Page 13 of You Found Me in the Dark
I raised an eyebrow. “Careful.”
He huffed a laugh and scratched the back of his neck. “Right. Sorry. You just look really good.”
I let the compliment hang between us for a second, pretending it didn’t make my stomach flip.
“So do you,” I said. And I meant it. Even if I hated that, I meant it.
He gestured vaguely at the party. “Didn’t expect to see you here. Parties were never really your scene.”
I shrugged. “Didn’t expect to be here. But I needed to get out. Clear my head. I thought a little chaos might help.”
Ty took a long sip from his cup, still watching me over the rim like he didn’t trust that I was real. “You always did pick interesting ways to clear your head.”
“Guess some things never change,” I said, smiling just a little.
His gaze dropped, just for a second, to the dip of my V-neck, then quickly back to my face. The heat that rose to my cheeks had nothing to do with the room temperature. I hated how much I liked this attention. At this point, I would pretty much do anything to forget about how Reed made me feel.
“And some things do,” he said with a wink.
We stood there, just looking at each other like the past was right there in the space between us. I could still remember the way he used to reach for my hand without thinking, how he used to kiss the top of my head when he thought I was asleep. But that was then.
So I smiled, tilted my head slightly, and said, “Wanna catch up, or are you gonna stand here acting like I’m a ghost?”
His smile grew a little. “I’d like to catch up.”
“Cool,” I said, and turned toward the back patio. “Then follow me.”
Without checking to see if he would follow me, I headed outside. I wasn’t that girl anymore, but part of me still wanted to know if he’d follow.
The patio was way cooler than inside and quieter, even though the music still thudded from the house like a second heartbeat. String lights crisscrossed the backyard, casting a soft gold glow over everything. People were scattered around the large backyard. Some were lounging on patio furniture, others hovering near the keg, and a few were already too far gone on shitty beer to stand straight.
I made a beeline for the half-empty cooler by the steps, cracked open a hard cider, and took a long sip. I looked at the label to see the percentage of alcohol… eleven percent. Yeah, this is going to hit me fast. I rarely drank. I am a lightweight with poor judgment once the alcohol hits. This was probably a bad idea.
Tyler was right behind me.
He grabbed a beer out of the cooler, popped the cap, and nodded toward the fire pit in the middle of the yard. “Wanna sit?”
I hesitated, then followed. The flames danced low, crackling in the middle of a stone circle. We sat on a wooden bench, facing towards the house, just far enough from the others to feel like we were in our own little bubble. I took another swig of my drink.
His eyes were on me. The feeling was still so familiar.
“So,” he said, “how long has it been? Two or three years?”
“More like six,” I said, watching the fire instead of him.
“Whoa, already?” he asked, voice low, like it might crack if he spoke louder. “Guess time flies when you’re having fun.”
I should’ve felt the weight of that. Guess being with me was more of a burden than I thought. But it was too late for rational thinking; the alcohol was already loosening everything inside me. The nerves, caution, and common sense were quickly disappearing. The fact that I just quickly drank over half a can of booze on an empty stomach probably didn’t help either.
“I had a hard time forgetting,” I admitted. My voice soundedtoo honest, even to me. “But remembering and missing are two different things.”
He huffed out a laugh. “Seriously?”
“You always gave me reasons to stay.”
He smiled, but there was something tight behind it. He scooted closer to me, and I pretended I didn’t notice. We sat there for a minute, sipping in silence. The warmth from the fire touched my skin, and so did the weight of him beside me.
I drank the last bit of my drink quickly.
