Best Kept Promise (Best Kept #2)

Chapter 9: Little Love Duck

Song: Let's Not Pretend by Best Kept Secret (My faves)

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"Will you be okay?" Tyler asks.

I lean against the door to my apartment and sigh. "Yeah, thank you. I should apologize to you again. I shouldn't have brought you guys. You didn't deserve to be treated that way."

"Benji and Evan had a blast actually. They loved them."

"It's hard not to," I say. "But the way my mom treated you wasn't okay and I'm sorry. I think I succeeded in pissing her off majorly. I don't understand it to be honest."

Tyler shrugs a shoulder. "I don't care what people think about me."

"I do and I think that's my problem," I mumble. "Except you. I don't care what you think about me. I think that's why I do like you."

He laughs and rubs the side of his jaw. "That's good to know then. So does that mean we're friends now?"

"Almost," I reply. "I did actually have fun with you guys today. Well, after the whole store thing. Thank you for being there and for checking on me. You're a good person, Tyler."

His smile spreads. "I think that's finally a compliment."

I laugh lightly and open the front door. "Don't push it."

"Wouldn't think about it," he jokes. "I'll see you at the show tomorrow."

I nod. "We'll finish Harry Potter soon."

"Oh yeah, I'm not letting you off the hook yet. See you later, Maggie."

"Bye."

Tyler stuffs his hands in his pockets and walks away. He disappears around the corner and I close myself inside the apartment. I hear Bea first off. She's in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. "Hey," I say softly. "Where have you been all day?"

She stops stirring and spins around to face me. "Oh, um I just ran some errands."

I climb on one of the bar stools and lean over the counter. "Alone?"

"Mason might have tagged along." She shrugs nonchalantly. "What about you? Where have you been? And why are you dressed up?"

I ignore the fact she changed the subject and say, "Evelyn's little lunch party. I totally forgot about it and my mom was pissed at me. I brought the guys to piss her off."

She raises her brows. "Did it work?"

"Kinda sorta," I reply. "Benji and Evan were a hit, but Tyler..."

"What happened?"

"My mom hates him," I tell her. "So that pissed her off. But I feel so bad for dragging him into my mess. It was selfish and I wish I didn't do it. It wasn't fair to him. And then there was Victoria. He had no problem telling her off and that was actually hilarious."

"He stuck up for you?" She asks, a hint of surprise in her voice.

I smile a little. "He did. Tyler told her he's my boyfriend and then said he was going to take me inside the house so we could make out. The look on her face was priceless."

Bea's mouth drops open. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, so now everyone at that party thinks that I'm dating Tyler and have been for almost a year."