You Don't Have Me

Chapter 20

"Tyler, where the hell are we going?" You asked, as he pulled you through what you thought was a parking lot, you weren't sure where you were because Tyler had blindfolded you before you had left his house. He claimed that where he was taking you needed to be a surprise.

"You'll see." He whispered in your ear.

"But we've been walking for forever." You whined. "Plus I look stupid in this blindfold. Why did we even walk? We could have taken a car-"

"(Y/N), we're here." You stopped making an "oh" sound. "Thank god, because I don't know if I could take any more questions from you." He said under his breath, but you still heard.

Even though you were blindfolded Tyler could tell you were rolling your eyes at his comment, before elbowing him in the stomach.

"Look familiar?" He asked, eyebrows dancing. You gave him a confused look. "Its where we had our first date."

"No its not." You said, looking at the restaurant and then back at him, still confused.

"Okay, well is not the same place but it is the same spot." He shrugged, before pausing. "Things change in five years." He exhaled.

"It still feels crazy that it's been five years." You said, turning to him again. "I know." He nodded.

It was crazy, it felt like just yesterday you were getting on a plane to Toronto, to see Tyler, completely unsure of what the future of the two of you would be, and now here the two of you were- out to celebrate the five year anniversary of your first date. In that time, a blink of an eye really, you had gotten married and even had a little baby girl, your twin, as Tyler referred to her as. The two of you had named her Abby, and she would be one in the fall, right before Tyler's season started.

You paused for a moment, thinking about the night when you had first come to this now seafood restaurant, which on the night of your first date was a mini golf course that Tyler had taken you to.

"I don't even know what to say." He shrugged. You gave him a puzzled look.

"What?" You asked, putting the ball onto the green, lining up your shot.

"I know everything about you already, I don't have to ask any of the usual first date questions to find things out about you like I normally would." He said, moving closer to you, as you swung the club, almost hitting him. "Hey watch it." He reminded.

"Okay." You said, stepping aside, waiting for Tyler to take his put. "Well, than tell me something about yourself.

"But that's the problem, you know everything about me too." He said, while making his move.you smiled a little, seeing your ball was closer to the hole than his. He turned to, scowling, as he noticed your smile.

"Then tell me about something I don't know." You suggested as he groaned.

"But all the things I haven't told you, I haven't told you for a reason." He pouted.

"Okay, well then let me start." You said. "I had a dream last night that I was married to Justin Timberlake."

Tyler looked puzzled, offended, and constipated. "Why him?" You shrugged. But, it started things going, and during the rest of your date the two of you talk about that. Until about the tenth hole when you noticed you were an exceptionally better mini golfer than he was.

"Don't you have like a golf course in your backyard?" You asked.

"Yeah, and?" He said, giving you a bit off an attitude.

"Shouldn't you like be better at this?" He turned to you, his jaw on the floor, a look of shock and hurt on his face.

"Mini golf is way different!" He argued. Your eyes widened, as you humored his reasoning. "Fine." He said, putting his hand on his hip. "Let's make it interesting, loser has to kiss the winner."

"Wait, but doesn't that mean-" you stopped when you saw the shit-eating grin on his face, rolling your eyes at his adorable but childish expression. But, finally you stuck your hand out, shaking it, making the bet official.

At that point, you both started trying a little harder to beat the other one, even though at the end both you would be getting kissed. But at the end of hole eighteen, the scores were pretty much the way they had been when you made the bet, you beating Tyler by a way larger amount that he would ever share. Tonight would not be a date he would go bragging to his teammates about, at least not about the score.

But, as you sat on the bench outside of the ice cream stand that was attached to the mini golf course, you eating mint chocolate chip and Tyler with his vanilla, you wondered if he remembered the bet at all. You had won a solid thirty minutes ago and he hadn't made even the slightest of moves yet.

"Wait." Tyler said, taking a napkin in his hand, as he brushed it up against your mouth. "You have a little something..." His voice trailed off as his eyes squinted, focusing on cleaning up the ice cream at the corner of your mouth. But, as soon as he moved the napkin away, you put your mouth on his, kissing him as passionately as you had a few nights ago when it was raining.

"Hey, I was supposed to kiss you!" He protested.

"Well, you took too damn long." You said.

"Whatcha thinking about?" He asked pulling you from your thoughts, as he wrapped his arm around you.

"Just the first time we were here." You smiled, your eyes looking lovingly into his. Damn, you would marry him all over again if you could.

"I still think it was rigged." He said, crossing his arms.

"Excuse me?" You asked.

"The game." He annunciated. "There's no way you should have beat me."

"Oh my god, let's go eat before I actually beat you." You laughed, as he took your hand walking with you into the restaurant.

As you were seated by the hostess, you suddenly got a panicked feeling in your stomach, you reached down for your phone, that was safely put in your purse, but as you glanced you saw no notifications. You started to type a text to Tyler's sister, who was watching her, but was quickly interrupted.

"She's fine." Tyler reassured you, as the waiter poured wine in both of your glasses.

"I know she's fine, I felt this like rush of panic and I just-" You trailed off as he nodded, understanding where you were coming from. He was worrying to, even if he didn't show it. After that, you both took a second to look at the menus, deciding what you wanted as the waiter took your order.

"Thank you." Tyler said out of the blue.

"For what?" You asked.

"Just for being there." He said. "For me. For Abby. You're such a great mom and I just don't think I've told you lately how much I actually appreciate you, so thank you."

"Of course." You smiled. " I love you." You said before leaning over the table a giving him a quick kiss, after which he told you that he loved you too. It felt silly to you now that it had taken so much for you to say those words and that you had almost lost him because of your inability to, considering now you couldn't imagine not telling Tyler that you loved him everyday.

"You know, I never realized why people put so much value into saying 'I love you." Tyler thought out loud, swirling his glass of white wine. "Seriously, even in all my old relationships, it never seemed like a big deal, but that was until I heard you say it. When you did, I understood because the sound of you voice saying that you love me is the only sound I ever want to hear, like ever." His eyes flicked up to yours as he finished speaking. It was maybe the sweetest thing he had said to you You were trying to hold back your tears and he could tell.

"Don't cry." He laughed lightly.

"Well then don't be so fucking sweet." You choked out, pulling the cloth napkin up to the corner of your eye.

"Okay." He smiled, shrugging his shoulders. "By the way, your tits look great in that dress." And, we're back. You rolled your eyes, a smile laced on your face.

Sitting there, staring at him, you knew everything that you had gone through with Tyler had been worth it. He was your family, and you knew you would always have him, no matter what.