I arrive home from school at around 3:15pm. I walk into the kitchen, grabbing a bunch of grapes before heading to the lounge and plonking myself down on the sofa. Just as I’ve switched the television to my favourite station, I hear shuffling coming from mum and dad’s room. I quickly make my way to the room and see my father shovelling his clothes out of his draws and placing them in a big suitcase on the floor.
“…Dad?”
He quickly looks up, startled, before continuing, “Hi, Dani, how was your day?”
“Um, I’m not sure at the moment.”
He stops what he’s doing, takes off his glasses and looks up at me, “This isn’t what you think it is sweetie. I’m going on a business trip for work and will be back sooner than you think.”
I feel tears welling up in the back of my eyes. Does he think I’m stupid? I’m not a baby. I know what ‘leaving’ looks like. “Dad, you could just say the truth instead of making everything a lie. Why would you want to leave me anyway?” I feel a tear slide down my cheek as I can’t fight back the tears any longer.
He gets up and stands in front of me, “Me and your mother are just not… happy at the moment and need a break from each other. I am actually going on a business trip but only because I offered so that I could have some time away from this house so that me and your mother could clear our heads for a while. You have nothing to worry about, I love you Dani.”
Another tear escapes my eye before my father wraps his strong arms around me.
…
After my father leaves I go into my bedroom and wrap myself in my quilt cover and start to cry. My phone beeps saying I have a message from mum. She says that she won’t be home tonight so I’ll have to go out to dinner with my friends, or eat leftovers. I ring Melissa but it goes straight to voicemail so I decide to ring Tyler.
It rings twice before he picks up, “Hello?”
“Hey, Tyler, it’s Dani. Would you mind coming over because I really need a friend right now and Melissa won’t pick up,” I say through sobs.
“I’ll be there soon. You still got the same address right?” he replies with a voice full of concern.
“Yes. Thank you, Tyler.”
After about ten minutes I hear a knock at the door. As soon as I open it I am engulfed in a massive, warm hug. I clench the back of his jumper and sob into shirt.
…
After I finish crying, we sit down on the couch and I tell Tyler everything and he listens the whole time without interruption, “I’m so sorry you have to go through this Dani. I’m sorry I can’t be much help since my parents have never really fought in front of me.”
“Thanks Tyler. I’m glad I could just have someone listen to me,” I say, giving him a smile.
“Glad I could help. So, do you need anything? I’ll get it for you.”
“Since you listened I’ll make you dinner because my mum isn’t coming home.”
Tyler gives a look as if to say ‘Are you silly?’ and stands up and makes his way to the kitchen, “Why would I let you cook after all you’ve been through? You need to relax for a while and clear your mind. Go have a shower and warm up and I’ll make you dinner.”
He’s cooking me food? That just made me fall in love with him even more. I still haven’t told him how I feel after he confessed to me. “Thank you so much Tyler. I appreciate that,” I say as I make my way to my bedroom.
When I get out of the shower I change into black track pants, a grey tank top and white, fluffy slippers. I towel dry my hair and give it a quick brush through before heading down stairs. I walk down and follow the delicious scent of bolognaise sauce. When I reach the kitchen I see the kitchen table set up with a candle in the centre and two plates of spaghetti bolognaise placed on either sides of the table. Tyler sees me and quickly pulls one of the chairs out for me as I sit down.
“Oh my gosh Tyler. All this for me?”
He shrugs before replying, “Only for the girl I like.”
I blush and look down at the pasta. Tyler sits down across from me and starts eating. I pick up my fork and twirl the spaghetti around it before taking a mouthful. Wow, I didn’t know he was such a good cook. “Tyler, this is amazing,” I say when I’ve finished chewing, “And I need to tell you something.”
Tyler drops his fork and looks up at me in anticipation.
“Tyler, I’ve liked you since Primary School as well.”
YOU ARE READING
Love Over Friendship
Fiksi RemajaDanielle Bradley and Tyler Peters have been friends for ages. While in Primary School, Danielle's feelings for Tyler changed from friendship into something more. When they went into High School their friendship drifted apart. Tyler became popular be...
