“Tyler, it was just a kiss.”
“And what about what just happened?”
“I…” I swallow hard and shake my head.
“So just to be clear then, we are just…”
“Friends,” I finish his sentence.That’s all I can give you, Tyler.
“Friends don’t know the way one another tastes.”
I open my mouth and close it again. Words are impossible, so I fight him with an unsatisfied look of my own.
He chuckles, and just as quickly as the predator came, it leaves, giving me the Tyler that I know.
“Okay, want to hang out here with me? Just as friends though. I don’t want you getting the wrong idea.” He arches a brow.
“Sure,” I take a careful step forward.
“Perfect.” He lays on his back, placing his hands behind his head and looks up at the sky. “Let’s watch the stars.”
I tilt my head up and to my surprise, there are actually a few stars in the sky, despite the light pollution of the city. I lay down next to him, being sure to keep at least a foot distance between us.
“It can’t be anything more than a kiss, Tyler. That’s all it canbe.” I turn my head from the night sky to him. He’s watching me, I realize.
“I know,” he says softly.
We both look back to the sky, and I still hear the music thrumming beneath us.
“Tell me about your home,” he says.
The ache of missing home comes with just the idea of it. Regardless, I know I want to tell him all about it.
You’d love it, Tyler.
“Well, it’s definitely much warmer than here. Always warm, honestly. This weather has been a huge change for me.”
“This isn’t even the beginning,” he taunts.
“That’s the scary part,” I laugh. “I don’t even have snow clothes.”
“You’re in for a rude awakening,” he chuckles.
“So encouraging.”
This is what we need, Tyler. This is what we can do.
While I spend the rest of the night looking at the sky and telling him all about my home, I realize his eyes never leave me.
A sky filled with stars, and he’s looking at me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
SUNNY
November somehow sneakily rolls in,etching time off here, and moving me towards wherever I’ll go next. The colder weather continues to drop, serving as a reminder that I can’t go home.
I’d think the silence of Ryan’s whereabouts would bring relief, but in all honesty, it’s only heightened my anxiety. I don’t know where he is or his next move. Although I still live in a constant state of looking over my shoulder and checking the locks on my door throughout the night, it’s become more…tolerable.
