We all have our masks [Twenty One Pilots]

Chapter Twenty Six: Casual

"Is this okay?"

Tyler, slouched down on the couch, turned his head up at Lena. The girl had been nervous the whole day, and up until five minutes ago, she still hadn't decided on the outfit she would wear for that date. Was it even a date? Tyler had only asked her to "go out" after all, because they had to "talk". Maybe she was just taking things too seriously. So, at the last minute, she had decided on simple red skinny jeans a the first t-shirt she could find in her newly arranged closet. 

Tyler smiled, which was maybe a hint that she had picked well, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he got up from the comfy couch and walked up to her, still grinning. Lena's confidence, already really low, shot down a bit more, and she mentally slapped herself for being so nervous about something that was supposed to be casual.

"Perfect, princess. Shall we go?" he asked, making Lena want to rip his evil smirk off his tiny face. 

But she loosened up and smiled, following him down the hall and out of the house. He opened the passenger door for her to hop on, closed it behind her and walked around the car to plop himself on the driver's seat. 

"Buckle up, princ-" he started, before looking down at Lena's hands which had just fastened the seatbelt. "Damn, girl, you're fast!" he then added with a smile while starting the engine.

Lena chuckled, rolling her eyes at Tyler's goofy attitude. She could tell he was trying to be funny to ease the tension between them. The worst was that it was actually working. Tyler started driving, eyes focused on the road, and the silence enveloping the car wasn't actually that bad. Maybe because Lena feared the discussion that would soon follow. Maybe because they didn't need to say anything right now. 

The low noise of the tires against the road was the only thing that could be heard, and Lena relaxed on her seat, closing her eyes for a minute. She heard Tyler shift somewhat nervously, and remembered that song she'd heard. Sometimes, quiet is violent. Tyler wrote that. She opened her eyes.

"You can turn the radio on, if you want..." she said softly.

He looked at her briefly. "No, I'm ok," he said, switching back on the road. "Except if you want to? D'you want me to-"

"No, that's ok, I just thought you'd want to."

Silence fell again. Lena didn't know what to say, she wasn't good at making small talk. She slightly turned her head towards Tyler, still focused on the road. His hand were perfectly placed on the recommended position, his fingers tapping the steering wheel every now and then. His face was perfectly still, his brows slightly furrowed. Now that she thought about it, she had never seen him with his eyebrows unfurrowed. Except when he laughed.

"So... Where are we going?" Lena asked, desperately trying to stop inspecting Tyler's features like a creep. 

He smiled, his eyes not darting away from the road. His lips were colorful, almost shiny as he started talking. "I was waiting for that one." He said mysteriously. "You'll know soon enough."

Indeed, a few minutes later, Tyler took a turn into a small rocky path that made the tires squeak. Intrigued and nervous at the same time, Lena looked out the window. Trees were passing her eyesight at a somewhat slow pace, and before she had time to inspect the surroundings, the car stopped. She shifted her gaze towards Tyler who looked back to her.

"Ready?"

Lena raised her eyebrows, looking again out the windows. Slowly, she got out of the car and took in the scenery. There was nothing here. Just nature. Trees, branches floating in the wind, grass, a rocky path. Looking up, she noticed the sky had turned to a pale purple tone. The sun was setting, making the hills its grave. Enchanted, Lena walked up the path to a wooden fence at the edge of a steep cliff.