More to You ✔

Chapter 3 - A Tricky Dessert (Tom)

Would Tom ever find the kind of love for which people made life-changing sacrifices and climbed mountains? 

As they left the movie theatre, his eyes flickered to Maria. If she was open to a relationship, she'd be perfect. She exuded warmth and kindness with her students.  Despite the way her ex had treated her like trash, she'd started a new career and dominated a cooking competition she should have won. Unlike most of the Western women who moved to Thailand, she hadn't thrown herself into the bar and hook-up culture. The cherry on the cake was that despite meeting in Bangkok, they both grew up in the same Canadian province only a few hundred kilometres from each other so if they did settle down they'd always be close to family.

Now he had to make that clear to her without coming on too strong or losing the race to Mitch. 

Tom grinned at Maria. "What an incredible movie! It's amazing what some people will do for love." He had no doubts he'd go that distance for someone someday. She had made it clear it wasn't her anytime soon when he'd asked her to the movies, but he'd picked one with a romantic theme anyway since the storyline sounded intriguing. She seemed engrossed enough with it that he deduced he'd chosen wisely.

"Quite different from what we've experienced," Maria added with a sad undertone.

Tom nodded, thinking of his ex, Mackenzie, and how he'd compromised when they planned trips, purchases, or picked a place for date night. He'd done everything to make her happy while she hadn't even talked to him about being unhappy before she cheated, gutting him like a fish. His friend had said she'd worshipped the ground that asshole yoga instructor walked on until he found someone with more of a backbone. The karmic circle made Tom's days easier, though karma would probably return to spite him because of his appreciation of another person's suffering.

"I hope we both find a relationship like that someday," Tom said.

He imagined sitting on a mountaintop with his arm around the woman he loved, sheltering her from the wind, feeling the gentle caress of her warm breath as she whispered her affections and plans in his ear.

"I hope so too." She smiled.

Her actions still unsettled him, especially how close she and Mitch had become with no one noticing. Did she not see he was a dead-end street? That once they'd slept together he'd toss her aside for the next new interesting woman as he did to Becca. If she wouldn't pick him over Mitch, he didn't want to stick around to be her backup guy. He deserved better than that.

"What are your plans once the school year's over?" Maria asked.

Tom's eyes widened, and he smiled. He wasn't sure what motivated her to ask about his future, but it was a good sign. "I haven't decided yet. When I left Calgary, I had to get away. Now I have more experience to apply for jobs in Alberta, but I'm also unsure if I'm ready to leave Asia."

"So you'd teach in another country?"

"It would be logical to go home and earn the best wage I can to pay off my student loans. But I'd be more locked in, and it's harder to travel again. I love the freedom of so many interesting and unique countries nearby." His wanderlust grew instead of shrinking with each trip.

She spoke up before he could ask about her plans. "But you're a certified teacher, right?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, but my resume is pretty thin. I've got great references since last year I ran an environmental club. With a bit of grant money, I organized trips to the Rockies for underprivileged kids. They'd never spent time in the mountains despite living so close. We started with short hikes in the foothills and finished with a weekend trip into Banff."