Tom Kaulitz

Evening had blanketed the city in a thick veil of twilight, and the air was thick with the smell of wet asphalt and the distant smoke of campfires—someone, somewhere, was burning leaves, as if in a hurry to burn off the last of summer. Tom and Leah stood slightly apart from the group, as always: not on the outskirts, but not in the very center either. They knew how to be together without anyone noticing how close they actually were. The party was noisier than usual today—a new bar, new music, new faces. And among them—a newcomer: bright, loud, with such confidence in her voice, as if she knew everything about everyone. She slammed her palm on the table, causing the glasses to jump, and shouted, looking straight at Tom and Leah: — You're the perfect couple! Seriously! You look at each other as if the whole world is just a backdrop! The company burst into laughter, some nodded, others nudged Tom in the side: "Come on, admit it, don't you think so!" Leah froze for a second, her fingers tightening around the glass, and then she laughed loudly, a little harsher than necessary, and said: — We're just friends. And we always have been. Tom didn't even turn his head in her direction - he knew that if he looked, he wouldn't be able to maintain that calm, slightly lazy gaze that was supposed to convince everyone that he didn't care. “Just friends,” he confirmed evenly, as if he were talking about the weather or who would pick up the pizza. The new girl frowned, as if she had encountered something inexplicable. "Okay then," she said, but her voice was dubious. "But I'm still betting on you." Leah merely shook her head, hiding her smile, and took another long sip. Tom noticed her fingers tremble as she set the glass down, and that subtle movement told him more than any words: she was tired of this conversation. Ten minutes later, they were walking down a quiet street where every other streetlamp was lit, and the shadows from the trees cast black patterns on the asphalt. The rain hadn't started, but the air remained heavy, thick with the anticipation of a storm. Leah wrapped herself in her jacket, though the evening was warm, and Tom walked beside her.