GIVE ME A TITLE

Chapter 4

Chapter Four

I shoved Tyran into the bathroom, locking the door. He couldn't be seen by my father, or else he'd kill me, or kill Tyran since he's a merman. I sprinted to the couch, sat down, and opened my phone, trying to look casual.

Since when was trying to look casual so hard?

My father turned the corner, seeing me lying on the couch. "Hey, you're home early," his raspy voice spoke.

"Oh yeah. After I hung up, Oliver called me and said something came up, and that I can just stay here." Lie. Lie. Lie. I haven't lied this much since I was a little kid.

"Alright. Well, I am going to the bathroom, I smell like crap." He went to the door, trying to twist the handle but it did not turn.

"Oh yeah. I saw something nasty in there. It scared the crap out of me, so I ran out and locked the door. I think it was a rat." I knew he knew that I hated rats, so that was the perfect way out of that.

His eyes found mine, glaring at me but it faded quickly. "Alright. I'll use my bathroom then." It didn't take a dummy to realize that I was lying. When I did, I picked at my fingers and looked at the floor. I wasn't a great liar at all.

Once I heard my father's bathroom door close, I walked over to the bathroom Tyran was in and unlocked it, opening the door. He had turned back into his real form and was sitting on the toilet.

"Hey, sorry about that, my father came home," I whispered.

Tyran looked up at me, his eyes had turned back into their cat-like way. "I get it."

"We need to get you out of here before my father finds out you're here. I can just take you home if you'd like." I spoke to him in a hushed voice to not alert my father.

"Oh no, it's fine. I want to get more use out of my human body before I go back under." He was so nice, but I felt bad.

My eyes softened with guilt, "Are you sure? I don't mind. It would only take 30 minutes."

He nodded, his teeth showing. They had also gone back to their original pointy form.

"Alright. How would you feel about going to one of my friend's houses? He has a pool and a big tub. I can lie and tell him you have a bad stomach bug and need some alone time." I smiled at the thought of Tyran sitting in a big tub with his fin handing out the end.

"If you want me to meet your friend, then I will. Just remember to call me Devy." He looked at the floor, lost in focus before I saw the magic happen right before my eyes.

His tail started glowing and then a bright line split his tail in two, and they changed into a pair of long, skinny, muscular legs. His scales turned into hairs and the top of his head sat a full head of blond hair. His jawline got sharp as some loose skin disappeared.

I smiled at this form of my friend, then pulled out my phone and texted Oliver, to see if he was busy. I did tell Oliver I wanted to go over earlier this week and let him know when I was coming over the day of if he wasn't busy.

The faint sound of my father's shower let me know he was still in there as I texted my friend.

Me:

Hey dude, u busy? I wanna come over.

Oliver:

not at all bro, come make

urself at home.

Me:

Good, u have a little guest

coming over with me.

I pocketed my phone and turned to Tyran. He was still sitting on the toilet but was watching me with my phone.

"Alright, let's get ready. I'll have you go out now and wait for me in the alley. You remember what alley, right?" I asked as I started to think of a plan in my head.

"Yes, I remember. Do you want me to go now?" His voice calmed my nerves. If my father heard him shut the door too loud, I would be in trouble.

"Go now. I'll follow and shut the door for you so my father doesn't hear you leave." I opened the door for him and followed him to the door. I stepped in front of him, quietly opening the door for him to exit.

Tyran quietly left our home, and I shut the door with such grace that if the room was super silent, you probably would not have heard it. I pulled out my phone to see if I had any new texts from Oliver, but he just left me on read.

This was my time to leave the house. My father's shower turned off and he stepped out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. His chest hairs had collected water and were dripping onto the floor.

"Hey Kiddo, what's up?" He spoke, going to the fridge and grabbing a drink of booze. His calloused fingers wrapped around a glass from the cupboard and filled it.

"Dad, I was just about to head out. Oliver said that thing was a false alarm, and I could go back over." I was telling a half-truth. I mean, it's better than a lie, isn't it?

"Okay kid, just stay out of trouble." My father took a sip out of his glass and then waved me off. I smiled and grabbed my wallet, keys, and phone from the stand by the door before leaving.

I walked out to the alley where I had told Tyran to wait for me, but he was nowhere to be seen. Looking all around my building, I saw him heading off toward the docks.

My legs sprinted after him, trying to make sure he was okay. Once I caught up to him, I placed my body in front of him, attempting to get him to stop. But him being double my size didn't help me in any way.

"Tyran, dude, stop," I was using all my strength to get him to stop. I didn't want to lose someone who I had planned to tell things I never would have told any of my friends.

He just pushed me to the side and kept walking. I stumbled back but tripped on something and fell back, hitting my head on the ground. My head began to throb immediately from the impact.

"Oh my god. Mateo. Are you alright?" The recognizable voice of Tyran came from above me. He had his hands placed on my forehead and panickedly looked around before starting to heal me.

The familiar tingle of the small particles landing on my forehead and the smoothness of his voice brought me comfort. My focus was all on his voice.

His voice. It brought back that familiar tingle in my belly and the flush to my cheeks. I started to want to label this emotion as love, but I knew something wasn't right. I knew what love was. I had felt it a few years back. Oliver was my first crush and boyfriend. Oliver had shown me what love was.

But, did he really?

I began to question what our relationship was like, but soon I was pulled out of that trance by Tyran's hands leaving my head, and his singing fading away. "How are you feeling now?" He asked, wiping his hands on the shorts.

"I-I'm alright," my voice was shaky as I got to my feet. Tyran's expression was full of worry as I wobbled from side to side.

"I am so sorry, Mateo. I shouldn't have done that. I just wanted to get back in the water and go home." He looked upset, but like he was also hiding something.

"Hey, dude, it's fine if you want to go home. I don't judge you." I was concerned for Tyran's well-being as he was on the ground. He had only been on the ground once before.

"No, I made a promise to be here with you and I will, no matter what." His voice was full of determination and his eyes were studying mine.

I regained my balance and turned towards the merman. "C'mon. Let's get you to my friend's house before you suddenly switch back."