After wrapping up work talk, Agnes hesitated, then finally worked up the nerve to ask, “So, are there any women in the lab?”
“Yeah,” Tom answered, straightforward as always.
“Anyone ever… you know, confessed to you?” Agnes tilted her head, a playful smile tugging at her lips. She wasn’t jealous-just curious.
Tom chuckled softly. “If no one’s ever liked me or said anything, wouldn’t that mean I’ve been living a pretty sad life?”
“So, you’ve never thought about dating? No one ever caught your eye?”
He paused, thinking it over. “No one ever really moved me. You’re the first person to really get in here,” he said, tapping his chest. “But you’re not the first to knock.”
He was honest, no filters. His old crush on Monica? Long gone, buried under his feelings for Agnes.
Hearing that, Agnes felt a mix of relief and something else-something heavier. “Is it because… of the emails? The ones I sent for seven years?”
She worried his feelings might be tangled up with guilt, not love.
“No,” Tom said firmly. “Those emails touched me, but they didn’t make me fall for you. I’m not with you because of them.”
Their eyes locked, and for a moment, it was just the two of them. She believed him.
“I like you because of who you are now,” he added. “The emails? They’re just a bonus.”
Agnes smiled, her eyes lighting up. “But they did help, right?”
“Yeah, they did,” he admitted, reaching out to ruffle her hair. “Still planning to write tonight?”
She shook her head. “I’d rather stay here, talk, just be with you.”
“Alright, I’ll make us some tea.”
After dinner, they headed to the terrace. Tom set up the tea set under the moonlight, and they talked, the conversation easy and unhurried. Then Agnes’s phone buzzed-Grandma was calling via video.
Seeing Agnes still there, living with Tom, Grandma was over the moon. Her smile could’ve lit up the night.
She didn’t stay on long, just a quick chat before hanging up, clearly satisfied.
“Do you think Grandma would’ve been mad if she found out we lied to her back then?” Agnes asked, still a little uneasy.
“From the way she rushed back to Arkpool City with Lisa and took to you so fast, I’d say Grandma’s all about the end result, not how you get there,” Tom said, a teasing edge to his voice. He wasn’t worried about Grandma-it was Agnes’s parents that had him on edge.
Agnes laughed at that. The tea was ready soon, and Tom poured her a cup.
“Thanks,” she said, almost reflexively.
“You’re welcome,” he replied, amused by her politeness. “But you don’t have to be so formal with me.”
She grinned. “It’s a habit.”
“A good one,” he said.
“Mom always told my sister and me that no one owes us anything-not even her-so saying thank you is important,” Agnes explained.
Tom nodded, appreciating the way she’d been raised. It was clear her family had done something right.
They kept talking, the tea disappearing as the night deepened. Eventually, Tom led her back to the bedroom, and they took turns showering.
He’d already laid out clothes for her, thoughtful as ever.
That night, Tom helped Agnes dry her hair. Standing behind her, he was a head taller, his movements gentle as he worked the hairdryer. His eyes were soft, full of something warm.
Being with her made him feel like he’d found a little piece of home-and it made him look forward to the life they’d build together.