"Only a child sees things with perfect clarity, because it hasn't developed all those filters which prevent us from seeing things that we don't expect to see."
~Douglas Adams
"Alyssa!"
I bolted upright in my bed at the familiar voice, my lips parting in surprise.
Why the hell was my grandmother showing up here unexpectedly? My mom hated her and Dad. . . he had such a loathing for her, that it was unbelievable that he was her son.
"Nana?" I replied, climbing out of my bed and walking out of my room without changing my clothes.
I jogged down the steps, skipping multiple at a time so I could beat Tessie or Ty to her. I stopped dead in my tracks, gasping, when I saw her already sitting at the kitchen table, Ty pouring her a cup of coffee.
"Ally!" Tessie said from her chair, stabbing into her cereal with her spoon.
"Hi." I whispered, not knowing what to do other then stand there and stare in shock.
My grandmother wasn't exactly the most approving woman. She had been raised in a strict Irish Catholic household. Which meant she wasn't allowed to do a lot, and made sure that Jason, Steph, and me were raised the same way.
So it was incredible for her to be completely okay and normal about a man living in the house, especially when my parents and Sienna weren't around.
"Why didn't you tell me you found such a lovely man, darling?" My grandmother asked, sending Ty a thankful nod.
"Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" I said, gesturing toward my shorts and thin top, "I would have been able to make myself presentable." She finally seemed to take in what I was wearing, bringing her coffee cup up to cover the disgusted look on her face.
"I thought your parents would have told you. They're going to have to stay in London for a few more weeks and didn't want you to be here alone." She said, tapping her long, black painted, finger nails against her mug.
"I'm twenty years old, I don't need a baby sitter. And if they gave a crap about how I felt, then they would be here grieving over their little girl instead of trying to buy some pathetic company in England." My grandmother gave me a disapproving look.
"Don't talk back to me, child. I don't care how old you are, you won't treat me like all these other kids treat their parents." She lifted her hand and pointed at Ty beside her, "You should take lessons from Tyler here. He's polite and knows how to talk to his elders." I fought the urge to roll my eyes and crossed my arms over my chest instead and looked directly at Ty. He only offered me a shrug and a small smile before he headed back into the kitchen and out of sight.
"Have you two planned a wedding and-"
"Nana." I groaned, burying my warm face in my hands, "It's not like that." I knew it was no use to try and explain everything to her, she didn't think the same way I did, she wouldn't understand.
"So you're allowing a man to sleep with you before marriage? I raised you better than that, Alyssa. You will not go against everything I-"
"We aren't even together, Nana!" I snapped, cutting her off.
"Don't lie to me, dear. I am not the one that has left you hanging your entire life, that has made you call me your guardian when I am not even here to raise you." I winced, turning my face away.
She was obviously talking about my parents. The same parents that traveled around the world constantly, almost as if they didn't want to be around us. They had done it my entire life, Jason's entire life. They had packed up and left in the middle of a month without saying goodbye. Jason had once thought that the only reason our parents had us was so they looked good, so they looked like the had the perfect commercial rich family.
"Ally and Daddy are going to be together." Tessie piped in, not helping my case as she smiled up at me. "They just don't know it yet." She looked so innocent, so cute and sweet, that even I couldn't help the smile that started to spread across my face.
"Alyssa, please go change into something more appropriate. If you are not with this man, then he has no right seeing you in such a vulnerable state."
*
The only way we were able to escape my grandmother was going to pick up Ty's glasses. His mom showed up when we were on our way out to the car, taking Tessie without saying a word.
We watched after them, meeting the four year old's big green eyes as she stared back at us over her shoulder, helpless.
When they were gone, I turned to Ty and smiled weakly.
"It's going to be fine. She'll let us see her later." I reached over to touch his arm, but he pushed my hand away.
"No, it's not. Did you see her face, the look in her eyes? I can't help her, I can't take her away from that witch." He growled, his blue eyes flickering toward the ground. I swallowed the lump that had begun to form in my throat and unlocked the car, responding without looking at him.
"Maybe you can't." I agreed, "But I can, and I will."
*
Once Ty had gotten his glasses, he seemed a little excited to be able to see clearly.
"It's amazing." He nudged me as we walked through the mall, grinning as he looked at the names of all the stores around us.
"Are you seeing the world through new eyes, Tyler?" I asked sarcastically, smiling. He looked away from Forever 21 and at me, his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.
"You're the one that's supposed to be doing that." He joked, "I'm just here to help."
"So you're like my four eyed, witty sidekick?" I raised my eyebrows, flicking his arm playfully.
"Yes. You can call me Super-T." I giggled, shaking my head in amusement.
"That sounds like some super absorbent diaper brand." He laughed, glancing sideways at me again.
"I got you to smile." He whispered, "You're welcome." I feigned surprised.
"Wow, so I guess glasses make you cocky, huh?" We both laughed as we continued to walk through the mall.
When we were finally heading back out to the parking lot, Ty caught my arm and pulled me back.
"What's the next thing you have on the list?" He questioned, but I could see that he was holding something back by the way he bit at his lip.
"I don't know. I can't decide what to do next." I replied honestly. He held out his hand, waiting for me to pull out the list. I laid it in the palm of his hand, watching as he unfolded it and let his eyes roam over it.
"Why don't you do the rest in order? Then you don't really have to think about it all that much? At least not the order they're in." I nodded, seeing the logic in what he was saying.
"Okay, maybe I should." I leaned over to look down at the list, "But my parents aren't here, so I guess I'll have to do the third one next." He was laughing as heat started to spread through my cheeks.
"He was my childhood crush." I mumbled as we started walking again, "I had a crush on him until Senior year, but he wouldn't give me the time of day." He held the door open for me, waving me off when I thanked him.
"Tessie thinks we're going to end up together." I said with a nervous laugh, "I wish I was that young again. When all I had to worry about was little, useless things." I looked over at him, catching him mid smile.
"She's definitely something." He replied, tapping the steering wheel impatiently.
"I don't even want to date, not now and maybe not ever." I muttered, yawning. I laid my head against the window, and after a few minutes of silence, Ty spoke up.
"Why?"
"Because everyone just ends up leaving me anyway, Ty. My parents, my brother, Steph. It's a vicious cycle that won't end. Imagine how bad it would be if I was with a guy, if I had a child of my own. They'd just leave me too." I kept my eyes on the darkness outside the window, surprised that I wasn't close to crying again. It seemed no matter how hard I tried everyday, I always ended up crying for one reason or another.
"I'm not going to leave you, Alyssa." Ty responded once I'd given up on him saying anything.
"Everyone says that." I whispered, "But who's here for me now, Ty? Jason's gone, my parents are in another country. My baby sister is dead and my nanny is at the hospital with her own grandchild. Don't sit here and tell me you won't leave, Tyler, because everyone ends of leaving me." I blinked in surprise when he pulled the car over and turned his body to face me.
"Did you ever think that maybe people aren't leaving you, but going on and living their lives? I understand your parents weren't there, that your sister may be dead. But you can't turn yourself away from the world, tune it out. There are people out there that are going to understand your fears, how you feel, Alyssa. There is going to be people that care about you." I lifted my head up, finally feeling the tears I had been expecting all day forming in my eyes as I turned to look at him.
"Like who, Ty?" His jaw clenched slightly as he started the car back up.
"Like me, Alyssa." And without another word from either of us, he took off into the dark night, his face becoming nothing but a shadow with it.
***AN***
Hope you guys enjoyed!
Let me know what you thought!
~ChasingMadness24