The Rookie and Me: Second Chances (COMPLETE)

Dinner for Two

Tyler and I said our goodbyes to Whitney and Cam and headed out the door. Almost instinctively, Tyler's hand falls to my lower back leading me out the door. Just his touch alone sends tiny shocks all throughout my body, leaving me wanting more. No, Ali. You can't allow this. You left for a reason! No, not just a reason... many reasons. The main reason being you love him way too much to continue hurting him. You have to set some boundaries for tonight.

When we get to his car, he opens the passenger door for me. I sink into the seat and wait for him to get in. He closes the door and starts the engine.

"Are you hungry?" He asks as his hand reaches for the gear shift.

I try not to look into his eyes when I answer him, "Um, yeah, starving actually." 

He reaches over and rests his giant hand on my thigh. He catches himself and pulls back his hand, "Oh, sorry. Habit." 

I should stop him. I should remove his hand and put it back on the steering wheel with his other hand. But as much as I should, I can't bring myself to do it. Not yet anyways. 

I look at him and say, "It's fine. It felt nice, actually." 

He puts his hand back on my thigh and lightly squeezes my bare skin. I haven't felt his touch in almost a month. I have been craving every piece of him since the second I left. I can just let it rest there until we get to the restaurant. It's not like anything more can happen at the moment, right?

Tyler clears his throat and tries to break the awkward silence between us, "So, can I ask you something?"

With his eyes on the road, I feel like it's safe for me to finally look at him again. "Sure, anything."

"Where have you been for the past 3 weeks?" He asks without hesitation.

"Oh, um we were in Nashville. We just stayed in this little motel downtown. They had a pool, but it was outside so it was closed." I said as we approached a familiar building. The same incredibly tall building from our very first date.

He pulls up to the valet and puts the car in park. He turns to look at me and says, "I hope you don't mind that I brought you here. It was just so good the first time we came and I remember how much you went on and on about their stuffed mushrooms. I just wanted to surprise you."

The memories come flooding into my brain from that night. That perfect, perfect night. The rooftop filled with private igloos, the twinkling lights all around. But most of all, the memory of Tyler describing the future, our future together... that was the memory that I was so attached to. The one I held dearest to my heart. And the one that I could not seem to stop thinking about, especially now that the future he described just isn't possible for us. No matter how much we want it to be...

We walk inside and head to the elevators. He presses that same RT button that takes us all the way up. We are greeted by the hostess and taken to our private igloo. Shortly after, our waitress  brings our drinks and takes our order. 

I take a sip of my drink and clear my throat softly, "So Whitney said you were served with papers too?"

He takes a deep breath in and lets it out, "Yup. The son of bitch is trying to sue me."

As surprised as I am by his statement, this is the most unsurprising thing that Joe would do. He's the type of person that gets pleasure out of screwing people. Anything he can do to make somebody else feel just as shitty as he is as a person, he will happily do. 

"What could he possibly be suing you for? You never had any charges pressed against you! You never broke the law. I mean, yes, you 'assaulted' him, but it was all self defense! This is bullshit!" I say a little louder than need be, but I'm so angry right now.

He shakes his head and shrugs his shoulders, "The paperwork said that he is suing me for 'pain and suffering' and all medical expenses."

I sigh heavily and lean forward, burying my face in my hands, "I'm so sorry, Tyler. I never meant for any of this to happen. This is all my fault. I never should have..."

He gently grabs my hands and interrupts me, "Ali, none of this is your fault, okay? You didn't do anything wrong here!"

I look into his eyes and say, "You're wrong. This is my fault. I should have never dragged you into my shit. I knew I had baggage, heavy fucking baggage, and I let you in anyways. I was selfish. I should've just kept my distance from you. None of this would have happened if I did."

He brings his hand up to my chin and keeps his eyes steady on mine, "Ali, that's not true. I never would've given up trying to get to know you. Every single piece of you. The good, the bad, and everything in between. Even though we are going through this shit right now, I have zero regrets."

I stay silent and go over every single thought in my head, over and over again. He's wrong. There is not a single day that goes by that I don't feel at fault for all of this shit he is going through. His strained relationship with his family, his suspension, and now Joe suing him. It's all on me. He is delusional if he thinks otherwise.

Just then, the waitress brings us our meals. Everything looks incredible, but I have lost my appetite completely. I pick around at my food for a few minutes before Tyler notices. He wipes his mouth with his napkin and gets up to leave the igloo.

"Where are you going? Tyler?" I ask, afraid that he's finally realized how right I am and is leaving me for good.

He doesn't say anything. He is gone from the igloo for a minute or two, but it felt so much longer. He comes back with a couple boxes, packs up our food and reaches out for my hand.

I'm so confused right now. What is happening? "Where are we going?" I ask, more confused than ever. 

He still doesn't say a word. He takes my hand and leads me to the elevator. I guess he's taking me home. I can't read him at all right now. Is he angry? Is he upset? The elevator reaches the top and dings. We step inside and he sets the food down on the bench. As soon as the doors close, he grabs my face and claims my lips for his own. He pushes me against the wall and demands entrance with his tongue. Without hesitation, I grant him full access. I wrap my hands around his neck and savor every second of this kiss. The 30 floors pass by way too fast. The elevator comes to a stop and Tyler pulls away from me. He grabs the food and my hand and leads me out to the valet. We wait anxiously for the Tesla, hand in hand.

We climb inside the spaceship car and drive down a few streets before Tyler finds an empty alley to park in. The second the car is in park, we're right back in each other's arms, devouring each other like we never have before. He sucked on my collarbones, while I lightly nibbled on his neck. He lets out the most satisfying groan and pulls me onto his lap. I quickly undo the button and unzip his pants. Just as urgently, he tears my lace panties right off of my body. I never imagined a car would be roomy enough to do anything like this in, but he makes it so easy. We have been missing each other so much for so long, we were both just desperate to take back what is ours. 

"Ali, please stay with me tonight?" He asks breathlessly.

I close my eyes and without hesitation I say, "Okay."