Purpose Will Surface (Compete)

chapter three

my eyes fluttered open, instantly squinting at the bright light entering the room. i rolled over, slightly confused about where i was for a second before remembering. i looked next to me to see tyler was gone, and sat up to see him standing in the kitchen. he was turned away from me at the stove, and i could smell yummy smells as he must have been making some food. i smiled, looking at his shirtless torso as the soft fuzzy feeling filled me. what a wonderful way to wake up, quite a change for me. tyler turned around and smiled as he saw me sitting up in bed.

"finally! it's noon!" he exclaimed, and my eyes widened as i looked at the clock. it was, indeed, noon.

"wow, i must've really needed to sleep i guess," i said, chuckling and wiping my eyes. he smiled softly at me, silently acknowledging our eventful night and the exhaustion that came over me.

i got up and went into the bathroom, rinsing off my face and wishing i could brush my teeth. i came back out and into the kitchen, right as tyler was putting scrambled eggs and bacon onto plates for us. i smiled, the warm smell reminding me i was starving. we sat down at his little kitchen table and i tried not to eat the whole plate in one bite. it helped to be completely distracted by him still being shirtless. i just couldn't get over the fact that i had spent the night with a boy.

"so, what do you have planned for today?" tyler asked, taking a bite of his eggs. i shrugged, checking my phone for the date.

"nothing, actually. i don't do much honestly," i laughed dryly, slightly embarrassed at my dull life.

"do you work or go to school or anything?" tyler asked, and my head went a little fuzzy. he must've noticed the change and apologized, but i shook my head.

"i, um, no. i did, i finished high school and went to university for a year. my, um, my parents died after that. so i kind of stopped going," i said, my mouth going dry. i was looking at my plate, moving my eggs around to avoid eye contact with tyler. "they were hit by a drunk driver. i got some money in a settlement, kind of fucked up i know. i use that to pay for my place, along with what they had put aside for me. i've had some jobs the past few years since then, but it's kind of hard to stick around when you're this mentally unstable."

"i didn't mean to pry, mel, i'm sorry," tyler said softly, and i finally looked up to meet his eyes. he had a sad look on his face, and he reached his hand over to grab mine. i looked at our hands and smiled softly, meeting his eyes again.

"it's okay, it was 3 years ago. i mean, i'm not over it or anything, but hey i can say it without crying now," i laughed dryly again, and so did tyler, still holding my hand. i broke the grip, taking another bite of my eggs. it actually felt good to open up to him, which shook me to my core. i had tried going to counseling after the accident, something my school recommended for me. i found it impossible to open up to the counselors, and ended up losing my friends and my place at school. i completely isolated myself from everything. well, everyone but the darkness. with tyler it just felt different, i felt heard and understood with him, not like a lab rat being observed to determine when it's going to break. talking to him felt like talking to an old friend, someone i could trust.

"well, i was going to go to the music store today," tyler said, breaking the silence. "wanna come with me?"

i smiled at him, feeling excited. "of course," i said happily. "as long as you play something for me."

"yeah, yeah, we'll see," tyler said, rolling his eyes and smiling.

"how about you pick me up from my place in a little bit? i need to go home and shower and finally brush my teeth," i said, fake gagging when i mentioned brushing my teeth. tyler laughed and agreed, so i left my information in his phone and started to walk home.