“Fuck those gossip pages or your past. It doesn’t change my feelings. I want you, Serena Inthavong.”
I sigh. “It’s just all a lot… I don’t want to scare you away.” I pause, trying to calm down and make sense of everything, “How can you love me after the things I’ve told you?”
Tyler takes a step back, his expression a mix of confusion and concern. “You think I want to run?”
I nod. “It wouldn’t surprise me.”
“I’m not like most people. When I’m all in, I’m all in. And I want you.”
I take a couple of seconds to take a deep breath, feeling the weight of my own emotions creeping in, tightening my throat.
“Don’t you get it?” Tyler asks, his voice gentle. “I don’t give two fucks about what anyone says about you. I care about only you. Nothing will change my mind about you.”
I shake my head. “My life is… fucked up. I’m fucked up. How can you be so sure about me?”
He takes a step closer, his hand reaching out, wanting to comfort me. “We all have shit going on in our lives, Serena. It’swhat makes us human. And it doesn’t change how I feel about you. I want you, the person standing in front of me right now.”
I feel a lump form in my throat. Despite the doubts swirling in my mind, a part of me wants to believe him, to believe in us.
“But what if I’m not enough?” I whisper, the fear of rejection hitting me mentally.
Tyler’s blue eyes hold mine. “Why are you so scared of us? You trusted me that day we–”
“The day we had sex, yes, I know.” The words hang heavy in the air, and I feel slightly guilty for the way I made it sound.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Jared’s tone is sharp, his eyes darting between Tyler and me, searching for answers.
Shit.
Jared’s jaw tightens, his eyes flashing with rage. “Again, what thefuckis going?”
“We were just talking, Jared. Nothing to worry about,” Tyler says calmly, his eyes never leaving mine.
“Get in the car, Serena,” Jared orders, his voice strained with anger as redirects his words to Tyler. “I can’t fucking believe you. You’re the reason she’s in this mess! People are calling her a boyfriend stealer.”
Tyler braces himself as Jared shoves him, the force causing him to step back.
“I care about her, more than you realize.”
“You care? Then why the hell are there rumors about her all over campus?” Jared’s voice drops to a deathly whisper, “And you slept with her? I fucking trusted you with her.”
“You can still trust me! I care so damn much about her,” Tyler snaps back.
I step between them, trying to diffuse the escalating tension. “Guys, stop.”
But Jared’s focus remains on Tyler. “Youcare? Then why is she in this mess? Because of you! Cassie is pissed at you, so she went after her. Now she’s stuck in this tangled shitbecause of you.”
“Jared, stop!” I reach out, grabbing his arm in an attempt to reel him back. “Drop it. Let’s just go.”
He wrenches his arm away. “Stay the fuck away from my sister.”
The air is thick with tension as Jared storms off towards the car without another word. Tyler stands there, his jaw clenched, his emotions simmering beneath the surface.
Our eyes lock again, unwavering. “It’s always been you, in every possible way. I love you.”
The car behind me honks and I hear Jared’s voice, “Get in the fucking car, Serena!”
“I need to go.”
