Tom
Tom is the second main character of the short story “Beautiful Things” by Kate Vine. His outer appearance is described when the narrator thinks about his physical changes in the years since they have been together:
Over time, he has shifted, in shape and size. His body reacts quickly to all he does. He runs and it narrows, he eats and it grows large. Either way, I rest my head on his chest and he always smells the same. (ll. 67-69)
Although he is in love with the narrator, Tom also develops romantic feelings for Ashley, one of his co-workers. He tells the narrator about this and says he does not want to keep secrets from her: “ ‘You know everything about me. I didn’t want there to be something you don’t know’ ” (l. 65).
After he tells the narrator the truth about Ashley, Tom seems to be concerned about her feelings. He constantly asks her how she is feelin...