“Keep talking, Tyler,” she whispered, allowing her eyes to drift closed. “Just keep talking.”
*****
Tyler woke up the next morning and wanted to kick himself. First time there and he’d already disrespected the only rule her father had given him. He’d unintentionally fallen asleep in her room last night and he needed to get out of there before anyone woke up.
He took just a few more seconds to enjoy the feeling of her head on his shoulder, her hand on his chest before he gently pulled his arm out from underneath her and slipped out of the bed. This bed-sharing thing was becoming a problem for one reason only. He was beginning to like it.
He tip-toed across the wood floors and intended to do a stealthy leopard crawl back to the guest room. The door squeaked as he opened it and he cringed.
Hopefully that wasn’t loud enough to wake anyone.
He silently stepped out and slowly closed the door behind him. Just when he thought he was in the clear, he looked up and saw Max standing on the other end of the corridor.
Oh, crap!“It’s not what it looks like,” he said immediately.
“It looks like you just spent the night in my sister’s room and you’re sneaking out before my parents catch you.”
He pulled his lips in and nodded. “Mmm. Then I suppose…it is what it looks like. But I assure you, nothing happened.”
Max shrugged but didn’t say anything and the silence was worrying. In fact, the silence was causing panic to set in.
How pathetic would it sound if I beg?“Please don’t tell your brothers,” he pleaded.
“Balls and shears, Tyler.” Max smirked, giving him a quick tap on the shoulder as he walked past. “Balls and shears.”
Tyler shut his eyes and groaned. That threat became scarier every time he heard it.
*****
It was just past ten when Jordan arrived home, feeling exhausted and miserable. It had been an awful day. Saying goodbye to Perry was the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. Re-living memories through the eulogies of friends and family. Seeing the dismay on Momma B’s face. It was unbearable.
What was worse was saying goodbye to Kevin before they left to the airport. He regretted not going for the funeral. That was obvious. But it was the inconsolable loneliness she saw in his eyes that broke her heart. She was worried about him. Nothing, no words or deeds, would be enough to help him and her helplessness only made her feel more depressed.
Her phone beeped and she groaned. She had received over a thousand texts from Neil and Gemma. They were struggling to book a flight back home and even though she’d told them so many times already not to cut their trip short, they were still insisting. She let out an annoyed breath and typed a text as Tyler carried her bags in.
Jordan:DON’T cancel your trip on my account. You know I love you guys but in all honesty I just want to be alone for a few days.
That worked. After a few emoticons of hugs and kisses, her phone finally stopped beeping and she was grateful. She didn’t want to entertain texts. She didn’t want to talk about how she felt. All she wanted to do was fall straight into bed and hide away from the world until the pain stopped.
After dropping her bags in her bedroom, Tyler came back to the front door. “You should get some sleep,” he said, gently rubbing her shoulders. “It was a rough day.”
“Thanks for coming with me, Tyler. You made it a lot easier.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” He gave a small smile. “Don’t come back to work until you’re ready, okay? Take as much time as you need.”
She nodded and he stepped outside. “Tyler?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I ask for one more thing?”
“Of course.”
“A hug, please.”
Without hesitation, he took her hand and pulled her into his arms. She didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore so she just held onto him, nuzzling her forehead against his neck, and she stayed there until she felt ready to face reality again. In a few days, when she started feeling human again, she would find a way to reverse the evolution that had happened over the last forty-eight hours, but right now having her head, heart and body wrapped up in Tyler Evans was the best feeling in the world.
The Insignificant Chocolate Ball
