We both clutch our stomachs and double over in laughter. "Mrs. Hartman was such an odd bird, but she made for some great stories and friendships." I manage as Harry and I finally calm down. "I really missed hanging out with you like this."

"I did too." Harry replies with a smile, but it fades after a quick moment. "What happened to you? It was like you just disappeared when we were kids."

"Yeah. My parents claimed they needed a change of pace. I just—never really understood why."

"So—what brought you back?"

"I wanted to come to a good school, to pursue my dream, and to come back here. I missed it."

"Missed it? Or a very specific Holland?" Harry teases and sips his cup of tea with a smirk. My cheeks turn red, and I struggle to come up with a halfway decent rebuttal. "C'mon, Y/NN. I know you and my brother were like a childhood love story of best friends."

"It wasn't like that." I mumble into my tea. "We were just friends."

"You know—" Harry draws out the syllable as his smirk grows, "—Tom has been talking about you non-stop since you two reconnected."

I clamp a hand over my mouth to keep from spewing hot tea everywhere. Harry laughs at my reaction, while I hastily gulp down my mouthful. "What? Harry, why did you have to say that! I swear, I've been doing really good about not freaking out yet. Now I'm getting all nervous and all sweaty again. What am I even supposed to say to him when we're talking face to face?"

Harry looks over my shoulder and offers a halfway sympathetic look. "Well, you're gonna have to figure that one out quickly."

I don't have long to figure out what he means before the front door opens up. My muscles instinctively tense up. Tessa immediately runs up to the two boys, who are chatting and joking happily. They—unlike me—are blissfully unaware of the situation ahead of us.

It's clear exactly when I get noticed, because the whole room goes dead silent. I squeeze my eyes shut and pray for myself to turn miraculously invisible. Unfortunately, Harry just has to 'help' out. "Hey, guys. Did you see who's here?"

I stand up from my seat on the plush couch and wipe my clammy palms on my jeans. It takes a moment for me to process exactly who is in front of me. My eyes focus on Harrison, knowing that one glance at Tom, and I'll be nothing but a stuttering mess. "Hi, guys." I whisper and barely a wave.

"Y/N?" Harrison cheers and runs toward me with arms extended for a hug. "It's been forever. Where have you been hiding out all these years?"

I can't help but hug back and smile into Harrison's shoulder as he sets me back down on my feet. "Well, my parents moved us up to Scotland, and I only recently came back for BRIT school and work."

Harrison beams with a happiness that makes me feel giddy myself. "Really? What did you study?"

"I studied acting and singing, and before you ask, yes, I do still dance. It's just more of a hobby though." I tell Harrison, who turns toward his best friend to see his reaction. Although, we find Tom staring at us with a blank, still shocked look on his features.

Those brown eyes that I adored so much when we were younger stare into mine with tears threatening to spill. All the memories and feelings from when we were kids come flooding back like a tidal wave. I guess over nine years and a whole country between us means nothing against one look from Tom. Because one look and I'm right back to caring for him deeper than I thought possible. "Hi, Tommy." I whisper.

"Hi, Y/NN." He whispers back, and I can faintly hear Harry and Harrison rushing out of the room to give us some privacy. We both remain completely still, unsure of how to act around each other after so long. "So—you're—um—you're really back in town?"

"Yeah, and you're back for a while too?" I question and shove my hands in my pocket to hide my nerves. "I guess we'll be seeing a lot of each other then."

"Wait, are you the surprise guest my mum was talking about?" Tom asks suddenly very excited. I nod and smile at my childhood best friend and crush. It still warms my heart to see him so happy. "Wow. That's—that's awesome."

"Yeah, my parents are actually here too. They came down to visit, and your mum insisted I come to dinner too." I bite my lip and try to find a way to rebuild the bridge that feels long ago destroyed despite our online interactions. Things just feel so different in person. Or maybe I'm just less confident and more awkward in real life. "So, would you—um—maybe wanna get coffee sometime? Catch up and talk about stuff?"

Tom's smile fades a fraction, and I feel my stomach drop to the floor. I stutter and look for an excuse to backtrack my way out. Halfway to the door, a hand gently wraps around my wrist to stop me. "Don't go. I—I was just startled. Yes, I would love to go out with you." His eyes widen as the realization of what he said hits him. "I mean, I would like to catch up and spend time with you."

I smile and kiss his cheek. "It's okay, Tom. I would love to go out with you too. Harry has my number, so just text me whenever."

"Actually how about dinner tomorrow night?" He questions with his trademark grin. "We can go to that pizza place we loved as kids."

"It's a date." I grin and try not to blush. Still, the sight of Tom's bright red cheeks gives me enough courage to tease him a little before I leave. "See you then, darling."

...

I smooth down my pants and wonder if the outfit is too casual for what can technically be called a 'date.' My first date in almost forever with Tom. The thought sends my heart pounding. I've honestly been freaking out about this all day, trying to think over every detail of what could happen, wondering if the time and distance between us will be too much to recover from.

"Oh my gosh. I can't believe you're finally going out with him! Now aren't you glad I stole you're phone to text your long lost lover boy." My best friend calls from her spot lounging on our couch. "I'm still mad you didn't tell me about him sooner, by the way. It's like the cutest love story ever! Plus, he's a super famous actor. Heck, he's the Tom Holland."

"I have not been in love with him since we were kids!" I shout back as I nervously pace the living room. "And I never mentioned him or his fame for good reason! One, you would have never stopped bugging me to call him, and two, he's never been the Tom Holland. In my mind, he's always been the same guy I grew up with. The one that used to chase me around, climb trees, and get me into the worst trouble. He was one of my best friends before—" I pause and stare down at my scuffed sneakers, "—before my parents uprooted us and moved."

"You know you can talk about it with me, right? I know your parents can't hear any of this stuff without thinking they ruined your life, but you still need to talk about it all."

"It's not that." I collapse next to her with a sigh. "They didn't do anything wrong. It was just hard for me to restart. I had a life here—best friends, a school I loved, and happiness. When we left, it just hurt. Not to mention, I'm not the best at making new friends—besides you, that was a fluke."

"You're welcome." F/N teases and punches my shoulder. "Still, I want you to know I'm happy for you. You're going on a date for goodness sake! I mean it's—"

She's interrupted by a knock, and I stare at the door like a deer in the headlights. "Oh no, he's here. What if I mess up? What if I say something stupid or it's not the same as before?" I hyperventilate and keep wiping my palms on my pants.

F/N just offers me a small smile and whispers an encouragement as she passes to open the door. "Hi, you must be the infamous Tom that I heard so much about recently." Her voice echoes through the hallway. "Y/N, he's here."

I force a deep breath and join them at the front door. "Hey," I smile and feel some of the nerves fading away.

Tom let out a sigh and returns the smile. "Hi. You look—wow."

F/N clamps a hand over her mouth to hide her obvious giggle. "Okay, lovebirds. Enough with the heart eyes. Go on your date!" She shouts and shoves out the door.

Tom and I laugh as we make our way out and to the restaurant. The old place still has the same look, but much more worn around the edges. "I can't believe it's still around." I sigh and try to ignore the way our hands keep brushing together. It takes all my self control to not take it in my own. "It was always your favorite if I remember correctly."

"It was, but I stopped going after a while." He tells me with a soft voice, and I tilt my head at him curiously. "Kind of had a hard time going there after you moved."

"I get that." I whisper as we sit in the old booth. "Believe it or not, there's a list of things I couldn't do after I left. I never told anyone this—but I cried for days after we moved, then the first day of school, my first birthday away, and a few other times."

"Yeah, my mum was really worried about me. I didn't want to come out of my room for over a week. I just never understood why you left so suddenly and never said anything after you left."

"To be honest, it hurt too much, and I wasn't sure how." I sigh and fiddle with my fingers. "I didn't have a phone number, letters seemed to complicated, and my parents weren't fond of me using computers. Then with our whole unique goodbye, they weren't exactly jumping on board to help me reconnect. Not that I would have known what to say."

"Well, it's okay now." Tom smiles and reaches for my hand across the table. His fingertips brush over my knuckles. "I mean, we kind of got a second chance."

I turn my hand over and let him trace patterns over it before our hands link. "A second chance for what?"

Tom's face gets a little pale and his hand clammy as he avoids looking at me for a long moment. "A second chance to not let you go this time. I never told you—probably cause I never realized it until I saw you talking to Harry yesterday—but I really missed you. I care about you—in a highly romantic way."

A smile breaks across my face as I stare down at the table and bite my lip. "That's good. 'Cause I care about you in a highly romantic way too."

Tom's lips curve up into the widest smile I've ever seen. "I guess our mum's were right all those years ago. They always told us we would make a good pair and end up together one day." He slides out from his seat and places himself next to me. "Sorry, I just—I have to do this, for myself and old times' sake."

"Do what?" I question incredulously. Tom just shakes his head with a childish grin as he places an open palm on my cheek. My heart pounds in my chest as we lean closer. It's still nervous and awkward like the first time, but there's something different this time.

I smile against his lips before we pull away after a second. "Well, that was better than I remembered it." Tom laughs with his breath fanning against my lips.

"Yeah, it was." I reply with an airy laugh. "I think it helps that we're not kids anymore."

"Definitely." Tom agrees as his brown eyes search mine. "Can I still call you my girlfriend though? You know, for old times' sake."

"Sure." I giggle and press my forehead against his. "Except this time, it's not just for old times' sake."