emotional

one.

-tyler, february 3

"thank you," i smile at my sister-in-law maggie, sipping my champagne she just poured.

"you shouldn't drink so much, you're so young," my brother jon scolds me.

"you act like he doesn't drink all the time at parties and at home," jon's friend adam says from the couch. adam is always around with his girlfriend. it's an always hustling apartment.

a knock at the door interrupts our dinner. "hello? jonathan?" it's a male's voice,"i have an interview tomorrow morning? i know it's very early, but, i just got nervous and wanted to ask some questions. they told me if it was so important to come here."

"who's there," maggie inquired.

"a new kid. they want him to be my shadow for a bit if i think he's suitable. apparently he's super intelligent. he doesn't have anything posted online or even social media that i can find. it's odd. may i invite him in?"

jon's a lawyer, a good one, but young. even though he makes good money, living in new york is expensive. especially when you have no parents so you have to house your younger brother which also makes you feel obligated to pay for your younger brother's tuition-

"of course, i'll let him in," maggie put her napkin down and got up to unlock the door.

the man stepped in and took a quick glance around the room before proceeding in. maggie took his long, beige trench coat off and put in on the rack. he smiled and thanked her. he met eyes with jonathan and raised his folder of papers,"could i ask you some questions and maybe leave these here so you can get a head start? something came up for tomorrow and i might need us to cut the interview a little short- i mean it's okay if we can't i don't want to bother you wecanalwaysreschedule-," jon cut him off.

"please follow me to my room. don't want to discuss this here." he's so professional.

can't lie, this kid has captivated me. his hair is a silver-y blonde and his eyes the color of rich honey. i and maggie kept eating. jon and no name were back in only 10 minutes. "thank you, see you tomorrow-"

"hon, do you want to stay for a bit? i was expecting a few more people to come, but they couldn't make it. would you like to stay and eat?"

my friend bailey was supposed to come over with her dad and sister, but her sister has a cold and i guess she felt bad coming without her.

the man looked panicked and made eye contact with jon. jon nodded his head yes as he sat back down at the dinner table.

he rushed over to the table as maggie fixed him a plate. he ate as if this was his first meal in a long time. "hungry?" i asked with a slight laugh at the end.

"yeah, well, sort of," he said while shoveling a whole lot of potato into his mouth.

"actually, we didn't get your name, what is it?" maggie put another helping of broccoli on his plate.

"my name is lucas, what are your names?"

i leaned on my arm and stared at him. he's pretty tall, much taller than me, though that's not saying much. he looks like he's stressed, the bags under his eyes are dark and puffy.

"im margaret," maggie puts her hand on my shoulder,"introduce yourself."

"oh, me, im tyler," i smile and go to shake his hand but he's much more interested in eating. i grab my extended hand with my free hand and bring them both into my body.

"you look young," he says between chewing,"how old are you?"

"im 18 as of last month," i said, picking at my food, feeling awkward.

"oh, happy birthday!"

my face is flushed, god damnit.

i look up and his eyes are closed shut. he brings his hands to his temples and starts rubbing them forcefully. "where's the bathroom?" lucas asks while standing up and knocking into the counter behind him. i get up, grab his arm, and lead him to the bathroom. "thank you."

after a good, long while, he comes back out looked even more drained than before. "are you okay," jon asks giving him a glass of water.

"yeah, they're migraines, yeah. i get them frequently," lucas takes the glass and guzzles it down," i should head out now. thank you so much. i'll be here tomorrow at 8!"

lucas hurriedly put his glass on the counter, grabs his jacket, and runs out the door.

"that was odd, he seemed comfortable, i don't know why he's panicked," maggie started collecting our dishes. she's like my second mom.

"you never know. maybe he felt sick or maybe he has someone at home waiting for him," jon puts his dish in the sink and kissed maggie's cheek.

"im gonna get ready for bed, im pretty tired," i got up and went to my room to change into pajamas aka my briefs and whatever sweatshirt i pull out of my closet.

i brush my teeth, do my korean skin care routine that im not sure really comes from korea, and head to bed.

well, not really to bed. im texting with bailey and watching netflix, but why not.

bailey bear 🐻:
ur saying he got sick?

you: yeah, then he ran out!

bailey bear 🐻:
no reasoning?

you: y e s

bailey bear 🐻:
idk man ur like in some love at first sight mode and im not sure this guy felt the same way

you:
fuck you

bailey bear 🐻:
whatever, you know im right.

you:
let me dream

bailey bear 🐻:
do you even know how old he is?

you:
no

bailey bear 🐻:
his last name?

you:
no

bailey bear 🐻:
then how r u planning your wedding if you don't know his last name even?

you:
fuck. you.

bailey bear 🐻:
you need help. come to church with me this weekend. mom apparently isn't coming back until april now so, im stuck going with stacy for a long while.

you:
that sucks lol

bailey bear 🐻:
tell me about it lmao

you:
okay, im gonna go to sleep.

bailey bear 🐻:
sweet dreams kskakajjs

you:
choke on ur boyfriend

bailey bear 🐻:
u wish u could

feedback? 😘✌️ love u