Unconditional Validation

Chapter 15

How stupid was I to think Justin might feel the same way? Seeing him with Brianna, seeing her drape herself all over him, made it clear. I wiped at my face, frustrated with myself for letting it get to me.

"Tyler!"

I turned sharply at the sound of his voice. Justin was jogging toward me, his expression panicked.

"Go back inside," I muttered, looking away.

"No." He stopped a few feet away, his breathing uneven. "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

"It doesn't matter," I said, my voice breaking. "Just go back to Brianna."

Justin blinked, then stepped closer. "Brianna? Is that what this is about?"

I stayed silent, refusing to meet his gaze.

"Tyler, listen to me," he said firmly. "I don't want Brianna. I've been trying to get her to back off all night. The only person I care about here, the only person I want to be with, is you."

My head snapped up, eyes wide. "What?"

Justin moved closer, his voice soft but insistent. "Tyler, I've had feelings for you since the first time I saw you. And it's not just because you're cute—though you are, obviously." He chuckled nervously before continuing. "It's the way you always put everyone else first, the way you try to hide how much things hurt you but still manage to smile."

I stared at him, stunned, as he took another step closer.

"And every time I saw you upset, like when Killian bullied you, or when you almost fell during mini-golf that one time, it broke my heart. All I wanted was to take your pain away, to be the person you could count on."

"Justin..." My voice was barely a whisper.

He reached out, hesitating for a moment before brushing his fingers against mine. "I know this might be a lot, and I'm sorry if I'm throwing it all at you at once, but I need you to know how I feel. I want to be there for you, Tyler. Not just as your friend, but as someone who loves you."

My heart felt like it was about to burst. For a moment, I couldn't speak, couldn't move. Then, without thinking, I stepped closer, closing the space between us.

"I've been in love with you, too," I admitted, my voice trembling. "I was just too scared to say anything. I thought you'd never..."

Justin didn't let me finish. He cupped my face gently, his hands warm against my skin. "You don't have to be scared anymore," he said softly.

And then he kissed me.

It was soft at first, hesitant, like he was afraid I might pull away. But I didn't. I kissed him back, my arms wrapping around his neck as I let myself fall into the moment. His lips were warm and tasted faintly of peppermint, and for the first time in forever, the world felt like it made sense.

The faint sound of Skyler and America's final song filtered through the door behind us, the applause from the crowd growing louder. But all I could focus on was Justin, on the way his hands slid down to my waist, pulling me closer.

When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathless.

"That was...wow," Justin said, a crooked smile spreading across his face.

I laughed, wiping at my tear-streaked cheeks. "Yeah. Wow."

He rested his forehead against mine, his arms still wrapped around me. "So...what now?"

"Now," I said, grinning, "we go back inside before someone starts looking for us."

He laughed, his eyes shining. "Fair enough. But this isn't the end of this conversation, okay? I'm not letting you go that easily."