Best Kept Promise (Best Kept #2)

Chapter 6: Hug it Out

Song: Rejects by 5 Seconds of Summer

"Kitten!" I hear Tyler call on the other side of the front door to our apartment. "Open the door! Studio time is sacred time!"

Bea looks at me curiously. "Did he just call you kitten?"

I pick up my camera bag and settle it across my body. "Ignore him."

"Well, he's kinda yelling it to the whole building," she notes.

"He's doing it on purpose," I tell her and then Tyler bangs on the door again.

"Are you ignoring me, Kit-Kat?" He asks. "That's not very nice of you!"

I walk to the door and swing it open. "Stop with the nicknames. I have one name. Maggie. Not even Mags. Call me Maggie."

Tyler cocks his head to the side and grins. "There's no fun in that, Mags." He looks over my shoulder and waves to Bea. "Is she always this grumpy in the morning?"

"No," I say quickly. "It just so happens that I'm grumpy because—"

"Don't say it," he interrupts. "Let's not ruin the rest of the day."

I walk by him and start down the stairs. They're behind me, I can hear them. I reach the bottom first and I see the rest of the band waiting by their van. As I approach, Mason slides open the back door and gives me a smile. "Good morning."

I smile back. "It would've been better if Tyler wasn't banging on the door."

"He beat me to it," he says. "Sorry."

I climb inside the van and sit on the first row of four. Benji's in the driver's seat and Mason gets in on the passenger side. I say hi to Evan behind me and just about that time, Tyler slides in beside me. We don't talk and I don't look his way because I do realize he's doing this on purpose. I won't lie though, I do like the serious conversations we have because he's actually serious until he can't be anymore.

On the way there, Tyler does everything he can to annoy me. He takes a strand of my chocolate hair and wraps it around his finger before tugging on it lightly.

"Why don't you just smack him?" Evan asks from behind me.

"Because that's what he wants," I say.

Tyler pulls on my hair again. "She secretly likes it."

I turn my head to face Tyler and slowly smile. "Wanna know my secret fantasy?"

He still holds onto my hair. "Already? I thought that was for the third date?"

"Well, considering you won't even get a first or a second, I might as well tell you. I'm sure you'll love it," I exaggerate.

"I'm sure the whole band would like to know," he teases with a smirk.

I lean into him until my lips are close to his ear. "My hands around your neck," I whisper.

Tyler curls his finger and it tightens around my hair.

"How does that sound, Tyler?"

He tilts his head back until his nose is only an inch from mine. "Sounds pretty damn good to me."

"Even as I choke the life out of you?"

"I didn't know you were into that kind of stuff. You really are kinky, aren't you?"

Don't let him get to you, Maggie. "You wish."

"I'm definitely into it, Kitten."

"Please slap him," Evan says. "Do us all a favor and slap him."