Thom Thom

"I'm sorry, Mike. I don't know what came over me."

"I... That was nice. There's nothing to be sorry about." She opened her door and headed inside. "Please take the offer? I really want my best friend back."

She stood there with her back to me for a moment, letting me take in her curves from behind. It only added to anxiety of the past few minutes, but not in a bad way.

"I was planning on it," she said walking in the door and nearly closing it. Before she did she said, "I'll call you."

The next day, my phone rang with my first call from Thom in years. She gave me the good news that she was moving to The City!

We talked a bit about her timetable and I found out that she had already quit her other job in LA. She took a little time off while she considered her options with other firms. Thom had no desire or reason to stay in LA and had to move out of her apartment in nine days time.

"You're really committed to moving out of town, aren't you?"

"You know it! I start at the new firm a week from Monday and I've got to find a place to live in the meantime."

"Well then I insist that you stay with me while you look for a place."

"I can't put you out like that."

"Who said it'd be an imposition? I'm cleaning out my second bedroom as soon as I get home." I heard silence on the other end. "If you'd rather..."

"I accept. I'll drive up on Sunday."

"And I'm taking the week off to help you." It was going to be a slower week and my team could make up my slack. Besides, my manager was always nagging me to take some of my vacation time.

When she arrived in the evening on Sunday Thom was understandably tired from the drive. She had a list of places to look at from an apartment hunter and was raring to go. We just talked a bit, ate a meal, and planned out our route for the next day before going to bed.

We went all over on Monday looking at apartments and none of the ones we saw really spoke to her. That night we had another planning session after which we watched a movie. It was nice to have Thom cuddle up against me in that familiar way watching a movie again. It had been too long and I pulled her close and kissed the top of her head like I did so many years ago. She was dressed differently than she did in our youth, in a sleep shirt, but then again so much was different with her these days.

On Tuesday she found the one she wanted. The problem was that the apartment wouldn't be ready to move into for another two months. She was in a quandary but I asked her to stay with me as long as she needed. She smiled and hugged me, going off to talk to the apartment manager alone and sign some papers.

On the way back to my condo Thom called the moving company, setting it up for Friday. She was getting a little anxious to move closer to home and into The City. She needed to drive back that night to finish packing. Some of it was already done but there was still a lot to pack and clean.

I volunteered my services as slave labor, making her flash a wicked smile. But it was quickly replaced by a little worry. Something was keeping her from accepting, but she did need the help. She ultimately agreed and gave me a quick peck, running to her room in my condo to pack up what little she needed to bring. I packed as quickly as I could.

We left San Francisco long enough before rush started that we made great time, arriving at her apartment at around 9. She gave me the tour of her small apartment and we decided to turn in early.

I went to the couch. "Got a pillow and some sheets?" I said sitting down and bouncing on the couch, not too happy with my accommodations.

"You can't sleep there! It's barely comfortable to sit on! The last thing I need is for my slave labor to have his back broken before we even wake up!" I started to open my mouth. "Sleep in my bed with me. It's plenty big, and it's not like we haven't slept together before."

"Yeah, when we were 10 and before you got those," I said leveling my eyes and pointing back and forth across her chest.

She slapped my hand. "Knock it off! Don't you think you can control yourself, big bro?"

I had to remind myself that we grew up as virtual brother and sister. "Of course I can. What about you?"

She opened her mouth and hesitated. "I'm your older sis. Of course I can," she said almost seeming to try to convince herself.

I agreed and dressed in sweat shorts a t-shirt for bed. It was going to be strange enough sleeping with my overly sexy virtual sister, but there was no way I was going to undress for bed like I normally did!

She was wearing her sleep shirt again and got in the right side of the bed. I smiled, getting in my normal left side. I was tired from the drive but a little uneasy about the situation. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that we were more like siblings than anything. She turned out the light and said good night.

A minute later the bed shifted a bit and I felt Thom coming up alongside me to cuddle against me. Her arm went around my chest, her head on my chest and shoulder, and her knee on my leg. My arm went around her onto her back.

"I'm glad you're here... in my home and in my life again."

I kissed the top of her head. "Me too." She hugged me as hard as she could when she heard that, and so did I. She wasn't moving away. I broached the subject again; the one she'd been avoiding since we reconnected.

"So, will you tell me now about this guy that made you want to flee this town and this nice apartment?"

I could feel her tense up and take a deep breath. "There's nothing to tell. It's over." That was pretty much the same thing she'd been saying the few times I'd asked since Friday.

"The way you went rigid when I asked just now I don't believe that and you know it." I paused. "Are you going to make me make you tell like I did when we were kids?"

I could feel her loosen up after hearing that. When we were kids I'd pin her down lying on her belly, me sitting across her buttocks while tickling her into submission. "I'd like to see you try," she said, and I could feel her cheek moving against my chest in what I thought was a smile.

"Don't think I wouldn't! Now come on, tell."

Thom just lay against me for a few moments breathing deeply. Finally she took a long breath and told me about the guy she fell in love with, who moved in with her, and became a possessive and abusive jerk. She was crying and gripping my shirt in her fist by the end. Her face was pressed into my chest and against her fist. I was hugging her protectively and caringly.

"Did he hurt you?" She only nodded slightly. "Where is he? I'm going to go and teach him not to mess with you or anyone else!" I said tensely.

"Would you really do that?"

"Absolutely! No one hurts my Thom Thom!"

She picked up my balled up shirt and lightly hit her fist against my chest for using her cute name. "He's in jail for three years for assault."

"What did he do to you?" I said angrily.

She took a deep breath and continued. "He got drunk and started hitting me." She was starting to find it difficult to talk because of her crying. "I somehow got away enough to call 911. When the police arrived he attacked them too and actually cut one of them." She was really crying at this point and I could feel a wet spot on my shirt. "He was sentenced before anyone could blink."

I was still tense. "Was that the first time he hit you?"

She took a moment to consider her words. "No. But it was the last."

"Why didn't you get away as soon as it started?"

She cried harder hearing that question. I stroked her back and brought my right hand up onto her arm to hold it. She sniffed a couple of times and continued. "He was very manipulative and had me afraid to go to the police or leave. It took a while to believe I was good enough to do it. Something like that, I guess," she said shrugging and crying more.

I just let her cry, holding her against me, still stroking her back. When her crying seemed to slow a bit I said, "If any person EVER treats you like that again, please call me. I'll drop everything to be there for you."

She nodded against my chest and cried into it more. I just held her and let her ride it out. We didn't say anything else and just lay there like that. I felt her calming down and then eventually felt the even rhythms of her sleeping. I tried to roll her off of me but even asleep she didn't want to move. I was too tired to fight it and truthfully didn't really care to.

I woke up to an empty bed and looked around for a clock, seeing that it was 6am. I got up and walked through the apartment into the living room. There Thom was working on the apartment in workout clothes: a sports bra and workout pants, all very tight. She went out jogging like that both mornings at my condo.

"Good morning sleepy head!" she said.

"Why did you let me sleep so long?" I asked scratching my head. "We have a lot of work to do."

"Yes we do and you needed it. So heat up the breakfast I left for you in the microwave and let's get to it!"

I did and changed into biking shorts and a fresh t-shirt. We worked the whole day through, only stopping for short meal breaks, hydration, and pit stops. By 6pm we had done enough for the day. Almost everything was packed and about half of the cleaning was done.

Thom then decided to show me the best feature of her home. She dressed properly and we took a walk to the ocean only five blocks away.

She was dressed in a green thong bikini, showing herself off like any other self respecting Californian with a body as sculpted by the gods as hers. I couldn't get over how much she'd changed from the overprotective and overweight Thom boy of her youth. She caught me checking her out more than once and just smiled at me. This only made her walk in front of me to make me watch her barely covered rear. She wasn't helping!

I spent much of the day without a shirt on, only wearing my shorts. I didn't change since I didn't figure on needing swimming gear on this trip and the shorts would work fine. All day I caught her checking me out as well. I'm no slouch myself. I went jogging with her in The City and work out regularly. I'm not overly fit but I'm not flabby either. The problem was that it was Thom checking me out and I didn't know how to feel about that.

We were joking around a bit and she gave me a little shove, followed by one from me. She caught her foot on something and started to tumble so I grabbed her around the shoulder and pulled her close. She put an arm around my waist at the same moment and we continued toward the sand like that.

We passed an older couple and heard the lady say, "Don't they make a cute couple?"

I was about to correct her when I felt Thom place her hand on my chest and say, "Thank you!"

I just gave her a strange look and smiled, yelling out, "Last one in!" as I tore off across the sand.

Thom squealed and took off after me. I wasn't trying to win anything in particular and stayed just in front of her, looking over my shoulder or running backwards to look at her. She was stunning, bouncing away as she ran. I started to feel the stirrings of inappropriate feelings toward her and for once I wasn't ashamed. I dropped our bag near the water line and went in followed closely by Thom.

We swam out a little way, far enough that the water was mid way up my chest. I looked around and didn't see her at all. I felt a tug on my shorts and she popped up right in front of me.

"No fair! Your shorts are too tight!"

"Good thing! We're not kids anymore. It wouldn't be the same kind of embarrassing!"

She pressed herself against me and held on to me around my shoulders, looking into my eyes. My arms automatically went around her back. The look on her face was serious. "No. It wouldn't."

The smile wiped from my face and my eyes went wide. We stared at each other for a moment like that until she leaned in and kissed me. It was not the same quick peck we always shared. It was more but not a lot more, her open mouth closing around my closed one. Her eyes were closed but mine were still open and unbelieving. I started closing my eyes and opened my mouth into the kiss when she pulled her head back, smiled widely, and pushed off of me into the water.

I stood in the water in half belief, not sure what really happened, but not too long. I felt a wall of water smack me in the face. We started to splash each other, playing like the kids we once were in the lake behind the house.

The sun eventually started its last run at the horizon. Thom saw this and willingly dragged me by the hand to sit in the sand to watch the sunset. I'd seen it many times in The City, but it was somehow different, better in LA. Maybe it was the company.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Thom asked looking out over the water.

I looked at her grinning. "It sure is!"

She looked at me and smiled. Although I couldn't quite tell in the dimming light, I swear she blushed.

When the sun had gone we rinsed off the sand and walked back to her apartment. I had to put on a shirt and she pulled out a cover up for the walk since it was cooling down a bit. W e held hands the whole way back.

It was late and we needed to get a lot more done the next day, so we each ate something while the other showered, her first, and crawled into bed. Thom made me take off my shirt but she was in the same attire as the previous night. She cuddled up against me again and we quickly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning when the alarm went off at 4 she gave me a quick kiss good morning. Then we dressed and went for a jog together down and around the beach to watch the sunrise. Of course the sun rises over the city, but it was fun watching it from the beach.

We continued our jog while she showed me some more of her favorite sights along the way. Several people must have known her, saying hi as we went. Some of these same people gave me funny looks. I tried to ask Thom about this but she just brushed it off.

We grabbed a bite and a coffee along the way back to the apartment. The work was waiting and we resumed as soon as we entered. She packed and I cleaned, scrubbing every nook and cranny in the place.

This time it didn't take too long to finish. At around 2pm we looked around, proud of the work we accomplished. It was time to relax on her uncomfortable sofa while she took a shower. I drifted off to sleep thinking, "It's not that bad..."

"Oh Mike..." I heard softly. "Mike..." I heard followed by a wet finger in my ear.

I bolted upright rubbing my ear canal. "A wet Willy? Really?" I looked back at her wearing just a towel.

She was giggling like a kid. "Come on! Get ready so I can take you sightseeing!"

"Fine." I stood and followed her toward the bathroom. Thom was heading toward her bedroom. When I got to the bathroom door I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw her remove her towel and toss it into the hall. I only saw about a third of her back on the right side all the way down before she moved into her room, but it had me shaking my head.

I finished my shower realizing that I didn't bring fresh clothing in with me. It was my turn to walk out in a towel. Thom was at the bathroom door. "It's about time! Move your tail!" she said slaping mine. As I walked across to her bedroom I felt a tug on the towel and then air conditioning hitting me. I quickly ran into her room and shut the door while she giggled and said, "Nice!"

Thom was in a sundress and me in shorts and Polo. I'd never done much sightseeing in LA and she was going to properly use some of our free time. We got into her car and went down to Hollywood Boulevard to walk the Walk of Fame for a bit. Thom even pointed out the Hollywood sign from the Highland Center.

We ate at a casual restaurant along the Boulevard and enjoyed the passersby. When we finished eating she begged me to let her go to her favorite store on Rodeo Drive one last time. I don't know why she begged, I was quite happy to go along.

We walked into a clothing store and I became a little less enthused, but I had my phone to wile away her time in the changing room. Thom picked out two stunning dresses for work and was beaming at her finds.

It was getting late and she had one more place she wanted to take me. We got back in her car and drove up to Mullholland Drive and her favorite spot to look out over the darkening city. It was incredible watching the big light go out and the city lights appear on a blanket on the hood of her car. I hugged her close around the shoulder while she put her head and hand on my chest. We chatted lightly while she pointed out parts of the city.

Before too long it was time to call it a night so we drove home to get a few hours of sleep before the movers arrived. Lying in her bed dressed the same as the previous night, we talked a little about another wonderful day and eventually fell asleep.

The alarm went off again at 4am. We had to get our essentials packed and ourselves ready for the movers' arrival at 5.

Thom turned off the alarm and gave me a kiss saying, "Good morning," before quickly bouncing out of bed.

"A little excited to get out of here today?"

"You know it! I'll miss the beach but not this place."

I nodded and put my fingers to my forehead to scratch my head. I looked up and saw Thom bent over picking up some clothes off the floor. Her shirt was pulled up over her bare bottom and my heart skipped a beat!

Thom stood up and looked at me, seeing me staring at her. She smiled and said, "Come on, let's get going!" I nodded and got out of bed, not realizing what my view had done to me. Thom saw and walked over to me adding with a straight face, "Do you have to pee or are you just happy to see me?" Her smile widened as she said it.

I stood there at a loss for words, trying to cover up. She just stopped me with a hand on my arm and looked down, not making things easier for me. She looked up smiling again and gave me a quick kiss before turning away and walking out of the room.

I shook my head and went after her to help. No time for a shower or breakfast, we drank some water, used the bathroom, and got ready. The movers were early and we started working. I stayed near the truck to watch Thom's things and let the guys know what was fragile. Thom was in the apartment doing much the same. It took no time at all to get packed up.

The truck door closed and Thom left the apartment building. No goodbyes, she was just happy to leave it behind. We made a quick stop for breakfast and took the lead, driving back to my condo after leaving the morning rush behind. By 6pm all of her things were moved in. Neither of us had much furniture, but it did look a little more crowded with her things added in.

We each showered and I invited her to go out to eat again to celebrate. Thom had other ideas, wanting to cook a meal instead without my help. She told me to get dressed in something casual but nice and stay in my room until called. I looked at her funny but did as I was asked, dressing in jeans and a dress shirt.

When she called for me, I walked out to find her wearing a baggy flannel shirt and loose fitting jeans.

"Thom boy returns?" I asked.

"For the moment," she said. "Is this more how you expected to see me last week?"

"I had no idea what to expect. I hadn't even seen a picture of you in five years."

"Which do you like better?"

I had to think for a millisecond. "That's a no brainer. You're a knockout and you should dress however you like!" She looked at me questioningly. "I really like the new you."

"Good. Sit and I'll bring out the food."

She pulled out the chair whose back was to the kitchen. I sat down while she walked away, hearing a little rustling behind me. I was just about to look and see what was going on when she walked back in with a bowl of salad. She was wearing a very thin dress, almost a negligee. It was similar to the dress from last Thursday, but a looser fit.