Wonderstruck

Chapter 22

Serena

I’m hungover.

My head is pounding like a jackhammer, and the sunlight creeps through my “blackout” curtains, which doesn’t quite get the job done. Blackout curtains my ass. Groaning, I try to bury myself deeper into my pillows, but the hangover is here and staying. I admit defeat and lay there silently, recalling my night with Tyler.

Last night felt like a hazy dream. The jungle juice gave me a false sense of confidence, leading to questionable decisions in public parks. Tyler, bless his soul, drove me home, and we shared nuggets in his car while drowning in my playlists. He even walked me to my door, playing the role of the perfect gentleman.

After his confession, I didn’t say anything back and Tyler didn’t press me for an answer. It’s not because I didn’t reciprocate his feelings, I was stunned and also half drunk, which allowed me to laugh it off and blame it on the alcohol. In the end, we finished our nuggets in his car and listened to a few of my playlists. He drove me home and insisted on walking me to my door. It should be the end of the story, but it’s not.

I’ve worked so hard to keep brushing off my feelings for Tyler as just a simple crush, nothing serious. Crushes can fade just like how I had a crush on a Boba Republic customer who would constantly order wintermelon milk tea with crystal boba. I’ve always defined crushes to be fleeting and temporary. They always fade away.

But lately, it’s been getting hard, way too damn hard to ignore the way my heart races whenever he’s around. The way my face instantly flushes just at his mere presence. The way he lights up when he talks about his little sister and the latest play date she had at daycare. It’s every little thing he does that draws me closer every day at our sessions, when he walks me to practice, and when he drives me home. As much as I’ve tried to push these feelings aside, they only get stronger. It’s like those fluttery sensations have taken on a life of their own, morphing into something more substantial, more... real, which fucking terrifies me.

I used to think I could always keep my emotions in check, but now I’m starting to wonder if there’s more to this than just a fleeting attraction. Maybe, just maybe, I’m beginning to develop genuine feelings for Tyler.

Am I all in? I sink my face more into the pillow, silently praying for sweet relief from the unruly pounding against my skull .

Soft taps at my bedroom door disrupt me from my inner thoughts.

“Come in,” I say, repositioning my back to lean against my bed frame.

My aunt strides into my room, bearing a cup of peppermint tea. “Brought you some tea.”

I accept the cup with both hands and take small sips. “Thank you.”

“How was the party last night?” Aunt Lina asks, making herself cozy on the foot of my bed. Her belly has grown even more in the last week; I’m surprised she can look even more pregnant at almost eight months. “Jared didn’t get home until late. Party animal, I’m telling you.”

“Party boy until the day he dies.” I set the tea on my nightstand and straighten my body against my bed. “It was fun.”

Aunt Lina nods and pats my leg, “I made you some khao piek .”

Khao piek is my favorite soup that she hates to make. The equivalent of American chicken noodle soup. The noodles can be a tedious process. I’ve told her to just buy the premade noodles from the Asian store, but she refuses. Making them homemade is an extremely messy process from mixing tapioca and rice flour and getting the right amount of water to form it into a firm dough. Normally, I would turn a blind eye to the sound of my favorite soup dish, but Aunt Lina only makes this when she needs something from me.

I raise a brow at her, “What do you want from me?”

Aunt Lina rests a hand on her chest like I just accused her of murder. “I’m your aunt, I can’t just make you your favorite soup?”

“Not when you need something from me.”

Aunt Lina twiddles with her fingers, a habit I recognize from my own tendency to play with my hair tie. That reminds me, I still have Tyler’s leather bracelet on; returning it slipped my mind. I make a mental note to give it back at our next tutoring session.

“I may have miscounted one of my egg roll orders.”

“Miscounted?”

Aunt Lina nods.

“Like are you missing fifty egg rolls? I’m sure they won’t notice.” I might have saved some food in past orders and no one’s ever caught me.

Still twiddling with her hands, she sighs, “More like three hundred. ”

My eyes bug out and I’m surprised they haven’t fallen out of my eye sockets. “Auntie!”

Aunt Lina covers her face with both hands in embarrassment. “It’s my stupid pregnancy brain, you can’t blame me.”

“Three hundred is… three hundred is a shit ton,” I mutter, rubbing my fingers over my eyebrow. “Okay, when do you need them ready? I don’t know what everyone is doing–”

“Tonight.”

My jaw cracks open. “ Tonight ?”

Aunt Lina nods, her face turning another shade of red. “I talked to the customer and she’s fine if I deliver it right before the party at 4 p.m.”

“You’re telling me we have to roll and fry three hundred egg rolls,” I check my phone for the time, “in six hours?”

“Yes.”

I toss the comforter aside and swing my feet over to the ground. “I’ll see who’s available, but I can’t guarantee they’ll come.”

It’s Sunday morning, Alli goes to church and has a family lunch afterwards. Priya told me she’s working her morning shift at Books and Records and Grant went to Greensboro for a family reunion .

I exhale a heavy sigh, dreading the thought of making egg rolls with the biggest headache of my life. After getting ready for the day in black leggings and an oversized white Skyline Vikings shirt, I head downstairs to quickly eat my noodle soup, knowing that I’ll soon be transformed into an eggroll machine. I settle at the dining table with a warm and hearty bowl of khao piek and shortly after, my stepbrother joins me at the table for his bowl.

Jared mindlessly grabs the container of chili oil and scoops a small amount into his bowl. “I’m so fucking hungover.”

“Ditto,” I chime, “I don’t know how you go to parties every weekend.”

Jared shrugs and starts mixing his bowl with his chopsticks. “I could say the same for Tyler. I’m surprised he even showed up last night.”

I look up. “What are you talking about?”

Jared picks up a few strands of noodles. “Tyler stopped going to parties for a reason. He avoids them now like the plague.”

Tyler hates parties ?

“Any plans today?” I ask, shaking off the burning question in my mind.

Jared takes a bite of his noodles and shakes his head, “No plans. I think I’m just going to chill. ”

“Well, well, well, brother. You have plans now.” Jared gives me a suspicious look. “You,” I point my chopstick at him, “owe me for abandoning your Uber duties.”

“What do you need?”

“Well,” I set my utensils down after finishing my food. “Aunt Lina messed up one of her orders, so we need to make three hundred egg rolls in the next few hours.”

Jared chokes on his food and instinctively taps on his chest. “That’s impossible, you know that?”

“Nothing is impossible as long as you call up some reinforcements,” I say as I’m washing my empty bowl at the sink. “Alli’s coming over after church, but that’s all I could scrounge up.”

Jared continues to eat his noodles, “Fine. I’ll call around. But I’m not sure who’s going to make it after last night’s party.” He picks up his phone and starts tapping on the screen.

I stand in the open kitchen, gathering the ingredients we need to make egg rolls. Aunt Lina is taking a “pregnancy nap”, as she’d started calling them, while Ralph has secluded himself in his home office due to a client emergency. This leaves just Jared and me to take charge of the kitchen for now. I organize the sliced vegetables, the stack of egg roll wrappers, the mixed egg concoction, and the filling Aunt Lina made earlier .

With a deep breath, I attempt to tame the stray hairs that have escaped my messy top bun. Just as I begin to lay out the first wrapper, the doorbell rings, making me sigh in relief that Alli’s here. Jared just finishes his lunch and scurries off to answer the door.

Seconds later, I hear Tyler’s voice echo through the hallway as he greets Jared. I instantly duck down in full panic mode. I start flicking the leather bracelet he gave me off and on my wrist.

I hear their muffled conversations, and my palms start to get sweaty. Why the fuck am I sweating hard at Tyler’s voice?

Because you like him, you idiot .

I rise from my hiding spot and school my expression before Tyler and Jared walk in. I focus on the current egg roll, trying to keep my composure while trying to not think about how hot Tyler looks. The tattoo. The way the gray tee fits him too damn well. The way–

I feel a slight drool from the corner of my mouth. Crap, I’m drooling.

Tyler walks into my line of sight, I try to act as cool as possible by giving him a friendly smile despite how hot it is in the kitchen. Mental reminder to tell Ralph to fix the AC. Jared excuses himself upstairs to clean up before he can help me, leaving the two of us… alone.

“Hi,” I say, quietly .

“Hey.”

I finish one egg roll and set it on the tray. I look out of the kitchen, making sure no one’s listening. “Tyler Westman, what are you doing here?”

Tyler leans against the kitchen island where I’m preparing the egg rolls. “Jared asked me to come over and help.”

I nod, keeping a neutral expression even though I’m internally freaking out.

Tyler saunters to the sink and washes his hands before he stands directly behind me, sending cold shivers down my spine. He presses one hand against the edge of the island, showcasing his bare forearms and I’m suddenly parched like the Sahara Desert. “Let’s get this ball rolling.”

I half snort and chuckle at his dry joke. “You’re not funny,” I say, handing a stack of wrappers in front of him.

“Made you laugh though.” Tyler retorts.

I show Tyler the ropes of how to make my aunt’s egg rolls. After four failed egg rolls, which I’m forcing him to eat later, he’s got the hang of it. We’ve barely hit the twenty mark when Jared marches down the stairs, making a dramatic entrance to the kitchen for his keys on the hook.

“Where do you think you’re going?” I ask, eyes following his movement .

“Ma wants ice cream and Alli needs a ride.”

“You still talk to her?” Tyler questions, dropping the filling on the wrapper.

My eyes flicker between Tyler and Jared because what ?

Jared ignores Tyler’s question and kisses the top of my head. “I’ll be back in an hour. Alli and I can be in charge of frying duty.”

“Where is Auntie?” I ask, waving the spoon in my hand, “I thought she was coming down to help?”

“She’s, uh, pulling the pregnancy card,” Jared replies with a hint of hesitation.

I blink in disbelief. “You’re joking, this is her mistake,” I blow loose strands of hair away from my face.

Jared shrugs, “You try to argue with a pregnant lady.”

“Is that why you’re getting her ice cream?”

“Ice cream solves everything, her words, not mine. I’ll be back in an hour.” Jared throws up a hand over his shoulder in a casual gesture goodbye as he heads out.

I sigh heavily and slump onto the barstool. Glancing at Tyler, I resume making more egg rolls. “Well, looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us.”

Tyler settles into the seat beside me, mirroring my actions. “Perfect time for an icebreaker. ”

I raise an eyebrow as I slather filling onto my current egg roll. “What is it with you and these icebreakers?”

Tyler grins, mischief twinkling in his eyes. “Icebreakers make the world go ’round.”

“And if I’m not comfortable answering the question?”

“Same rules as last time apply. Just say tapioca.”

I chuckle. “Alright, hit me with it.”

He rubs his chin theatrically, pretending to think long and hard. “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

I smirk back at him. “Flying, hands down. I wouldn’t have to drive.”

Tyler nods approvingly. “Practical. I like it.” He continues to roll his egg roll. “Mine would be telekinesis. Whatever Wanda has, looks dope.”

I let out a laugh. “Because of Wanda?”

“Because of Wanda.”

I wipe my hands together. “If you were on a deserted island, what are the three things you’re bringing?”

“My phone, food, and a hammock.”

I snort, “A hammock, really? ”

“Hey, if I’m stranded, I might as well be comfy,” Tyler says with a smirk.

“Fair enough.”

“What about you, sunshine?”

“Definitely a book, food, and sunscreen.”

“Book of choice?”

“Icebreaker by Hannah Grace.”

“I’ll add it to my reading list.”

Please don’t. The book is not made for the weak and if he reads that one scene with the main couple in the Uber, I think I might die of embarrassment.

As we continue our cooking assembly line, the conversation flows, and I find myself enjoying the unexpected connection we’re building. It’s unexplainable.

So far, I’ve learned he has a little sister named Harper who he takes care of, he wants to major in computer science, his favorite holiday is Christmas because he can bake all the cookies he wants, and he hates going to the dentist. Super understandable though, because who would want a stranger poking around their teeth ?

We’ve finished one tray for now which means we’re halfway there. However, there’s still no sign of Alli or Jared and it’s been almost an hour.

“Is there something going on with Alli and Jared that I should know about?” I nudge Tyler, hoping to hear the intel between the two. Jared doesn’t like to gossip or confide in me so I’m hoping it’s the opposite for Tyler.

Tyler glances at me, a sly smile playing on his lips. “Tapioca.”

I scoff, “Really?”

“Their business is not our business.” Is all he says, making me roll my eyes.

I hit him lightly on the shoulder. “Ask me a question, your turn.”

“Best childhood memory?”

It takes me a while to come up with an answer. “At my first cheer competition, my dad forgot to get me flowers. He felt so bad that he ran out after our routine to the closest store. The only flowers he could get me were pink roses. It’s funny, though, because I hated pink, but he constantly bought me pink roses after each competition, and I eventually learned to love pink.”

“Pink’s your favorite color?”

I nod. “I’m a girly girl. ”

That gets me a smile and I see that dimple that favors his left cheek. I smile to myself. “My turn. Tell me your favorite song.”

Tyler lets out a chuckle and there’s a playful look in his eyes when he says, “Still on that?”

“You never told me, and I think it’s only fair.”

He chuckles softly, his body relaxed as he leans back against the opposite counter. “Cruel Summer by Taylor Swift.”

“You like that song?”

“It’s a good summer song and Harper likes it. We sing it in the car when I pick her up from daycare. Can you blame me?”

I shake my head. “I like the song too. Alli and I would blast it in the car and just scream our heads off.”

“I’ll make sure to play it in the car next time.”

“Your turn, singer boy.” I prompt, watching the way his eyes light up at the teasing.

“If you could have dinner with any three people, dead or alive, who would they be?”

I pause, considering the question. “Taylor Swift, Suni Lee, and,” I pause, because now this is turning into a loaded question that makes me say, “definitely, my dad.”

It just would feel weird to not say him, when I would give anything to see him one more time, even if it’s for a mere five minutes. I must have been so lost in my thoughts that my smile drains from my face.

“Everything okay?”

Tyler’s voice breaks me out of my trance. I take a quiet breath, attempting to shake off the sudden heaviness.

“Yeah, I just got lost in the memories. It happens.”

Tyler nods, understanding. “Tell me.”

I contemplate it for a bit. Tyler hasn’t given me any reason to doubt his trustworthiness. I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and keep my eyes on making egg rolls. “He died when I was fifteen,” I finally share, deciding to open up a bit.

Tyler freezes and spins his chair to face me with worried eyes. “Serena, I’m sorry.”

I offer a nervous smile. “He, um, passed away in a car accident. I had to go to therapy for a while. Still am.”

The air shifts, and I can feel Tyler’s empathy in the silence that follows. And I can’t stop words from rolling out of my mouth swiftly, comfortably. “I miss him a lot. When he passed away, it took a really big toll on me. I couldn’t eat or sleep most of the time. Kind of ironic though because he and my aunt own a catering business together,” I let out a humorless chuckle, looking down at my cute egg roll .

Tyler grabs both of my hands, forcing me to look at him, but I keep my eyes on the floor. “I don’t think I ever got over his death. Grief is so fucking weird. It’s like I can look at his picture and I smile but then the next day, all I want to do is cry my eyes out.”

“That’s why I live here, with my aunt,” I continue, my voice soft. “You’re probably wondering why I call her my aunt, and Jared calls her Ma. It’s just,” I let go of his hands and rub my arms, feeling a chill run through me, “my dad was both parents to me, and I’ve always seen her as my aunt. It never felt right to call her my mom when that was a role my dad took over when–” my voice trails off, refusing to continue even more.

Tyler’s hands look for mine, and his grip tightens, offering silent support. I appreciate the warmth of his touch, the unspoken understanding. I’m slightly convinced he might understand what I’m feeling but solidifies it is the look in his deep blue eyes that tells me he does.

“I lost my mom,” Tyler says quietly.

“Ty, I’m sorry.” I offer, feeling a pang of empathy for him.

“It was a year ago. Car accident, too…” he explains, his voice tinged with sorrow. “My dad works all the time, so I help out where I can, but sometimes it’s hard to juggle my life and be another parental figure to Harper.”

“You’re doing good though,” I reassure him .

“Yeah, but I’m failing trigonometry and barely passing the others.”

“You’re not failing,” I lift my hand to his cheek and he leans into my touch. “You’re handling too many responsibilities at once. No one can blame you for that.”

Tyler shrugs, “I guess… I’m just being hard on myself this year.”

I bring a hand to his upper arm and squeeze it softly before silence takes over the room. It feels like an eternity passes as we work side by side, absorbing each other’s presence. We finish another tray, leaving us with just one more before Jared and Alli can fry them whenever they get back.

“You’re really hard on yourself. Why?” I question, my voice soft with concern.

Tyler hesitates for a moment, his gaze shifting. “I guess I’ve always felt the need to do everything perfectly. Especially after... well, after everything happened with my mom. I don’t want to let my dad or Harper down.”

“I get it,” I say, nodding, feeling the connection pulling us closer. “The pressure to keep things together and not let everyone down.”

“Exactly,” Tyler sighs, nodding in agreement. “Then it’s like, when I get a night of freedom, I feel guilty for not doing the things I need to do. Assignments, reading Harper a bedtime story, cleaning the house, all of it.”

“You know, it’s okay to not have to carry everything alone. That’s why people have each other,” I reassure. “I used to shut people out despite them reaching out to me. It was just easier that way for me to cope. My aunt had to fight tooth and nail just to get me out of my room for months.”

“How did you manage to cope?”

I pause, considering my answer. “I don’t think anyone can move on after a loved one’s death… especially when it’s your mom or dad. You just wake up one day, feeling less sad. Other days, it can hit you like a wave. I just learned to cope with it all.”

“Was your dad driving? If you don’t mind me asking.” Tyler takes a break from rolling egg rolls and leans against the counter.

I sigh and close my eyes, “No. He was hit by a drunk driver.”

Tyler’s body freezes, and I turn to meet his gaze. Realization flashes across his face, “Last night… is that why Jared drives you around?”

“Yeah,” I confirm with a nod. “I’m not a fan of driving for a lot of reasons. I have my license, sure. But getting behind the wheel takes a lot out of me, especially at night.”

“Sunshine, I’m sorry. ”

“Don’t be. You didn’t know the reason behind it. It’s not something I share,” I reply, offering a small smile.

Tyler’s expression softens, a mix of empathy and concern. “I’m here if you ever need someone to talk to.”

“Same goes for you,” I say, playfully hip-bumping him to lighten the mood.

A smile tugs at Tyler’s lips, easing the gravity of the moment. “Glad you didn’t fight me on it this time.”

And that gorgeous smile, with the one dimple on his left side, does it all for me.