Lifted (Lock And Key #1)

Chapter 17 - Comfortably Stupid, Bitter Sweet

"This is so crazy!" I scream into Zac's ear above the noise of the music as the doorbell rings. I go and answer the door to find an unfamiliar face, yet still familiar. He doesn't gesture to me as he walks himself in, I grip Zac's wrist as I push the stranger's shoulder.

"I'm here for Zoe." Is all he says as he makes his way through the crowd. I look at Zac with weariness before following closely after the stranger. I watch as the he walks up to Zoe and her face is between rising and falling with emotions.

"Nate?" Is all I hear her say before he kisses her for a really long time, not to mention messy. Zoe holds Nate with a forceful hand on his shirt before disconnecting to smile at each other. She turns and looks at me and Zac, still smiling. "This is Nate everyone." I glare at him as the old hatred starts a rise within me, I remember him now.

"You think coming back here and kissing her is going to be good enough?" Nate looks a little stung at my rage filled voice. "That's not how relationships work." Zac's hand tightens, "You may have gotten her on your side but I still don't by it." I walk off, leaving Zac behind. I don't feel right just towing him around behind me. This sounds exactly like what Chanel and Zoe said to Zac when I told them we were giving it another try, maybe they're right... No Tessa focus, don't think like that. My subconscious glares at my conscious in a staring match for who will win. I take a deep breath and head away from Zoe, Nate and Zac.

I rush through the small crowd trying to bide my tears before running up the stairs. I can hear heavy footsteps following me before someone grabs my shoulder and I speed up. "Just leave me alone." I brush it off as I speed up to my room and try to slam my door only to be caught just as it's about to close.

Someone's foot is jarring my door. "Talk to me Tess." I can hear Tyler's husky voice form the other side of the door. My tears finally break through as I realise I can't control myself around people.

"It's not fair." I nearly yell at him although he's not the problem. The music is still blaring throughout my house as I hear a conversation from the other side of the door.

"She alright?" Zac's small voice shreds through me.

"Yeah we're just going to talk." Tyler dismisses as I barely hear Zac walk away. It stays quite for a bit before I hear Tyler again. "Why don't you talk about it?" Tyler tries to plead with me. I stay quiet, not trusting my voice. "Why don't you open the door so we can talk about it?" He asks again. I still stay quiet and then slowly I get up to open the door just enough for Tyler to squeeze through.

I sit down on my bed uncomfortably waiting for Tyler to join me. He looks at me patiently, "It's not fair. It's not fair how everyone can make up with a single kiss. It's not fair how I'm stuck here, trying to figure out my own emotions and work this relationship out! It's not fair that I'm going to be alone! It's not fair..." My voice trembles as I grow weak and burst into tears. I sniffle while rubbing my nose on my sleeve.

"Because you think about the outcome too much." He whispers lightly and I look at him in the eyes for the first time in forever; and I see a genuine twinkle that has only ever been in Tyler's eyes.

"What do you mean?" I sniffle again, still captured by his eyes.

"You don't live in the moment, which is what relationships are all about." I frown, "Making mistakes, having first experiences, finding love." His brows wriggle and I punch him lightly as I laugh.

"I don't know how to do that." I admit miserably, but Tyler just smiles.

He takes a deep breath and pulls me closer to him. "It's hard to explain, you don't think about what you do. You just do what your heart is telling you to do in that moment." I remember the night that I caught him with another girl, and my misery is washed away because I think Tyler remembers it too. I get out of Tyler's arms and look at him,