The Wylie Diaries : Where The Flowers Bloom

Chapter Two : Elastic Heart

Tyler invited me over to his apartment. I had been there before and always felt comfortable there. I never really imagined that I would begin to feel these emotions for another guy again. After my last break up, I swore to myself I would be more guarded when it came to these types of things. Tyler seemed to break down the barriers that once stopped me from experiencing true happiness, even though we were not together. He had an effect on me that was unexplainable, it was like the joy a traveler would feel after a week in the desert without any water. I knew i needed him and yet I still had not discovered why.

I walked up to his apartment block, looking up to his window and noticing him watching me walk across the pathway. He smiled and I instantly felt alive. My mind was beginning to become as cloudy as the skies above me and I had a variety of thoughts going through my head. I always wondered whether Tyler felt the same way about me as I felt about him. It was never really the time for us to progress our friendship, he was seeing my best friend and i was busy living a life I created for myself. After their breakup, Tyler became much more open and I felt our connection re-appearing. It was difficult for me to accept these feelings, there is an unwritten rule in which you are never supposed to go out with your best friends ex but the relationship we had seemed to break these boundaries.

I knocked three times on his door, almost like Sheldon from the big bang theory. I giggled in my head and thought how stupid I was for over thinking the situation. Tyler opened the door and hugged me, inviting me in. He was wearing this cute ASU jumper and jeans. He had this style to him that you wouldn't expect, it was cute but wasn't done in a way to show off. He was wearing his glasses. I always told him that he looked better in glasses but he often wore contact lenses.

As I entered his apartment I smelt the faint aroma of marijuana. We always used to smoke together, it was a bonding experience and we both loved it. He had a bowl packed when I arrived and we sat on his couch and lit it. I inhaled deeply, taking as much of the smoke in as I could. He would always hand the bowl to me after he had finished taking a pull, I liked it when he did it. This interaction was different than previous meetings, he looked at me different. He seemed to be trying to figure me out, looking at me up and down. I could see the thoughts being created in his mind and wondered whether they were good or bad. As we looked into each others eyes, a shot of thunder crackled through the air and shook my very core. We both jumped and immediately laughed because we both knew it scared the **** out of us.

Alongside the thunder came rain. It was the middle of summer and yet it was raining. It was hot and wet at the same time, the weather seemed to be as confused as I was. "Do you want to go out into the rain? I know it seems crazy but it would be so much fun!" Tyler said as his eyes lit up.

"Sure!" I replied, like a 5 year old child who had just received his first Christmas present that they actually liked. I loved doing weird and crazy stuff, being with nature and experiencing life. I think he knew this about me too, why else would he want to go out into the rain?

We both walked out of his apartment, down the stairs and out into the fresh air. The smell of rain hitting fresh grass filled the air, my senses aroused by what seemed to be a small clearing in some trees ahead. I motioned Tyler over and we began running for shelter. We were trapped under the trees, huddling together for the little dry spot that stopped us from getting soaked. We still managed to get extremely wet, though. This was the closest i had ever been, his breath hitting my cheek as we discussed his life and how he was doing over the past few months with everything that had been going on.

The rain didn't seem to be passing and we had already spent 20 minutes under this tree waiting for it to stop. We decided to make a run for it and attempt to get to his apartment as fast as possible to dry off. I went ahead and began running, I could hear his foot steps trying to catch up to the pace of mine. I felt him grab me by the waist. I stopped, asking why he had stopped me. The rain hit my head and began beating on us. It was strong, powerful, almost human like. As he pulled me closer, he kissed me on the lips. My hands began to sweat again and i began to hold my breathe, never wanting this moment to end. He let my lips go. "Wylie" He said whilst smiling at me.

"Yes, Tyler?" I said, still confused at what had just occurred.

"I want you to be my boyfriend. We've known each other for so long and i just feel so comfortable around you. You make me happy and i couldn't imagine continuing on without at least considering it".

"I-I-I Don't... " I stopped myself from making a stupid mistake. I knew i wanted him. I knew if i said no that it would be the biggest mistake i had ever made. I forgot about what other people may think and i listened to my heart instead of my head. "I would love too" I said whilst smiling. He kissed me one more time and we ran inside, wet.

I still couldn't believe what he had asked me, my mind had yet to catch up with the events that had just unfolded. I felt happy but at the same time confused. I didn't think i was ready to start a new relationship, i didn't even think that he was considering what had happened previously. I knew that i wanted to see what this developed into and the thought of being with Tyler excited me.

As we entered his apartment, I noticed that the time was 11PM. It was way too late for me to be going home alone and so Tyler suggested that I stay the night. "I don't have any clean clothes" I explained

"You can borrow some of mine, that's okay" He suggested. He picked me out a nice jumper and some shorts and I got changed in his bathroom.

I was getting tired at this point and really wanted to sleep. He said that he was tired too and so we decided it was time to go to sleep. He made me a nest on the floor and I went to sleep whilst he went into his bedroom. I awoke to the sound of thunder. I looked over to the clock on the wall and the time was 3:34AM. I couldn't sleep, the noise was too loud. I think my shuffling around caused some noise and woke Tyler up. "Wylie, is that you?" He said, groggy and half asleep.

"Yeah it's me, sorry I didn't mean to wake you up. I can't sleep with all the thunder' I replied apologetically.

"It's okay man. Why don't you come in here, i'm sure company would help you sleep" He suggested. I didn't know how to respond, what would happen if i decided to go into his bedroom? I Didn't want anything sexual to happen,that's for sure. I decided to go into his room. He was laying on the bed, shirtless on top of his duvet. I began to lay next to him. He moved his hand next to my head and pulled me in closer so I was laying on his chest. I could hear him inhaling and exhaling, a constantly pattern. Slowly, I fell asleep.

I wake up the next day, confused but happy. I wondered if Tyler meant what he said last night. Am i really his boyfriend? It seemed that way. I left his house and went back to my own house, excited about what the future could hold as this relationship developed.