Only Yours

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Your soulmate could be your best friend.
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DKAspie
DKAspie
262 Followers

Auther's Note: This is my first attempt at writing a story and it turned out to be a very long one. Please be advised that this is a love story with a little erotica, not the other way around. I really hope that you will like the story.

The feedback on this story has been amazing, I really appreciate all the positive comments. As suggested, I have fixed most of the errors, though I know that in such a long story there is bound to be just a few mistakes. I haven't used an editor, so please forgive any mistakes I haven't been able to catch.

I have just updated the story once more based on the feedback it has received. I feel this has made the story even better and hope people will continue to enjoy it.

Now, on with the story.

Chapter 1

Thomas Greene, or Tom as he was sometimes called, was almost done unpacking from the trip back home when he heard the ring of his doorbell. He checked his watch for the time and as he began to make his way to the door, he wondered briefly who it could be this late in the evening.

He opened the door to find his best friend, whom he had said goodbye to in the taxi not an hour earlier, standing with the same bag she had used for their trip.

It looked a lot like it did just a week earlier when they had set out for the train station, but with three differences; firstly it was evening, not morning, so it was a bit darker, secondly it was raining, but the most important difference was that this time around she was not smiling and it was obvious that she had been crying.

"Can I stay with you for a while?" was the only thing Julia said to him before starting to sob, her voice trembled with sadness and her eyes were pleading for his help.

* * *

Roughly twenty-five years earlier, on the fourteenth of March, Joan Greene gave birth to her son Thomas. Joan was a secretary at the accounting firm her husband William also worked for. Twenty days later, on the third of April, all three of them were back at the hospital to share in the birth of Julia Marie Hawthorn.

Julia's mother, Elizabeth, was a dance teacher, and her father, Frank, was a mechanic.

William and Frank had been best friends since the first years of school and now lived next to each other in the same town they grew up in. Their wives quickly became friends, even best friends, and when they became pregnant at the nearly same time, it was clear that the two families would never drift apart.

The hedges between their two yards were removed shortly after the birth of their children. It had been at the request of the two new mothers, who had grown tired of having to walk around it carrying their newborns.

Frank and William had protested at first since they had loved standing on either side of it with a beer talking to each other, but once their wives had pointed out that they could just put up a table or leave a little of it standing, they got their shovels and got to work. While they worked they talked, trying to figure out how their wives always ended up getting their way.

As Tom and Julia learned to crawl, their fathers quickly forgot about standing on either side of a bush, since sitting together looking at the children playing on the grass was much better. In fact it became their favorite thing to do on the weekends for the first few years.

Even their mothers, who had never wanted to squander their precious time talking over a hedge, but preferred a quick cup of coffee or talking over a dinner, found the time to just watch what they loved more than anything, playing in the sun.

Most of the photographs either family took at that time where of the children playing together in the yard.

All too quickly the yard became too small to hold the growing children and instead of crawling on the grass they began chasing each other on two feet, rarely without also showing the world just how much noise two children can make when they are having fun.

Tom and Julia still ran around the yard when they played catch, but also everywhere else they had access to, be it either house or in the surrounding fields and forest, so it was no longer possible to sit and watch the children for hours.

It became rare for the fathers to be able to watch their children for more than twenty minutes at the time, but they still enjoyed the time spent there, so they kept doing it. Frank and William put in a sandbox for the kids as well as a swing set, which did give them more time to watch their children play.

The treehouse on the other hand was for the children's benefit, although it might also have saved Elizabeth and Joan from having to clean the floors as much since the children now had another place to enter with their dirty shoes.

The picture both Elizabeth and Joan most adored was taken when the children were playing in the sandbox and Julia had leaned over and kissed Tom on the cheek.

If anything can melt a mother's heart it is children being cute, so copies were made and when people they met asked about their children, that was the photo that came out of the wallet. Later, other, more recent, photos were of course also included, but that one was always the first of the bunch.

Tom and Julia loved their treehouse, and spent a lot of time up there, the walls quickly filled with drawings, and with the addition of some blankets and pillows the treehouse was where they felt most at home, with the only exception possibly being the embrace of their parents.

From the day they met to the day they graduated from high school the longest period of time they were apart was one week. Julia was to go with her family to visit her grandparents, and of course Tom was supposed to come with them, but he became ill and had to stay at home with his own parents.

Julia's grandparents were sad to hear they did not get to have their "other grandchild" visit them, but no one missed Tom more than Julia.

Since Thomas and Julia were as close to brother and sister as is possible without actually being raised in the same house, they always went with each other on vacations. Mostly this was unavoidable since the Greenes and the Hawthorns went on most of their vacations together, but the few times only one family went, it was almost always either with an extra child or going alone, letting the kids stay behind.

Like Julia, Thomas wasn't happy that week either, he was sick and he was bored, even though his mother spoiled him with ice-cream and affection the entire week. It just wasn't fun staying in bed most of the time without Julia there to talk to, as they had done for one another when either of them had been sick.

When Julia finally returned with her family the joy could be both seen and heard as the two best friends were reunited.

That evening, as their parents sat in the yard and talked, Julia had sneaked out of bed and into Tom's bedroom. The parents had talked about the trip, talked about how much Thomas and Julia had missed each other and then about anything and everything else that came to mind, all the while their children had done the same.

When the adults decided it was time for sleep, Joan and William had found both children asleep in Tom's bed. That photograph quickly found a spot right behind the one of Tom and Julia in the sandbox.

As they got older they of course made more friends, but none of them ever became as close as they were. Julia's second best friend was her older cousin Sophia. Sophia was four years older than Julia and had on several occasions babysat Julia and Thomas.

When Julia and Thomas would become mad at each other it was never long lived, often it was Sophia who ensured that peace was made. Sophia lived in the same town, so when Julia would call her to inform her that she was now her favorite, since Tom was a jerk, or to tell her that Tom was mad at her and she was sad, Sophia would arrive shortly after and fix the problem.

Not that she would have minded being Julia's best friend, but she knew Julia would be much better off having her real best friend around. Had Julia done something bad, Sophia would tell her in no uncertain terms to march over to Tom and apologize, had Tom been the cause, then he got the same treatment.

If neither was really to blame she would mediate a truce and ensure that they were best friends once more before she would head off again. Once she had to take them out for ice-cream before peace could be made, but that was as bad as it had ever gotten.

It was never really up for discussion whether they would go to the same college or not, that was just what they both knew was best. What was discussed was however which college that was going to be. They spent many hours finding out where they wanted to go, finally deciding on a school a little less than five-hundred miles from their hometown.

While they wanted some independence from their, sometimes, over-loving parents, they knew that they would definitely miss them way too much if they went too far away. Their parents had hoped they would remain even closer, but was relieved that their children would not be completely out of reach.

Moving to a big city and starting college might have been overwhelming for someone coming from a smaller town, but since they had each other to rely on it went surprisingly easy for them both and, although they weren't spending as much time together as they had in the past, they remained best friends.

Thomas studied programming while Julia wanted to become a nurse so their classes never overlapped, which meant the time available for hanging out together was limited. They did however talk often, if not in person, then over the phone.

They would regularly travel home to visit their parents, always together, which was a highpoint for both generations.

The third photograph in the, by then rather large, bunch of photos found inside the wallets of both Elizabeth and Joan, became the two of them standing side-by-side in their graduation gowns each grasping a well-earned diploma.

It was a wonder the picture came out as good as it did since Frank had a slightly blurred vision when taking it. Who would blame him having trouble suppressing a little tear of pride? Certainly not William who was struggling with that same issue himself. Neither Joan nor Elizabeth gave any pretense of not being moved to tears, much to the embarrassment of their children.

After graduating Julia quickly found a job at a nearby hospital and shortly after that Thomas also found work in the city.

It was working at the hospital that Julia met Jack. Jack was tall dark and handsome as they say, and he and Julia began dating. While this limited the time she could spend with Thomas she still considered him her best friend and continued to talk to him about what went on in her life.

Julia had just moved into Jack's apartment when it once again became time to go back home, this time to celebrate her mother's birthday.

She had looked forward to Jack finally meeting her parents, all four of them, but when the time approached Jack backed out claiming he had to work. While this saddened her a little she was still looking forward to spending time with her family, also, she thought, it had been a while since she and Thomas had spent that many days together and she had kind of missed it.

So when the day to leave came she was in a good mood and was smiling that morning when she had shown up at Thomas' door all packed and ready to go. Thomas had also looked forward to the trip home and was just as happy when they departed for home.

Julia had fallen asleep on his shoulder during the long train ride, leaving a small wet spot on his shirt, but Thomas couldn't have cared any less, she was his best friend after all.

When the train rolled into the station and Thomas woke her from her sleep, they were both aching to stretch which was when Julia noticed the wet spot on his shirt. She started to apologize, but Thomas was having trouble seeing the harm done, so he stopped her and grabbed their bags.

On the platform they found Sophia waiting for them, after the welcome hugs they got into her car and headed for home. Sophia was disappointed about not getting to meet Jack, but seeing her cousin was the important part. At home it was much the same reception with even longer hugs and even more disappointment about not meeting Julia's new boyfriend.

Thomas was single at that point so he had to endure them probing about when he would bring home a girl, Sophia said that he could always bring her, but that was obviously a joke, since her fiancé Benjamin was holding her as she spoke.

Roughly a week later hugs were once more shared as Thomas and Julia departed for the train station. This time it was Frank who drove them and as he said goodbye to them on the platform Julia gave her father an extra hug while Tom took their bags with him into the train in search of their seats.

The ride back was fairly uneventful; they talked about what plans they had for the next few days, Thomas told Julia about a concert he had gotten a ticket to, while Julia was mostly just looking forward to surprising her boyfriend by coming home a day early.

* * *

"Of course you can, come here" he replied immediately while holding his arms open. She instantly accepted his offered hug and threw herself into his arms grabbing him forcefully; he closed his arms around her tightly and just stood there, holding her close for a while. He gently stroked her back while she cried in silence.

After several minutes she let go of him, feeling somewhat better. He reluctantly let her from his grasp, but only when he knew she was no longer in acute need of comfort. Her gray eyes were slightly red and had left another wet spot on his shirt. When she had arrived at his door her breathing had been somewhat shallow, but his hug had calmed her down and now her breath was deeper and much calmer, as was her heartbeat.

He moved around her to get her bag, he brought it in and closed the door which had stood open the entire time they hugged. The rain had left a little water by the door, but that would have to wait, his best friend was sad and that took priority.

"Let me take your coat" he said to her, she stood in the same position she had done when they had stopped hugging, his words seemed not to reach her. Her head was tilted down slightly and she was clearly in her own thoughts so he just helped her out of her jacket and hung it on a hook by the door, then he led her towards the couch and sat down next to her.

Without lifting her head she started telling him what had happened, still sobbing slightly at times.

"I came home wanting to surprise him", she sobbed.

"and I let myself in", she sobbed again.

Thomas was starting to get an idea of what might come next.

"and there he was..."

Thomas moved closer to her on the couch, he didn't really know what to do to help her, to make things better, so he went on instinct and at that moment it told him to move closer, to be ready to catch her should she fall. It was ridiculous really; she was on a sofa, not a cliff, where would she fall to.

"with another girl!"

She started crying again and did fall; she fell into his arms once more and cried. Thomas had no idea what he was supposed to say, he wanted to help her, make her pain go away, but he could think of nothing to say so he just held her for a while.

While she cried he wondered if he should tell her it was going to be okay, or to tell her she was better off without that jerk, maybe tell her that he would beat him up for doing that to her, but nothing seemed to be the right thing to say.

Julia on the other hand was only thinking that this hug was all she needed at that moment. What she needed was to feel someone care, and here she felt safe, this felt like the only place in the world where things had any chance of getting better.

He just held her that way, after almost an hour she fell asleep. The position wasn't overly comfortable for him, but there was no way he was letting her go when she needed him, so half an hour later he too closed his eyes and slept.

* * *

Chapter 2

The next morning they were woken by the doorbell. It was half past eight in the morning and Thomas' coworker was supposed to pick him up for their weekly game of racquetball. Julia sat up, rubbing her eyes, still tired; few things can tire you out as much as crying.

Thomas got up to answer the door. Outside, John was getting a little impatient so he rang the bell once more after which he could hear Tom making his way to the door inside. John was a little surprised by Tom's appearance when the door was opened; Tom was usually ready to go when he arrived.

"Sorry John, I know I texted you last night saying I came home early, but I can't today." Thomas told his friend and coworker, he continued with "Julia is going through some stuff and I need to be there for her."

"Hey man, don't worry about it, we can play next Saturday." John replied.

"I know I should have let you know, but she showed up last night and I completely forgot."

John looked at Tom's wrinkled clothes and started to smile before saying "She spent the night huh?" the smile turning into a grin.

"It's not like that" Tom defended, knowing what his coworker was thinking.

"Too bad," John said "but I'll leave you to it then, see you Monday." The last part half yelled as he was walking back to his car.

When Thomas came back inside he found Julia lying on the couch looking up at him. "Who was it?" she asked in a low, sleepy voice.

"John from work, I forgot to cancel racquetball."

"You shouldn't cancel your plans just because I showed up" she said, feeling bad that she was ruining Tom's day with her problems. She also felt bad for John's ruined day, in her mind she was just a horrible burden on everyone around her.

"Hey, I play racquetball with him almost every week, I can skip a week" Tom said while sitting down on the sofa where she lay. While putting a hand on her shoulder he added "besides, you are much more important." She smiled slightly as he said that, it is nice to know someone cares.

"Do you want to sleep some more before breakfast?" Thomas asked.

"I'm still pretty tired" she answered with a slight nod.

Thomas got up, took a blanket off the back of the couch and spread it across her body. Before he left the room he closed the curtains a little better and turned off the last lamp that had been burning throughout the night.

He went into the kitchen and checked his calendar to make sure he had not forgotten any more appointments, but since they had arrived a day earlier than planned the rest of the day was already free.

An hour and a half later Julia walked into the kitchen where she found Thomas looking at something on his laptop whilst sipping on a cup of coffee. She quickly found the pot and poured herself a cup.

"Feeling better?" Thomas asked hopefully.

She looked at him and to her he looked just like the same little boy that had been so sad when he had broken her favorite plastic tiara many years earlier. This time it wasn't even his fault she was sad.

"A little, that first blow hits hard, but even after that is gone I'm still stuck with sadness and betrayal." She said causing mixed emotions in Thomas, on one hand he was glad she felt better, on the other he hated that she still felt bad.

"Where did I put my jacket?" Julia asked Thomas "I think I left my phone in the pocket."

"I'll get it for you," Thomas said as he almost jumped from his chair "you just sit down and drink your coffee."

He was glad there was something tangible he could do to help her. He quickly found her phone and returned to the kitchen, but he stopped before he had reached the table. He started thinking that Jack would probably have tried calling her, leaving her messages, or at least texted her. She turned slightly and looked up at him, not knowing why he just stood there.

DKAspie
DKAspie
262 Followers