“Are you with someone else? Or does someone have a claim on you?” Is he angry? Why does he sound angry?
“Excuse you?!” I step back as my temper flares for a second, but I close my eyes and take a breath in and reign it in. I need to talk to him, we need answers. “No, nothing like… just… let’s just sit down and I can explain.”
We grab a booth in the back and he sits across from me looking skeptical. The waitress is quick to get to us and we both order the same thing. Tyler never takes his eyes off of me. “You have someone, is that why you are reluctant with me?”
He does not even mince words.
“No, I don’t, but it’s complicated. I’m complicated.”
“How so?” Still irritated. I am doing everything to not return the sentiment in my tone.
“How old are you Tyler?”
“Twenty two, why? How is this relevant to you having a boyfriend?’ I ignore him.
“Any siblings? A little sister maybe”
“I had a sister, yes. Where are you going with this?”
“Just follow along for a second. I promise I’m not really as strange as I sound. Well, maybe I am. Who knows.” I fidget with my ponytail which is still wet and take a deep breath in.
This is my way to get him to open up to me. I have to word this right. “Anyway, How would you feel if your fifteen year old sister went off to college, because she was smart enough to accomplish that, but you found out she started talking to a twenty two year old college guy just weeks into being in school?”
“I would probably rip his balls off and shove them down his throat.” He didn’t even hesitate with his answer and I just sat there looking at him, waiting for him to catch on. It took a couple minutes. He blinks at me, then his eyes go wide and his face pales. “Oh f*ck! Are you serious?! If you are serious I am a dead man.” He rubs his hand over his mouth, his breathing more shallow. “Yep, I am a dead man. No one has a sister as hot as you and doesn’t have a protection detail on her at all times. You don’t have a big ass bodyguard hiding somewhere do you?” He starts looking around nervously like someone is going to jump out saying
”
you caught me.”
“Of course she does, jackass, the point of hiding is to not be seen. But he’s not as dumb as we thought, is he?” Osiston decides to chime in. I ignore it.
This time I have to lie. “Of course not, but I told you I’m new at all of this and I just came here to go to class, high school
was boring and I was done with all the requirements I had there. Mina was already attending so I asked if I could come along. Nickolas said ‘why not’ since we were all moving anyway.”
“And your brother? What about him? I thought it was just you and Mina.”
“It is actually my best friends’ boyfriend, who is like my older brother. I knew him first, I’ve known him since birth actually.
But it’s her birthday today so we were on the phone talking this morning and I didn’t know he was in earshot of the conversation, but I was telling her about the run last night and he got mad at me for being out with college guys without anyone to protect me, basically. Overprotective doesn’t even begin to describe him. He told me I needed to come home, which pissed me off, and I have a bit of a temper when it comes to people telling me what to do so I usually go to the gym where it is harder to break stuff. So here we are.” I take a deep breath after all of that word vomit.
“So you are telling me that you are seven years younger than me, but taking the same college level courses that I am and worried that I might have a problem with the age difference.
Is that right? This other guy definitely has a problem with the age difference, and you are certain it’s an older brother thing and nothing more?”
“Well, basically yeah. The classes aren’t really the problem.
Let’s be honest. It’s the life experience that I think you might have an issue with. You’ve seen more than I have and been through more than I have. With all my intelligence I am still only fifteen. And I’m not going to lie, the whole relationship thing is only a concept to me. I have never had one and it makes me really nervous. And yes, my massive, overprotective, flirt of a friend is like my big brother, there are no other feelings there. The way he is with my best friend, I kind of hope they are mates. It’s a goals type of relationship.”
