Silent Love (Published)

Chapter 5

      I stay in my room for the rest of the day, lying on my bed. I could have come out and do something, but I was afraid of bumping into Tyler even though he wasn't home. Gabe had come in wanting to know if I wanted to go surfing with Kaleen and her friend Tammy, who happens to be Shannah's younger sister. I wonder if Tammy is just like her. I turned down Gabe's offer. I don't want to meet Tammy just in case she had the same personality as her sister.

I come out when Aylin calls everyone for dinner. The whole family was there except for Tyler. He hadn't returned home yet. I wonder if he is still mad at me after what happened earlier. Nick asks me how I went today with my first session with his wife. Aylin fills him in with what happened and then he says the same thing Aylin told me about how it will take time. I wish it didn't take time at all.

We were half way through dinner when Tyler returned home. He warms up his meal and sits down across from me. He doesn't make any eye contact with me.

"Oh, Tyler, I need you to do me a favour tomorrow," Nick says shortly after Tyler had sat down. "I need you to take Ruby to her family's funeral."

Tyler stops eating, his fork mid-way to his mouth, and looks over at his dad. "Are you serious? Why can't you or Mom take her?"

"Your mother and I have to work tomorrow."

"But I have plans tomorrow. Can't you get someone else to do it?"

"You are the only one who can drive, Tyler," his mother points out. "Gabe doesn't have a license yet."

"I'm going for it next month," Gabe says with a grin on his face.

Tyler looks at his brother before glancing in my direction, narrowing his eyes at me. I glance down at my food, feeling uncomfortable as he continues to narrow his eyes at me. He then mumbles something to himself before stuffing his mouth with food. His voice was so soft that I couldn't make out what he had said, and I don't think his family had heard it either. Or if they did, they didn't take any notice. The uneasy feeling I had in the pit of my stomach told me that what he had said wasn't very nice.

"The ceremony won't be long, Tyler. Once it's finish, you can do whatever you were planning to do," Nick continues. "It starts at ten."

Tyler groans. "Fine." He quickly finishes the rest of this dinner and leaves the table, placing his plate and cutlery into the sink before disappearing into his room.

No one says anything once he had left.

Gabe was the first to finish dinner and leaves to go to his room. I don't finish eating all of my meal. I wasn't hungry. I was going to help Aylin to do the dishes, but she told me not to worry about it. Nick helps her out instead.

As I walk to my room, I see Gabe standing at the door of his brother's room. He seems upset.

"Why are you being such a jerk for?" he says. "Why can't you be nice to her? She is being nice to you."

I stand near the couch, watching the brothers. Well, I was really watching Gabe since Tyler wouldn't come to the door. I didn't want to go over there and interfere with their conversation. I probably shouldn't even be listening in, but I did.

"So what," I hear Tyler say.

"How come you don't like her?"

"What is it to you?"

"Seriously, but why are you acting like a jerk?"

"Get out of my room, Gabe."

"You better start being nice to Ruby."