Chapter 8
Pinch Me, I'm Dreaming (No Really, Am I Hallucinating?)
ETHAN
"Besides, anyone who comes up with nicknames that good has earned some respect."
A chuckle escapes, melting the edge off my anxiety. Something about Tyler makes it impossible to stay nervous for long, even when I have every reason to be freaking out right now.
"Sixteen minutes remaining," I tap the bare skin of my wrist where a watch would be. "Better make this conversation count before my drag queen uses his impressive platform boots to break down your door."
Tyler's grin is infectious. "No pressure or anything."
The absurdity of our situation crashes over me in a wave. A couple of hours ago, I was being thrown at this guy by my closeted now-ex in a horror house. Now I'm standing in his bedroom after being carried up here like some romance novel heroine, with a countdown timer courtesy of my best friend.
My body chooses now to release a laugh that would make my psych rotation professor reach for her notepad. "God, what even is tonight? This morning I was studying pharmacology and hoping my stupid boyfriend would call, and now I'm..." I gesture vaguely between us, "...whatever this is."
"Having second thoughts?" Tyler asks, his casual tone not quite hiding the hesitation beneath.
"That's just it," I admit, surprising myself with my honesty. "I should be having second, third, and fourth thoughts. I should be running for the door. But weirdly, I'm not."
Something shifts in Tyler's expression, a something around his eyes that makes my pulse skip. He takes a half step closer, and I can smell the faint woodsy scent of his cologne mixed with the sugary fake blood from his costume.
"Good," he says simply. "Because I'd rather you stayed. At least until we figure out what this is."
His directness catches me off guard. Most guys I've known play games, especially ones who look like him, athletic, handsome, with that easy confidence that comes from being universally liked. Yet here he is, just saying what he wants without pretense.
"Fair warning," I lean back against his desk. "I should probably come with hazard labels. Side effects of dating me may include: dramatic exes, public confrontations, and being used as a human landing pad for flying nursing students."
Tyler laughs. "I've had worse Saturday nights. Besides," he adds with a shrug, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth, "his aim was pretty good. I can't complain about where you landed."
"Not my finest moment."
"I don't know," Tyler shrugs, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. "If he hadn't done that, we might never have met. Sort of makes me want to send him a thank-you card."
"Dear Ryan," I say in a mock-formal voice, "Thank you for your contribution to my love life through your cowardly retreat. Your ability to throw and run created this opportunity. Sincerely, The Guy You Tossed."
Tyler laughs. "Much more effective than Tinder. 'Scared ex throws eligible nursing student directly at interested frat boy.' Should be a new dating app."
"FratMatch: Where the men literally sweep you off your feet," I suggest.
"Patent pending," Tyler adds with a wink.
Fifteen minutes until Sylas comes looking for me. The thought feels distant, unimportant. Fifteen minutes until reality crashes back in.
"You know, I've never been carried away before," I say, aiming for casual, but my voice comes out breathless. "Like, literally carried away."
Tyler rakes a hand through his hair, messing up the carefully styled chaos he'd cultivated for his costume. "Yeah, well... I've never kidnapped a nursing student before, so I guess we're both having firsts tonight."
There's a moment of weighted silence, the kind that feels electric with possibility.
I'm acutely aware of the desk edge pressing into my butt and how Tyler's eyes are locked on mine, of the absurdity of ending up here, in the second-floor bedroom of a frat house with a guy who just lifted me like I weigh nothing, after getting ditched by my closeted ex.
"Is this your move? Do you always rescue strangers on Halloween?" I finally ask, aiming for humour because it feels safer than acknowledging the tension between us.
Tyler's smile is slow and deliberate. "Only the sparkly ones."
How he looks at me makes my skin tingle, like standing too close to a live wire. He takes a half step closer, close enough that I can feel the heat radiating from his body.
"You know," My voice goes low and soft without my planning it, "I should probably take off some of this glitter before it gets all over your room."
His eyes darken slightly. "I wouldn't mind."
"No?" I ask, the word barely audible.
Tyler shakes his head, brushing his thumb across my cheekbone. It comes away shimmering. "I like a little sparkle."
The air between us feels electric; I think something is about to happen. One of us needs to make a move, or we'll just end up staring at each other like idiots for the next fifteen minutes.
"I've been thinking about doing this since I first saw you in those nurse scrubs," he murmurs, his eyes focused on my lips. His lips press gently against mine, and my breath stutters.
Pulling back slightly. "With 'NURSE HOTTIE' written across my back? Not my most professional moment."
"No, the first time I saw you in scrubs was in the quad, and you looked perfect," Tyler grins, his hands finding my waist. "And now Nurse Hottie seems pretty accurate from where I'm standing."
The next kiss is tentative, Tyler leaning in carefully as if asking permission. But when I respond, sliding a hand to the back of his neck, the second kiss deepens. He makes a slight, surprised sound in the back of his throat that sends electricity down my spine.
After a particularly long kiss that leaves us both breathing hard, Tyler rests his forehead against mine. "Wow. So that's what I've been missing."
"What? Kissing?" I tease, though my voice is shakier than I'd like.
"No. Kissing someone I'm this into."
I'm not trying to stop the smile that spreads across my face, even as warning bells sound distantly in my head.
This is happening too fast. I barely know him, and I'm already melting. What if tomorrow he acts like tonight never happened? What if this is just a Halloween hookup, a sparkly distraction he won't remember in the morning?
We migrate to Tyler's bed, sitting side by side, exchanging kisses that grow more confident with each passing minute. Tyler's hand finds mine, our fingers intertwining on top of the comforter.
"Your brothers are going to give you so much crap about this," I say during a brief pause.
Tyler leans in, placing a kiss at the corner of my mouth. "Worth it. So worth it."
His lips travel to my jaw, then he hesitates. "Is this okay? Tell me if I'm—"
"You're doing fine. More than fine," I assure him, tilting my head to give him better access.
"I have excellent muscle memory," he flexes jokingly, making me laugh.
"And such modesty too," My eyes roll hard, but I don't try to hide my smile.
As we settle against Tyler's pillows, I reach up to touch his face gently. "I keep waiting for you to freak out."
"Sorry to disappoint." Tyler turns to kiss my palm. "I'm surprisingly unfreaked."
The moment is perfect, until three sharp knocks break the spell.
"Ethan? You in there? You're not answering your phone." Sylas's voice carries clearly through the door.
Juming back, I whisper, "Oh my god, that's Sylas."
"Do you want to pretend you're not here?" Tyler whispers back, though he doesn't look thrilled at the suggestion.
"No, he knows we're here. Anyway, he'll just keep knocking. And..." I meet Tyler's eyes. "I don't want to hide."
Tyler's expression is intense. "Good. Neither do I."
"Coming, Sy! Just a minute!" I call out, then turn to Tyler while straightening my dishevelled shirt. "How do I look?"
Tyler looks me over, taking in my red face and messy hair with this soft expression that makes my heart skip. "Like someone who's been thoroughly kissed."
"Great," I groan. "He's never going to let me hear the end of this."
Opening it, there on the other side of the door is Sylas, standing there, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised.
He's still in his full Hedwig costume; the platinum blonde wig is slightly askew, and his six-inch glittery platform boots make him tower even more than usual.
The smudged blue eyeshadow only intensifies his judgmental stare.
"You always answer your phone, Babe. I wanted to make sure you were okay." Sylas says, eyes moving from me to Tyler.
"Sorry, I got... distracted," I mumble.
"My fault entirely," Tyler steps forward, extending his hand. "I'm Tyler."
Sylas takes the offered hand but fixes Tyler with a penetrating stare. "Oh, I know exactly who you are."
"Okay!" I rub a hand through my hair nervously. "Time to go before this gets awkward."
"Ethan, wait—" Tyler catches my arm as I start to follow Sylas down the hallway. He pulls me aside briefly, lowering his voice. "Tonight was... I don't even have the words. Can I see you tomorrow?"
I'm surprised by my eagerness, "Yes. Definitely yes."
Tyler's face breaks into a huge smile as we exchange numbers. Then he calls to Sylas, who is pretending not to watch us from a few feet away. "And Sylas, I promise I'll be sure he answers your texts next time."
"Uh-huh. We'll see about that," Sylas says dryly.
As I walk away, I don't resist looking back. Tyler stands in his doorway, watching me go with a look of undisguised happiness that makes my chest tight in the best possible way.
The campus coffee shop buzzes with mid-morning activity. Students hunch over laptops, and the constant hiss of the espresso machine provides a caffeinated soundtrack to it all. I push through the door ten minutes early to meet Tyler, only to find him already there at a corner table with two cups.
Oh fantastic. Now I'm not even the punctually neurotic one in this equation.