Page 85 of Bliss: Part 1
“Of course,” Tyler said. “You’re always welcome.”
From there, the conversation kept going. Tia and I talked about random things like swimwear and books while the guys told Tyler about the barn and how they’d set up the projector.
The day couldn’t have been any more fun, and with the plans we had for tomorrow, there wouldn’t be any time for me to overthink. Maybe that’s how things were supposed to go on from here.
No overthinking, no shame or feeling bad for what we did.
Maybe what all of us went through was meant to happen, and at this moment, it felt like fate wanted us to simply accept it.
And that’s what I was planning on doing.
***
The next afternoon, we were all over at Tyler’s place, camped out by his pool with plates of food on our laps and plastic cups in our hands. It felt nice to just sit here.
Later, Tyler suggested the guys go inside and play video games for a bit. Tia and I didn’t mind. We knew boys got antsy after sitting still too long, and their idea of unwinding always circled back to video games.
I didn’t complain. Tia and I stayed by the pool, just the two of us, and I was actually glad for the one-on-one time with her. She was good at making people feel comfortable, like nothing you said would be judged. After a while, she stood up and asked if I wanted to see the main house, and I agreed, curious to see more than just the kitchen and backyard I’d seen before.
She started showing me around, pointing out different rooms as we passed them. Every time I thought we’d seen it all, there was another door, another space. There was a whole room just for two pool tables. Another one with floor-to-ceiling shelves packed with books. Then a sewing room, where her boyfriend’s mom apparently spent hours working on quilts and clothes. Another room filled with ship models that looked like they took years to build. And then, finally, a room that looked like a recording studio, even though no one in the house made music. They just liked instruments, I guess.
When she finally brought me to Tyler’s bedroom, I didn’t have to ask if she spent a lot of time there. The room was practically half hers. There were pictures of the two of them pinned up everywhere, some from vacations, others from what looked like school events. Decorations that looked way too soft and floral to be anything a boy would’ve picked. It was obvious she had a say in how the room looked.
“You’re really lucky,” I told her, quietly. I stared at one picture of them kissing in front of a birthday cake, people clapping behind them.
Tia smiled, crossing her arms and tilting her head to the side. “Sometimes I wonder why I got so lucky. He could’ve dated any girl at our school, but for some reason, he wanted me. He chased me for months.”
I looked over at her, surprised. “He chased you?”
She laughed and nodded. “Oh yeah. It was kind of annoying. He’d call me all the time, text constantly, sit next to me at lunch. Even when his friends teased him for it, he wouldn’t stop. He was relentless. But I guess…I don’t know, it kind of grew on me.”
I smiled, imagining Tyler being that persistent. He was so calm and collected now. Probably because he got what he’s always wanted. “So what made you finally say yes?”
She sighed. “One night after a school hockey game, he pulled me aside and basically gave me this little speech. Said I had two options: agree to go on a date with him, or he’d keep bothering me for the rest of my life.”
I laughed. “That sounds like blackmail.”
“Right?” she laughed too. “But it worked. I said yes, even though I was scared. I thought maybe the second I gave in, he’d get bored and move on. But he didn’t. The first date was perfect. After that, we just clicked. Been together ever since.”
“That’s really sweet,” I told her honestly. “You guys are the kind of couple people look up to.”
Tia shrugged. “We’ve had our ups and downs, like anyone. But yeah, he’s a good guy.” Then she glanced over at me. “What about you? Seeing anyone?”
I froze for a second. “Uh…no. Not really interested in dating right now.”
“That’s okay. You’ve got time. No rush.”
I nodded, hoping that would be the end of it. There was no way I could ever tell her the truth. Not about what the guys and I had, not about the crossed lines or the way my feelings didn’t fit into anything normal. So I stuck with the easy answer and left it at that.
***
That night, once we were all back home, Dash asked if I wanted to hang out in the basement and watch a movie. I was tired, but I said yes anyway. The idea of being alone in my room sounded worse than being exhausted on the couch. I wanted to be close to them again.
I followed him downstairs and curled up next to him on the big couch Tripp was already stretched out on.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, glancing around. It suddenly hit me that I hadn’t seen him or Odin since the night before.
That question made the energy in the room shift. Dash’s mouth tightened. Tripp sat up straighter and rubbed the back of his neck. Rhys exchanged a look with Ashby.
