Troyler One-Shot Collection

♣The Photo Booth Pt. 1♣️

"I look forward to that," he replied softly, causing me to flit my eyes back towards him. His face was open, genuine. I felt my face heat up, thinking about my anticipation of being near him after this.

"Me too," I said in a hushed voice, almost whispering it but not quite.

A tension filled the room then, the silence becoming more pronounced. I didn't meet his eyes, instead quietly contemplating why I was getting so nervous around him. I wasn't this jittery around anyone else, not even my girlfriend, Bethany Mota. Well, to be fair, we were fairly casual around each other, not exactly in a serious relationship so much as a friendship where we were allowed to make out whenever we wanted ( though I never particularly enjoyed kissing her, or any of the other girls I've been around, for that matter ). But still, Tyler, while opening me up, was also awakening that old shred of doubt that I was who I thought I was, and I was simultaneously terrified and thrilled by it.

Suddenly, Tyler's voice cut harshly across the taut atmosphere. "So, what exactly is there to do around here?"

I thought about it, for a moment, before simply saying,"Nothing, really." It was the truth after all. Either you had friends you hung out with, or you studied for school. Other than that, there wasn't many enjoyable activities. "Depends who you hang out with, I guess. Most people just do extra-curricular activities after school, or go out with friends to whatever party's being held that night."

"Ah." He rubbed a hand in his chin, cocking his head upward in thought, then asked me,"What do you like to do for fun?"

"Me?" I asked, surprised that he'd really care what I did. "Not much. I used to have a tight-knit group of friends, included the guy who moved from here a few years ago, but we don't hang out anymore. Sometimes I just do whatever my girlfriend, Beth, wants to do, since she's kind of friends with everyone, and always has something to do."

I noticed him staring at me out of the corner of my eye, likely trying to discern the bitterness leaking out of my voice; I'm not even sure where it came from, but I didn't feel like thinking about that either. "Oh," he mumbled, and if I didn't know any better, I would've thought he sounded disappointed. Over what, thought, I couldn't imagine.

"What about you?" He raised his eyebrows, asking me to elaborate. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

He smiled, like this was an inside joke of sorts for him. "I used to. Her name was Hannah. She was cool, but we realized pretty quickly that we just wouldn't work out, so we broke it off." Tyler shrugged. "She's one of my best friends, actually," he murmured thoughtfully. It made me wonder what it would feel like to have a best friend, now. I guess the closest I've ever had to a best friend was Connor, and I'm not even sure he counted; I couldn't even trust him with some of my biggest secrets, back when I knew him.

He cleared his throat suddenly. "So, what are the people around here like?"

I thought about what to say for a moment, wondering which approach I should take; I could tell him the truth about the people, but he might just think I'm being cynical, as I'm one of the more unpopular kids at Rosewood Day. I could tell him that they were great, but I don't think I could ever pull that off convincingly. "They're... Fine, I guess."

"Uh-huh," he replied, picking up on my hesitation. "What are they really like?"

I scratched the back of my neck, sighing in defeat. "A lot of the people here, well, they're all for themselves. Not in the way that you should love yourself, because I do think you should, but they will do Anyang to keep themselves at the top, destroying anyone who tries to get in their way." A sneer came on my face. "They'll kiss your feet, while they stab you back, Tyler."

Throughout my confession, his eyebrows rose marginally, to the point where they were now high on his forehead. "I'll take your word for it," he said, not really showing any surprise, or any other emotion in the statement.

Before I knew what was happening, he moved his hand across the bed, and grasped my in it, rubbing his thumb over the palm of my hand in consoling circles. My heart raced in my chest, lighting my skin on fire where he touched me, in a way that Bethany never managed to do. Me met my eyes, a hint of a smile on his lips. "At least I have you in all of this, then, right?"

I didn't even hesitate before replying. "Of course."

Part 2 will come soon. This is something I've been thinking of doing for so long, and now I'm doing it, because I'm re-watching the first episode again, and actually paying attention this time, and now I'm inspired and motivated.

Also, Wildest Dreams is my everything. Thanks, Troye and Zoë, for recommending the song. I'm obsessed, now.

That's all.

♔Hope