Lost In You

T W E N T Y - S E V E N

I lay in bed that night, processing everything Tyler had confessed to me only hours earlier. I couldn't believe that he'd lost his sister like that. A shudder ran through my body just at the thought of it. If I lost Gabby... I couldn't even think about it. After Tyler had told me everything, we'd watched TV for a few more hours before finally deciding to go to bed sometime after midnight. I could picture a younger Tyler, everything he must have gone through. The guilt he would've felt. My heart cracked open when I thought about it and I couldn't stop the tears that sprung to my eyes. I flung back the covers and padded across the wooden floor into the hallway, and crept into Tyler's room. I could see his body under the blankets, and from the heavy breathing that filled the room, I knew he was asleep. When I was finally beside his bed, I looked down at him and could just see the outline of his face from the streetlight outside, he never slept with his curtains closed. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, his lips were slightly parted and made a small whistle sound every time he exhaled. His eyelids shuddered every few seconds. My stomach fluttered at the sight of him. I pulled back his covers and climbed in next to him, nestling myself against his warm body to fight the chill. He groaned in his sleep and his arm subconsciously snaked around my waist. My heart swelled and I traced small patterns on his chest while the sound of his steady heart filled my ears. The sound was so familiar to me, the way you would recognise a bed time lullaby or your mothers voice.

It felt like home.

"I love you," I murmured, surprising myself. Not only because I'd said it, but because I really meant it.

This boy meant everything to me. He mumbled something in his sleep, and my heart jumped to my throat, because it sounded like he said, 'I love you too'.

❦

The sound of the doorbell woke me from my heavy slumber, and I woke to find myself entangled in Tyler. I looked over at him and could see he was still fast asleep, which wasn't surprising, so I slid out from under his arm and made my way downstairs.

The house was quiet except for the light thud of my foot on the wooden floor. The stairs creaked as I headed for the front door. I could see someone's silhouette through the glass panes of the door, but I didn't recognise the person immediately. The doorbell rang again just as I got to the door and swung it open, only to find Haylee standing on my front doorstep. She was wrapped in a trench coat and knee-high boots, and a knitted scarf was wrapped around her neck.

"Hi," She said flatly and moved to come inside, but I blocked her path and crossed my arms across my chest. Partly to try and look intimidating, and party to cover the fact that I wasn't wearing a bra.

"You're not coming inside," I stated once I'd finally found my voice, and I was surprised it didn't shake. Confronting was never my forte. She tilted her perfect face to the side and looked at me for a while before speaking.

"You're going to make me stand outside in the cold?" She almost whined, and I fought the urge to pull the scarf even tighter around her neck. This girl had let Tyler spiral as far as he did, she'd watched him.

"The other option is that you can leave," I offered up and went to shut the door, but she trapped it with her foot and took a step forward.

"I'm not leaving until I speak to Tyler, I know he lives here," She growled. I smiled sweetly before saying what I was going to say next.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the cold then," I sneered and slammed the door shut in her face, cutting off whatever she was about to say.

I leant back against the door and closed my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. I may have sounded firm, but inside I was a mess.