Freak (Troyler AU)

Chapter Thirty-Seven

*Troye's POV*

There was no denying Tyler was acting suspicious, from the way he refused to let his eyes roam in my direction while I was driving, to the way he hadn't even tried to mess with the control panel of the car once. He never drove in silence, the radio was his best friend, yet today he seemed more than content to just stare out his window.

"So, have you been to this restaurant before?" I asked, eyeing him the best I could manage while still paying attention to the road. He seemed to think for only a second before shrugging noncommittally.

"A couple times." He mumbled, eyes still staying focused on the trees flying by outside. I sighed, deciding to attempt to get him to talk yet again.

"Is the food good?" 

"Delicious." Wow, a one-word response. This conversation is going swimmingly. 

"Cool." I replied, deciding to give him a taste of his own medicine. He didn't seem nearly as fazed by my lame response, just nodding in agreement. I gave up then, realizing there likely wasn't anything I could do to get him to talk if he didn't want to. Tyler was a lot of things, and stubborn was definitely one of them.

I guess that's why I'd been so shocked when he stood up for me earlier. I mean, I guess deep down I knew he cared about me a lot, whether I was riddled with self-doubt or not, he made that pretty damn clear. It's just, he'd never cared about anyone enough to stand up for them in the past. There'd even been a short time where Marcus was bullied and I didn't see him raising a hand to help the guy out. The closest he'd come to standing up for someone was his own mother but that made sense, and it's not like he was going to be ridiculed over that. This however, he definitely was. I could see the rumors about us dating spreading now, people pointing in the hallways every time we went in for a hug. Yet, somehow, that still sounded better than the low-key relationship we've had so far. I hated being noticed and the center of attention, but I hated having to hide my relationship with Tyler even more. It wasn't even so much I wanted to show it off, I just wanted to be able to interact with him when I wanted, without consequences. And now, well, I guess I'd be able to. I'm assuming so anyway, if he still wants to try and keep it low-key after this I might have to slap him.

By the time I pulled into the restaurant I was about ready to scream at the annoying tension he'd let fall over us. We were still both silent, though I was really hoping he'd find the will to speak up now that we'd reached the diner. I swear, if he makes me sit through the entire meal without so much as a word of conversation, I will leave him sitting alone at that table.

"Ready?" He beamed, practically as soon as I'd turned off the car. I opened my mouth to reply, but promptly snapped it back shut the second his door slammed closed behind him. Someone is a little over-eager. I'm not sure if it's over the food or something else, but I guess I was about to find out. I got out of the car as slowly as possible, smirking as I watched Tyler rock on the heels of his feet impatiently. "Hurry up!"

"Look, I know you're passionate about food but this is taking it to a whole new level." I teased, purposely taking too long fumbling with my keys to lock the doors. Just as I pressed the button in I felt an arm wrap around my waist, causing me to jump. I didn't even have time to get my footing before Tyler started dragging me across the parking lot, panting slightly under his breath as I struggled against his embrace. I didn't actually have a problem with following his orders, it was just funny watching him get frustrated with me.

"Troye, please. We have to hurry." He pleaded finally, looking up at me with his best puppy dog eyes. I raised my eyebrows, silently asking him to elaborate on the why of this. He didn't look like he was going to any time soon though, his eyes falling on the ground between our feet. I rolled my eyes at his hesitance, reaching up to mess up his hair affectionately. That was it, just messing up his hair, it definitely had nothing to do with any mind reading I may or may not been trying to attempt.