𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐬 | Tyler Hernandez x Reader

| Ep 51 |

My foot anxiously taps against the tiled floor of the hospital's waiting room. One hand is fidgeting with the fabric of my pants while the other is squeezing the circulation out of my mom's hand. Her subtle attempt to soothe me by rubbing circles on the back of my hand is doing nothing but stressing me further.

To my right is Taylor and her mother, who are quietly mumbling to themselves. Neither of them has said much else to anyone else since they left the graveyard.

I watch silently as Mr. Banner hands them both a water bottle. Taylor doesn't even bother to open it.

I release my grip on my jeans and reach a hand out to rest over hers. Her bottom lip quivers as she lifts her head to look at me. She musters a tight smile before dropping her head down.

I feel a pair of green eyes on me and turn my attention toward a solemn ginger seated a few feet away. I bite my inner cheek, contemplating talking to her about everything. The whole night, I had been blaming Ashlyn for what happened to Tyler.

Yet, the longer I've thought it all over, the more I've come to realize that everything she did was for the sake of our lives. Ashlyn only wanted to protect us.

It wasn't fair of me to dump the burden of his life on her shoulders. As angry as I had been, my judgement was clouded by grief and frustration.

I stand up from the bench, which catches my mom by surprise,

"Where are you going?"

I glance over at Ashlyn, who's talking to Aiden, "I'm going to grab Ashlyn something from the vending machine. She didn't eat anything at the BBQ."

Although my true intention was to find an excuse to talk to her, I also did want to get her to eat something. Her mind was already in a dark place, and sulking on an empty stomach wouldn't help.

I walk out into the main hallway outside of the waiting room. I head over to the nearest vending machine and rummage through my pockets for some loose change. I insert a few coins and select the crackers.

I take a step back and wait for the machine to drop the bag through the small chute. My ears perk up when I hear a familiar pair of combat boots tap against the floor. They come to a stop beside me and I look over to find Ashlyn blankly watching the vending machine.

I kneel down to pick up the bag of crackers and extend them over to her, "Figured you might be hungry..."

She stares down at the brown bag in my palm, hesitating to accept it immediately.

I drop my shoulders with a sigh and drop them in her hand, "Ash, look-"

"I'm sorry." She says abruptly through a shaky tone.

I notice the way she avoids my gaze, slightly crushing the bag in her palm. My eyes soften when I catch sight of a single tear escaping her eye.

"No, no...I should be the one apologizing here. It wasn't fair of me to lash out at you like that."

She listens, though she makes no expressions or reactions whatsoever. She shakes her head, "Don't say that...if I had let you turn back, maybe...maybe he would still be-"

"You're talking about him like he's dead. The outcome wouldn't have been different if we did turn back. It took me a bit to finally accept that, but I have. What we should focus on is that Tyler still has a fighting chance, Ashlyn."

She says nothing for a long moment, likely letting my words sink in. She then lifts her head and does something I haven't seen her do in a while.

She smiles.

"You're right...I still am sorry for making you think I didn't feel he was worth going back for. I care about Tyler just as much as I care about the rest of you. But I knew he wouldn't have wanted us to risk our lives for him."

I blink back the tears that threaten to fall and pull her into a loose hug. I know physical affection isn't her thing, but I thinks she needs this just as much as I do.

She does what I didn't expect and pulls me against her, tightening her hold around me.

We return to the waiting room and I watch her take a seat next to Aiden. I don't fail to notice the relief that washes over him once she sits down, looking better than she did before.

Mr. Banner and Ashlyn head outside a few minutes later for some fresh air, leaving the rest of us drowning in our thoughts.