The next morning felt heavier than it should've.
Not in a dramatic way — just in the quiet, unsettling sense that something had shifted while I wasn't looking.
I woke up to pale light spilling through my curtains and that lingering feeling you get after a dream you can't quite remember, only the way it left your chest aching. My phone sat face down on the nightstand. I didn't reach for it right away.
I already knew what I'd find.
Eventually, I did anyway.
One notification.
Bryce:
Nate texted me at 6am. Said he "accidentally" drank pre-workout instead of coffee.
Your fault for letting him live.
I huffed out a laugh before I could stop myself.
Me:
Natural selection at this point.
The typing bubble appeared almost instantly. Then disappeared. Then—
Bryce:
You good this morning?
I stared at the screen longer than necessary.
Me:
Yeah. Just tired.
True. Just not the whole truth.
I set my phone down and rolled onto my back, staring at the ceiling.
Tayler hadn't texted.
Not after that cool. Not this morning. Not later that afternoon. And that silence sat with me in a way Bryce's easy check-ins never did.
Tayler's silence felt intentional.
⸻
I didn't see him for a week.
Not at Olivia's. Not in passing. Not through any half-accidental group hangouts. Nate mentioned he was "busy." Olivia rolled her eyes and muttered something about boys and their moods. No one pushed further.
I told myself it didn't bother me.
I was lying.
So when Kelianne texted me Friday night, I said yes before thinking too hard about it.
Kelianne:
come to the house tonight. everyone's here.
pls say yes or i'll be forced to socialize alone.
I smiled despite myself.
Me:
On my way.
I didn't expect Tayler to be there.
He hadn't been at any of the other hangouts that week. And honestly, part of me assumed he was still keeping his distance on purpose.
So when I stepped inside and saw him sitting on the arm of the couch — phone in hand, shoulders tense — my heart stuttered.
He looked up.
Our eyes met.
Then he looked away.
Like it was nothing.
Like I was nothing.
The shift was immediate and unmistakable.
He didn't come over. Didn't joke. Didn't even give me a polite hey. It wasn't cold exactly — just... closed. Controlled.
Weird.
Bryce noticed before I did.
He bumped my shoulder lightly as he handed me a drink. "You good?"
"Yeah," I said automatically.
He followed my gaze for half a second, then looked back at me, expression unreadable. "Okay."
YOU ARE READING
Back To You
RomanceMadison thought she had closed the door on Tayler forever. Two years ago, she walked away, leaving behind the only boy who ever truly knew her-the one who made her feel safe, seen... and ultimately, shattered. She swore she'd never look back. But no...
