I woke up to a bad dream drenched in sweat. I didn't recognize my surroundings immediately which didn't help with my pounding heart. After a few seconds of heavy breathing I remembered that I was in a guest bedroom inside Tyler's family home.
Looking over to the digital watch I see that it's 3:15 in the morning. It felt like the nightmare was never going to end. I really hope this is the last nightmare for a while. I don't hear any rustling so I hope I didn't wake up anyone.
I lay back down onto my pillow with a sigh. I won't be able to go back to sleep after what happened. I wonder if Tyler is still awake?
Lifting myself up from the bed I tip toe over to the door. I don't know why I'm tip toeing, it's not like any one is going to wake up from me walking in my room. Nonetheless I continue to tip toe over to Tyler's room. Luckily it was only a few doors down from mine.
I decide against knocking seeing as I don't want to accidentally wake someone up and let myself in. It's still dark but I can make out that his bed is empty. That's strange. I notice the doors leading to his balcony are open. Maybe he just needed some air.
At 3 in the morning.
I walk over to his balcony and step out into the cold night. I should've brought a blanket with me or something. Rubbing my arms to create some extra heat I notice Tyler sitting on the roof.
" You missed me that much?" I hear his deep voice ask.
Damn his voice is even deeper this early into the morning.
" I couldn't sleep." I shrug as I climb my way up the roof with a little help from him and sit down next to his warm body.
He doesn't look tired at all. He's dressed in dark gray sweatpants and a light t-shirt. His hair is a little messy but in a really attractive way.
" Why are you up?" I question after a few minutes of silence.
" I don't sleep much." he replies in monotone.
Now that he's admitting it I think back to all the times he showed up early at the dorm. I always wondered why he was so full of energy when the sun hasn't even started to rise.
" So you like climbing roofs when you're not sleeping?" I ask trying to lighten the mood. I don't know if I'm doing it for him or for myself.
Tyler chuckles as he shakes his head. He digs into his pocket and lights up a joint. I feel a deep conversation coming my way.
" It's peaceful up here. " he states as he blows out the smoke from the joint. He hands it over to me and I gladly take a pull. It's better than cigarettes.
I look at the view in front of us. From where we're sitting I can see the brightly lit up garden. The lights are scattered across the massive garden and it looks breathtaking. The water coming from the fountain gives the whole atmosphere a calm vibe. I see why Tyler likes it up here.
A shiver runs down my spine. Tyler notices it and pulls me closer to him. I don't push away as I savor up his body heat. Why are boys always this damn warm?
" Why couldn't you sleep? " he asks looking at me for a few seconds before focusing his attention back on the garden.
" I had a bad dream." I admit taking another pull from the joint.
Tyler's grip tightens around me like he's trying to protect me. I know he can keep me safe physically but it's impossible to keep me safe from my nightmares. Even though I really want him too. I just have to rely on my medication to do its job.
" What was it about?" he questions rubbing my arms up and down to provide more warmth.
The questions makes me think back to the nightmare I had. Just thinking of it makes me shiver in fright. Mom is the only one who knows what happens in those dreams. It took me a while to actually retell her all the details. It's too painful to admit out loud.
" Oh you know this and that. Nothing worth stressing about."
I can see in Tyler's worried eyes that he doesn't believe me. Luckily he drops the subject and takes a pull from the almost finished joint. This whole thing reminds me of our talks back home at the beach shack.
" Don't worry. I'm here now. " he faintly smiles.
I try and give him a light smile back but I'm not sure it reached its goal. Tyler and I continue on talking for a while about the weekend ahead before heading back inside his room.
" You know you don't have to go back to your room." Tyler smirks as his arms circle around my waist pulling me closer to him.
" Sounds tempting but I don't want to give your parents the wrong idea." I chuckle moving a little closer to him and laying my head on his chest.
I like just being in his arms and letting him hold me. I was never like this, that is until I felt his arms around me. You just simply can't escape the comfort that he provides.
" Pretty please?" he pleads and I know from his tone that he's pouting.
I move away from his comfort and laugh when I notice his pout. I lightly pat him on the chest and move past him towards the door.
" I have a good reputation to hold up here." I state opening the door.
Not waiting for a reply I walk out of his room. I suddenly bump into someone and almost lose my balance.
I look at the person I bumped into and notice its a girl. From what I can make out in the dim light it's Tyler's sister.
" Number 47." the girl mumbles to herself but I make out what she's saying.
" I'm sorry what?" I ask awkwardly.
" You're the 47th girl that walked out of this room. Congrats." she explains before stomping of in the opposite direction.
I stare in complete shock at her retreating figure. 47th girl? That's a lot of girls. I look back at Tyler's closed door and sigh. I really shouldn't be surprised that he's been with so many girls.
Walking back to my room I can't help but feel a little aggravated from the information I just received.
Am I just a number to him?
***
" Is everything okay Allison?" Rachelle questions me the next morning as I walk into the kitchen.
It's a miracle I found it.
After I got to my room I got an hour or so of sleep before waking up and starting to over think things like I always do. The thought of possibly being girl number 47 made me feel uncomfortable. It isn't supposed to bother me. I'm not proud of the guys I've slept with but damn 47 is a large number, even for me. I tried to convince myself that Tyler is different now and that he isn't only after sex but this isn't a book, it's real life and in real life things like that don't just happen. Well at least not in my case.
" I'm fine thank you Rachelle." I smile.
" I was just asking because I heard you yelling last night." she admits.
My eyes buldge out from their sockets after what she said. She heard me? Fuck. I was convinced that no one heard me.
" Was that before or after she left Tyler's room?" I hear another feminine voice ask from behind me.
I turn around and see it's Tyler's sister. Now that it's light I can finally make out her features. Her hair is a shade darker than Tyler's hair. She too shares the big, round, warm hazel eyes like Rachelle and Tyler. I can clearly see the resemblance between her and Tyler.
" Hayley." Rachelle scolds her daughter.
My face goes red from the accusation. It must sound really bad for Rachelle. She heard me scream and now she knows I was in Tyler's room. I'm doing a real good job at keeping my profile clean, note to my sarcasm.
" We didn't-"
" You don't have to explain yourself." Rachelle awkwardly laughs before dragging Tyler's sister, Hayley, out of the kitchen. I won't forget her name.
We all gather around the dining room table. I met Tyler's dad as well. His features are similar to Tyler's. So similar that he basically looks like the older version of Tyler. I was skeptical once I saw him because he looked very intimidating dressed in a dark 3 piece suit that looks more expensive than my college fees. He quickly washed away my worries with his warm smile.
" So when are you getting married?" Hayley asks making me choke on the piece of bacon that is currently blessing my mouth.
Getting married? We aren't even dating from what I remember.
" Hayley." Tyler warns from my left side. He's busy stuffing his mouth with pancakes at the moment.
" What? I just want to be prepared for when the babies start popping out." she shrugs as if what she just said is no big deal.
This time I'm not the one who chokes on their food. I have to hold back a laugh as I see how pale Tyler's dad's face is now.
We finish up breakfast with minimal chatter between the 4 of us. Rachelle gave Tyler, Hayley and I a list of errands to run for the day while she and Tyler's dad will be busy preparing for the party tomorrow. I'm just glad to get out of the house if I'm being honest. I still feel awkward knowing what Rachelle thinks happened last night.
Tyler and I shortly disappeared up to our rooms to gather out belongings before driving off into town.
" Right our first stop is at the flower boutique ." Tyler announces once we drive into town.
" I don't know why mom sent us to do this. Didn't she hire that event planner?" Hayley whines from the backseat.
I don't mind going out of the house and seeing the town Tyler grew up in. Hopefully it'll help me understand him a little more.
" I can drop you off at a friend Bunny. " Tyler offers.
" No it's okay and don't call me that. You know I hate that nickname."
I wouldn't want someone to call me bunny as well.
Tyler doesn't reply to her. After a minute or so we park in front of a flower shop. The shop is small and filled with different varieties of flowers. From roses to sunflowers to daisies. Name it and they probably have it. An old lady owns the shop. Apparently she's an old family friend.
" Thank you so much Mary." Tyler greets the old lady as we head back to the car.
" No problem. See you tomorrow son!" the lady yells from her shop.
I help Tyler load the insane amount of flowers into the trunk. These aren't even all the flowers. Some are getting delivered later on in the day and tomorrow morning. We drive back home and quickly drop the flowers off before we are back on the road.
The rest of the day consists of us going from shop to shop and picking up supplies for tomorrow. Hayley keeps on whining about being stuck with us while I try and keep my mouth shut and not make a rude comment. She already dislikes me and I haven't even opened my mouth.
Right now we are currently in the second bakery of the day and waiting for a batch of treats that Rachelle ordered. Hayley excused herself when her phone started ringing and walked out of the shop.
" Thanks for helping out today. I know this isn't your idea of fun but it means a lot to my mom." Tyler speaks up after a moment of silence.
I didn't mind spending my day doing errands. I got to see more of the town and I met a lot of interesting people. It's a small town so everyone knows everyone and they all seem to know and love Tyler. If I had a dollar for each time Tyler got stopped by someone he knows I would be on my way to Paris.
" I had fun especially when the grannies went in for a kiss." I wink.
It looked as if Tyler was ready to vomit his breakfast every time he had to kiss one of the grannies. Each time he would try and move his face so that only his cheek has to suffer but the old ladies are sly and end up giving him a soggy kiss on the lips. I even cringed most of the times.
" You're just jealous." Tyler smirks.
" Perhaps."
We are handed two boxes filled with pastry treats and make our way out of the bakery. The car was parked in front of the shop so Tyler didn't struggle with the boxes.
" Where's my sister?" Tyler asks as soon as he closes the trunk.
I almost forgot about her.
" I don't -"
" Fuck." Tyler curses as his hands claw at his hair. He starts looking around furiously. His face is laced with concern as his eyes scan over the street.
No sign of his sister.
" I knew I should've kept my eye on her." he scolds himself.
He starts walking up the street and looking into every shop we pass. I try my best to keep up but it's hard seeing as his legs are longer.
" Fuck." he curses again as he punches a wall.
" Tyler calm down-"
" Don't tell me to fucking calm down." he roars and continues on walking.
That was rude. I feel a slight pang in my chest from the way he talked to me. He's acting as if I'm the reason she's gone.
" Where are you guys going?" I hear a voice yell from behind us.
Relief washes over Tyler as he notices his little sister walking closer to us. At least she's okay. I'm still upset about the way Tyler talked to me.
" Where were you?" he asks as he pulls her into a tight hug.
Hayley looks startled by her affectionate brother and lightly hugs him back. She shoots me a confused look and I shrug.
I don't know why he freaked out like that.
" I was waiting in the car. "
She was in the car this whole time? I did all those extra exercise for nothing? I'm starting to dislike her more.
The three of us walk back to Tyler's car. Tyler pulls me to the side before I can climb in and waits for Hayley to shut the door before he turns to me with a sad look on his face.
" I'm sorry for going off on you." he apologizes.
He looks so sincere about his apology. It's hard to stay mad at him when he was only worried about his baby sister.
" It's fine." I shrug. I try to climb into the car but he stands in my way.
" It's not fine. I just get - I don't know how to explain myself. It's just after that night -" he stops talking and tries to get his breathing under control.
I cup his cheek and his eyes find my own. I give him a light smile.
" I understand."
I do understand where he's coming from. After seeing your baby sister cry that much over something you most likely could have prevented isn't something you get over fast. He still blames himself for getting her into that situation. No matter how many times I try and tell him it's not his fault there will always be a part of him that feels guilty.
Tyler looks relieved and leans down to kiss my cheek. I really wish he could've just given me a kiss on the lips. I just don't understand why he hasn't kissed me yet. He has had so many opportunities to do so yet his lips never meet mine. I'm over thinking again.
" Let's go home." he opens the door for me and waits for me to get in before closing the door again.
I need to stop over thinking.
_______________________________________
Heyyyy❤️
Why isn't Tyler going in for a kiss?
Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, the next one is going to be insane 👀 just a little heads up : )
Please feel free to ask any questions and don't hold back on the commenting, I love to hear what you guys have to say 💕
Peace out ✌️