— Jenna —
The sound of the bathroom door slamming shut jolted me awake, intensifying the throbbing headache from my persistent hangover. Tyler, who was typically quiet in the mornings, seemed unusually agitated. I groaned, realizing that more sleep was futile. I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand, my bleary eyes fixating on a single message on my lock screen.
Josh : I told him. I'm sorry
Told who? Sorry for what? I wondered, my mind foggy from the previous night's events. The memories of the night before rushed back, and a knot formed in my stomach. The shower abruptly cut off, signaling Tyler's return to the bedroom.
Minutes later, Tyler emerged, fully dressed, a departure from his usual routine of changing in the bedroom.
"Morning," I mumbled.
"Good morning, Jenna," Tyler replied flatly as he headed to our closet. He retrieved his black duffel bag, packing his clothes in it with an uncomfortable silence hanging in the air.
"I'm gonna jump in the shower," I said, trying to break the tension.
No response.
Once he finished packing, he slung the bag over his shoulder and headed toward the bedroom door.
"Tyler?"
He turned to face me, his expression speaking volumes.
"I'm sorry, okay? Why are you so mad at me?"
"Jenna, if you were sorry, you would've said something. But you didn't," Tyler spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. "You knew what was going to happen last night. Were you even gonna tell me, or Wren? Or did you just plan to keep it a secret, hoping it would never slip out?"
"It didn't mean anything-"
"At least Josh had the decency to call and tell me."
I remained silent.
"He called me at 5 o'clock this morning," Tyler continued, his voice breaking. "I could tell he was still a little drunk. He told me that he made a mistake and if he could take it back, he would. He told me I was the best friend he ever had and he didn't want to lose my trust. He didn't tell me the specifics but I could read between the lines." Tyler's eyes welled with emotion. "You just came back home and slept in our bed and acted like nothing happened."
"I didn't think-"
"I'll see you when I get back."
"Where are you going?" I trailed after him.
"To Wren's. She needs a friend right now, and obviously that isn't going to be you."
With that, Tyler walked out the front door, not sparing me a glance as it closed behind him.
