#bit fancy for a tuesday innit tuesdays | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hookedontaronfics · 5 years

Text

First Contact series Part 6

Title: First Contact - Part 6 Read the previous installments here: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 Rating: M Pairing: Taron x OC Warnings: Mild cursing, mentions of domestic abuse A/N: Jess’s friends hatch a plan to get her and Taron back together, but will it work? And will she be brave enough to tell him the truth of her past? The series will eventually involve more mature themes as it develops, so be warned! Enjoy! x

I was sitting cross-legged on the couch, bowl of cereal in my hands and staring bored at the telly, when my roommates came in, purses in hand. I looked up at them briefly and returned to my show, shoving a spoonful of mushy Wheaties into my mouth and chewing thoughtlessly.

“We’re going out on the town. You should join us,” Mary said, leaning over the couch for a second and taking in my unkempt state sympathetically.

“But I’d have to put on actual pants,” I whined at that, content enough to spend my Saturday on the couch feeling sorry for myself. It’d been a week since the night I had both kissed Taron and managed to lose him. I’d gone to work that week but it had all been just a blur, and if my performance suffered for it, none of my colleagues had commented.

“Well you can’t mope for forever,” Jules replied.

“Watch me,” I said in a huff, as Jules and Mary exchanged looks.

“Have you tried to get ahold of him again?” Mary asked gently.

“Not since I tried to apologize and he never returned my texts. He doesn’t need some crazy fan bothering him all the time. If he’s done with me, then he is,” I said sadly, suddenly losing interest in my cereal and setting the bowl aside. “I can live with that, you know. Maybe it’s better this way.”

“Are you out of your bloody mind?” Jules asked. “You don’t just give up like that! He’s being stupid if he doesn’t know how amazing you are,” she added.

“But that’s the thing, Jules, he didn’t really know me. We had a handful of encounters, but we weren’t even dating. We had one fantastic day together, and that’s more than I should have asked for. It was just a fantasy, you know?”

Mary sighed softly. “Maybe he’ll come around and change his mind,” she said as I flopped over on the couch.

“Yeah, whatever,” I pouted slightly, hugging Tim to me when he came over to investigate my discarded cereal and petting his fur. I didn’t catch Mary and Jules exchanging glances again.

“We’ll be back in a bit. If you change your mind and want to join us, just text,” Jules said, and I just held up my arm in a “thumbs up” gesture as the girls left the flat. I’d be told much later that they had hatched a plan to fix this little dilemma, and the events of this plan I’ll relay now.

While I was spending my time moping in front of the telly, Jules and Mary were sitting down to coffees at Caffe Nero with none other than Taron. I hadn’t had any idea but Mary had got me distracted and Jules had managed to sneak his number from my phone at some point during the week. She’d rang him and he’d picked up, and after some convincing, had gotten him to meet so they could explain away my apparent idiocy.

“Jules, Mary,” he nodded at them as he sat down at the table, a steaming cup in his hand. Mary tried to stifle a giggle as she found him rather cute as well.

“I won’t waste your time,” Jules started in. “You haven’t returned Jess’s texts, it’s a bit rude, innit?”

Taron narrowed his eyes at Jules, a bit taken aback by her brashness. “I haven’t known what to say, to be honest. I didn’t exactly enjoy being accused of being faithless.”

Mary gave him a concerned look and sighed. “I know it must have not sounded very kind, but I can assure you she didn’t mean it that way at all.”

“How was I supposed to take it?” Taron asked, sipping his coffee and making Mary feel a bit unnerved as he stared at her.

“With a hell of a lot more patience and understanding then you’ve displayed, that’s for sure,” Jules replied. Taron raised an eyebrow at that. “Look, there’s some shit in Jess’s past that you should know about. It’s not exactly my story to tell, but you should know it. Maybe it will make what she asked and why she asked it make sense.”

“I’m listening,” Taron said, though he didn’t seem as upset over it all as before. Perhaps, Mary thought, he seemed just a bit remorseful.

“The thing is, well… She was with a boyfriend three years ago who abused her. And I mean, he beat her so badly one day she could have nearly died. He went to jail for two years and she tried to move on, but she was so afraid when he was about to get released that he’d come after her, that’s why she moved to London a year ago,” Jules said softly, and Taron’s expression changed from impatient to curious to just downright troubled.

“I didn’t know,” he said. “That’s fucking horrible.”

“She hasn’t been with a guy since then. She’s found it very hard to trust anyone. Even worse, the reason he did that was because she’d confronted him for cheating on her. So she’s terrified someone else will do that to her, because somehow she’s got it in her head that it’s what she deserves,” Jules said, as Mary nodded in agreement.

“That she even gave you half a chance has been a massive deal,” Mary added.

“And I’ve nearly squandered that chance, haven’t I?” he asked quietly.

“Oh no, no! You should just text her. Trust me, she’s doing nothing other than moping in front of the telly. Just don’t tell her about this little meeting, not yet. It should be coming from you,” Jules grinned at that.

I don’t really know what happened after that point, because Jules and Mary didn’t fill me in, but sure enough, while I was zoning out to yet another episode of “The Bodyguard,” (Richard Madden was really fit, wasn’t he?) my phone pinged with a text. I grabbed it and looked at the notification, nearly dropping my phone when I saw that Taron had finally, finally texted me back.

I sat there for a little bit, trying to figure out how to respond. Tim meowed at me because I had stopped petting him. “Don’t you be a greedy Gus,” I laughed at him, scratching his belly again and getting lost in thought for a moment.

I opened my texts and wrote something, then deleted it, rewrote it again, and sighed. <Sure, we can talk. There’s a lot to explain and it won’t be easy. And I’m not sure I can do that in public.> I finally sent that and waited, feeling almost sick to my stomach with sudden nerves.

“Are you shitting me?” I asked out loud, and Tim gave me an actual look. “What?” I laughed at him.

<Your place? Are you quite sure?> I sent back.

<Yes, of course. I figured it’d be quiet and comfortable and you wouldn’t have to worry. Please say yes?>

<Well you don’t have to beg a girl, of course I’ll come. Just send me details.> I sent back, and he instantly texted a funny gif response to me, making me laugh. Maybe all of the misery from the past week had been for nothing after all. We had decided on meeting up the following day, since he had some kind of business meeting later Saturday and didn’t want to feel like we were rushed, so when Jules and Mary finally came home I told them the news.

“Oh well that must be a relief!” Jules grinned, and if I hadn’t been so giddy over it myself, I would have caught her tone of voice that said she already knew all about it. We celebrated my good fortune by ordering the best Chinese takeout in North London, spreading it all about the coffee table and making absolute pigs of ourselves. Mary was on her phone as we laid about on the couch, our stomachs absolutely stuffed.

“What’re you doing, Mary?” I asked in a sing-song manner.

“Oiy, she’s on Tinder again!” Jules giggled, making Mary blush.

“Why don’t you just ask your dishy colleague out already? I’m sure he’d say yes,” I giggled.

“I can’t do that! I would have to work with him!” she gasped.

“But that’s the best part!” Jules smirked lightly. “Breakroom quickies!” she said, both of us cackling as Mary tried to shush us, totally embarrassed.

“No but really, if you fancy him you should tell him. Guys are kind of daft, aren’t they? Sometimes you really have to spell it out for them,” I smiled, chin in my hand. “What’s the worst he could say, no?”

“I don’t think either of you understand,” she sighed.

“Come on Mary, we just want you to be happy,” I said.

“Yeah, and your last Tinder date was a total wanker,” Jules added.

“Don’t remind me,” Mary groaned softly.

“Hey, you only live once, and if I can kiss Taron Egerton, then you can ask your colleague out for a coffee,” I smiled at her.

“And now Taron’s having you at his place,” Jules giggled to me. “I’d say that’s a pretty impressive upgrade.”

“Just to talk,” I said, a bit faintly, the full force of it hitting me then.

“Sure, talk,” Jules laughed, hitting me with a pillow. “You’re way too innocent for your own good sometimes!” she grinned as I ducked another swipe with the pillow.

“Yeah, well, Jules, there are still gentlemen out there. What about you and Gavin?” I asked her, grabbing the pillow from her and shoving it under my head.

“We’re getting on alright. He’s a lovely snogger,” she grinned. “We’ve got a date on Tuesday,” she grinned as both Mary and I shrieked at her.

“When were you going to tell us!” Mary laughed.

“Well, I didn’t want to make Jess feel badly that I was on a date with Taron’s friend until I knew things had resolved themselves. And if not, I was going to tell Gavin to kick Taron in the ass for it,” Jules smiled ruefully. “We’ve got your back.”

“Yes you certainly do,” I smiled, content to just be there with my roommates, happy with how life had turned out at the moment. We eventually turned in for the night, and I fell asleep relatively quickly, which for me was rare.

But some time in the night I was awoken by Jules, hugging me tightly to her and rocking me slightly as I screamed, before realizing where exactly I was. “Shhh, it’s okay. You’re safe and you’re not with him. No one’s going to hurt you,” she whispered as I started to calm down from my nightmare. Mary was standing in the doorway, watching me sympathetically as Jules brushed my hair out of my face.

“The nightmare again?” Mary asked softly, and I nodded.

“You’re going to have to tell Taron about all of this,” Jules said as gently as possible.

“I know but...what if he hates me for it?” I asked, tears gathering in the corners of my eyes.

“He won’t hate you for what happened to you. You didn’t choose that, Jess. He can support you and help you move forward but only if you tell him what you’ve been through,” Jules replied.

“I’m not that brave,” I said pathetically.

“Yes you are,” Mary replied. “You’re the bravest person I’ve ever known.” I would have cried at the sweetness of that statement if I wasn’t still slightly terrified. My roommates got me calmed back down, wondering how the hell I was going to be able to tell Taron the full backstory the next day. I hadn’t gone back to those memories in at least a year, ever since I’d come to London to try and reinvent myself. But if anyone deserved to hear it, I knew it was him. I drifted off to sleep and my roommates must have left me at some point, as I woke up the next morning feeling a bit groggy and alone.

I spent the Sunday morning trying to ignore my nerves and distract myself from the inevitable, but as the clock ticked on to afternoon I knew I’d have to start getting ready. I’d chosen a long black skirt and a yellow blouse, something cute but casual, and tossed a jean jacket over that. Jules was at work, much to her chagrin, and Mary was busy in her room when I left, though she’d given me her best pep talk already.

I clutched my umbrella to me as I headed for the tube, looking up worriedly at the darkening sky. It was going to storm, and I hoped I’d make it to Taron’s before it poured. I made it onto the train and tried to remain calm. He didn’t actually live that far away from my flat, much to my surprise, but by the time I emerged out of the station the skies had opened up.

“Bloody fantastic,” I swore under my breath, putting up my umbrella and trying to hide from the driving rain, but it was already soaking the edges of my skirt as I avoided puddles and followed my phone’s directions. While waiting to cross the street, a lorry came through and ran right through a puddle, splashing water up onto the sidewalk - and all over me.

“Oh my god,” I said, standing there dripping dirty street water and shivering. I had half a mind to text Taron I couldn’t make it after all but I already had a text from him. <Dinner’s on the stove. Can’t wait to see you!>

I was too far away to turn back and not be exceptionally late, so I finally just made the decision to show up, soaked as I was. It wouldn’t be the first time, I thought to myself ruefully; after all, that’s how I’d first run into Taron at the Tesco, after a sudden shower like this. My umbrella was mostly useless at this point as I hurried along; water was even dripping from my hair and down my back. I arrived at his place, as unassuming on the outside as he himself was, and I knocked primly, trying to wring out my skirt a bit as I waited.

He popped the door open and I covered my mouth with my hand and laughed because I hadn’t expected him to be wearing a frilly apron. “My mum got it for me as a joke for Christmas but I find it rather useful,” he winked at me as the most delicious aroma wafted out.

He beckoned me inside and I stood in the hallway, apologizing for dripping all over the floor but he didn’t seem bothered by it, only went to retrieve a fluffy towel for me. I peeled off my jacket and wrapped the towel around myself, but was pretty much soaked all the way down to my undergarments. I shivered a bit violently and refused to sit on his sofa and after some deliberation, Taron decided the best thing to do was to lend me some clothes and get mine into the dryer. So, feeling completely and utterly self-conscious, I stripped off all my wet clothes and changed into a pair of plaid pajama pants and a grey sweatshirt he lent me, grateful that they fit rather well and realizing I was very much naked underneath them.

“Well that’s better, love,” Taron grinned as I came out of the bathroom and curled up on the corner of the sofa. “Not the first time someone’s wound up in my clothes,” he added with a smirk, which really wasn’t helping me with the whole situation. “Hope you’re hungry,” he added, going back to the kitchen and making up bowls of rice and tikka masala. He handed me a bowl and sat a basket of homemade naan bread down as well, and I had to be impressed. My mouth watered at how good everything looked and smelled, and after also setting out some beers and waters for us both, he joined me on the couch.

“This is absolutely delicious,” I said around a bite, not caring how I looked as I stuffed more rice in my mouth. I hadn’t realized how starving I was; I’d barely eaten earlier because of my nerves. I wondered if I’d ever get over the anxiety of being in Taron’s presence. That seemed to be something fans would debate until the end of time; if you could ever transition from just being a fan to being something more with the person you most fancied. Believe me, sitting on Taron’s couch, wearing his casual clothes no less, felt incredibly surreal.

“It’s a bit of a specialty,” he grinned at me. Our conversation flowed well, just as comfortable and easy as it had been while we ate, but eventually it turned to more serious topics. Whether Taron specifically steered it toward our past relationships or not, that’s where we ended up and I felt a rising pressure in my chest as he waited patiently for me to open up the same way he had.

“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want,” he said softly, but I suddenly felt the need to confess it all. Either he’d understand, or he’d shut me out; all I could do was be honest.

“No, I do. If we’re going to move forward with this at all, it’s only fair to explain why I’m anxious to be here with you,” I said, taking a long swig from my beer and sighing heavily before launching into the awful story of my ex, the one who’d ended up in jail after assaulting me. I know it came out in fits and starts, and sometimes I paused an unnaturally long time when I had to relive the pain of the most difficult parts, but Taron encouraged me and was so patient and kind over my vulnerability. At some point he ended up holding my hand, stroking his thumb over the back of mine, both of us laying our heads against the cushions, our faces only inches from each other.

“I don’t remember everything from that night,” I said slowly. “I don’t remember calling the police, but I must have because I was alone when they broke in the door and found me bleeding half to death on the kitchen floor. He broke some ribs and an arm. My face was nothing but pulp. He’d stabbed me in my stomach and cut me navel to hip. I’ve got a scar here,” I said, indicating my waistline, “that will never let me forget it.”

I finally raised my eyes to his face and realized he’d been silently crying, for me. I reached up with a shaking hand and brushed the teardrops from his cheeks.

“Oh no, no, don’t do that. I’ll cry too,” I whispered softly, fighting back tears myself. “I’ve worked so hard to overcome that, but I’ve had a really hard time trusting someone else. I was stupid that night, in the woods with you, but I was also really scared of falling for you.”

“I’m so, so sorry you’ve been through that,” he replied, the emotion clear in his voice as he fought to get the words out. “That anyone would hurt you… I just can’t understand that. You deserve someone who can protect you and care for you and make you believe again,” he said gently. “All I want is the chance to prove to you that it can be different. I’d protect you. I’d care for you,” he said, running his fingers softly along my jaw and cheek. The ache for me and honesty I saw in his gaze made me want to give him that chance, to take a flying leap off the edge and let him catch me. I knew I needed to heal fully, and maybe Taron could be that bridge for me.

“Okay,” I said with a shaky voice, his green eyes boring into my brown ones, burning away what insecurity I still felt and igniting something else, some other desire in me that had just been lurking beneath the surface. I let him pull me in close, our breaths mingling as I focused in on his lips, the softness of them as they whispered my name.

We seemed suspended in that moment for a heartbeat of time before he was kissing me, and every thought I had faded away. Gone were my insecurities about my body, born of a brutality that had marked me; gone were my fears of being vulnerable and exposed and real. There was only me, and Taron, and nothing but our blossoming feelings for each other as we kissed on the couch, the rain pounding the windows outside. I could have kissed him for forever, because there really was nothing like it. He gave back to me in a way I had never experienced, when being physical with anyone before had only taken something from me. We broke apart finally, our chests heaving and our lips a bit red and puffy.

“Holy shit,” I whispered, staring at him and trying to ignore the pounding in my body for him. Acting on that could only go somewhere I wasn’t sure I was ready for.

“Can I see it?” he asked suddenly. “Your scar?”

My insides squeezed uncomfortably at his request, but there was absolutely nothing salacious about it. If anything, he seemed simply to want to help me overcome the burden it had been the past three years. Why the hell not, I thought to myself; it really was now or never. I knelt on the sofa cushion and rolled the hem of the sweatshirt up slightly and yanked the elastic band of the pajama pants low on my hips, revealing the raised red scar that stretched from my belly button across to the side of my left hip. Taron bit his lip at the sight of it, and I hugged my arms across my chest. He leaned over and ran a finger along the puckered skin, long ago healed but bringing back flashes of memory.

He looked up at me through his lashes before bending forward and placing a kiss along the scar. I whimpered softly at the feeling of his lips that low on my body and his breath against my skin. “Taron,” I gasped slightly as he traced the line toward my hip with his kisses, my fingers entwining in his hair. I’d never felt something so deeply intimate before.

“This makes you a warrior, love, nothing less,” Taron spoke finally; I’m not actually sure how much time had passed with us like that.

“I think you’ve got me completely wrong,” I sighed slightly at that, pulling the sweatshirt’s hem back down into place.

“Oh no, I think you’ve got you completely wrong,” he said, gently pushing me backward so I was laying on the couch as he hovered over me. My breath caught in my chest again and I wondered if he could hear my heart trying to beat out of my chest. “But you can’t hide your strength and spirit from me, Jess,” he said, running his hands along my sides, up under the sweatshirt and drawing goosebumps along my skin.

He leaned in and stole a couple kisses from me, keeping me just as breathless as before as I felt his weight settle over me. Just then, my phone started ringing on the coffee table; I recognized the ringtone instantly as the one I’d chosen for Mary. She knew where I was, and though it’d gotten a bit late in the evening, I wouldn’t have expected her to worry, so there must have been another reason she was calling. Still, when Taron asked me if I needed to get that call, I shook my head and pulled him down for more kisses. The call went to voicemail but then she rang me again, and I knew then something was wrong.

“Sorry,” I said as he backed off and let me sit up. I grabbed my phone and answered it right away, my lips still tingling from Taron’s kisses. I listened for a few minutes, my face growing concerned as Mary was in a near panic on the other side. I gathered that something was wrong with Tim, and she and Jules were taking him to the emergency vet clinic, and I promised to be there.

“Mary’s cat Tim is really sick. I’ve got to go,” I said apologetically to Taron, getting up off the couch and nearly toppling over his feet in my haste.

“Hey, slow down,” he said quickly, holding my arm to steady me. “I’ll drive you over there. No sense in taking the tube this late.”

I nodded at that and we quickly left his home, not even remembering I was still wearing Taron’s clothes until we breezed in through the vet clinic doors and Jules looked me up and down. I had to ignore the question in her face as I gave Mary a hug and she started crying all over again.

“He’s in surgery now, he swallowed something he shouldn’t have and was in so much pain,” she said as I patted her hair. We sat there in the lobby making small talk while we passed the time until a vet tech came out to tell us all Tim was doing just fine. The surgery was relatively routine; animals apparently swallowed things they shouldn’t all the time. We had to leave Tim there overnight for observation but were at least allowed to see him before Taron offered to drive us all back to our flat. The night had certainly deflated whatever could have happened between Taron and me and I just felt emotionally spent and exhausted now.

Almost as if by some unspoken agreement, Mary and Jules both thanked Taron and left the car first when we’d arrived, giving us a moment alone together in the dark. “Thank you for dinner, and for everything, really. For listening and for forgiving me,” I said softly.

“Forgive you for what? For being human?” he said, a smile playing at his lips. “I’m grateful you decided to trust me.”

“Yeah, well…” I said shyly. “When can I see you next?” I asked, finally feeling hopeful again.

“That’s something I needed to discuss with you,” he said quietly. “I’ll be out of the country for the next month.” I felt my heart sink straight to my shoes.

“What?” I asked stupidly, even though I knew his acting career took him all over the place. In fact, I’d done a table read for a project with him not that long ago. For his work, I reminded myself.

“We’ll text, and video call, and we’ll just make it work,” he said sweetly, trying to reassure me but my mind was reeling. “It’ll be alright, Jess,” he said, taking my hand in his and squeezing it.

“Of course, right,” I mumbled, and couldn’t bring myself to look at him.

“I’m not about to leave my girlfriend hanging,” he said, and I nearly gave myself whiplash as I jerked my head up to face him, my mouth hanging open. He just snickered at that while I tried to find words. “And if it can be arranged, I’ll see about bringing you out with me, yeah?” he said, brushing my hair back behind my ears. “It’ll be okay, I promise,” he said, raising an eyebrow at me again, and I finally laughed a little.

“You know, boyfriend has a nice ring to it,” I said, letting him pull me in and kissing him some more until Mary and Jules started flicking the porch light on and off at us.

“God, they’re totally watching,” I giggled at that, flipping off the dark shapes in the window and having to laugh.

“It’s late, and you should get some rest,” he smiled, his eyes fairly dancing at me and I could barely contain my joy. We managed to take our goodbyes from each other, and I could not have felt more in heaven. I had absolutely no idea how we were going to manage the next month apart; I was quite certain the wait was going to be the worst. But he’d firmly placed his commitment to me, to us, in my hands, and I was determined to live up to that. But damn if Taron Egerton hadn’t already gone and stolen my heart.

The saga will continue in Part 7 - Read it HERE.

#taron imagine #taron egerton #taron x reader #taron egerton imagine #taron egerton fanfiction

47 notes · View notes