Chapter 27 Lainey
When I leave the dress boutique, I find Tyson standing a few storefronts down, gazing in a window. I pause, watching him for a few seconds, soaking in the moment. It’s been a magical afternoon, and I don’t want our time alone together to end. Fortunately, I have yet to hear from Hannah, so when I catch up to Tyson, I ask if he wants to get a drink before we head back to the room.
“Sure,” he says. “A cold beer sounds perfect.”
The café on the Piazzetta is very crowded, so we keep walking, going over to one near the funicular. As we check in with the hostess, an outside table opens. She offers it to us, and we take it.
We settle in our chairs, bags at our feet, and look out over the Gulf of Naples. I let out a big sigh, feeling a wave of intense contentment.
“You good?” Tyson asks.
“Yes,” I say, keeping my eyes on the horizon for another second before I look back at him. “I just love being here so much.”
With you, I think.
“Me too,” he says.
We sit in silence for a few minutes, reviewing the menu and enjoying a cool breeze off the bay. Tyson orders a beer, and I go for an Aperol spritz.
When our drinks arrive, Tyson clears his throat, raises his glass, and stares into my eyes.
“To whatever it is that’s going on here,” he says.
I nod, staring back at him, then raise my glass.
We both take a long sip.
“It’s weird, isn’t it?” I say.
He nods without hesitating. “It’s very weird. And out of nowhere.”
“Yes,” I say, my heart racing. “Out of the blue.”
“Yes,” he says. “But it didn’t start last night in the room. At least it didn’t for me.”
“When did it start for you?” I ask him.
“It happened at lunch. When I told you about Summer. Well. After I told you.” He hesitates, then adds, “When you took my hand.”
I feel a rush of emotion and relief. As much as I have always loved the thrill of seduction, I’m glad to hear that Tyson’s feelings for me run deeper than seeing me naked in the shower.
We stare at each other for a long few seconds as I work up the courage to ask my next question.
“What do you think Summer would say about…this?” I ask.
He takes a deep breath, then sighs loudly, shaking his head. “I don’t know. I think she would just want us to be happy. Whatever that looks like.” He hesitates, then continues. “I think she’d tell us that you only live once…. That life is short—way too short…. And you never know what can happen.”
I nod, concentrating as hard as I can, trying to stay in the moment, but my thoughts are racing in a million different directions.
He swallows, then says, “I think she’d also tell us to be careful. She’d tell us that our friendship is precious, and we need to protect it at any cost.”
I nod. “Yes. She would.”
He looks into my eyes. “I’m very attracted to you, Lainey…. But whatever is happening between us isn’t about that. Even last night…in the shower…I was completely mesmerized, but not for the reasons you might think.”
I stare back at him, my heart in my throat.
“It was that look on your face,” he says.
“What look?”
“That soft look in your eyes. It’s the same one you have right now.”
“Oh,” I say, my cheeks burning as I glance out over the water.
“Look at me,” he says.
I meet his gaze again.
“Seriously, Lainey. Don’t play games. Like that shower stunt,” he says. “Don’t do that shit to people. More important, stop doing that to yourself…. This isn’t about judging you or slut-shaming you or any of that. I’m just telling you…. You can have whatever you want, Lainey. The world is your oyster. Just be certain. Be clear. With yourself.”
I stare into Tyson’s eyes, too overwhelmed to speak. I nod instead, basking in his concern and the feeling of being understood. As his words sink in, I have a premonition that I will one day think back to this moment. That it is a turning point.
“What about you?” I finally manage to say. “Are you always sure about what you want…before you do things?”
“I try to be.”
“And?” I say, my heart fluttering. “What do you want?”
He takes a deep breath and says, “I want peace…and honesty…and the freedom to be myself. Something I’ve never truly felt before. With anyone.”
“So you didn’t have that with Nicole?”
“No,” Tyson says. “But part of that was my fault. I didn’t really tell her the truth….” His voice trails off.
I hesitate, then say, “The truth about Summer?”
“Yes. Summer. And other things, too.”
“Are you tempted to go back and tell her those things?”
“It has crossed my mind. She’s such a good person. I’ve wondered if things might have turned out differently if I’d been more open.”
“Maybe you should try again,” I force myself to say.
He shakes his head. “No. That’s not what I want to try.”
“Oh,” I say, my heart pounding, surprised by how shy I feel. “What do you want to try?”
“I’m figuring that out,” he says, his eyes locking in on mine. “But once I decide…you’ll be the first to know.”
I can’t tell if it’s from his words or from another cool breeze, but I shiver, getting goosebumps.
“In the meantime, we should probably reach out to Hannah,” Tyson says.
“You’re right.” I nod.
I get my phone out of my bag and fire off a quick text to her. She responds right away, saying she went for a hike and is going to watch the sun set.
I read it aloud, then look back up at Tyson. “So I guess it’s just the two of us,” I say.
He smiles and nods, looking as happy as I feel. “I guess it is,” he says. “Are you getting hungry?”
“Yes. Starving,” I say, realizing that the only thing I’ve had to eat all day is the muffin that Tyson brought me for breakfast. “We forgot to eat lunch.”
“We sure did. Wonder how that happened?” he deadpans.
I shrug and smile. “Should we eat now? Or head back to the hotel?”
“We can do whatever your little heart desires,” he says, smiling back at me.
I laugh, my mind racing. As much as I want to go straight back to the room and make the most of our alone time, I show restraint like I never have before. “How about we order a little something to eat…and maybe one more drink?”
“Sounds great to me,” Tyson says.
As dusk descends upon the bay and the sky darkens, Tyson and I eat and drink and talk, staying longer than we planned. The mood is so peaceful and our rhythm so natural. Then, suddenly, he looks past me, bewildered.
“That’s weird,” he mutters, squinting into the darkness.
“What’s weird?” I ask, glancing over my shoulder.
“Isn’t that Archie and Ian?” he asks, pointing. “Over there with those women?”
I turn all the way around in my chair, spotting our Scottish friends with a couple of girls.
I look back at Tyson. “I guess Hannah changed her mind,” I say, feeling a wave of disappointment.
“Yeah. I guess she did.” He nods, looking equally disappointed. “She must be back in the room.”
“Hold on. I’m gonna find out,” I say, getting to my feet and dropping my napkin on my plate.
I turn and stride over to their little group. Ian is holding court, a cigarette in his hand.
“Hello, gentlemen!” I call out in a loud voice.
Archie and Ian both look up at me and smile as the girls step back.
I give Ian a hug, inhaling the scent of weed on his sweater.
“How’s your day been?” Ian asks me.
“Great,” I say. “Yours?”
“Awesome. We went to the Blue Grotto,” Ian says.
“And did you enjoy the sunset?” I ask, looking at Archie.
“Ack. We missed it,” he says, shaking his head.
“What do you mean you missed it?” I ask, confused. “Weren’t you with Hannah?”
“Nope. She blew me off,” he says with an affable shrug.
“So…wait…when did you leave her?” I ask, more confused by the second.
“Last night,” he says. “When I walked her back to the hotel. Why?”
“Oh, it’s not important,” I say. “Look, I gotta go right now, but maybe we’ll see you guys later.”
“Hope so,” Ian says, raising his eyebrows.
I nod, smile, then rush back over to our table.
When I get there, Tyson is staring down at his phone.
“Hannah’s not with them,” I say, sitting back down. “She hasn’t been with them all day.”
Tyson looks up at me and frowns. “Yeah. I just pulled up her Life360.”
“And? Where is she?”
“It looks like she’s at a hotel…. It’s close…. Only about a hundred and fifty meters from here—” He looks up at me, an uneasy expression crossing his face.
“Tyson?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you know something you’re not telling me?”
He sighs, chews his lower lip, then slowly nods.
“Well? What is it?”
He takes a deep breath, then says, “Olivia’s in Italy.”
I stare at him, floored. “You’re kidding me, right?”
He winces. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner—”
“Whatever, Tyson.” I get to my feet so abruptly that I knock over my chair. “Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?” he asks.
“To wherever Hannah is,” I say, crossing my arms, waiting for him to stand.
“Maybe we should just call her first,” he says, glancing back down at his screen, clearly stalling.
“No. Don’t call her. Just take me to her now,” I say, fuming. “Right fucking now.”