Chapter 24 Say Cheese and Goodbye
Say Cheese and Goodbye
ETHAN
"Who is this?" Sylas’s eyebrows raise dramatically at whatever is said on the call.
The distraction is almost welcome after staring at tissue inflammation pathways for so long. "What's going on?"
He holds up a finger to silence me, and I watch as his expression shifts to surprise. "Why do you have my number, and why are you calling me at 9 PM on a Thursday?"
Sylas rolls his eyes dramatically and mouths "frat boys" to me.
"I'm not in your frat," he says dryly, putting the phone on speaker and placing it on the coffee table between us.
A booming voice fills the room. "It's about Tyler and Ethan. We need your expertise."
My heart stops at the mention of Tyler's name. Sylas's eyes flick to me as he asks, "Is Ethan okay?"
"He's fine," Tyler's voice responds, making my stomach drop. "This is Tyler.”
Shaking my head frantically at Sylas, I mouth "hang up," but he ignores me.
"Oh," Sylas's tone noticeably cooling as he watches my reaction. "What do you want?"
"Your advice," Tyler says, his voice making my chest ache with how much I've missed him. "Ethan's pulling away, and I don't know how to fix it."
My eyesclose and I'm unable to look at Sylas's questioning gaze.
"Maybe there's nothing to fix," Sylas suggests, raising an eyebrow at me. "Maybe he realized—"
"It's not that," Gavin interrupts. "He wants to be with Tyler. He said so. But he's scared, and something else is going on that he won't talk about."
My head snaps up in alarm. How does Gavin know there's something else? Sylas looks as surprised as I feel.
"What makes you think I know what's going on?" Sylas asks, watching me carefully.
"Because you're his best friend," Tyler says. "And I'm worried about him. Not just because of us, but because he seems... off. Even when we text, it's like he's only half there."
Sinking deeper into the couch, guilt washes over me. Sylas gives me a look that clearly says, "he's right, you know."
"I'm on speaker," Sylas says suddenly. "Who else is there?"
"Just some fraternity brothers," Drew's voice replies. "We're trying to help Tyler figure this out."
"A frat-boy relationship council," Sylas says, his voice dripping with sarcasm, though he winks at me. "Fascinating."
"Look," Tyler says, sounding impatient, "if you don't want to help, just say so."
"I didn't say that." Sylas sighs, never taking his eyes off me. "It's not my place to tell you what's going on with Ethan. That's for him to share if he wants to."
I mouth "thank you" at him, relieved.
"But something is going on," Tyler presses.
Sylas holds my gaze, silently asking permission. I shake my head, but he answers anyway. "Yes. But it's not what you think. It's not about your mother or Cher, though they didn't help."
Hands make excellent shields against mortification, so mine automatically move to cover my face.
"Then what is it? How can I help him if I don't know what's wrong?"
"That's the problem, isn't it?" Sylas suddenly sounds tired. "Ethan doesn't want you to 'help.' He wants to handle it himself."
"Handle what?"
"Ask him," Sylas says firmly, pointing at me. "And don't let him off the hook when he says it's nothing. Make him talk to you."
"I've tried that."
"Try harder." His voice softens slightly. "Look, for what it's worth, he does care about you. A lot. I haven't seen him this hung up on someone in... well, ever."
I glare at him, feeling betrayed despite knowing he's right.
"But," Sylas continues, still looking directly at me, "he's also stubborn and has this thing about not being a burden. So if you want this to work, you need to convince him that his problems aren't a burden to you."
"They're not," Tyler says immediately.
The speed and certainty of his response makes my heart clench.
"I know that. You know that. Ethan... needs convincing." Sylas glances at his watch. "I have to go. I've already said more than I should have."
"Wait," Gavin interjects. "One more question. Do you think they can work this out?"
Sylas looks at me for a long moment. The air feels trapped in my chest while I wait
"Yes," he says finally. "I do. But it will take more than grand gestures or pretty words." He hesitates, then adds, "Be patient with him, Tyler. He's worth it."
He hangs up and tosses his phone onto the coffee table.
"What the hell, Sylas?" my voice bursts out somewhere between anger and panic.
"Your boyfriend's frat brothers just held an intervention for your relationship," he says, studying my reaction. "Can you believe that? A bunch of frat boys calling me, of all people, to figure out how to help Tyler win you back."
My heart does a strange little flip.
"You heard it all. They're having some kind of brotherhood council right now, trying to figure out how to make you talk to Tyler.
" He shakes his head, but there's a smile playing at his lips.
"Those overgrown idiots might actually be decent humans after all.
They're cheering for your relationship to work. "
He leans forward, suddenly serious. "Ethan, they genuinely care. About Tyler, yes, but also about you two as a couple."
Something warm blooms in my chest despite my attempts to smother it. “What do you think?”
"That you're being stupid."
His words hit like an unexpected lab result, making me blink in confusion. "Excuse me?
"You're being stupid," he repeats firmly.
"But you're the one who warned me about fraternity guys in the first place!"
"And you were stupid for pulling away without talking to Tyler." He raises an eyebrow. "But now you're being stupid in a completely different way."
"How exactly am I stupid now?" I demand, Thursday night, instead of talking to a guy who has his entire fraternity strategizing how to win you back.
" He picks up his phone, scrolling through it.
"The big one, Gavin, literally said, and I quote, 'Tyler's confused and sad without him.
' They called me because they're trying to help him figure out what's wrong. "
"Oh." The word comes out small, inadequate for the feelings swirling inside me.
"Yeah, oh." Sylas's expression softens. "Look, I was skeptical about Tyler, about all of them, but the way they were talking tonight... It wasn't what I expected. They respect your relationship."
My eyes fix on the textbook diagrams, but my brain is busy processing this completely different kind of information. "I've been so worried that I'm just some experiment to him. He'll go back to dating women at the first sign of trouble."
"I know. And maybe that fear was reasonable at the beginning." Sylas sighs. "But Ethan, that guy is crazy about you. Even I can see that now."
"He is?" It comes out sounding far more hopeful than I intended.
"Don't make me repeat it." Sylas rolls his eyes, but his smile is genuine. "Yes, you idiot. And instead of enjoying that, you're hiding in our apartment because you're afraid of getting hurt."
I start laughing as it dawns on me. "You know, you just said 'Tyler' like three times in this conversation."
"So?" Sylas looks at me with confusion.
"So in the entire time we've known each other, I've never once heard you use Ryan's actual name. It's always 'The Walking Red Flag' or 'Douche-nozzle' or my personal favourite, 'Patient Zero of Douchebaggery.'"
Sylas's lips quirk up. "That's because Tyler deserves to be a person with a name. Mr. Disappointing Dipstick doesn't."
The realization hits me hard. Sylas has been subtly showing me the difference all along. "You're right. I've been so stupid."
I've been so focused on protecting myself that I've been missing what's right in front of me, a man who cares enough to have his friends calling my best friend for advice. The thought makes me laugh suddenly.
"Finally, he gets it." Sylas raises his hands dramatically. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"Just picturing Gavin and the guys sitting around trying to analyze our relationship." I shake my head, smiling. "It's kind of sweet."
"Disgustingly sweet," Sylas agrees. "So what are you going to do about it?"
The textbook closes with a soft thwack. "That's it. No more being stupid."
By Monday afternoon, I'm practically floating down the hallways of the Health Sciences Building. The past couple of days have been a revelation. After Sylas's unexpected pep talk Thursday night, I texted Tyler, apologizing for being distant and asking if we could talk in person.
His response was immediate and enthusiastic.
Tyler
Yes! Tonight? Tomorrow? Whenever you want.
We ended up talking on the phone for almost two hours that night, not about anything heavy, just catching up and getting back to the easy chats we always had before I started pulling away.
We made plans to have dinner tonight, and the excitement has carried me through my Monday classes with an energy I haven't felt in weeks.
"Mr. Barrett, would you be willing to stay after and help demonstrate the procedure for the evening lab section?"
Turning, Professor Kilkarney stands there looking expectant. "Of course." The disappointment about delaying tonight with Tyler stays buried. "I can text to push back my plans."
She smiles approvingly. "Excellent. The additional demonstration hours will look good on your transcript."
An hour later, I'm finishing up the demonstration for a group of first-year nursing students, fielding questions about intramuscular injections and proper disposal techniques. By the time I'm done, the rest of my classmates have long since left.
As I head to the locker room to change out of my scrubs, my fingers are typing a quick message to Tyler.
Just finished. Can't wait to see you. I'll be there in 30
His response is almost immediate.
Tyler
Counting the minutes. I've missed you
His simple message has me grinning like a fool. How did I nearly wreck this by pushing him away? Whatever I was scared of seems tiny compared to how he makes me feel, like I count, and I'm enough.