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When he confessed his feelings for you, Thomas had promised that he would compose for you a poem that truly expressed the depth and intensity of his love. In your mind, it wasn’t necessary -- hearing him say the words ‘I love you’ was more than you could have hoped for -- but you knew that it was in Thomas’ nature to express his emotions in this way. Besides, you couldn’t deny that it was very exciting to think that you could be his muse.
You waited weeks to hear Thomas’ poem. You didn’t know too much about poetry and how long it took to write, but obviously the longer he spent on it, the better it would be, right? And you couldn’t imagine not loving anything he wrote for you, because the fact that it was especially for you would make it beautiful, no matter how cheesy.
What you didn’t know was that Thomas hadn’t even composed a single word. He had spent the last few weeks unable to concentrate. Even when he tried to isolate himself in order to focus, his thoughts went to you and he simply got flustered. No poetry came to him, just a huge rush of feelings that he couldn’t put into words.
Thomas was sure that he was going to let you down, that he would never be able to give you the poem he promised. As he was sitting by his favourite window one day, staring beyond the glass, something finally came to him.
“My love, I have finally completed my masterpiece,” Thomas announced as he walked through the wall of your bedroom, where you were sitting down on your bed. “One so beautiful and romantic to convey how much I truly love and cherish you.”
“Can I hear it?” You asked, smiling when he nodded.
Thomas crossed the room and sat down on the bed beside you, taking your hands gently in his. He stared deeply into your eyes as he began to recite his work.
“We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I. A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. You wouldn't get this from any other guy…”
It didn’t take long for you to realise what was happening. When she found out about your relationship with Thomas, Alison had told you the story of when he had recited a Kylie Minogue song to her believing it came from his own mind. Though this time, the song was a far more notorious one.
You listened intently as Thomas continued to deliver ‘his poem’, never looking away from your face even once and barely blinking. You had no idea what you should do. Should you stop him and tell him that it was literally a Rick Astley song, and upset him? Or should you allow him to finish and never tell him the truth?
Before Thomas could even get through the chorus, an involuntary reaction made your decision for you. Just a little giggle, and Thomas had stopped speaking and was just staring. His eyes were wide and he looked utterly devastated.
“My dearest? Are my words not to your liking?” The soft, melancholic tone in his voice was nearly enough to break your heart. “Because I will continue trying for an eternity to--”
“No, no, Thomas, it’s really sweet!” You reassured him, and you saw his eyes light up. “It’s just, uh…”
“Yes?”
“Those are actually the lyrics to a Rick Astley song,” you told him gently, and Thomas gasped out loud.
“How could I make such a foolish error again?” Thomas said, sounding like he was about to burst into tears. He looked away from you in shame. “I thought that my inner voice was speaking to me, giving me the words to tell you how I feel… but once again I have unintentionally plagiarised the beautiful words of another…”
“Hey, Thomas, it’s okay.” You touched his cheek, and he turned his head back to face you, though he couldn’t quite meet your gaze. “Even if you didn’t write the words, I think it’s really adorable that you heard that song and thought about me. I think you conveyed everything you needed to convey.”
“So many emotions rush through me whenever I think of you, it is very difficult to put them into words,” Thomas explained, looking into your eyes again, though he seemed far less confident than he did when he had first walked into the room. “I do not know what I am to do.”
“Hey, I know that you love me, and maybe if you don’t think about it too hard the words will come to you one day,” you said, leaning forward so your forehead rested against his. “But until then, a simple ‘I love you’ will do just fine.”