Chapter 24
Tyler
I sprawl out on the floor with a history book on my lap. The house resonates with the sounds of laughter and playful banter as Harper builds her colorful block castle next to me.
The doorbell rings, the chime startling me a bit. Harper’s gaze snaps towards the front door, and curiosity dances in her wide eyes.
“Stay here, Harp. I’ll check it out,” I tell her, setting the textbook aside and heading toward the door. Surprise flickers across my face as Harper cranes her neck to see who’s there.
“Hi, what brings you here?” I ask, leaning against the frame in a relaxed manner. Harper’s peering over my shoulder.
Serena stands on the doorstep, holding out a small tray of egg rolls with a bright smile. “I brought you egg rolls.”
“Egg rolls?” I raise an eyebrow, a quiet chuckle escaping me. “Why are you here, sunshine? ”
Serena lowers the tray to her middle. “They’re apology egg rolls.”
I let out a soft laugh. “Apology egg rolls?”
“Yes.”
She lets out a sigh, her curtain bangs flying away from her face. “I’m sorry for snapping at you the other day. Your intentions were good, but,” she shifts on her heels, “I have a really hard time dealing with mistakes.”
I glance behind me to check on Harper, who moved on to her coloring books in the living room. “Want to come in?” I offer, stepping back to let Serena in.
I lead her into the kitchen and take a seat at one of the barstools, motioning for her to join me.
“I keep thinking I’m a failure.”
“You’re not a failure.”
“I hate making mistakes.” She says.
“I know. But mistakes are a part of life. They don’t make you any less of who you are as a person.”
“You don’t get it,” Serena breathes out, rubbing her temples.
“Explain. ”
She folds her hands on the counter. “When I make a mistake, it’s not just about the action itself. It feels like a reflection of who I am. Like I’ve let everyone down, including myself. I don’t know,” she swivels her head towards me, “my family loves me, but I constantly feel pressure to be perfect all the time. Being the perfect daughter that’s good at everything. It’s so exhausting.” She says the last part softly, like it’s breaking her apart.
I lean back, trying to gauge her emotions. “It’s okay to have moments where things don’t go perfectly,” I reassure her. “It doesn’t define who you are or make you any different. And your family, they love you for who you are, not just your achievements.”
Serena exhales heavily, “I know… I need to remind myself of that more often. Thanks, Ty.”
I stand up and retrieve a glass container from the counter, placing it in front of her.
“What’s this?”
“Apology cookies.”
“Wait, we both made each other apology food?” Serena looks at me, a mixture of appreciation and confusion then she lets out a melodic laugh. “This is unreal.”
“As real as it gets,” I say with a grin .
Serena’s laughter fills the room, a sound I love to hear any chance I get. “What do you have to be sorry about? I snapped at you.”
I settle back next to her, our knees touching, creating a cozy closeness. “I thought I was crossing the line,” I admit.
Serena raises a brow. “What do you mean?”
Running a hand through my hair, I try to voice out my feelings. “I don’t know, I thought I was being too clingy.”
“You weren’t being clingy, Tyler. It’s far from that. It’s complicated,” she trails off, her gaze momentarily shifting. “It’s just that... I don’t usually open up about these things, about anything, especially to someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“Someone who listens without judging me,” Serena explains, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. “I’ve only had my family and Alli. My therapist doesn’t really count.” Her brown eyes lock with mine. “And then you walked into my life. It’s like I found you without even trying.”
I pause, feeling a warmth spread through me. “Sunshine,” I say, “I need to tell you that I–”
“Titi!” Harper calls, running into the kitchen with her iPad. “Fix it, pleaaase. ”
I smile warmly at Harper. “In a second, let me finish talking to–”
Serena interrupts, standing up from her chair. “It’s cool, I need to head home anyway.”
“Who is she?” Harper asks, tugging on my sweats.
Bending down to meet Harper at eye level, I reply, “This is Serena.”
“You like her!” Harper shouts.
I glance at Harper, my cheeks reddening. “Harper, you can’t just say that–”
Serena chuckles lightly, bending down to Harper’s level. “Hi Harper, I’m Serena.”
Harper gives a toothy grin. “Serena, Serena, Serena,” Harper says in a sing-song voice as she smiles at the both of us.
My cheeks burn hotter as I shoot a glance at Serena. She looks amused, a knowing glint in her eyes. “You’re a cutie pie.”
“Titi talks about you all the time.”
Serena rises and gives me a knowing look at my nickname. “Titi?”
“She can’t say Tyler for some reason. ”
“Well, Titi , I should head home,” Serena says, shooting me a quick look before addressing Harper. “Nice meeting you, pretty girl.”
As Serena heads for the door, I hastily follow. “I’ll walk you out,” I mutter, trying to catch up to her.
Once we’re outside, Serena shoots me a teasing smirk. “Smooth.”
“Harper’s got a habit of blurting things out,” I explain, feeling the heat in my cheeks.
“Kids have a way of doing that.”
“Sorry about that,” I apologize sheepishly.
“Don’t be. It’s sweet,” Serena says, squeezing my arm gently. “I’ll see you later?”
“Yeah, definitely,” I nod. As I watch her leave, I get a mix of embarrassment and something else–a weird sense of relief that Harper’s honesty might have just benefited me in some way.