All Around You (Troyler AU)

Chapter 15: Bump in the Night

Tyler's P.O.V

I thought I heard a noise. It sounded like something hitting the walls in the hallway, but it was muffled and sounded distant. It was loud enough to wake me up, but now that I was awake, I wasn't entirely sure if I had heard the noise or if it had just been a dream. My entire body was tense, and I was ready to spring up into action at any given moment- but it was otherwise silent after that.

I turned my head to the window to see the moon hanging firmly in the night sky. It wasn't even close to morning time. I doubt I had even been asleep that long. I checked my side to see Troye, still curled up to me with his hand lying gently on my chest. My chest let out an involuntary sigh of relief when I saw him sound asleep, and I tried to relax as I pulled him closer.

Tonight had been completely unexpected. I didn't expect it to go over so well and yet so stressful. Now that everything was so calm, it was almost funny to think how worried we had both been. We had both just come out. That, alone, was unexpected. I had spent my entire day concerned with the possibility that Troye might throw me out, and yet here I was that same night lying next to him to make sure he's okay. Things were going to be so different now- but in a good way. I wouldn't have to constantly check what I say in the hopes that I'd let something slip to Troye. Now he knew everything. It felt so relieving to not have to hide myself.

I was just about to fall back to sleep when Troye made a tiny noise beside me. I looked down at him to see his eyes closed tightly and his hand on my chest closed into a fist. Without even stopping to think what was wrong, I brought my other had up and gently started to run it through his hair. I pulled him slightly closer with the arm cradled under him. His features slowly started to soften and his fingers uncurled themselves. Slowly but surely, his breathing went back to normal.

I didn't stop running my hand through his hair, I just laid there and enjoyed the feeling of how soft his curls were and how peaceful he looked when he slept. My eyes were burning with sleep but I didn't want to stop looking at him. I couldn't help it; he looked like an actual angel. He looked like the type of person wars were fought over and songs were written about. Thinking so much about his looks was starting to make my heart beat quicker and quicker. After a couple minutes, I took my hand off of his head and put it back on my torso, staring up at the ceiling.

No matter how tired I was and how much I yawned, I couldn't bring myself to sleep. I was too distracted as I stared at the stones along the ceiling. I've always thought Troye was cute, sure, but I never felt my heartbeat race like that before when I thought about him. I always stared at Troye and told him how good he looked, but my palms never got this sweaty before. My mind only went to one thing...I couldn't have actual feelings for him, could I?

Korey always teased me about Troye. He teased me in the same way I would tease him when I caught his eyes wandering off at the boys down in the village. He teased me like he always did when I told him about a man I'd seen in my mother's inn with beautiful eyes. No matter how much he teased me, I'd always laugh and say Troye was my friend and nothing more. That was completely true. Not once had I ever considered Troye anything other than my best friend. Not even when we first met and I thought about how good looking he was. I'm allowed to think someone's beautiful! There are a lot of beautiful people in the world- it's nice to acknowledge it. But that's all it was with Troye- I never thought I had feelings for him. We were close but I never pictured us that close.

I thought about Troye the same way I always did when I had feelings for a guy. Now that I had time to think about it, that was true. But those guys that I'd randomly catch little crushes for when I watched them pass by didn't mean a thing. They were random guys I would never think about again, so I had no problems saying how much I liked them. Troye wasn't some random guy- he was my best friend. Maybe that's why my brain never thought about him that way. I had the feelings, but I wouldn't dare act on them.