Escort

XV

A/N: Ehhh, so... Sorry about the last chapter... I've been saying "it had to be done" (it really did, though) and I hope y'all know it pained me to write it <3

This chapter starts a bit of way back in the events of the last chapter, making them overlap in a way that I haven't done in this fic before. This is from Troye's POV, so I'm sorry for doing this to y'all again. You have my sympathies. (It's also heavily unedited, so I have no idea how many errors there are that I'll have to clean up later)

Also, now's the time for me to give y'all the heads up for the end of this story! It's bittersweet, but after this and the previous chapter, it's going to be more on the sweet side to write the few remaining parts (yes, plural, partssss).

Soundtrack: "With every heartbeat" by Robyn with Kleerup (The video should also link to a playlist I made for this fic. More suggestions are welcome! I'm colourmetroyler on youtube too)

Edit by LiluLoveLee (thank you)

One last thing: I won't be able to write for most of next week, so there won't be an update for probably two weeks. Yeah, I know... But look at it from the bright side! It'll be worth the wait (and I wouldn't say that if I didn't really mean it (and I trust y'all to understand what that implies without me having to say it)) ;)

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Troye stilled, feeling as if he'd been slapped across the face. He had been, in a way, if not physically then at least by the cruelty of Tyler's statement. All air seemed to have left the room in a whoosh, abandoning them to a hollow vacuum where no sound was permitted, as if swallowed up by nothingness.

Tyler's voice echoed in his head. 'You get it for free.'

Out of all the things he could have said, Tyler chose to string those words together into a sentence and fling them out in the open as if they were the most obvious answer he could have given. Troye didn't know if Tyler had intended it to be funny or something that could be said in jest. But the close to haughty tone of his voice negated that theory, and all Troye was left with was the simple truth that Tyler was saying it to be hurtful enough to push him away.

And it did hurt. So much so that Troye thought his heart had stopped beating. A numbing resignation was taking over his limbs and Troye realized he would never be able to make Tyler see things the way he did. He might as well admit defeat and move on while he still could. While he would still be able to heal his heart and save at least a bit of his dignity.

Letting his gaze zero in on Tyler's slowly widening eyes, the image of Tyler's own realization of the impact of his words made air rush into Troye's lungs once again and he felt like a man that was surfacing after being close to drowning.

Just a moment later, Troye was up and out of the bed. He had to get dressed and leave before the pain got a chance to manifest as tears. He heard Tyler mutter something before saying his name but resolutely ignored it in favor of moving quickly.

"Troye, don't -"

When Tyler called out to him again, Troye couldn't control the sudden white hot anger that flared inside him. He felt his vision narrow into a point when he spun around to stare at Tyler, who stilled in his movements.

"Fuck. You."

The response was instinctual and Troye's skin tingled with something close to a rush of exhilaration at being able to bite back. The reaction felt warranted after what Tyler had just said to him, as well as all the confusing heartache he'd been put through before that. Yet it ripped him apart to hear himself say it, and after just a moment longer of watching Tyler's face shatter into pained regret, Troye resumed pulling on his clothes, ignoring the tiny voice in his mind that begged him to take it back.