Page 41 of Trick or Treat Nurse at My Feet
Tyler stops abruptly. "Cher. What are you doing here?"
"I was in the area," she says, though her perfectly made-up appearance suggests this isn't a casual drop-by. "I texted you."
"My phone's on silent," Tyler says in a polite but noticeably cooler tone than it has been all evening.
Cher's gaze shifts to me, then to our still-linked hands. Something flashes in her eyes. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"
"Of course. Cher, this is Ethan. Ethan, this is... uh, Cher."
"His girlfriend," she supplies, chin lifting slightly.
"Ex-girlfriend," Tyler corrects immediately.
An uncomfortable silence settles over us. I fight the urge to drop Tyler's hand, reminding myself that I havenothing to feel insecure about. Still, Cher is gorgeous in that effortless way that seems to come naturally to certain women, the kind my mom would describe as "classic beauty."
"Well," I aim for lightness and miss by a mile. "This is turning into quite the evening for reunions."
Cher's perfect eyebrows draw together. "What?"
"Nothing," Tyler intervenes. "Cher, is there something specific you needed? Ethan and I were just heading inside."
"I wanted to talk to you. Privately." She emphasizes the last word with a pointed look at me.
Tyler doesn't budge. "Anything you need to say can be said in front of Ethan."
She sighs dramatically. "Fine. Your mom mentioned you weren't bringing anyone to the charity gala next month, so I thought we could go together. As friends," she adds, though her tone suggests otherwise.
"I appreciate the offer, but I'm going to pass."
"Is it because of..." she gestures vaguely in my direction.
"It's because we're not together anymore, Cher. We haven't been for months."
"But your mother?—"
"Has to accept that," Tyler finishes firmly. "I'm sorry if she's been telling you otherwise."
Cher's composure cracks slightly. "So what, you're gay now? Is that what this is?"
Tyler's hand tightens around mine. "I'm not going to label myself for your comfort, Cher. But yes, I'm dating Ethan. And no, this isn't a phase or an experiment or whatever you're about to suggest."
She blinks rapidly, and I feel a stab of unexpected sympathy. Whatever she had expected from this confrontation, this clearly isn't it.
"Your mother isn't going to understand this," she says finally.
"That's for me to worry about." Tyler's voice remains calm but firm. "I wish you the best, Cher, I really do. But this conversation is over."
"Well, whatever then. Call me when this experiment is over." She holds the stare for a beat, then spins on her heel and walks away, heels clicking sharply on the pavement. We watch until she reaches a sleek silver car parked across the street and drives off.
Tyler lets out a long, shaky breath, his shoulders relaxing as he exhales. "That was... not how I planned this night to end. At all." He runs his free hand through his hair, mussing the carefully styled strands. "I never thought she'd actually show up here like that, especially not after all this time."
"Two exes in one night," I say, shaking my head with a disbelieving laugh. "I think that's some kind of record." I glance back in the direction Cher's car disappeared, my nurse brain noticing how my pulse is still elevated from the confrontation.
"Your ex is definitely more intimidating than mine. Ryan just sulks and sends passive-aggressive texts, but she looks like she could disembowel someone with those stilettos and not wrinkle her outfit."
My words trail off with a sigh. "I wish everyone would stop calling me an experiment. Like I'm some kind of lab specimen you're poking with a stick to see what happens."
The hurt in those words must be obvious because Tyler's expression softens immediately. "Hey." His hand reaches out, fingers lacing together with mine. "You're not an experiment. You're the guy I'm crazy about who happens to be helping me show everyone else I'm not as straight asthey thought I was. I'm not conducting research. That bullshit is all on them."
