Thomas swore to god that if his heart didn't stop beating then he was going to crave it out of his chest! Dramatic? What's new. He felt like he was recovering from free falling, his pulse was calming down and his breath was finally. It was so annoying, imagine driving like this home and not getting in an accident. His heart welcomed it through; another annoying thing. His heart seemed to like his odd reaction to... to... to what? Thomas combed through his memory of when it started, reading over his past actions and thought back on his feelings. Everything had been fine and normal until Aaron. From when Thomas saw Aaron dress in James clothes, Aaron's laughter and smile, and when Aaron called him by his first name, it all sent shivers down his spine. He hadn't felt like this since Martha. Thomas's eyes widened and threw his coat to the ground.

"Fuck no!" He growled. "Uh-uh. Not happening, can't happen!"

"What can't happen?"

Thomas sqriked and jumped, he looked to see Eliza in her door entrance. She was out of her work clothes and into a casual white sundress, she liked to dress breazy and easy moveable clothes. Very different from the way Thomas dressed. Thomas dressed to impress, all the time, whether he was staying home or had plans he put thought into his appearance. Eliza dressed for what was apparate. At work, she wore black dress pants and a navy blue button up shirt. At home, she wore baggy sweatpants and fuzzy sweaters. Thomas was envious of her calm aura.

"Just-," Thomas groaned. "A guy at work."

Eliza's eyes lit up. "Oh? Come in and talk to me, I have tea."

Right now, Thomas didn't want to talk about his feelings, but this was Eliza: impossible to say no to. He followed her in and sat down on the beige couch. Normally Thomas didn't like tea but Eliza's tea was always the best. She never said what it kind it was, whenever he asked she winked and said "surprise" and he always liked it. He accepted the cup of tea she offered and took a sip. Delicious as always. Eliza took a sit next to him and looked up at him with careful eyes.

"So, this boy?" She says with a grin and sips her tea. Closing her own eyes and enjoying the warmth.

Thomas takes another sip, loving the warm feeling wash over his tired bones. He carefully thinks of his words as if he were on trial. "He's a co-worker. Meet him in Jame office, he said 'hi' and I said it back. But something... happened. A feeling sparked in me. I don't know. I haven't felt like this for a long while and I don't want to."

"Sometimes we should do things that we don't want to."

"What's that supposed to mean, fortune cookie?"

Eliza rolled her eyes. "It just means that you shouldn't stay in a shell."

"I'm not trying to! My feelings aren't like other people... I don't know how it works and I'm freaking out because the last person who I loved is..."

Thomas's voice died off. The air grew still and the only warmth that seemed to radiate was from his cup of tea, he greedly drink it and felt relief as the hot water slid down his throat. It had a slight burn to his tongue but it was nice. He didn't want to talk about Martha, not right now, he prayed that Eliza wouldn't pry. It's been five years sure but he wasn't ready. James had tried to get him help but that was shut down. When he's ready he'll talk. Maybe when he can't feel her embrace or hear her voice, maybe when he didn't think of her when he baked, maybe when his heart stopped yearning for her to comb his hair with her delicate fingers.

Eliza sadly chuckled. "This is giving me deja vu." She sighed and smiled brightly. "We'll get to that later and let's talk of this boy. Can you give me a name or are you going to be mysterious and dramatic like always."

"I am not dramatic," Thomas pouted but secretly smiled.

"Then tell!"

Thomas softly smiled to himself thinking of Aaron. "His name is Aaron Burr."

What Eliza did next was not what he was expecting. She was taking a sip of her tea when he was talking and she snorted so hard that tea went flying all over her sundress and no doubt up her nose. Thomas jerked back in surprise. This was not graceful Eliza that he knew and loved. She quickly regained herself and bolted up to grab paper towels. He watched her frequently wipe away the tea then slow down at an eerie pace.

"You alright?" Thomas asked.

Her head snapped up as if she was in thought. For a moment, just moment, he saw a lost soul in those two doe eyes. Sadness tugged at his heart and he yearned to know more. But he kept it to himself. If she can't pry into his life then he can't pry into hers. That look washed away and the sweetness returned.

"Yeah," She said unconvincingly," yeah, just... haven't heard that name in a long time."

Thomas's eyebrows raised to his hairline. "You know Aaron?"

Eliza got sat back down and chuckled dryly. "Oh, I know Aaron Burr. We don't have a close history but he's impacted those around me enough for me to know him."

"Can I ask how?"

"He use to love my sister," Eliza started bluntly. "They were partners in crime, feminists to the fullest. If Angelica wasn't a lesbian then they would've made a handsome couple."

"Wait!" Thomas said with astonishment. "What you're saying is Angelica, the same Angelica that works with me, is your sister, not only that but Aaron used to like-like her! I mean, I can kind of see it but she's just so... and he's so... ugh, how do I put this?" Thomas glanced at Eliza and was shocked to see her contain her laughter. "Why are you laughing? This is serious!"

"I'm sorry! But I can't believe you're thirty and you sound like a teenager! You said 'like-like', how are you an adult?" Eliza said before bending in half with laughter.

Thomas rolled his eyes in frustration. "Whatever."

Eliza let out a howl of laughter before finally calming down. "Oh my god, you're a blessing sometimes..."

"Sometimes? Bitch I'm a freaking God descent."

"Your ego is too big," Eliza says with a smile. "Want me to continue with how I know Aaron? Or that the fact he use to have the hots for my sister enough?"

"Please continue," Thomas says hiding an awkward look.

She inhaled deeply then looked at the distance. "We both loved the same man. Aaron loved him first though, I didn't know at the time and I pursued a relationship with the guy. He said he liked another guy and in came John. Me and John got along fine, we became quick friends. I didn't know about Aaron until Angelica told me. I'm blurry on the details but I know that he broke up with Aaron and it just... it feels like hell. Like, what if I was the cause of their break up?"

"If the guy was happy then he would've stayed with Aaron," Thomas said sharply.

Eliza glanced at him and give him grateful look. "Thank you. I ran into Aaron a few times after and I... can't understand how he slept after what he did to Aaron. Aaron looked like he was a corpse."

"I think he's better now," Thomas offered. "I'm not sure but he works and smiles."

"That's good," Eliza says.

"Maybe you should talk to him. I have a feeling that you two would hit it off."

"That sounds nice."

Thomas cleared his throat and went back at the matter at hand. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable and Thomas had to admit that he wanted to see her smile again.

"So, what should I do? I mean, I might like-like this guy and now I know that he's just as fucked up as I am!" Thomas whined.

"Do what you want. Just don't throw away what you might think is worth fighting for."

Sometimes Thomas wished she was more blunt. He finished his tea and thanked her for her time, she showed him out and said goodnight. Thomas returned to his apartment and shut his door with a huff. The tea was nice but the answers wasn't what he wanted to hear. He dragged himself to his bedroom and slowly took his clothes off, sighing in freedom when his skin could breathe again. He slipped into his boxers and decided to shower in the morning. Thomas entered his bathroom and flipped the lightswitch on, he took his toothbrush and put a generous amount on, he brushed his teeth until his eyes landed on something on his skin.

It was an hourglass with flowers and leaves in it with cracks. Right on his left hip it sat like it owned it.

Thomas dropped his toothbrush, not minding the toothpaste going everywhere.

"Shit."