Chapter 21: How Tyler

“Tyler!” I screamed and stepped towards him. His gaze met mine as his mouth closed. His hand splintered the railing as he held it. He wore a burgundy hoodie with a vast white eye in the center. He had on faded blue jeans and black army boots. His cheeks shone in the basement lights with a red pimple above his left eye.

“Polly, I, what?” he said and stepped off the stairs towards me. My fingers hurt as I made fists. The sweat and beer odor disappeared, and Tyler’s woodsy scent inflamed my mind. Bile erupted in my mouth, and it burned my throat as I re-swallowed it.

“Tyler, it’s not what it looks like,” I said and stepped till I stood close enough to feel his breath on my nose—garlic and meat, with peppermint. I gazed into his soft eyes, at a pure soul, someone who could never like a deviant like me. Someone who must hate me. I hit him on the shoulder like I used to when he would bug us on the playground.

He raised his fist to hit back. I stood my ground and waited for the beating I deserved. I tormented him when we were younger, and while he tormented back, he never annoyed me as much as I annoyed him. His flat hand wobbled before it came down and cupped the back of my neck. He leaned down and kissed me.

I hit him harder and screamed as he pulled back from the kiss. A bright red knuckle print stained the skin beside his left ear. I had broken the skin, and blood leaked. My stomach turned, and my legs burned. I couldn’t breathe while he stared at me with moist and wide eyes. His upper lip trembled just like it used to as a younger child. He never cried, but now he might. I didn’t understand why he would kiss me if he hated me so much. And why did he come here? And why did he want coffee? And why did Jen say he liked me, when she liked him?

Laughter erupted behind me, but I couldn’t break eye contact. I couldn’t break my gaze from his. Why did he like me? Did he? Fuck it, sometimes you just have to do something stupid to see if it works. I kissed him.

Dry, rough lips, scratchy and warm, so warm, and perfect, so perfect. I squeezed Tyler’s body into mine. His solid, strong arms wrapped around my back and lifted me to increase the contact of our lips. The roar drowned out the world as my heart thumped in my head. No longer dry, our lips slipped over each other’s until he fell backward and landed on the stairs, yet still, we held the kiss. Cin’s laughter brought me back to reality.