Wicked, Young Thing - T. Seguin

Chapter Seven

Tyler and I walked into the house to find Tay sitting on the couch with a beer bottle in one hand and a romance novel in the other. "Hi, Tay," I said, dropping my keys on the counter.

"Hi, Tay," Tyler said. She lifted her bottle in our direction and continued reading.

I plopped down next to her, "We're going to get food and play laser tag, wanna come? Oh, and I said Tyler could crash here for a few more nights."

"Sounds good," Tay replied cheerfully, "If you'll excuse us a minute, Tyler, we need to go get ready," Tay stood and pulled me upstairs by the arm.

"Sounds good, I have to change, too. My clothes smell like the river, but I bet yours do, too, eh, darlin'?" Tyler replied, I could hear the smirk in his voice.

"River?" Tay hissed once she had dragged me into her room. "What were you doing in the river?"

"He threw me in," I replied.

"Sure," she said, drawing it out.

"I swear, Tay, he did. I was so pissed."

"Did he kiss you?"

"What? No! Why would you think that?" I demanded. She gave me a look. "We're just friends," I said.

"Mhm," Tay said, rifling through her closet to find something to wear.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Nothing, hon," she said, not looking at me.

"Tay," I said darkly, wanting an answer to my question.

"You're letting him stay longer and you've been gone all day, Andi. Can't you see what I see?"

"That I'm spending time with a friend who is visiting?"

"Andi, he wouldn't be here if he didn't like you, and you wouldn't have let him stay if you didn't like him."

"Isn't that how friendship works?" I asked.

Tay gave me a dark look as she slipped a black tank top over her head, "You know just as well as I do that friendship is not what he looks for," she paused, "but, I think y'all would be cute together," she cast me an angelic smile.

I rolled my eyes,"Yeah, right."

"Well, I guess we're gonna find out, now aren't we?" Tay said as I slipped out of the door, pulling my black t-shirt over my head. I walked downstairs mulling over what Tay had said. I thought Tyler and I were just going to be friends.

I was ignoring the thoughts of how attractive he was and how Tay was probably right that we'd look cute together when I walked into the living room to find him shirtless. I stopped dead in my tracks. Tyler was digging through his bag furiously and hadn't noticed my arrival. I couldn't help myself, I stared. His heavily tattooed arms worked quickly and the muscles in his back flexed as he tore the bag apart trying to find whatever he was looking for. Before I knew it, my mind had switched gears from 'just friends' to 'damn, I'd like a drink of that cool glass of water'. I cursed myself for thinking that, and apparently I did it out loud because Tyler turned to find me staring and my face turned beet-red.  Tyler cocked an eyebrow at me and grinned, but didn't say a word; he knew I'd been staring and I bet he could take a gander at what I had been thinking.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Shut up, Seguin."

His grin widened, "But, darlin', I haven't said a word."

"That was seven words. Stop talking and find a shirt."

"Maybe I shouldn't, you seem a bit flustered, and I think you appreciate this look," he stretched his arms above his head and eyed me, looking for my reaction.

He got it.

My face turned a deeper shade of red and I stuttered, trying to find some sort of response. 'Breathe, Andi,' I thought. Then, "Too bad where we're going you'll need a shirt for service."

"No shoes, no shirt, no service, eh?" He asked and I nodded. "Well, they didn't seem to mention anything about pants."

"You will need those, too."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes, really. You need to be wearing pants if you want to stay in my house," I growled, irritated with this jest and the way he was making me feel all jittery, like a schoolgirl in love.

"Our house," Tay corrected as she walked into the room. "Get a black shirt, Tyler. You'll be less visible at laser tag that way."

"I think I should wear all white and then stand by Andi so everyone shoots her," he smirked.

"I think I should be on a different team than you," I muttered.

"But, darlin'-" Tyler complained.

"Nope," I cut him off, "I'm going to wipe the floor with you, Seguin."

"Oh, you're on," Tyler grinned like a shark and followed me and Tay to the truck. "I'm going to have you begging for mercy," Tyler taunted as I drove.

My eyes widened at the double meaning in his words, but I kept my attention on the road, "I think you've got it confused, Seguin; it will be the other way around."

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with," he replied.

"Some overgrown teenager who plays hockey and thinks too highly of himself," I shot back, "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I didn't know what I was getting myself into," Tay muttered from where she sat between us.

Our trash talking continued through dinner and the ride to the laser tag arena. "I'm going to light you up like Christmas."

"What does that even mean, Seguin? I hope you chirp better on the ice."

"I hope you can shoot better than you can insult me because otherwise this will be way too easy; it'll be like skating around a pylon."

"This ain't my first rodeo," I said, referring to the game we were about to play.

Tyler, of course, didn't take it that way, "I should've known. Are you any good?"

"Very good."

"How good?"

"I knock 'em dead every time," I said, remembering the game when I managed to shoot everyone on the other team without getting shot.

"I'd like to see you try it on me," Tyler said, his voice sinking an octave lower; he wasn't talking about laser tag. Chills ran down my spine and a blush rose to my cheeks. My hands gripped the steering wheel tighter and I didn't reply. The tension in the car was tangible and the silence sat heavily on us like the oppressive Austin heat.

Tay let out a low whistle, "You, Tyler Seguin, need to go to church and say confession, and you, Andrea Darwin, need to remind me never to come along with y'all again."

Author's Note

Hey, hey, hockey fans! I'm sorry it took me so long to update; everything 'round here has been busy with back to school and all the "fun" stuff that goes with it. Hopefully, I'll have a new chapter up soon for y'all. Please vote and comment to let me know what you thought! Thanks a million. xox