Back To You

Mixed signals (17)

By the time the dishes were cleaned up and half the group had melted into the couch, the night had that soft, sleepy glow — the kind where the chaos quieted and everyone slipped into low conversations and bad jokes.

Markell had passed out with a hoodie over his face like a corpse. Azra and Aisha were FaceTiming someone they both swore wasn't important but couldn't stop giggling over. Cody was showing Kelianne a cursed TikTok recipe that involved peanut butter and pickles, and Nate had found another Red Bull and was now thriving.

I was curled into the corner of the couch, arms around my knees, trying not to think too hard. About Bryce. About Tayler. About how none of this used to feel so complicated.

"Okay," Olivia said, letting out a breath as she flopped down beside me, "if I move again, I might actually die."

"Same," I murmured.

"You sure you're not staying over? We could do face masks and talk trash about men."

Tempting.

But I shook my head. "I should go home. I've got stuff in the morning."

Olivia pouted dramatically but didn't push it.

From across the room, I caught Tayler's eyes on me again. He was sitting on the arm of a chair, scrolling through his phone, but not really looking at it. His gaze flicked from me to Bryce, then back again.

He was quiet. Too quiet for Tayler.

"Hey," Bryce said suddenly, hopping up. "You heading out?"

"Yeah," I said, standing slowly. "It's getting late."

"I'll walk you to your car."

I didn't even get a chance to answer before he grabbed his hoodie off the back of a chair and tossed it toward me.

"Take this," he said. "It's freezing."

I caught it on instinct. "You're ridiculous."

"You say that now, but wait till you get outside and instantly regret your whole life."

I laughed under my breath and slid it on. It smelled like Bryce — laundry detergent and cologne and whatever chaotic energy lived inside him.

Tayler stood up too, like he was going to say something. But he didn't.

He just watched.

His jaw was tight, and there was a sharpness in his expression that wasn't there before.

I couldn't look at him for long.

"Night, guys," I called over my shoulder.

A few mumbled replies echoed behind me as I stepped out the front door with Bryce.

⸻

The second we were outside, I tugged the sleeves of his hoodie over my hands.

"Okay," I muttered, "you win. It is freezing."

"Told you," he said, grinning.

We walked in silence for a few steps, the cool night air hanging around us like a secret.

"You looked... distracted tonight," he said casually. "Everything okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just tired, I think."

"You sure?" His tone was light, but he was watching me.

"I'm sure."

He bumped his shoulder into mine. "You know, for someone who used to yell at me for avoiding my feelings, you're kind of terrible at talking about yours."

I smirked. "Wow. Growth. Did you rehearse that line on the way here?"

He gave me a dramatic gasp. "I'll have you know I'm a natural."

I laughed despite myself. That was the thing about Bryce. He didn't always say the right things — but he knew how to pull me back to earth.

We reached my car, and I turned to face him.

He leaned back against the hood like he'd done it a hundred times before. "I missed this."

I didn't say anything right away.

Because I missed it too.

But I also missed... something else.

And that was the problem.

His voice softened. "I'm not trying to make things weird, Mads. I know things were... complicated before I left. And maybe they still are. But I like being around you again. That's all."

I looked at him — his smile, his open posture, the way he always said things like he wasn't afraid of the answer.

"I like being around you too," I said quietly.

He didn't lean in. Didn't push.

Just smiled, soft and real. "Cool. Then let's just... keep doing that."

I nodded.

And for a second, it felt easy.

Until I turned to go and glanced back at the house.

Through the front window, I could see Tayler standing in the hallway, half-hidden behind the curtain.

He was still watching.

And the look on his face?

It wasn't angry.

It was knowing.

Like he'd just confirmed something he'd suspected for a while.

⸻

By the time I got home, Bryce had texted me a joke about Nate probably drinking six Red Bulls and reinventing physics. I responded with a laughing emoji and threw my phone on the bed.

Then I peeled off his hoodie and just stared at it for a second.

This wasn't like before.

It wasn't simple. It wasn't obvious.

I liked Bryce.

But Tayler...

There were pieces of him I hadn't even touched yet. And every time he looked at me, it felt like he saw all the things I wasn't saying out loud.

I changed into pajamas, slid into bed, and stared at the ceiling for a long time.

Eventually, my phone buzzed again.

Tayler:
did he walk you out?

Me:
yeah.

A pause.

Then:

Tayler:
cool.

That was it.

But somehow, it said more than a whole conversation.

And I had no idea what to do with any of it.