Icy Inferno (Troyler AU)

⋙ Chapter Sixteen

It's only been a week
But I know that you are mine to keep

Radar Detector ~ Darwin Deez
 

Troye

In philosophy, Mr Liguori started the lesson by warning us he was going to fill our brains with nonsense. We’d laughed at first, as he fired random thoughts at us. He asked questions without giving any context, confusing some of the students. He said things like “but on night duty who watches the watches?” and “indoors, outdoors, what’s really the difference?”

Soon enough, My mind was ignited with questions I’d never thought of. When people began to catch on what was happeneing, they started asking questions of their own. Caspar, who had a habit of saying bizarre things, was now met with quiet contemplation and gleaming wide eyes, instead of mockery. Everyone said things that were completely random, yet strangest with previous statements in the weirdest of ways - except the German exchange student who said something along the lines of “Daddy long legs, who did name you? And how does daddy long legs make life?”  That question was so weird even the teacher scrunched up his face.

After twenty minutes had passed, Mr Liguori eventually brought our attention back to the present. “Well, I’m glad we got that off our chests, before before we got chesty coughs. Now, open your textbooks and turn to page 394. We'll be looking at life's unanswerable questions, and see if any do in fact have an answer."

Sharing my book with Caspar and Connor, I swiftly flicked to the page. The question that instantly jumped out at me was "What is love?" My thoughts immediately switched to Tyler, and I was no longer paying attention.

A week had passed but my feeling hadn’t. No, I didn't love him, but I could feel myself falling for him more and more as time went on. Being with him was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. He lifted my heart up when I felt down, and still somehow managed to enchant me when he wasn’t around. Every moment with him was precious, meaning more than the last.

Most of our friends had been happy for us, but said they’d expected it to happen. Alfie had cheered loudly then asked for advice on how to pull. Hannah reminisced how last year we thought we'd die alone but now we both had someone. She was still reluctant to say much about the girl she was with, only saying she'd never felt safer or happier. I guessed that was all that mattered. Caspar told me if I needed any advice he was the guy to talk to, seeing as he had "plenty of experience in the bedroom". I knew that was a lie, because he'd never been in any kind of relationship - except the one he denied he had with Joe - but I thanked him regardless.

Of course, Tyler’s “friend” Marcus had been reluctant to accept it at first. He’d said it was illogical, and if Fires and Waters were meant to go together, it would’ve happened before. I couldn’t understand why Tyler still hung out with him, but I had no reason to to tell him otherwise. Fortunately Marcus' comments had come less and less frequent, until he ceased to talk about it at all. He still looked unnerved, but at least he was becoming more tolerant.

My family burst out laughing when I told them I was with Tyler. They weren’t being rude - they were just amazed at how my hatred had transformed into affection. Then they demanded to meet him, and I ran off. Whenever they’d asked me since, I told them “soon”. I was worried they’d be too much for him. Their antics that were loveable, cringeworthy and just plain embarrassing, all at once. The idea of mum showing Tyler my baby photos, and dad calling him his son-in-law already, was enough for me to put it off a while longer.

"Yoo-hoo, earth to Troye!"  Caspar said, wiggling his fingers in front of my face. I flew back to the room, remembering we were meant to be working.