by J. S. Cooper
"Well, yeah, you had nowhere else to go, and I know San Francisco's expensive, so you know. My couch is open to you."
"Wow. I never thought I would ever hear you say that." He laughed. “I feel so special.”
“Well, don't expect too much, because, you know, it’s small and I’m poor.” I was worried that he’d hate my space. “And it's not open to you whenever you want, so don’t go getting any ideas."
"But you just said it was open to me," he pointed out.
"I know, I know. Come on, let's go inside." I was flustered and not making sense and I didn’t want to examine the reason for why I was babbling.
I opened my front door and we walked into the apartment. Tyler looked around, taking in my white couch with the hot pink throw pillows. He walked over to my bookshelf and looked at the photos on the nightstand. I was pretty sure that I saw a smile on his face when he looked at the photo of the three of us, yet he didn't say anything. I closed the front door behind me, took off my shoes, and walked over to him.
"If you want to have a shower, you can go in first," I offered him politely. "I think I'm going to make myself a cup of tea."
"Oh, I'd love a cup of tea as well, if you don't mind."
"Sure. I have green tea, jasmine tea, or Earl Grey."
"Oh, I'll have some Earl Grey. Do you have any milk?"
"Yeah, I've got milk. Want some sugar too?"
"No, I'm okay."
"Okay. So, are you going to take that shower then, Tyler?"
"No, no. I think I'll come with you to the kitchen if that's okay. Check out your place."
"Sure. Um, follow me."
I walked to the little kitchen that was on the other side of the room and turned on the light. Light flooded the kitchen, and a moth flew at me out of nowhere.
"Aghh!" I screamed and threw myself into Tyler's arms.
"What is it?" he said. "What happened?"
"There's a bug! It's on me! It's on me!" I pressed my face into his chest, trying to hide.
He laughed. "Olivia, that was just a moth. It must've been sleeping by the light. You woke it up when you turned it on."
I shuddered. "I guess, but you know I hate bugs. I hate them so much."
"But it was only a moth! Not even a spider, not even a snake."
"Ooh, don't talk about snakes. You know I hate snakes as well."
"Oh, yeah. I remember."
I realized that I was still pressed up against his warm, hard body. I let go and looked up at him. "Sorry about that." I gave him a small smile. "You know how I get sometimes."
"Yeah. I know." He gave me his crooked smile and his blue eyes twinkled as he looked down at me. "You always were a scaredy cat."
"I'm not a scaredy cat. Well, at least not as scared as Derrick. Do you remember that time we went camping and the cat came out of nowhere?"
"Oh, yeah." Tyler nodded, smiling at the memory.
"Derrick was screaming and screaming. You would have thought it was a lion or something. I thought it was a bear at least. I about had a laughing fit when I saw it was a wild cat."
"Yeah, and not even a bobcat either," Tyler laughed. "Oh, man. Those were some fun times, weren't they?"
"Yeah," I said softly. "They really were."
“So how are you liking San Francisco, then?"
"You asked me that already. It's cool."
"I know, but I was just wondering if you'd ever consider coming back to Florida."
"I don't know. Not really."
"Aw, that sucks."
"Well, what do you care? You're moving to New York, aren't you?"
"Yeah, maybe." He shrugged. "I don't know if I'm going to take them up on the offer. I like working, but I already work 80 hours a week at the firm. Going to New York, it will most probably be more like 120 hours a week."
"Oh, wow. That's a lot."
"Yeah. I mean, all work and no play makes Tyler a dull boy."
"You could never be dull, Tyler."
I looked up at him. Our eyes held each other's for the next few moments, and I wondered if he felt the same chemistry that I felt, but I dismissed it. It was most probably in my imagination. I'd been without a man for far too long, and now here I was staring at Tyler, and he was looking like a snack. A delicious snack. Something juicy that I could gobble up.
Oh my gosh, I needed to take a cold shower. I could not be thinking about Tyler this way. I wasn't a teenager anymore, and these thoughts weren’t something I could act upon, especially knowing that he was so close to my brother still.
"What are you thinking, Olivia?" Tyler asked me softly, an intensity in his eyes that I've never seen before.
"Oh. Um, I was just thinking that I should put the kettle on so I can boil the water for our tea." I turned and grabbed the pot, filling it up with water before putting it on the stove. "Do you want any cookies or anything? I think I also have some cake. I made a lemon cake last week. It wasn't the best, but it's okay."
"You made a lemon cake? He looked at me with a wry smile. "I thought you didn't like to cook."
"Well, you know, when you live in a city like San Francisco and you don't make millions of dollars, you've got to make the things that you want instead of buying them," I pointed out. "It’s not like Florida. The rents are crazy out here."
"Yeah," he said. "I guess not."
He took a seat in the chair that was next to my two-seater table, and he leaned back against the wall and looked at me. "This is really cozy," he said as he looked around. "Small, definitely, but cozy. It's nice."
"Thanks," I said. "I like it. It's pretty cool, you know? Not that I expected to be living in a small-ass studio at 27, but for San Francisco, I'll take it. I can afford it, and it's nice not to have roommates."
"Yeah, I bet," he said. "I couldn't have roommates. Not at all."
"Yeah, after living with my brother, I bet you can't," I said.
"It wasn't so bad living with Derrick. You know, he's like my brother too, but, you know, too many women over at the house for me."
"Really? Didn't you have women over every night as well?"
"No, Olivia, what would make you think that?" He ran his hand through his golden blonde hair and gave me a funny look. "I'm not the playboy that you think I am, you know."
"Oh, I'm pretty sure that you're as much a playboy as my brother."
"Your brother's not the playboy you think he is either, at least not anymore. We're 29 now, nearly 30. There comes a time in every man's life when he's ready to settle down."
"Really?" I looked at him in surprise. "So you're ready to settle down? Is that what you're telling me?"
"If I find the right woman, perhaps."
"Oh, yeah, and who would the right woman be?"
He paused for a few seconds as if he was thinking about the answer. "I don't know," he said finally. "I just hope that one day she'll find me and she'll know that I'm the one for her."
"You want her to think you're the one for her, but you don't want to think she's the one for you?"
"No, that's not quite what I'm saying," he said.
"So then what are you saying?" I shook my head. “Is this some sort of cosmic riddle?”
He said, "I think in my heart and my soul, I already know who she is. I just need for her to figure it out as well."
"Wow. Who knew you were such a romantic?" I laughed awkwardly, a little overwhelmed at the sudden intensity of our conversation.
"Well, I've always been a romantic. You should know that."
"Why should I know that?"
"Because you've known me most of our lives."
"Yeah, and what's that got to do with me knowing you're a romantic?"
"Don't you remember the chocolates I used to get for you every Valentine's Day?" he asked. "And all the teddy bears?"
"I guess so." I chewed down on my lower lip. I didn't want him to know that I had every single one of those teddy bears still. In fact, if he went to my bedroom, he'd find one of them under my covers. I'd have t
o make sure that he didn't see it.
"Oh. Well ... Hey, Olivia?"
"Yes, Tyler?"
"Do you remember that time when we were kids and we snuck down to Cocoa Beach, and we went skinny dipping in the ocean?"
"I kind of remember," I lied. I remembered everything.
"Wasn't that such a freeing night?" he said, his mind seeming to be far away.
"I guess. Why'd you bring it up?"
"I just thought things were so much simpler then, you know? We were young, we had fun, and we just enjoyed ourselves. We didn't think too much about anything. Everything came easy."
"Yeah. I guess that's true."
"I mean, yeah, we went skinny dipping, but it's not like it was anything, you know? I didn't see you naked. You didn't see me naked. I didn't see Derrick naked."
"Oh, and I didn't see Derrick naked either," I said with a laugh. "Ugh, that would have been gross."
"But it was cool, right?"
"Yeah. It was cool." I nodded. "Those were the days. I guess that's what it's like to grow up in a small town and just enjoy being somewhere where you have your freedom."
"Do you feel like you have your freedom here in San Francisco?"
"I do and I don't. It's just a different way of life, you know? When we were in Palm Bay, we could ride our bikes. We could go anywhere we wanted. We could go to the beach, we could go hunting, and we could go to the farm. Everything was so easy. Here it's the city and it’s so much harder. If I want to do any of those things, I've got to go out of town, and I don't have a car, so that makes it so much more difficult for me."
"Yeah. That's one of the reasons why I don't think I could live in a big city like San Francisco."
"Or New York," I said.
"Or New York," he laughed. "I guess I'm getting my answer about the transfer."
"Oh, you didn't tell the firm yet?"
"No. They wanted me to think about it. I said I would tell them when I got back from this trip."
"Ah."
"Yeah. I mean, I know that you love New York, so I was wondering if you thought you'd moved there next."
"New York? Oh, I don't know. I've got some really good friends here in San Francisco. I'd like you to meet them."
The kettle beeped to let me know that it was done, and I put two tea bags into the cups and then poured the hot water over them. "Let's let these steep for about three minutes, and then I'll pour the milk in."
"Sounds good to me," he said. "So, tell me more about these friends. You really seem to like them a lot."
"Yeah. These are the nicest women I've ever met in my life. We all just get on really well."
"Oh, yeah? And you all work at the same company? There's no hostility or competition?"
"Well, we all do different things at the company, you know? And there's no competition. I think we all have each other's best interests at heart, and we all want the company to succeed. It's a startup, and I guess we're just all invested in that. My boss, he's really cool, too. Actually, he's dating one of my coworkers now."
"He's dating one of your coworkers? That sounds like a recipe for disaster."
"Well, yeah. It's more than just sex though. Like, they're in love. They're going to get married."
"Mm-hmm. That's what they all say."
"No, I'm being serious. They're really cool. Like, there’s Magnolia. She's actually going to get married to Jagger, who's one of the co-bosses and actually a guy she knew when she was younger. And then there's Jane. She's really cool. She's dating Tate, who's our main boss. And then Millie, who's really, really funny, she's dating Jane's brother, Marco, who just came up from LA."
"Oh, wow. So, it seems like everyone's got a man in the office?"
"Yeah, everyone but Birdy and me," I sighed. "That's why we're going to go out tomorrow night," I said then pressed my lips firmly together before I let it slip that I was going speed dating. There was no way I wanted him to know that.
"Oh, so what are you guys going to do tomorrow night, then?"
"Well, we're just going to have a little bit of fun.” I didn’t want to answer any more questions about dating. “Yeah, but let me check. Let me look in the fridge and get the milk. You didn't say if you wanted any cake or cookies or anything like that," I said, stumbling over the words. I didn't want him to ask me anything else about my night out with Millie.
"Yeah. I'll take some Oreos, whatever cookies you have," he said and then yawned slightly. "Oh, man. Excuse me."
"Oh, I forgot you're from the East Coast. You must be so tired right now. Do you want to go to bed?"
"No, I've been sleeping a lot recently. I want to stay up. I want to enjoy our time together."
"Tyler, you're so different from how I remember you."
"Oh, yeah? How so?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have. You don't seem to be the same. You seem to be so much calmer, relaxed, less energy almost, if that makes sense?"
His expression changed, and for a moment he looked almost angry. I blinked and the look was gone, a cocky, self-assured grin in its place.
"What? I’m not the same hunky-dunky glorious man that you remember from the past? Trust me, my dear. I am."
"No, you seem to be—"
"I'm too sexy for you." He stood up and started dancing and singing. "I've got energy that will last for days and days and nights and nights and nights."
"Um, are you going to keep singing?" I looked at him, frowning. What had just happened? We were just talking so normally, and now he was acting like a goofball.
"Check out my muscles, Olivia." He flexed his muscles. "Big, huh? Have you ever seen guns like this?"
"What is your problem, Tyler? What are you talking about?" I was utterly and completely confused. Why was he acting like a douchebag all of a sudden?
"I just wanted you to check out my muscles. Hey, don't you like them?"
I just handed him a cup and went to the living room and sat on the couch. "I'm going to watch some TV. Feel free to join me if you want, or feel free to grab a shower. It's up to you."
"Wow. Someone's a little snappy right now," he said as he followed me into the living room. "I'll watch a movie with you. What do you want to watch?"
"I don't know. I'll most probably fall asleep pretty soon, so I should make up the bed. This is where you'll be sleeping."
"Oh, man. I was hoping I could sleep in your bed with you, show you what a real man is like."
"Tyler, what is your problem? We were just having a nice conversation, and now what, you want to jump my bones?"
"Mm-hmm. I’ll show you how much energy I have. Don’t you want to jump my bones as well?"
"No, I don't want to jump your bones, Tyler. I'm not interested in anything like that with you." I stumbled over my last words as he seemed to be getting closer and closer. Oh my gosh, was he about to kiss me? I jumped up and headed towards the bathroom. “I suggest you calm down while I go to the bathroom.” I turned away.
Something was definitely different about Tyler. I just couldn’t put my finger on what.
Chapter 6
Tyler
* * *
Olivia was looking at me with suspicion in her eyes as she walked back into the room and sat back down on the couch. Suspicion … and also hurt and confusion. I knew I'd overreacted to her comment, and acted like a complete and utter fool. Once again, I'd led her to believe that I was just the douchebag that she'd always thought I was, and I hated that. I didn't want her to think that about me, but I also didn't want her to think that I was weak. When she’d made the comment about having less energy it had struck a nerve in me. I had vowed I was never going to be that guy and I’d gone on the defensive.
And now I regretted it.
I didn't want her to think that I wasn't the sort of man who couldn’t get any woman that he wanted. I wanted her to think that I was virile, that I was cool. I wanted her to be attracted to me. And as I saw her sitting there on the couch, her lower lip trembling, all I wanted
to do at that moment was to kiss her.
I sat down on the couch next to her and I grabbed her hand. "Hey, I want to apologize to you for my behavior just now. I don't want you to think that I'm just some asshole who’s staying in your apartment looking for a good time. You know me better than that, and I want you to be comfortable around me."
"I am comfortable around you, Tyler, and you are an asshole," she said, gently pulling her hand away from me. "I don't know why I ever thought you could change. You and Derrick are both the same. You're both the same guys that you were back in the day. Leopards don’t change their spots. You’re still the same ol’ jock that thinks he’s all that.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You were a football player in high school, a football player in college, you got all the girls, and you think you can still get all the girls. Well, good for you and for my stupid brother. Derrick can go sleep with his little stripper friend, and you can go and find someone tomorrow."
"I don't want to go and find someone tomorrow," I said quietly.
"Oh, okay. So, you're not looking to hook up on this trip?"
"Well, I didn't say that exactly," I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she just shook her head.
"Really, Tyler? Ha-ha-ha, very funny. Now you're going to try and play games with me as well?"
"I would never try to play games with you, Olivia. You know me better than that."
"Do I, though, Tyler? Do I?"
"I would hope so. Do you remember that time you came to me after your high school boyfriend dumped you for not having sex with him?"
"No, not really."
"Don't you remember? What was his name? Shane, right?"
"Yes. It was Shane." She sighed, and I held back a grin. She was so stubborn.
"Remember how Shane said he loved you and if you loved him too, you would have sex with him?"
"I vaguely remember he said something like that."
"And remember what I said to you?"
"No. What did you say, Tyler?"
"Remember, I said to you that if a guy really loved you, he would wait if that's what you wanted."
