Counting Our Stars • Tyler Joseph •

Chapter 8

"Are you hungry? I was going to make a chicken Alfredo casserole for us. I hope that's okay." Claire stated as she walked back to the counter where Tyler was standing. She glanced down at the ingredients and then back up at him. Tyler nodded and gently smiled. "That sounds incredible! Do you mind if I help?" he asked. "no, I don't mind at all. Would you mind cooking the chicken?" She asked.

Tyler responded by pulling the sleeves up on his shirt and heading to the kitchen sink, washing his hands. Claire found a skillet he could use and a pot for the noodles. She began boiling the water and while that was going, she started to look through her mothers recipes for how to make Alfredo sauce from scratch. Once she had found the sheet of paper, she glanced at the ingredients she would need and then snuck a quick peek at Tyler as he was busy putting a combination of seasonings onto the chicken. She watched in admiration at hell focused he seem to be on his task.

She was simply in all of him. And it was as if he felt eyes on him, he made eye contact with her and she quickly looked away. She was embarrassed that she had been caught staring. She felt her cheeks flush warm at being caught. Now he probably thought she was a creep.

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The two had finished preparing their late lunch and they had decided to take their plates into Claire's room upstairs so that they could watch a movie. Claire positioned herself on the far side of the bed so that Tyler could sit next to her but they still had some space between them. The two center plates on the trays that Claire had found in the kitchen. "so, what movie are we watching?" Tyler asked her as he took a bite of his pasta. Claire homed in thought as she grabbed the TV remote and turn the TV on. She selected the Hulu application and watched as it loaded.

"The Twilight Saga is on here now? Clear gassed excitedly, realizing too late that she had basically yelled. She sheepishly glanced at Tyler and noticed he was frowning at her. She frowned at him in return. "What? Do you not like the movies?" She asked in mock disappointment.

Tyler side heavily, and glancing back at the TV and then back at Claire. "Don't hate me but those movies are so cliché! It is so painfully obvious that there is something going on with the family and of course the characters are oblivious to it. It's so ridiculous!" he said as his tone began to rise and frustration. Claire gave him a palled but selected the first movie anyway. She cast a sly grin in his direction and a small giggle escaped her lips as she saw him rolling his eyes.

"And, who thought of the bright idea to let vampires sparkle in the sun?" he asked grumpily as He stabbed his fork into a piece of chicken and grumpily chewed it. Claire couldn't help but snicker at how childish he was being. It was actually really adorable.

"You know, it's really cute that you get so flustered over sparkly vampires." Claire told him teasingly as she began to eat her food. She couldn't believe she had actually admitted to him that she thought he was cute. Where was this newfound confidence coming from?

She noticed how Tyler had paused briefly as he ate and then she was aware of his eyes on her again. She turned her head to look at him and she couldn't help but blush again at the lopsided grin plastered on his face. He even completed the look with a Quizzical raised eyebrow at her. "You think I'm cute?" he asked with a bright and teasing tone as he spoke.

Claire became very shy as she glanced away from him, unable to maintain eye contact. She knew she couldn't get out of this now. He was obviously very aware of how she felt towards him now. she began to nervously pick out a piece of chicken with her fork, trying to stall for time as she came up with an answer. "Um...Y-Yeah I do." She stammered nervously still avoiding his gaze that was still fixed on her. Her heart skipped a beat as she felt gentle fingertips on her cheek. She slowly gazed up at him as he made her look at him.