It's been a year since Clay, otherwise known as Porkchop, planned the graduation event in Newport Beach. The event where a handsome Tyler Hamilton caught Clay off guard by kissing him. Clay, up until that day, had never kissed a boy before.
At 24 ye...
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KISSING Tyler could have gone on for much longer, if not for the fact that there was an entire house to tour, and Tyler really did want to show me everything. So once his hands were off my legs, and the tingly feeling was starting to go away (from kissing him and being so close and just all the gushy things), he showed me around. Ethan's room was kind of amazing; the walls were gray besides one, which was a painted mural of a Minecraft sunset, which Tyler told me was Alex's doing. Her art was incredible, and her room was even better. It was decorated just how I'd imagined, with art scattered around the room and canvases leaning against the walls.
Downstairs, he took me through the dining, family, and living rooms, ignoring when his parents were yelling his name. They were just being extra to embarrass him, he said, and pulled me to the backyard, the final stop. It was a cute little backyard right off the living room and kitchen, and I took in the view of the green grass, tall trees, and the sky turning into a watercolor sunset.
We stood in the backyard, holding hands, and Tyler leaned up and pecked my cheek. My phone buzzed in my pocket, and out of impulse, I grabbed it. Tyler's head was resting on my shoulder while I checked my phone screen, and saw that not only was Cayden texting me, but so was Logan. I hadn't really spoken to anyone since finding out that Noah had kept my parents a secret, and he'd gone and told everyone else before me.
"You don't have to respond, you know," Tyler said. "You're not obligated to appease everyone else at the expense of yourself."
"That was ... really intelligent sounding," I said.
Tyler chuckled. "Occasionally, I can get down with a bit of intelligence. But seriously. I want you to have a good time here, and if texting them, or reading their messages is gonna ruin that for you, then you shouldn't do it."
"I just ... I wish I felt like I could text them right now. At least Cayden, but ... I don't know," I admitted.
"They lied to you, and obviously that's something you can forgive over time if you think they're worth your forgiveness," Tyler said. "Until then, you can just eat some bomb mac and cheese with me and my insane family."
"Your insane family seems amazing."
Tyler sighed. "They are. Amazing, crazy, a little overbearing sometimes, but definitely the best. Even better now that you're here, and you get to witness it all."
I smiled. I put my phone back in my pocket because the texts didn't need my attention right now. I still loved my friends. I loved Cayden and Logan, and everyone else so much. Even Noah, because he'd been my friend for so long, and I had always been able to rely on him. I wanted to text them and have everything be perfect and happy and loving again, but I guess that wasn't how things worked. Things needed breaks and time. Trust needed to be regained, and I guess I just wasn't used to not already having that trust in my friends, in everyone in my life. Maybe I was just used to being the Clay that everyone looked at as a happy-go-lucky guy, working his dream job, nothing wrong in his life. I wasn't used to being the Clay that was just beginning to realize the path in front of him wasn't as stable as it seemed.
