June
The Plot
It was another dreary day in Seattle. An unending drizzle had persisted from the night before, but it had eased during the early parts of the morning. The concrete was still wet as Tyler Evans made his way up the stairs and into the building. No matter what mood he was in, or what the weather was outside, walking into these offices always brightened up his day. The black porcelain tiles and stone walls gave a sense of warmth, yet still managed to look elegant. It was his dad’s idea to make it look more like a home than an office and Tyler quite liked the simplicity of it all.
“Good morning, Mister Tyler,” Jerry said from behind the reception desk.
Tyler smiled. Jerry insisted on calling him Mister Evans and he insisted he be addressed by his first name, so the compromise was Mister Tyler. “Morning, Jerry. Rough night again? You look tired.”
“I don’t mind. I waited nine long months for these sleepless nights.”
“I’m glad you can still keep your spirits up,” Tyler responded, pushing the button of the elevator.
He waited as the elevator made its way up from the basement parking. He heard a ding, the doors opened, and he was greeted by his best friend.
“Tyler.”
He gave a quick nod. “Matthew.”
It was not the greeting he had grown accustomed to over the past nineteen years. Today Matthew wore somewhat of an amused grin accompanied with a mild hint of naughtiness in hisbrown eyes. A long-standing friendship had taught Tyler that this particular face meant that it would take approximately five seconds before Matthew exploded with the secret he was trying to conceal. He also knew that usually those secrets were better left untold.
Tyler cautiously pushed the button to travel up to their offices on the thirty-eighth floor and turned to face his friend. “What’s up, Matt?” he asked, feeling his anxiety build as they ascended.
“You really wanna know?”
No. Not really, Tyler thought. “Of course, I do.”
Matthew handed him a magazine, which was rolled up to conceal the cover.
Tyler stared at it for a long while before he took it from Matthew’s hand and took a fair amount of time before he finally unrolled it. His throat tightened and his heart did a double back flip as his eyes swept over the words. “What?” The magazine slipped from his hand as his fingers went numb. “I can’t believe it. She got engaged?”
“Oh. My. God!” Stacey shrieked. “You got engaged? I can’t believe it.” Her high-pitched voice echoed through her loft, reverberating off her kitchen walls. She grabbed her sister’s left hand and stared at the chunky diamond ring on her finger.
“I know,” Trisha replied. “Isn’t it wonderful? Oliver is such an amazing guy. I’ve never been so happy.”
The smile disappeared off Stacey’s face and she studied Trisha questioningly. “What about Tyler?”
“What about me?” Tyler shouted. “She can’t just go off and marry some random guy she met on some random cruise ship.They’ve only been dating for two months. She can’t possibly love him.”
“Well, she’s not marrying him for the money,” Matthew countered, “because if money was all she wanted, she would have stayed with you.”
Tyler shook his head. “This guy…” He picked up the trashy gossip magazine off the floor and read the name again. “This Oliver fellow, she’s just using him as a rebound toy boy.”
Trisha let out a deflated sigh. “I know what you’re thinking, sis. You’re thinking this is a rebound fling, that I’m just using Oliver to get over Tyler, but I’m not. Oliver is open and honest and not afraid to show his feelings. He’s everything Tyler isn’t.”
“But you’ve only known him for two months. Do you really think you’re in love with him?” Stacey asked.
Trisha smiled and brushed her pitch-black hair off her forehead. “I know I am. He shows me what a real relationship is supposed to be like. My relationship with Tyler was great, but I was always yearning for more and Oliver gives me that.”
Stacey nodded, understanding her sister’s plight. After all, she had been the shoulder to cry on during every spat in Tyler and Trisha’s relationship, but she had also seen all the good times and she could not let her sister simply walk into the arms of another man without considering all the facts. “But you and Tyler were together forthreeyears. You can’t tell me that you’re ready to give that up.”
Sadness suddenly hazed Trisha’s green eyes and her shoulders dropped with disappointment. “I’m more than ready to give that up, Stace. I am ready to give up a man who has never– in our three years together– told me that he loved me. I am ready to give one hundred percent of myself to a man who is willing to do the same. You don’t understand what it’s like being with Tyler. He’s not affectionate, he never says how hefeels. There’s no spontaneous hugging or kissing. The man acts as if he’ll catch the Bubonic Plague if he just touches me.” Trisha sighed. “And the thing that hurts the most is that he doesn’t even realize that that’s the furthest thing from what a relationship should be.”
“What did I do that was so wrong?” Tyler threw his hands up in frustration. “I didn’t cheat or lie or…or go to strip clubs! I was faithful for three years and I gave her everything. What more could she possibly want?”
The elevator doors opened and Tyler marched through the open-plan finance department straight to his office, neglecting to greet anyone who crossed his path. He waited for Matthew to enter and slammed the door shut. It was then that the anxious pacing began.
“Women need a lot more than gifts and fidelity to maintain a relationship,” Matthew offered helpfully as he took a seat at Tyler’s desk.
