More Than You Know

by Alexandria Rhodes

  What that really meant was bringing something up that I didn't want to talk about.

  “Why not.” I shrugged.

  She sighed. “What are you so afraid of?”

  There it is.

  “I'm not afraid of anything.”

  She stood up and walked over to me. “Then why do you flip out when it comes to situations like these?” she said, shuddering at the visualization. “You freak at the slightest possibility of your scar showing to anyone who doesn’t know.”

  “Fuck, if I knew the answer to that, we probably wouldn't be in this position.”

  “Tyler, stop having a pity party for yourself.”

  She was right.

  “It's hideous, Char.”

  She shook her head. “No, it's not. It gave you life again. It's beautiful.”

  “Are you getting all sappy on me?”

  She wiped her eyes, and I pulled her close to me. “Not at all…just have dust in my eyes. You should really clean in here." She sniffed.

  I laughed. "Okay."

  “You’re in love with her all over again, aren’t you?” she asked into my chest.

  “I never stopped loving her, Charlotte. But this time, it’s different. She’s different. And it scares the shit out of me.”

  “If something like this scares you, then it's obvious she means a hell of a lot to you, whether you look at it that way or not.” She tightened her hug, “She's a good person. You shouldn't let her go again.”

  I nodded.

  “Go get her.”

  It didn't take me long to get to Bryn's, her house being so close, and the fact that I had sped way past the speed limit helped as well. Parking on the curb of the street across from her house, I looked up at the dark house in front of me. It hadn't been long since she had left so she couldn't be asleep already.

  Walking to the door, I knocked gently, not wanting to startle her. I waited there for a few minutes but didn't hear anything. What I did next was stupid.

  Really fucking stupid.

  I walked around the house looking for her ladder. The one rule we always had was I wouldn’t sneak up on her while she was sleeping, and I was about to break it. Here goes nothing.

  Finally, after almost falling and killing myself, I was at her window, well, close to it.

  I peered in to see that she was on the other end of her room. Her back was to me as she stood at her door, one hand on the doorknob and the other against the length of the door.

  When she turned around, I waved and she screamed, backing up against the door instantly.

  She stepped forward and looked questioningly at me. “Tyler?” She sprinted to the window, pulling it open so that I could try and fit through. “What the hell are you doing? You seriously have to stop climbing up here. We aren’t kids anymore!” she said breathlessly as she held her hand to her chest.

  “What the FUCK is going on?” Ashton said, coming in behind Bryn. “Wilson?” he asked as he came closer to Bryn and the window.

  Ashton held out a hand and helped me in, closing the window. “What are you doing?”

  Bryn stood by the window, her hands on her hips, waiting for an explanation.

  “I really need to talk to Bryn,” I said, hoping he would get the hint and leave.

  Bryn looked at me and then to Ashton. “We're fine, Ashton, thanks for coming up to check on me.”

  Ashton nodded and headed out the door. “I better not hear any nasty shit going on up here.”

  Bryn rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine…talk,” she said, turning back to me after Ashton had left the room, running her hands through her hair and biting her lip.

  “I really needed to see you, Bryn…I'm sorry about earlier, and I just felt like I needed to explain what happened, and you looked so upset. I couldn't let you think I didn't want you. It was killing me, believe me,” I rambled on. “I know you aren't going to believe me when I say this because it’s such a simple answer. But you need to know that what did…or didn't happen wasn't your fault. I feel like there’s so much more we need to discover about the new us, no matter how well we think we still know each other.”

  Her mouth opened slightly like she was going to say something, but I stopped her. I looked out the window and then back into her eyes, which conveyed sadness. She grinned and bit her lip, making my insides go crazy for her. “God, all I want to do sometimes is…” But I couldn't finish the sentence without kissing her first.

  As her lips touched mine, my body reacted.

  I pulled away and smiled at her, seeing that she was smiling too.

  “Do you want to stay over tonight?” she asked.

  I was shocked to hear her ask as I didn't know if this was too much. Doubts aside, I walked over to the bed and smiled, grabbing the covers and holding them up for her to get under. She slid in and I got in after pulling the blankets over us. I scooted closer and pulled her back closer to me, wrapping my arms around her slim waist. She linked her fingers with mine squeezed lightly. I buried my nose in her hair, breathing in her scent.

  A few minutes later I felt her grip loosen on my hand as I assumed she had fallen asleep. Her breathing got heavier and I smiled.

  Closing my eyes, I felt sleep start to take over soon after. Whenever I slept over or vice versa, I found myself able to fall asleep faster. Something about her was calming and comfortable. It was amazing I had ever been able to fall asleep without her.

  Nine

  ___________________

  The next few days flew by in a haze of Tyler, wedding stuff and more Tyler.

  It was now Saturday, and I was lazing around the house, waiting for Charlotte and Eva to arrive. Just as I was about to call them and ask how long they were going to be, I saw Charlotte’s blue Audi pulling into the drive

  “Ready for this?” Eva asked as she walked into the house, a dress bag draped over her shoulder.

  “Bring it on.”

  Charlotte came in behind Eva, her hands full of binders and what looked like a large sewing kit. “Where do you want us, Bryn?” she asked, looking around the house for a suitable spot to put everything.

  “Well, Ashton’s stuff is currently taking over my dining room, so I guess the living room will be fine. We can close the shades so nobody gets a free striptease.” I led them into the living room even though I knew Charlotte could find her way around my house with her eyes closed.

  She set her things down on the coffee table and took the dress bag from Eva’s hands. “Okay, don’t freak out when you see this.”

  Oh dear God. The warning itself was enough to make me start panicking.

  Charlotte unzipped the garment bag and revealed a navy-blue, silk dress. It had thin straps that hit just at the top of the shoulders which Eva said was bateau style, not that I had any idea what that was. The material looked thin but sophisticated. Who knew such little material could look so elegant.

  “I don’t think I can pull this off,” I said hesitantly, feeling the smooth fabric slip through my fingers. I turned it around and saw that it was almost backless, the fabric looking like it would hit just above my butt. “How am I supposed to wear a bra?”

  Charlotte winked. “You don’t.” She took the dress and grabbed my hand, walking us to the bathroom. “Just try it on, Bryn. I promise you’ll love it.” She pushed me inside and shut the door.

  Knowing I couldn’t back out of the wedding just because of a dress, I slipped my shorts and shirt off, sliding the dress on with ease. I looked into the mirror and gasped at what I saw. The dress was like a second skin on me, showing off curves I didn’t even know I had. There were a few spots that needed hemming, but other than that it was perfect. I turned to my side, wanting to see what I looked like from all angles. Like I had predicted, the fabric hit just above my ass, leaving my entire back and sides on show.

  “I don’t know who you are,” I said to my reflection in the mirror. “I’ve never met you before.”

  “Is it on? Let us see!” I heard Eva shout outside the do
or.

  Opening the door slowly, I poked my head out and they motioned for me to come out.

  Sighing and knowing I didn’t have any choice, I walked out, feeling incredibly exposed.

  “Oh my God, Bryn! You look amazing!” Charlotte exclaimed, grabbing a few pins and guiding me into the living room. “I knew it would look great on you.”

  Eva followed us, analyzing the way I looked from head to toe. “It really does look good on you,” Eva said, with a hint of jealousy in her voice.

  “Does it fit okay, meaning do you feel comfortable?” Charlotte asked as she walked around me to get a better look.

  I nodded and adjusted my almost nonexistent boobs in the front. “Yeah, it feels fine. I just feel like half of it is missing.”

  “Trust me. It’s all there,” Charlotte said with a pin in between her lips.

  “Everyone else is wearing this too, right?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t the only one walking down the aisle in this dress. Even though I couldn’t help but love it, wearing something that showed this much skin was pretty out of character for me.

  They both nodded, making the idea of wearing it much less daunting.

  “All right, I’m all finished. You can change now and I’ll work on it this weekend for you to try on again Monday.”

  “Thanks, guys.”

  After I had changed into my own comfortable clothes, we headed over to Charlotte's house to help her get ready for a small get together tonight. The boys didn't know yet.

  “Where is everyone?” I asked as we walked into the empty house.

  “Um…Jason is with Tyler at the gym and I think they’re picking up Miles on their way home,” she answered as she set her purse on the kitchen table.

  We went through the pantry and refrigerator, coming up almost empty. Since they didn’t want to go out to grocery shop, Eva and Charlotte decided they wanted to make cookies before everyone came over in a few hours. Charlotte dug out the mixing bowl and I watched as Eva got out all the ingredients to make a big batch of double chocolate chip cookies.

  We were being completely careless, making more of a mess than I ever thought possible. The island was covered in blobs of cookie dough and heaps of flour. Somehow we managed to get the cookies into the oven somehow.

  After putting in the third tray of cookies and shutting the oven door, I was hit with a cloud of flour. I had no idea who started it, but in two seconds flat, we were scurrying to grab flour by the fistfuls to throw at each other. We were soon covered head to toe in white powder and ended up lying on the floor laughing our asses off.

  The sound of the garage door opening and slamming of car doors was heard above our laughter and I was struck with inspiration. I smiled over at both of the girls, putting a finger to my lips. “Let's get them when they come in.” We quietly reached up to grab more flour and dropped back down to hide behind the island.

  “God, do you smell that?” I heard Miles exclaim as soon as the door opened.

  “Cookies!” Jason yelled as he came into view of the trays of cookies. We stayed silent, and I mouthed “now” at the girls.

  We all stood up and threw the flour at our respective partners, covering them in flour while laughing hysterically.

  “What the fuck!” Jason yelled in shock. He grabbed the container of flour before we could get to it and dumped it all over us.

  I tried to make a run from Tyler, but as soon as I got to the staircase, he grabbed me by my waist, and pulled me down to the floor.

  “You have a little something here…” he said, kissing my nose “…and here.” He smiled as he kissed both of my cheeks. “Annnd here,” he said, kissing my mouth. I giggled as he tickled me and kissed me all over.

  We eventually made our way back into the kitchen and joined everyone sitting on the flour-covered floor.

  “I am definitely cleaning up this fucking mess,” Jason said, sitting across from us.

  “Oh yes you are if you plan on sleeping in our room tonight,” Eva exclaimed sitting up and attempting to brush the flour off her legs.

  Since I didn't really know where the cleaning supplies were, I watched as Eva, Miles, Jason and Charlotte got the sweeper, broom and dust pan. I looked over and saw Tyler now lying on the floor. “You look kind of cute covered in flour,” he said, looking up and grinning at me.

  “Well, thank you for the compliment, but you just look like a dork,” I said, kissing him through my giggles.

  Someone cleared their throat and we stood up to find everyone else standing there with their hands on their hips.

  “Okay, guys, the sooner we get done with this, the sooner you two can get back to whatever you were just doing,” Eva said, walking over to the sink and filling the bucket with water. “By the way, people are coming over later in case you want to join in.”

  The guys, of course, had no objection.

  It took us two hours to clean up the mess. It seemed like no matter how much we mopped and scrubbed, we were still finding flour throughout the kitchen. It had stuck to the lights and every surface in the room.

  After it was all finished and the kitchen looked normal again, I grabbed a quick shower as we only had about an hour before people would start to get here.

  I put on my shorts and shook my shirt out the best I could to try and get the flour off.

  When I got into Charlotte's room, she and Eva were sitting cross-legged on her bed flipping through a magazine. I noticed Eva usually wore her hair curly and full, but tonight it was straight, pulled to one side in a loose ponytail. Her eye makeup was dark, with heavy eyeliner and smoky eye shadow.

  Eva smiled at me. “You’re seriously going to knock Tyler's socks off when he sees you,” she said, nodding her head to Charlotte’s bed where I was sure there was an outfit waiting for me. Lying on her bed were a pair of white shorts and a long sleeved, see-through black shirt and black bra.

  “Charlotte, why are you trying to kill me with clothes today?” I asked, picking up the shirt and looking at it, hoping there was a cami somewhere and I just wasn’t seeing it.

  “Trust me, you’ll be fine. Now, get dressed. We need to get downstairs before the guys wreck the place and eat all of the pizza.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Charlotte, I love you, but how about next time, you let me pick out my own outfit.”

  Eva laughed and Charlotte smiled. “Shit, sorry, Bryn. I’m just used to it. No problem,” Charlotte hurried to the mirror to put some finishing touches to her own makeup and hair. I got dressed and looked at myself in the mirror, not even recognizing myself.

  I took the black ankle boots and a necklace that Charlotte handed to me. “Only if you want.”

  “Necklace, yes. Shoes, I think I’ll stick with my flip flops.”

  We walked down the stairs to the sounds of music already playing and people piling in from the front door. The party had officially started.

  Charlotte and Tyler introduced me to a few people and I was slightly surprised to see Ashton walk in the front door.

  “Ashton!” I yelled, letting go of Tyler's hand and walked over to him.

  “Bryn?” Ashton asked as he looked me up and down.

  I spun around to give him a view of my whole outfit. “Wow,” he said, hugging me. He leaned forward to whisper in my ear, “You know you can see your bra through your shirt, right?"

  “Don’t remind me; I’m doing it for Charlotte,” I whispered back. I looked around him to see if anyone had come with him.

  He noticed my eyes wandering. “I came alone. Grace still won't talk to me. I was hoping she would come with me tonight.”

  I put my hand on his arm, again hurting for him. “It will work out, Ashton; just give it time.”

  He nodded and I went to say something but he spoke up first. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

  Following his gaze, my eyes set on Tyler but he wasn't alone. Standing next to him was a beautiful blonde. Her hair was in curls and if it hadn't been for the way she was touching Tyler’s arm, I wou
ld have thought it was Eva. There was nothing friendly in her touch.

  Jealousy fell into the pit of my stomach. “Who is she?” I asked, praying she was an old friend that I hadn’t met yet.

  “Her name’s Kelsey. I guess she and Tyler had an ‘unofficial’ thing going on last year. I don't know the details but she is pretty much the classiest looking slut you’ll ever meet. She looks innocent and beautiful on the outside but she’s hideous on the inside,” he paused. “She’s known for doing anything to stay with a guy. She’s even to pretended to be pregnant once.”

  My eyes widened. “Did she do that with Tyler?”

  “Not that I know of. I think he got out before she could fuck with his head.”

  Ashton stood with me for a few minutes but was called over by a guy named Joe. I was left alone trying to not look like I was watching. Kelsey was obviously flirting; just the way her body language was it would be impossible to not think they were an item if you didn’t know who they were.

  I suddenly felt angry and annoyed, wanting to break it up.

  Kelsey brought her hand up to Tyler's face and he brushed it away. Thank you, I thought, grateful for his rejection.

  However, Kelsey didn’t seem to be having it and she quickly grabbed his face and kissed him.

  I looked away, disgusted, as a sickening feeling ran through my stomach. I knew that if I didn't get something to drink, I was going to puke from the scene that had just taken place in front of me. I walked out of the living room, careful so that Tyler wouldn't notice me, and entered the kitchen where all the alcohol was.

  It didn't matter what I drank, I just knew I needed something to chase away the pain. Shot after shot emptied into my mouth, the burn in my stomach letting me know that relief was not far away. I was about to take another when arms wrapped around me and pulled me off the counter.

  “Hey! Put me back!” I complained, until my eyes met Tyler's. “What the hell, Tyler?”

  “You’re not that girl, Bryn,” he said. “They looked ready to suck your face off.” He motioned to a group of guys at the end of the room that I hadn’t noticed earlier. They all had creepy looks on their faces.