Bitter Treats (BxB Romance, In Progress)

19: Sweet Friend

Lying on his bed, darkness descended upon Tyler. And it wasn't just the oncoming night. The darkness felt like it was pressing down on his chest, squeezing everything that had been bright and hopeful out of him.

He'd thought it had been real; that he and Robby actually had connected on a romantic level. He'd thought this had been different than Sebastian. He'd thought he could finally be himself, whole-heartedly and loudly.

Luckily, he hadn't been tasked with driving himself home this time, like after the moment with Sebastian. Robin had done the driving. The ride had been very quiet, with both of them avoiding looking at the other one. Tyler had mumbled "See you in school" before quickly disembarking--which was a tricky feat to accomplish with crutches--at the end of the driveway but he wasn't even sure what would happen once they did. Maybe they would just ignore each other's presence forever, pretending no kisses underneath the sheen of spotlights ever happened.

Tyler couldn't bear the thought of this being the end for him and Robin. No more stolen looks or awkward touches. No more hope for something unknown and amazing blossoming.

Deep down, that hope still wouldn't go away. Perhaps that's why it hurt so much. Because he couldn't just give up. He couldn't let go of the notion that in Robin's blue eyes, he'd found something he'd never seen before. Their connection had appeared to transcend all fear and pain.

But perhaps he couldn't trust his own emotions. Tyler was after all very new at all this gay stuff.

He needed to talk to someone. Someone who would understand. And this didn't feel like the right moment to come out to his family. Not in the middle of urgent heartbreak. Tyler needed attention and not questions. He needed someone with expertise in the subject in question.

Miss Horn would perhaps be able to help during their counseling session tomorrow but Tyler wasn't sure he could wait that long. His need for guidance was a pressing matter. So needed to turn to someone else.

Only one name came to mind. Someone who had told him long ago to reach out if he ever needed to. And Tyler certainly needed a helping hand now.

Browsing through his phonebook, he found a contact lingering unused for a long time. He wondered if the number was even still the same. People changed numbers all the time, not telling their forgotten high school classmates.

It had to be Luke. Luke would understand. Luke would know how to handle the situation.

His heart pounded as he pressed the call symbol. A couple of signals went through, signaling that the number at least still was in use.

"Tyler?" Luke's voice still sounded the same, albeit a bit more confused than usual. "What do you...? Why?"

"Luke," Tyler replied, having to stop himself from shuffling information about cute boys with blue eyes, dozens of glazed donuts, and sweet marshmallow kisses upon his friend right away. "I need your help. Do you remember talking on the soccer field at prom? You told me you would help me if I ever needed it."

"And I meant it," Luke assured him over a buzz of chatter in the background. "Let me just... move to another location. I'm at a drag show."

"Am I disturbing?" Tyler asked anxiously. "I can call back later." He knew he wouldn't though. This was all the outreach he could muster. It was this or falling into the darkness.

"I've seen the show before." Luke chuckled. "I'm working as a costume assistant at the theater. So let me just... go into the closet for a bit. And I don't mean that metaphorically. It's just less noisy there. I'm still fully out as a flaming gay."

"Cool," was all Tyler could muster in reply. He felt a tug of longing for that kind of truthfulness about oneself. He wanted to burn as brightly as Luke.

"Alright, Tyler, what did you want to talk about?" Luke asked, the room around him now noticeably calmer. "I heard what happened to you by the way, and I'm sorry."

"Yeah..." Tyler replied, trying to remember what had happened to him that Luke would know about. Because currently, all that was happening to him was Robin. Looking down at his legs, he remembered. Oh right... "This isn't about that though. I need... advice, I guess." Tyler realized he hadn't quite thought of how to phrase his current predicament. "About a boy."

"A cute boy?" Luke asked cheekily.

"A very cute boy," Tyler confirmed. His heart hurt even thinking of how damn cute Robin was. Because he wasn't sure if that cute presence would remain in his life. "We... kissed, I guess. I thought we both wanted it. But then, it all got weird. He pulled back and said he couldn't."

Luke sighed. "Not sure how much I can help. I mean... I've been there. It's always tricky when you kiss someone. Unless it's like at a gay bar. Even if someone seems to flirt with you, they may back out once it gets real."

"It felt real," Tyler mumbled. "I mean, I didn't just assault him with kisses. It was real. I know it was." Tears streamed slowly down his cheeks as he tried to convince himself of this as much as Luke. "It was real," he repeated once again.

"I'm sure it was," Luke assured him. "It's just rarely that easy, in my experience. Like, is he out? The cute boy, I mean."

"No," Tyler replied. "At least I don't think so. His mother is not someone to come out to from what he's told me."

"Give him some time then." Luke's voice was soothingly calm. "He may come around after he's figured some stuff out. And regardless, it's not your fault, Tyler. I don't think you scared him away."

"Mmmhmm," Tyler replied, wiping away tears as he tried to believe in Luke's words.

"Are you out yourself yet?" Luke asked. "I mean, you weren't before."

"No." Tyler sighed. "I want to tell my family. But I don't know how."

"It's not that difficult. Just tell people you care about. It doesn't have to be like a big performance. I mean, I came out to my parents through interpretive dance but not everyone has to do it like that."

"And were they fine with it?"

"Yep. I suspect they already kind of knew. So they hugged me and then told me that I was responsible for cleaning up all the glitter left behind."

"Glitter?"

"It was a very elaborate and extravagant performance..."

"I think I'll probably skip the glitter. Not really my jam."

"It was a hassle to get out of the carpet, so probably a good choice." Luke chuckled. The lightness of the conversation was starting to lift the darkness from Tyler's chest. "Just do it your own way. Because regardless of what happens with this cute boy, being yourself will always be worth it."

"Yeah, I'll figure something out." Tyler yawned, suddenly sleepy as the tension of the night started to leave his limbs. Maybe sleeping on the matter would provide some clarity. "Thank you, Luke. For everything."

"No problem. And you're welcome to come around here at any time, to watch the drag show. It has a lot of glitter... Bring the cute boy if you figure things out."

"I will," Tyler replied. "I definitely will."

Hanging up the phone, his path forward seemed a lot clearer. First, he needed to figure things out for himself, then, he could figure out what was going on with Robin.