After one feverish night with Tyler Evans, Rory is never supposed to see the man draped in enigmas and devilish charms again.
Six months later, she's deep into a summer fling with Chace. As their fling becomes a committed relationship, she's adamant...
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For the past few days, I've sought solitude in the comfort of the Evans' household. Caroline was ecstatic the night I showed up after Tyler cornered me and has been pleasant every moment after. My own apartment is a place I dread returning to, and staying under the same roof as Tyler is no longer an option. Caroline didn't question my company, just welcomed me with open arms and treated me like a daughter. I've been here ever since.
The pool has kept me company most days. Even when her husband is out for business meetings, she's a busy woman with her own clients and meetings to attend. She's tried her best to show me company when she can, and it feels odd to linger around an empty mansion, but it's the only place I've got for now.
Chace's first business trip has been rough, and I can only hope he doesn't go on these often since he's not in the same position as his father. Caroline told me some years are worse than others. Sometimes she and Chandler are separated for up to a month.
I stare at the clouds hovering above my head as I float across the cool water. If I empty my mind, I can pretend I'm drifting in the infinite sky. What if I were stuck with Tyler for that long? I want to say it'd be torturous. After what he did to me the other day, I don't want to see his face again. It hurt how mean he was and how he'd use my weakness against me just to get a reaction. I thought we were becoming friends. I was really starting to like him.
Sometimes people just prefer to be alone.He's kind of a lone wolf. Maybe I was breaching his comfort so he returned the favor.
I sink low and relish in the cool water engulfing me. When I resurface, I'm facing the sun as it glimmers around me and lowers in the sky. Maybe that's why he pushed me away so hard. Triggering me must have been the only thing he could think of. Perhaps our friendship is breaking into that hollow shell of his. He doesn't know what to do with our connection.
From what I've seen over the past weeks, it's hard for Tyler to get attached to people. The few he's close to, like Caroline and Chace, he holds dear to him. He cares about them a lot. We were becoming good friends. Maybe that scared him.
I haven't had the courage to tell Chace about what happened. I don't want to upset him while he's away, and I want him to come home to a warm and positive atmosphere. Confessing my love for him is the top priority. Smiling, I sink deeper into the water until it covers my soft expression. One more day. Chace comes back tomorrow. I just have to wait twenty-four hours before I get to see him again. Hopefully, my plans are executed as romantically as I imagine them.
"Rory?" The sound of Tyler's voice sends me surfacing out of the water and turning fast. He's poking his head out of the sliding glass door and his eyes land on me. "I thought you might be here."
Panic sends my heart plummeting into darkness. Instead of answering, I sink back into the water, covering the bottom of my face, and swim to the opposite end of the pool. My stomach twists with discomfort. Why is he here?
