Chapter Forty-Three
SUNNY
I find myself in another set of Tyler's sweats while I sit on a barstool, formulating a series of plans to side step questions.
Toying with the too loose material, my thoughts fester. How will I explain this? Especially to Sam. She already traveled down that path of questions with Tyler and I, even if for a brief moment.
“Tyler,” I say, looking up to see him cooking happily. With a toothpick in his mouth and the white t-shirt and sweats combo, it makes it hard to have a conversation beyond this moment.
“Yes, baby?” he asks, rolling the pasta dough along his black marble countertops, flexing those cords of muscles in his forearms.
I get up from the barstool and come up next to him. “What are we going to tell Sam?”
He side eyes me. “We can tell her the truth.”
“Tyler,” I groan. “We can’t do that.”
“And why can’t we?”
“Are you serious? You know why Tyler. This isn’t...”
“It can be whatever we want it to be, Sunny. Weren’t you the one who told me the night we met, well, for the second time, that there is always a choice.
Right?” He glances at me. “We always have a choice, and we can shape our own path, do whatever the fuck we want because it’s our life.
I already live by my own morals. Why don’t you? ”
We stare at one another for a beat, and he slides the dish cloth off his shoulder to wipe his hands.
Tossing it to the side, he brings both hands to cup my face.
“Does the idea of hiding behind closed doors turn you on, little fire? Is that why you don’t want to tell anyone?
Sneaking around just does something inside you? ”
“You do something inside of me,” I admit.
“Oh baby, this is only the beginning. I’ve only checked off a few items of my list of ways to make it up to you.”
“Then show me.”
“I plan to take my time with you.” He grazes his lips along the column of my neck. A sigh leaves my mouth and that fucking fire starts to kindle inside me again, aching for him to fuel it and set it aflame.
“Tyler…” I swallow hard while his lips keep whispering along my neck.
“Anyone could walk in right now.” He picks me up and sets me on the counter.
“Hmm. I don’t think you mind that at all.
I think you like knowing we could be caught at any minute.
” He tucks a curl behind my ear. “What would you do, baby, if we got caught?” He nips at my neck, then traces his tongue along my scar.
“I…” I open my mouth to speak but the sound of a knock on the door has both our heads snapping in that direction.“Okay,” I start, panickedly. “I got shit on at work, decided to just come straight here and shower since your place was closer and I just wanted to get the ick off.”
“Shit on?” he asks. “You really know how to make a man go from rock hard to soft instantly,” he jokes, pressing a kiss on my head and starts washing his hands.
“Tyler, I’m a nurse, that’s not uncommon”
The knocking continues and the knob jiggles because no one ever knocks. They are family. We are family. We all come and go as we please. He looks at me, not fully committed to the lie we’re going to continue.
“Tyler,” I say through clenched teeth.
He rolls his eyes, jaw flexing. “Fine. Okay. I can’t promise I’ll keep up with this Sunny.” He points his spatula and I bite back a smile.
His blank stare tells me he isn’t amused. But when he walks away to answer the door, I see a hint of a smile on his lips.
And here we go again, lying to our friends' faces once more.
To my luck, today is the one day that Anthony forgot his key. I shudder at the thought of him walking into what we were doing.
My thoughts are interrupted by Sam bursting through the door, announcing her presence as if it’s unnoticeable to begin with. “The party has arrived.” She places a hand on her hip, the other hand holding a bottle of champagne.
“Why are you wearing Tyler’s clothes?” She blinks between the two of us.
The lie rolls off my tongue so easily, but I shouldn’t be surprised, considering the last few months.
“You wouldn’t even believe the day I had at work. I got freaking shit on,” I exaggerate.
Tyler eyes me, the silence growing between us with each passing second. His jaw flexes when he sees the plea in my eyes. He is what stands between Sam and the truth.
“She smelled awful,” he finally says.
I release a breath. The vise around my heart finally loosening. “I had planned to come straight here anyways for New Years, so I texted Tyler asking if I could just use his shower and borrow some clothes so that I wouldn’t have to back track going home.” I explain in every dirty, lying detail.
“I don’t know how you do that, Sunny.” Anthony crinkles his nose as he takes the champagne from Sam.
“Well, sounds like a shitty day, pun intended.” Sam waltzes to the room to greet everyone, but I still feel her eyeing the two of us.
Fuck. She knows. She knows. She knows.
I feel a hand brush my own and when I look up I see Tyler next to me. He nods towards the living room to greet our family while he finishes up.
Despite things being left at that, I can’t help the pit in my stomach.
“Okay, this is the plan. I’m going to kiss Cole, Anthony is going to kiss Macey and Tyler is going to kiss you,” Sam says with her arm linked through mine as we stand on the rooftop of Tyler’s home.
“Why does it have to be like that?” I ask.
“It’s just how it worked out.” Sam shrugs.
Regardless of her nonchalance, a part of me is wondering if this is a test from Sam. Too quickly she picked up on me wearing Tyler’s clothes. Suspicions started long ago, and I just keep feeding into them.
She’s either totally oblivious to me and Tyler or now totally aware and using this New Year’s kiss to confirm. So, I try to play it off. I hate that I have to, but I can’t tell her. I need the right time. The right place. With wine. Lots of wine.
“Okay.” I shrug. “Does Cole know he’s kissing you?”
“No. But he will.” She smiles and wiggles her eyebrows.
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Sam, you have to tell everyone who they are kissing.”
“Alright, alright. I'll tell everyone the plan.” She grabs her glass of whatever is in there and heads inside. “I’m kissing you if I don’t get my plan A!” she calls over her shoulder.
I look out from Tyler's rooftop, imagining what the fireworks will look like from here. I angle the chairs so that they are all circled around the fire pit but towards where the show is supposed to be.
Once I feel I’ve made my contribution, I head back inside because without the fire and blankets, my hands are starting to turn blue. I keep my head down as I make my way back inside, almost bumping into Tyler in the process.
“Haven’t you learned your lesson from Betty’s Beans?” He arches a brow with a grin pulling the side of his lips. One arm holds firewood while the other is heavy on my shoulder.
“I guess not. Had I stayed out there any longer you’d come back to a frozen carcass.” I wrap my arms around myself.
“I was just about to come up and start the fire,” he says.
“Change of plans.” Sam grabs me, shoving past her brother.
He gives a little shake of his head and rolls his eyes, starting for the rooftop. Does he know the plan?
“What is it?” I ask.
“Apparently Cole and Macey already made a pact to kiss one another tonight. Probably because Anthony wants to kiss me. I can’t kiss my brother. So, Anthony it is. Thanks for taking one for the team.” She raises her glass to me.
The phrase my pleasure comes to mind, but I know that isn’t a smart choice in response.
“I don’t get to kiss you?” I feign disappointment.
She scowls and rolls her eyes, so similar to her brother just moments ago.
“Okay, everyone! Ten minutes til! Grab your blankets and sweaters, drinks and all and let’s go outside!” Anthony chants.
With a smile, Tyler approaches me with a fluffy blanket. God he is so observant, only feeding into my spiraling thoughts of what he does for a living. He sees the details.
“Let’s ring in the new year?” He secures the blanket around me.
“Let’s,” I say, looping my arm in his.