"Wait!"
Kade turns to me as he reaches the door that leads back into the Starbucks.
"Wait for what?" he asks.
I shake my head, "Wait a while more before we bring him back in here, I'm still reeling from what I've told you, from the memory of that time in my life."
Kade flicks the lock on the door and returns to me, taking me in his arms, "You're right, we know Tyler ain't going anywhere soon."
I fall into his arms, the place where I always feel safe from my past and secure for my future, "I really did block the relationship with Tina out, I was kind of numb to it," I explain.
Kade strokes my hair, "Tell me how you met her; please?"
My mind wanders back to a blustery fall day when Thomas was making for home, eager to get back to a big bowl of Spaghetti Carbonara, "I was leaving school; it'd been a tough day as I'd see Brogan making out with an older girl in between the lockers. I felt sad and hungry and was walking with my head bowed, as usual. I became aware of someone walking close by and looked up. It was a tall, striking blonde girl, she smiled and said, 'Hi, you go to Kelvyn Park High, right?.'
'Right,' I replied.
She offered me her hand and said, "I'm Tina, I go to Lincoln Park High."
We got talking and arranged to meet up at the weekend to go to the skater park; I only agreed to go because I knew Brogan would be there and wanted to make him jealous by him seeing me with a beautiful blonde girl, his type."
Kade squeezes me, "Except he wouldn't be jealous as he didn't have the same feelings for you that you had for him, right?"
I chuckle, "Right – I just wanted him to see me flirting with a girl, it kinda diluted my unrequited love for him and ensured he wouldn't discover how I felt for him. I really didn't want him have a clue, if he knew the truth he'd have definitely backed away from me – that would've hurt real bad. So Tina was a kind of safety net for me; a deflection, a diversion from the truth."
Kade leans against the wall, taking me with him, "And did you impress Brogan that day?"
I sigh, "Oh boy did I, he asked me how I scored such a hot chick and flirted outrageously with her, but Tina only had eyes for me."
Kade nudges me, "You mean Thomas."
"Of course."
A ripple of laughter from inside the Starbucks distracts us as Kade observes, "Tyler obviously still has Tina's charm, he's entertaining them out there."
"If he's distracting them from the horror and injustice of the MSS, that's a good thing," I say.
"Sure is," says Kade. He runs his hand through my hair, his fingers massaging my scalp, soothing me, "How long were you with her before you had sex?"
His massaging fingers help me to think back to a bad time, "About a month I guess. From the get go she was quite physically demanding, but I kept making excuses pretending I was a strict Catholic and wasn't allowed to have sex before marriage."
Kade removes his hand from my hair, "What made you give in to her demands?" he asks.
"She threatened to go with Brogan to fulfil her needs; and tell him that I was frigid." I close my eyes at the recollection, "So that night, I literally forced myself to have sex against all my will and natural desires by thinking of the boy I loved, Brogan."
Kade cuddles me, "Jeez Tan, that's almost like a form of rape," he says.
I'm firm in my response, "No Kade, it was against my nature, but it was with my full consent."
"Sure – did she enjoy it?" he asks.
I feel my face redden, but I have to continue with the truth, "Yes, she did."
"Did she tell you that?"
"Yes, several times; she was damn aggressive, sexually aggressive I mean," I say, shuddering at the memory.
Kade remains quiet, and realising he's taking all this in I give him time. I lower my head into his chest and feel the soft undulating beat of his heart. We remain there in silence, relishing this calm before we have to face a storm of the situation in Starbucks and on Chicago's streets – the reality of The Three Surgeons Marginal Solutions Strategy, (MSS).
After a while I squeeze Kade, "You're very quiet, what you thinking?"
He sighs, "I'm thinking of how like Lina she sounds."
Kade has told me all about Lina, his ex-girlfriend. He also told me explicit details of their sex life, something I didn't always want to hear, but in the interests of truth and transparency Kade told me everything and I appreciated the honesty which makes me truly trust him.
I chuckle, "A sexually aggressive brunette version of her, maybe."
Kade re-threads his hands through my hair, "She was actually naturally blonde, Tylina was always changing her hair colour."
At this I pull away, "Tylina?"
Kade looks shocked, "Sure, that's her full name, I called her Lina – did I never tell you that?" he asks.
"No, you didn't!" I say, my voice raised.
"Hey what's the problem, it's only a name, my shortening it's no big deal – is it?"
I don't answer him, instead I grab the knife and return to the reveal cake. Kade looks alarmed, "What you doing, we agreed we get Tyler do that in case it triggers some sort of trap," he says. I look at him, the knife hovering over the cake, "Tylina, it's a mesh-up – a blended name – Tyler/Tina equals Tylina!"
Kade's eyes widen at the possibility of what I'm suggesting.
"This is a Reveal Cake, for sure," I plunge the knife into the cake, and slice it clean down the middle. I look at Kade, and when he nods I pull both sides apart.
We stare at the blend of pink and white sponge, the words expertly baked in white, read – 'Tylina: she's sure screwed you both.'
