Page 29 of I Did Something Bad
My phone buzzes a minute later.About to make dinner. What’s up?
Look presentableis all I write back.
Eight
“I told you!” Thidar squeaks at her fiancé, Patrick, once I open the car door and before one foot has even hit the asphalt. Then, in what I’m assuming is meant to be a whisper, she asks, “Is he inside?” Unfortunately, her voice is still in squeak territory, so it absolutely isnota whisper.
“I—” I begin.
I hear the other door behind me open. When I turn, I just catch it closing. I turn back to Thidar and Patrick, who are standing outside their front door in pajamas—with their dog, Pizza, watching through one of the living room windows—right as Thidar’s jaw drops.
“I thought it’d be rude if I didn’t say hi. Hi, I’m Tyler.” Tyler strides over and offers his hand. Patrick takes it because, thankfully, he still remembers how to function like a normal human being.
Thidar, on the other hand, is clawing at her chest like the alien fromAlienis trying to burst out from her ribs. “Hi,” she squeaks out. “Oh my god, hi.”
Tyler chuckles. “Hi,” he says.
“I’m Patrick,” Patrick says, and nods over at my friend, who looks so stricken it’s like her soul has left this corporeal plane. “This is my fiancée, Thidar.”
“Hi,” Thidar says with a smile so wide I can see every single one of her teeth. “I’m Thidar.”
“Wonderful, we all know each other’s names now,” I say, hopping out of the car. “Tyler needs to get home. I’m leaving after dinner. Andyou,” I grip both of Thidar’s shoulders, “are going back inside and not embarrassing me any more than you already have.” Thidar digs in her heels, refusing to budge. “T,” I groan. “Please don’t—”
“Do you like lasagna?” she asks.
“YouknowI do.”
Patrick coughs. “I… don’t think she’s talking to you,” he says with a dry laugh.
At that, I look up and find my best friend grinning at Tyler. Tyler looks at me, then back at Thidar, then, hesitantly, nods. “I love lasagna.”
“Do you wanna come have some?” she asks, not missing a beat. “We make the pasta from scratch.”
“I—”
“We use seven cheeses.”
“Wow,” Tyler says, impressed. “Most people stick to four.”
“Pfft.” Thidar whacks an invisible fly. “Amateur hour. Unless you have dinner plans,” she adds quickly. “I heard you want to visit family while you’re here?” Great. Ilovehaving friends who have zero clue what an NDA means, or at the very least, have zero respect for them and their potential legal consequences. “If your parents are waiting at home to eat with you, then we understand.”
“I… I’m not living at home,” Tyler says, smile flickering. “Just in case paparazzi got out of hand. I have my own place.”
Thidar frowns. “You were going to eat alone tonight? Absolutely not! That’s a sad image.”
“You know,” I sputter, a little offended. “It can befreeingto eat alone. Empowering, even. Who wants to do extra dishes?” I say, but Thidar’s not listening.
Instead, she struts over to the driver’s seat and knocks on the glass. “Yes?” Yan asks, lowering the window.
“Hi, Uncle,” she says with a wave. “Tyler’s going to stay for dinner. We’ll drive him home.”
Yan stretches his neck out to look at Tyler. Patrick and I both also look at Tyler. Tyler looks atmewith an expression that even an infant could decipher asWhat do I do?The idea of Tyler having dinner with my friends is far too close and chummy for my liking, but what am I going to do? Knowingly let the man have dinner alone after a nine-hour shoot? Not to mention the wrath that I’ll have to face from Thidar.
At my shrug, Tyler shoots Yan a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Seven?”
Yan nods. “Of course, sir. Have a good night, you two.”
And then he’s driving off and the gate is closing behind the car. And now I’m standing in front of my best friend’s house. With Tyler Tun by my side.
