Back To You

Quiet wars (16)

The house was buzzing.

Someone had started music in the living room. Markell was yelling at Nate for stealing the last Red Bull. Olivia was rearranging the throw pillows like the Queen of Aesthetic Peace. Aisha was braiding Azra's hair on the floor, and I had just walked in with a grocery bag full of snacks and a head full of everything I was trying not to think about.

Like the way Tayler looked at me last night across the table.

Like the way Bryce's voice still made my stomach twist — not because I missed him, but because I didn't, and that somehow made everything worse.

"Hey, Mads," Olivia said without looking up. "Can you grab the extra cups from the kitchen?"

"On it," I said, stepping over Nate, who was lying on the floor like he'd been shot. "You good?"

"I'm out of caffeine and the will to live," he muttered dramatically.

"Okay, Shakespeare," I rolled my eyes and ducked into the kitchen.

That's when the front door swung open.

"Yo! Who ordered the fan favorite?"

I knew the voice before I turned.

Bryce stood in the doorway, grinning like he hadn't just shaken the foundation of my entire emotional equilibrium the night before. Backpack slung over one shoulder, hoodie sleeves pushed up, the exact same cocky, laid-back posture he'd always had — like nothing ever rattled him.

Like he hadn't just dropped back into my life and made everything complicated.

"BRYCE?!" Olivia shrieked, nearly falling off the couch.

The room exploded.

Aisha screamed. Nate forgot he was dying. Everyone jumped up at once, shouting and swarming him in hugs, high fives, and "what the hell are you doing here"s.

Bryce soaked it up, laughing as he got pulled into five different conversations at once.

"I told Tayler not to say anything," he said over the noise, looking proud of himself. "Wanted it to be a surprise."

Olivia turned to Tayler, wide-eyed. "You knew?"

He smirked. "What can I say? I keep secrets now."

My eyes met his for a second across the room.

His smirk flickered — just slightly — when he saw my face.

It lasted a beat.

Then Bryce's voice broke through. "Mads. Hey."

I hadn't moved from the kitchen doorway.

I pasted on a smile. "Hey."

He walked over casually, not too fast, not too slow — just enough to draw attention but not seem like he was trying to.

"You didn't tell anyone I was back?"

"You told me not to."

"Fair," he said, eyes flicking toward the others, then back to me. "Still. Kinda expected you to at least text."

I shrugged, keeping it breezy. "Didn't seem urgent."

He opened his mouth, but Tayler appeared beside us before he could say anything else. "Man, you just missed Cody," he said, clapping Bryce on the back. "He left like five minutes ago."

Bryce nodded. "I'll see him soon anyway."

His eyes didn't leave mine.

Tayler noticed.

The air between us shifted, just enough for me to feel it — and judging by the way Tayler's jaw tightened for half a second, he felt it too.

"You guys want anything?" I asked, stepping past both of them. "I brought snacks."

"Only if you didn't forget the good chips," Nate shouted from the couch.

"You're lucky I like you," I called back, heading for the bags on the counter.

Bryce leaned against the island, close but not too close. Tayler stood across from him, arms folded. They looked so... normal. Like two best friends catching up.

And I hated that it didn't feel normal to me at all.

"So," Olivia said, sliding in between them with a sly smile. "Should we do a dinner tonight? Celebrate Bryce being back?"

"Absolutely," Aisha agreed.

"Takeout or are we pretending we know how to cook?" Nate asked.

"I'll cook," Tayler said casually.

Everyone paused.

"You?" Olivia said, suspicious.

"What?" he grinned. "I've evolved. I can cook."

"Okay, Gordon Ramsay," Bryce teased. "I'll believe it when I taste it."

"You will," Tayler shot back. "Madison can confirm I'm a solid 7.5 in the kitchen."

The room laughed.

Except Bryce.

His eyes shifted to me. "Oh yeah? When did you try his cooking?"

I hesitated. "Movie night."

It came out faster than I meant, too stiff.

He nodded slowly. "Right."

The look he gave Tayler wasn't angry. Just... searching.

And Tayler?

He met it head-on. No smile. Just cool confidence.

The kind that said: Yeah, she's here with me now.

Nobody said anything for a moment.

Then Olivia clapped her hands, shattering the tension. "Okay! Tayler's cooking, Bryce is back, Madison brought snacks — tonight is a win!"

I forced a laugh and opened the chips.

But inside, everything was spinning.

Bryce was back. Tayler was here. And no one else knew how messy the space between us had once been — or still was.

They just saw us laughing.

Teasing.

Existing.

But underneath it?

Something was starting to crack.

And I had no idea what would break first.