee-colored orbs meeting yours. “and i couldn’t miss our anniversary. three years together is a big deal and i want you to know how much it means to me. i-i told them to reschedule the press thing.”
“tom…” you wanted to tell him that he shouldn’t have, that he didn’t have to do that for you, but the words wouldn’t come out. “thank you.”
“i wouldn’t miss it for the world, darling. i had the entire day planned out, too, y’know?”
“oh yeah?” you teased, wrapping your arms around his neck. his familiar scent entered your nostrils and you immediately felt yourself relax. “wanna tell me about it then?”
“no!” tom chuckled, one hand firmly placed on your waist as he dropped his bag to the floor. “you’ll just have to wait and see. one more night. you can handle that, can’t you?”
“we’ll see. you know i’m not good with surprises.”
“oh, i think you’ll like this one,” tom assured, unbeknownst to you, checking his pocket to see if the ring was still there.
