I tug the blankets closer to my chin. My phone keeps buzzing on the nightstand, and I hastily shut it off. Ever since the big announcement, people have been bombarding me with their opinions—the good, bad, and horrendously hateful. I've been hiding away in my room since the hate started and unable to handle the paparazzi screaming in my face about the 'Tomdaya rumors' and possible 'publicity stunt of our relationship.'

"Love, please, just talk to me." Tom asks as he gently tugs at the top of the covers. "I brought your favorite snacks. The exact kind we used to make ourselves sick on before dinner. You told me you couldn't eat them after the move because of the memories. I thought we could eat them and talk for a while."

"I don't wanna talk." I manage to complain through the building tears. "I'm so sick of people talking—about me, about my career, about our relationship. So can we, please, just not talk for a little bit?"

"Of course, darling." Tom whispers and tugs the covers down to climb in next to me. His arms wrap around my waist as he presses a kiss to my shoulder. "Just know I'm here when you're ready to talk again."

I wipe my eyes and turn to face my caring boyfriend. "Marvel called. They're not sure if they're going to keep my contract with the things people are saying about me. The worst part is—I can't blame them. With the things people are saying, I'm starting to believe it myself."

Tom immediately springs into action at the comment, and he brushes away the tears as they build in his own eyes. "No, don't you ever believe those things. You are the most amazing person, Y/N, the love of my life, the woman I would give up everything for to see happy, and the woman I see myself settling down with in the future. Please, don't let silly people try to convince you that you're anything but those things."

"It's just so hard, Tom. What am I supposed to do? I can't say anything without becoming an even bigger monster. Everyone thinks of me as this gold-digging fiend, and there's nothing I can do about it." I sigh and rest my head on his chest. "They can't ruin this though. No one can change my mind on that. I love you, Thomas Stanley Holland."

"And I love you, Y/F/N." Tom presses a long kiss to my forehead. "How about we hang out with the gang tonight? No talking about that stuff, just spending time with people that care about us."

"I'd like that. Let me just put some shoes on." Tom just smiles in victory as I climb out of bed for the first time in a while. But, it's a victory in itself considering the state I've been in. Even if it's in sweatpants and one of Tom's sweatshirts that's too big on me. It's not like our friends will care that much if at all.

We get to the room to find the whole gang already assembled. They all cheer and greet us with smiles. Zendaya, Haz, and Jacob all approach me and immediately wrap me up in a hug. "Thanks, guys. I'm sorry I've been so—yeah."

"It's okay, hon. We understand. Now, let's just have some fun tonight." Z grins and drags me into the sitting room. The company is enough to make me temporarily forget my blues as the night drags on in a blur. I barely notice when I start to dose off in Tom's grip for the first bit of rest I've had in a while.

When I wake up, it's in my own room with Tom's arm draped over my waist. It brings a smile to my face that feels long overdue. I let out a sigh and wonder how I got so lucky to have him back in my life—especially as my boyfriend. Even with everything, Tom has still made sure I'm okay, supported, comforted, and been a best friend to me.

My phone buzzes on the nightstand, and I screw my eyes shut and pray it's just a dream. But it buzzes again to confirm my worst nightmare. I reach over and peek at the screen. A sigh escapes me when I find a text from F/N and remember Tom altered my social media notifications for me.

"I know you've been avoiding any and all social media, but you NEED to check insta. You have the coolest friends ever—besides me of course." The text reads, and it takes me a long minute to process in my current daze.

I pull up the social media app that I have been avoiding like the bubonic plague. Except, now there's no floods of comments after I turned them all off. My inbox is still overflowing—likely with a mix of hate and support from strangers. I don't bother to look at any of it.

Instead, I scroll through and find what I assume F/N was talking about. There's a post from each of our friends with the same photo at different angles. It's me lying in Tom's arms fast asleep while he looks at me like I strung up the whole universe. The glimmer in his eyes makes me fall in love with him a hundred times over.

Then I read the captions. Outpouring words of love and support for our relationship. Calls to stop the hate and affirm that our relationship is entirely genuine. They even comment on how much Tom and I care for each other. My heart warms at how wonderful these people I've come to know are.

I can barely hold in the tears at it. My emotions just bubble over at the stark contrast between the action and the past few week. It's a rare moment that I feel good—happy even. The feeling floods through me like a tsunami.

Arms wrap around me and whisper tender reassurances. "Hey, what's wrong, love?" Tom questions as I finally stop crying. His gaze turns to my phone where he sees the posts, and it all clicks. "You're not mad. Are you?"

"No, I'm so happy." I tell him and lean against his shoulder. "I never thought that people could care so much. I never expected to be loved by anyone like this—not by you or the rest of our friends. It's just so much more than I deserve."

"It's not." Tom reassures and presses a lingering kiss to my temple. "You deserve every good thing in this world, and I'm so glad you're finally getting some of it."

I shake my head, internally denying it, but I know there's no arguing with him on this. So, I just accept the compliment. Tom beams at the small victory, which makes my own smile grow immensely. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"I have an idea, but only if you're up for it." Tom tells me with worry lingering in his. eyes. "I was thinking we could do a livestream? Clear the air for ourselves."

"Are you sure? What if it turns nasty like everything else?" I nervously fiddle with my fingers as I try to weigh the pros and cons. "But, if you think it's a good idea, then we'll do it."

"I think it could be." Tom reassures me and takes my hand in his. "Plus, I'll be there with you the whole time. If it gets too bad, you have me right there and we can end it right away.

"Okay."

"Let's get it set up then." He presses a quick kiss to my lips before we head into the sitting room of the latest hotel. Tom's phone is propped up against a random vase, and we wrap ourselves up in blankets and sit close together for optimal comfort as he starts the livestream. "Hey, everyone. As you can see, I'm here with my amazing girlfriend and my favorite human being, Y/N."

I give a meek wave and try not to read too many of the comments streaming in. "So, there's been a lot of talk about our relationship, which is part of the reason we're doing this livestream together. There's some things that definitely needed to be cleared up. Mostly the nasty comments people have been giving her.

"Just to clarify, this relationship is most certainly not fake. Most people don't know this, but Y/N and I have been best friends since we were little kids. She moved away, and when we finally reconnected, we just picked up where we left off and started dating."

I spot a couple comments of people discussing how cute our story is, but there's still people calling me names and accusing me of using Tom for fame. It sends a ripple of anger through me. After everything, some people just won't give up, and I'm not about to either. Tom seems to notice to because he rubs gentle circles into my lower back as he continues. "She's honestly the best thing that's happened to me."

"And for those of you that keep saying these nasty things about me. I think it's time everyone knew the truth. Marvel had no idea about my relationship or connection to Tom when I auditioned. In fact, they didn't know until right before I went to filming. I didn't tell anyone beside my best friend."

"It's true. Everyone at Marvel had told me about this amazing actress they were adding to the team. It wasn't until a few weeks later that Y/N surprised me on set." Tom lets a proud smile cross his face. "If anyone is using the other, it would be me using her as an excuse to constantly brag and have an extra reason to post on social media.

"So, please, stop insulting Y/N. Like I tell her every single day, she is the most amazing person I have ever known. There's no one kinder, more loving, honest, talented, beautiful, and a million other things on this earth. She's the one that I see myself with in five—ten years. The one I want to marry, spend my life and have kids with, and become an old, wrinkly man. I love her more than I ever thought possible."

I turn to Tom with wide eyes. We never actually talked about these things. In my mind, it's always been assumed. Tom has always been the one I pictured with myself with when I got older—even in those years apart. But hearing the words come from him is so different. "You really mean that?"

Tom turns to me and tugs me closer by the hand now wrapped around my waist. "I really do, and nothing or no one will ever change that. Like I always told you, it's you and I forever."

"You and I forever." I echo back and press a gentle kiss to his lips. "That's something I wouldn't trade for anything in the universe. I love you, Tom Holland."

"And I love you, my darling Y/N." Tom whispers quietly back. Lips brushing mine with every syllable. Then, we both seem to remember the still going livestream. Both our cheeks turn crimson, and Tom stutters as he tries to end it. "Well—um—Bye, everyone."

"Do you think that will help?" I question after a long moment of silence. "Actually, I don't care. Either way, I know neither of us are giving up on this, and we did everything we could. That's all that matters—along with the fact that I really love you."

"You're right. That's all that really matters in this situation."