“You have?” I sit up straighter and fumble around in the grass until I find my phone, wedged under the wheel of my suitcase. I poke the screen and see that I have several missed calls and texts from Tyler trying to locate me on campus, and a few calls and voicemails from Jack. I swipe all of them away without investigating further.
Tyler watches me with interest, his gaze flicking between me in the grass and the tall dorm tower stretching up behind me.Once his eyes get over there, he glowers. “I have half a mind to go in there and beat the shit out of him for that stunt he just pulled.”
I stand shakily, getting my bearings and grabbing the handle of my suitcase, which Tyler swoops in to intercept and hoist over his shoulder as if it wasn’t stuffed to its breaking point. “There’s no reason to,” I reply, trailing after him to the car. “He’s not worth it. But more importantly, how the hell did you find me?”
Tyler loads the suitcase into the car and shakes his head like it’s a silly question. “I told you, Olive, it’s you. I know you.” He ticks the bullet points off on his fingers as he talks. “Obviously I looked for you at the campus entrance first, because if there’s anything you hate, it’s being an inconvenience, so even though I told you to stay put, part of me fully anticipated you’d be there. But then when you weren’t, I found my way to the freshman towers and knew you’d be out here.” He points to the tree I was just napping against, pride on his face. “And I was right.”
“You didn’t think to try other places first?” It’s my turn to tick off places that I could’ve been. “Maybe I was at the bookstore, or the library, or the dining hall.”
Tyler smirks as he closes the trunk and follows me around to the passenger door, opening it with a flourish. “Nope. I know you hate being cooped up, and after all that time on the plane, the last place you’d want to be is inside.”
If I hadn’t loaned my heart to this boy all those years ago, I’d be shocked by the scary accuracy in how he reads me. But because it’s Tyler, I nod and grab the handle of the car door, boosting myself into the seat. “Well, aren’t you the detective. Have you become aLaw & Orderexpert since we broke up?” Tyler closes my door and rounds to his own side, sliding into thedriver’s seat and grinning, seemingly unbothered by the mention of our breakup for the first time all day.
“Nah,” he says casually. “I’m an Olive expert.” He starts the engine and pulls out his phone, firing off a quick text before throwing it in the center console’s cupholder.
My heart tickles excitedly at his comment, but I force myself to squash it down.You’re letting your emotions get the best of you. It’s been a long day.And it’s also the first day I’ve seen Tyler and actually had a normal conversation with him since the breakup—I guess old habits die hard. Instead of responding to that, I force myself to redirect the conversation. “Where are we headed?”
“Just sit back and relax,” Tyler replies, eyes on the road as he flicks on his blinker and pulls us toward the exit, the lush green mountains rising up around the paved highway. “Enjoy the scenery while I drive. We have some regrouping to do.”
Chapter Seventeen
The sun is lowering in the sky when we show up to a small bungalow nestled on a quiet suburban street. I’d say it looks just like the regular rows upon rows of houses back at home, but these little homes have tall palm trees sticking up toward the sky, and there are even a few coconuts strewn around the lawn. As we near the front porch, I see a pile of beach toys and a few teeny-tiny bathing suits drying on the railing, and it feels as homey and chaotic as Tyler himself does. Without him even having to say it, I know that this is Lucas and Ella’s house.
He doesn’t have a chance to ring the bell before the front door swings open, Ella standing there to greet him. She looks like I remember, dark brown eyes and inky black hair in a neat braid down her back. Even though she’s a few years older than Tyler, he has her beat with his height—but that doesn’t stop her from reaching out and pulling him into a hug, which he stoops down to meet.
“You’re back!” she says, ruffling his hair while still in their embrace. “I swear you’ve only been gone for an hour and it feels like you got taller. Do boys ever stop growing?”
Another voice chimes in behind Ella as she lets Tyler go. “Physically, no. Maturity-wise, I don’t think any of us progress past the age of twelve.” There’s a teasing glint in Lucas’s eye as he steps up behind Ella. While I’m standing there observing the whole exchange, I notice how much he looks like Tyler. But he’s definitely more muscled—and tanned by the luscious lusciian sun—than I remember him being at the cookouts I’d been to.
Ella notices me first, eyes lighting up. “Olive! It’s been so long. It’s so good to see you, honey.” She wastes no time stepping over the threshold onto the porch, wrapping me in a hug of my own. I squeeze her back, relishing in her familiar scent of coconut lotion and suntan oil. I guess everything those scientists say about smell being the most powerful trigger for memories is true, because being here, it feels like I’ve been thrown back in time, meeting her at a family dinner and finding solace in having a girl semi-close to my age to talk to about the Ferris boys.
Lucas gets to me next, folding me into a hug and giving me a polite kiss on the cheek. “Good to see you, Olive.” While he’s being kind—and more than generous enough by letting me visit their house—there’s a slight layer of frostiness there. Tyler nudges his brother with a stern look, but Lucas just shrugs.
Duh, you idiot. You shattered his brother’s heart. Of course you have some sucking up to do.
As if on cue, a piercing wail sounds from inside the house. Lucas grimaces and points at his brother. “Back to wake-up duty, kid.”
It’s exactly the kind of thing I’d expect Tyler to refuse to do—especially when being decreed by his older brother—but I guess he’s changed in some ways since we were together, too, becausehis face lights up. “Oooh, she’s awake!” He looks between his brother, Ella, and me for a second before stepping toward the doorway. “Want to come inside and meet Mele, Olive?”
“Yes, yes!” Ella waves us both inside and I step into the house, the smell of spicy stewed meat climbing into my nose and making my mouth water. “Dinner will be ready in a minute. We’re so glad you could join us.”
I follow Tyler into one of the back rooms in the house, the wallpaper adorned with little palm fronds, flamingos, and flowers. There’s a wooden crib up against a wall, with a small pair of chubby hands gripping the railing, round brown eyes peeping over at us.
“Hi, Mele,” Tyler coos, and my stomach flips. He crosses the room to the crib and lifts Mele from it, cradling her to his chest and snuggling her with a look of such adoration that it makes my heart squeeze.
He’s a good-looking guy with a baby, Olive. They all look like that when they’re around kids.
I try to visualize Jack in this same spot, cradling a baby that’s ours. Once upon a time, that was a vision that soothed me, made me feel less stressed out about the future, knowing I was on my path there. But now it just makes me feel…empty. Something that I once thought would be shiny and exciting but now falls flat, a mirage that isn’t as satisfying once you realize it’s all an illusion.
Mele squeals gleefully at the sight of her uncle and flexes her chubby fingers toward his face. He catches her tiny fingernails against his lips and kisses them gingerly. “I’ve missed you so much,” he murmurs. “You were going down for a nap when I got here, weren’t you? So it’s been a while since you’ve seen Uncle Ty.Well, Mel, he issoglad to see you.” He nuzzles her with a few more kisses, and I cross my arms tightly against my chest to contain my aching heart.
After another minute or two, he surfaces from his baby-induced stupor and looks up at me. Mele follows his gaze, blinking at me curiously. “Do you want to hold her?”
Panic grips my nerves and squeezes tightly, and I take a step toward the door. “That’s okay. I’ve never…I’ve never actually held a baby.” The thought of dropping sweet, squishy little Mele on the floor is too much, and my stomach bottoms out when I realize I’m semi-responsible for this tiny person’s safety if I put her in my arms.
Tyler, however, is totally unconcerned. He stretches his arms out toward me, Mele dangling between his hands, kicking her little Michelin Man legs and gurgling gleefully. He wiggles her toward me, taking another step forward as I take one back to match him, before he sighs with a small smile.
“I’ll show you what to do,” he promises. “Just give it a chance.” He notices my hesitation and rolls his eyes playfully. “You went on a plane across the entire USandthe Pacific Ocean today, butthisis what you’re scared of? A cute baby?”
