Chapter 32 #3
“I’m way too impatient to wait ‘til later,” he announces, grinning as he dives for the first box. He tears the paper with no mercy, and the moment the Jordan sneakers come into view, he nearly throws the box in the air.
“No way. Oh my god!” he gasps, holding them up like they’re made of diamonds. “I’ve been obsessing over these for months!”
“I know,” I sign, raising an eyebrow. “You hum about them in your sleep.”
He laughs, nudging me playfully before ripping into the next gift— a Coach crossbody bag made with soft nude leather and silver buckles.
Then comes a sleek black Lululemon jacket with gold zippers, followed by a candle that smells bright and citrus, his favorite scent, and then a thin gold necklace.
I watch him slowly melt with each unwrapped gift, the awe never leaving his face.
Then I hand him the bigger box—wrapped in white with a gold ribbon tied tight.
His hands slow down this time, more careful. He unwraps it, blinking as the branding becomes visible.
His breath catches.
“No way… Davis Skin?” he whispers, stunned.
He lifts the lid gently like he’s opening a treasure.
Inside, nestled in white satin lining, are rows of pristine skincare products—all from Davika’s luxury brand.
Everything—cleanser, toner, vitamin C serum, moisturizer, sunscreen, even an overnight treatment—lined up with precision.
The packaging is elegant: matte white bottles with gold accents, each one labeled in Davika’s signature font.
A small card lies on top, handwritten and signed with a flourish: Glow from the inside out, happy birthday, Tyler.
Tyler stares down at it all, then slowly looks up at me, his expression frozen in disbelief. It’s the same look I had when I opened the skincare package she had sent to me just a few days ago.
“This is from Alexander’s mother?” he breathes. “Davika herself?”
I nod, smiling. Then sign “She saw the pictures I posted of us on my Instagram story today.”
If someone had told me a few months ago that I’d be exchanging messages with one of the richest, influential women in the country, I would’ve laughed.
But somehow, here we are. Davika and I have been following each other ever since we spent that afternoon at the botanical garden.
I barely even use Instagram—just to swap memes with Tyler, really.
But lately, Davika and I have been sharing memes as well.
It still surprises me how warm and carefree she is.
She replied to my story earlier, the one where I wished Tyler a happy birthday, and asked if he was into skincare—if he’d like the same package she had sent me. I told her he’d love it. And just like that, it arrived this afternoon, right on time. True to her word.
Tyler clutches the box like it’s from heaven.
“I’m going to cry. Tell her she’s the Thai goddess of my skin now.”
Finally, I give him the last gift — He raises a brow but opens it slowly, cautiously.
Inside, stacked in six perfect rows, are crisp hundred-dollar bills in bundles.
The moment he sees them, he gasps and drops the box with the kind of over-the-top flair only Tyler could pull off.
I can’t help but let out a small laugh. It’s the exact same reaction I had when Alex handed me the money and told me to arrange it this way.
With slightly trembling hands, Tyler picks up the folded white note resting on top of the stack and reads:
And reads:
Happy Birthday.
I didn’t want to guess at what you’d like, so I’m giving you this instead.
My assistant will contact you tonight.
Tell her whatever you want — anything.
It’ll be sent to you.
From Alex.
His eyes flick from the note to the money, then back again.
“I swear there’s like a lot of money in here,” he whispers, fingers hovering over the bills but not quite touching them. He looks at it like it’s sacred.
“All yours,” I sign, smiling gently.
He swallows, voice quieter now.
“You guys didn’t have to do all this… but you did. And it means everything to me.”
I stare down at my hands. They’re clenched in my sweater, trembling.
I want to speak. I want to say more.
Even with my chest still twisted tight from earlier—
From him.
From that voice I hadn’t heard in five years, that sick grin I’d begged my brain to forget. From the way the world tilted when I saw him at Walmart, like he’d never left my nightmares.
The panic hasn’t left me since. It’s been clawing up my throat all day, pushing at my ribs, making everything feel unsteady and too loud. But Tyler’s here. And that… that changes something.
Because he’s always been here, he stood by me when I was nothing more than silence and shadows. He dragged me out of bed when I was too numb to care if I ever stood again. He held me when the nightmares came, and never once looked at me like I was broken.
He deserves more than my silence, more than guarded smiles and half-meant gestures.
And the disappointment I saw in his eyes tonight when I didn’t speak… it gutted me. I never want to see that again.
So I breathe.
And I force my lungs to work, force the air past the tightness in my throat, and say softly, barely audible.
“You deserve it.”
Tyler freezes.
His head snaps toward me, eyes wide, like he isn’t sure he really heard it.
“What… what did you say?”
I swallow hard, the knot in my throat sharp and raw. But I meet his eyes this time.
“You deserve all of it,” I say louder, firmer. The words still shake, but they land.
“The gifts. The cake. The view. This whole damn night. This entire world, Ty. You’re the best person I’ve ever known.”
My voice cracks near the end. I hate how weak it sounds, how it trembles. But Tyler doesn’t care. He looks at me like I just gave him something sacred. Like I handed him the moon.
“Lucas…” His voice is soft. Wrecked. “You don’t have to force yourself. Not for me.”
“I’m not forcing myself,” I sign, then pause—fingers stuttering—before speaking again, out loud.
“I want to.”
I take a shaky breath.
“You were there when no one else was. You gave me reasons to stay when I didn’t want to anymore. You made me laugh when I thought I had forgotten how. I don’t say it enough, but… I love you, Ty. You’re my family.”
Before the last word fully leaves my mouth, he throws his arms around me, burying his face in my neck. His shoulders are trembling, breath uneven against my skin.
“I love you, too,” he chokes out. “You idiot. You beautiful idiot.”
I close my eyes and grip the back of his shirt like it’s the only thing keeping me from falling apart.
And in that second, I don’t care if the demon comes back.
I don’t care if it crawls out of the shadows and wraps its hands around my throat again.
Let it. Let it scream, let it drag its nails down my spine—I did what I wanted today.
I didn’t let it win.
For a moment, I feel content. Quiet.
But it’s a fragile kind of peace, one I know can shatter with a single thought.
Because I don’t know what happens after this, I don’t know what tomorrow will feel like. I don’t know if I’ll be able to look anyone in the eye without feeling that twisted grin following me everywhere.
God, I can already feel it—
The slow crawl of fear up my arms.
The tightness at the back of my skull, like I’m shrinking inside my own body.
The way even love feels distant when the panic comes creeping in.
And it breaks something in me, the thought that I might pull away again.
That I might retreat into silence, that maybe I’ll shut down and lock the doors again, not because I want to, but because I won’t know how to stop it.
It’s whispering again. Telling me I’m broken. Telling me I’ll ruin everything.
Tyler’s arms are around me, and I’m thinking about how easy it would be to vanish again. To let the silence take me, to stop letting people get too close.
Because I’m scared. So fucking scared.
And then there’s Alex.
His name alone pulls a sob up my throat that I don’t let escape.
My Alex
His voice. His hands. His warmth. His terrifying softness.
What if I push him away when all I want is to stay wrapped in him forever?
What if this thing in my chest convinces me I don’t deserve him, even though every part of me is already his?
What if I’m not strong enough to hold him and my demons at the same time?
And worse… what if he walks away because of it?
That thought, that single thought, hurts more than the memory of the monster who tried to break me.
Because if I lose Alex… I'm not sure if I’ll survive it.
My heart aches. And it’s not just fear, it’s grief.
Grief for a future that could slip away.