21. Secret Dates

^in addition to the quote of the chapter, I attached "Falling For You" by Jaden Smith ft Justin Bieber because it captures the vibe of the last part of the chapter and is just an overall bop. You're welcome in advance^

"Seriously, Mr. Byrne, you need to teach me how to make this someday," I said before I took another bite of the breakfast omelet Ian's dad had made for me. "This is literally heaven on a plate."

"Come on, Addison, don't flatter him too much," Ian said with a groan, causing his dad to shove him.

"No, Addison, keep flattering me. I don't think my ego is at capacity."

I chuckled as Ian shoved his father back. Mr. Byrne was fairly young– only 38, a few years younger than my own parents–and he and Ian were extremely close. They had to be since Ian's mom died from complications related to the birth of his sister when Ian was about two. Unfortunately, like his mother, his sister had died during delivery. But despite the tragedy and having to raise Ian on his own, Mr. Byrne was doing exceptionally well. His wife's death had prompted him to become a lawyer–since Ian was born while Mr. Byrne was still in school– due to the family's lawyer losing the case against the hospital for malpractice that led to Ian's mom's death. He didn't want any other family to deal with the pain he had.

"Alright, let's go, Addi. We need to head out if we're going to make it to school on time." Ian threw his backpack over his shoulder before he took one final monstrous bite of the omelet, shallowing it down with ease.

"Thank you for letting me spend the weekend and making breakfast, Mr. Byrne. I really do appreciate it," I said as I copied Ian's actions, but instead of swallowing my food down like Ian had, I simply put it in a paper bowl and covered it with clear wrap so I could eat it on the way to school.

Mr. Byrne scoffed. "Addison, there's no need to thank me! You're family around here, so you're more than welcome to stay any time you'd like."

His words brought a slight grin to my face. In everything that had been happening lately, it felt good to know that outside of my family, Ian and his dad were a constant.

Mr. Byrne approached Ian and ruffled his hair, causing Ian to whine in annoyance. "Alright, squirt. I'll see you when I get home. I might be home a bit later than usual so I can prep for this case, but I'll let you know. Love you."

Ian narrowed his eyes at his dad as he smoothed out his hair. "Yeah, yeah, love you too, or whatever, old man."

Mr. Byrne chuckled before he waved us off, his smile matching that of his son's.

I followed Ian down to the subway station and onto our train, savoring every bite of my omelet as Ian gave me encouraging words every so often. Ever since I'd revealed my situation to him last night, he'd been extra supportive, and though I usually didn't like sympathy from others, it helped make me feel...grounded.

As we walked into the school, a feeling of anxiety–which I was becoming good acquaintances with–filled me. At the party, Kyra got a glimpse at the power a mere gaze held over me and, if she was the same revenge hungry girl she'd been in the gym, she was fiending off of my helplessness. What was stopping her and her friends from outing me to the school now that she knows how terrified she makes me?

The whole thing made my head spin and my lungs burn as if I'd inhaled water.

Reading my expression, Ian slung his arm across my shoulders and held me in a side hug. I couldn't help but remember the first time Tyler had done that and I freaked out because I was afraid it was "too gay". Tyler and I were good together. No, no, no, I couldn't start thinking about us in past tense. Tyler and I are good together.

"Relax, Addi. Everything is going to be alright. I won't let Kyra or whoever terrorize you and your mystery man."

I offered him a weak smile of thanks. "I know you won't, Ian. But please don't refer to him as my 'mystery man', that's just weird."

"Okay? How about your rabbit's foot? Ooh! Your leprechaun? What are other things people keep private? I mean their porn collection, but I don't think you want me to refer to him as–"

"I get it, you can stop now," I said, cutting him off as my cheeks burned red. "Please never say any of those words ever again."

"Okay, okay, I've got you. Sorry, I kinda don't have a filter between my brain and my mouth."

"Yeah, Ian, I've noticed."

We turned a corner and we were suddenly in the familiar hang spot my team usually met in before school. It'd been a while since I'd actually been with them since I would usually spend my mornings with Tyler in the studio.

Once the guys saw I was there, I was bombarded with greetings and daps.

"It's nice for you to finally join us," one of the boys, a linebacker Yusef, said as I sat down. "I was worried we'd have to send a search party for you in the mornings."

"Yeah what gives man?" Another guy, Zayne, chimed in. "Did you just forget about us?"

"Or were you too busy snoggin' Kyra in a closer somewhere to meet up with us?" Harry, a wide receiver, chimed in. His British accent was heavy though not as heavy as it was back in freshman year.

The boys laughed and I found myself looking down. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Ian sympathetically looking down at me. I was back to hating sympathy.

"Guys, it doesn't matter. Why don't we all mind our business and–" Ian started, but I, with the stubbornness and unnecessary brass balls I had cut him off.

"Ky and I broke up, so no there was no snogging, Harry. As for where I've been, over the last few days, my dads have been dropping me off so I've only had time to go straight to class. A search party might've been nice though, Yusef. You could've saved me from their unbearably cringy attempts at trying to be hip. Just saying it out loud makes me cringe."

The boys chuckled. "Well, we're sorry to hear about Ky. As always, we're here for you," Harry acknowledged.

"But you guys were totally end game. I guess that only happens in the movies, am I– Ow, Ian, what the hell?" Yusef rubbed his arm where Ian had punched him.

"Dude, not the time," was all Ian said, causing Yusef to roll his eyes and mumble a "I was just kidding" under his breath.

Did I mention that Ian was super overprotective of me when I was "emotionally vulnerable"?

Much like a wild animal, he'd pounce on anyone he thought was anywhere close to offending me. In some instances, he'd go too far–which would bother me because, again, I like handling myself without the pathetic sympathetic looks from people–but at other times, it was kind of funny.

I chuckled. "It's fine, I just don't want to talk about it. Also, don't be douches to her, okay? The break up affected both of us, I don't need you guys freezing her out the way you did poor Layla after she and Boxy broke up." I'd already had Azzy avoiding her blow up in my face and I still didn't know how far Kyra would go in her revenge hungry phase.

"Hey! In my defense, she deserved it. She was literally insane," Logan Banks, who we called Boxy after he'd ridden a cardboard box down a hill and broke his leg, defended.

I shrugged. "That might be one-hundred percent true, but that doesn't mean that she needed the whole football team gangin' up on her."

"We didn't gang up on her! We just stopped talking to her and hangin' round her. Is that a crime?" Harry asked, a genuine look of confusion on his face.

"No, it's just– look, just don't be super weird around her, 'kay? That's all I ask. Please."

"Ooh, it must be serious of the big-bad Addison is saying please," Boxy said, causing me to roll my eyes as the other guys chuckled.

"Whatever. Just do it or you're going to see exactly how big and bad I can be," I threatened, a bit playful. A series of "ooh"s filled the air before everyone dissolved into their own conversations. After a few minutes, I noticed that Tyler hadn't shown up nor had he texted me indicating that he was waiting for me in the studio. Despite the millions of other plausible reasons behind him not showing up, I felt my heart jump in my throat as my mind pinpointed on one possible reason–Kyra.

Had she said something to him? Had she done something to him?

Despite how irrational I knew my train of thought was, I couldn't stop it as it drove full speed through every layer of defense I had until it plummeted into my heart, the crash releasing a wave of panic through me.

No, no, no, I was doing so well.

I tightly balled my fists and focused on the pain in my palm as my nails threatened to break the delicate skin.

I desperately tried to focus on something–anything else. Football. No, he was there. Writing. Yes. Think about the new story I was supposed to start today for class. Okay. Main character, a girl–no a boy. Okay. His name is Tyler–no stop. His name is... His name is...

I was pulled from my thoughts by the piercing scream of the five-minute bell, and almost like a group of machines, everyone rose to their feet at the same time. But I couldn't. Even with the distractions that the oncoming day promised, my knees felt weak from the surge of panicked thoughts that had momentarily torn me apart from the inside.

Ian noticed my silent panic and hung back with me while the rest of the boys cleared out, saying bye to me as they passed but not noticing my subtle change the way Ian had. "Hey man, you good?" He asked once everyone was gone and I nodded.

"Yeah, I was just feeling weak for a second, that's all."

He nodded as he patted me on the shoulder, though he made no move to leave and get to his first hour which was on the opposite side of the building on the basement level.

"Go on, Ian. I'm fine."

"You sure?" Ian skeptically asked as he raised a brow.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Now go, it won't do either of us any good if we're both late to class and you guys are performing your monologues today right?"

At the mention of the monologues he'd spent all weekend stressing over, Ian's eyes grew wider than saucers. "Crap, you're right man." He hurriedly dug through his backpack before he fished out what he was looking for–his monologue book. "Do you need anything before I go? I can stay it's really no big–"

"I'm fine, Ian. Promise. Go before you're late. Good luck, I know you'll do amazing."

He gave me a grin before he hugged me, something he did rarely outside of when either of us was emotional. "Thanks, man. Text me if you need anything. I know I keep saying that, but I'm serious. You can afford to put away your big dick every once in a while."

I chuckled. "Alright, Ian, I get it. Now go before I kick you."

And in an instant, he was gone. With how he naturally acted, it was no wonder he was a theater kid with his sights set on NYU, the same school I had my sights on.

As soon as his footsteps had completely disappeared, I let out the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. I was significantly calmer, but I still had remains of the panicked feeling sprinkled throughout me like a bread trail, causing me to feel icky inside.

I pushed myself to my feet before I slowly made my way to my creative writing class, making sure not to move too fast to avoid making my head spin.

I was almost to my first period with a minute to spare when I stopped a bit short of my classroom and pulled out my phone.

Me [7:29]: hey, i saw that ur not here. I hope everything is good. Have a good day, miss u

I hadn't even put my phone back into my pocket before it buzzed

Tyler :) [7:30]: yeah, i think u actually did get me sick :p but im doing okay. Miss u too now get to class >:(

I didn't know what to focus on more: the science of how my fake sickness might've actually gotten him sick, or the way the words "miss u too" made my heart skip a beat and lift me up onto cloud 9. I was pulled from my thoughts as the bell for the beginning of class rang and I rushed into my room to start my day.

As soon as I sat down in my seat, my body ached for his and my brain craved his attention. I missed him like crazy. I couldn't focus on what Ms. Jean was saying, all I could focus on was the want to hear Tyler's voice and see his face. Something felt out of line without him. But, with or without Tyler, I had to start my day. I just hoped that writing would distract me from the all-consuming desire that I had for him.

***

"Madison, how did I cheat?"

"I don't know, but you did! It's not possible that you've won four rounds in a row, Noah!"

"Five now," Adryan chimed in, causing Padre to grin at Papa.

"Yeah, Madison, five."

Papa narrowed his eyes before he dramatically slammed his Uno cards down on the table, frustrated by his losing streak. "You cheated somehow. You either snuck in multiple cards or you had Adryan hide some cards or...I don't know but you did cheat."

"Yeah!" Emerson agreed though she'd done nothing to aid our father. It was Papa and Emerson vs Padre and Adryan with Azalea and me as spectators. Needless to say that Emerson lost interest within the first few rounds (even when they had won) and had retired to coloring in her coloring book, and when dad would try to consult her on a move, she'd randomly pick a card without looking up.

She was unbothered until it came to actually winning or losing. Just like her big brother.

I laughed at my father's immaturity. Even in his forties, he was still a sore loser.

"Well, if it helps any, Papa, you're still a winner in my book," Azalea said as she wrapped her arms around Papa, just like I expected her to. She was such a Papa's girl, it was almost sickening.

"Thank you, Azalea," Papa said before he stuck his tongue out at the rest of us.

"No need to be a sore loser, Papa. You started out good," I said, referring to his own three-game winning streak at the beginning.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter now because I didn't win," he whined with a faux pout. "I don't like this game anymore."

I rolled my eyes as my family got into the same juvenile argument they got into every family game night– someone would win, someone would lose and a childish insult match would follow. But no matter how many times it would happen, I was always thoroughly entertained.

I was pulled out of my family's faux argument when my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Tyler calling me. I effortlessly slipped away while everyone else was enthralled in an intense verbal battle and picked up the phone. "Hey, ba–"

"Addi, I need you to come over right now," Tyler said, his breathing heavy and his tone urgent.

My eyebrows instantly knitted together. "Ty, what's wrong?"

"I can't tell you, Addi, but please, come over now." His tone reminded me of the story my dads had told me about when Papa had been beaten by his father after officially coming out. My mind was flooded with the worst possibilities.

"Okay, okay, I'm on my way."

"Okay, please hurry."

I wasted no time running upstairs to grab my shoes and a jacket. I was moving so quickly that I nearly ran into Azalea going back down the stairs. "Woah there, Speedy Gonzelez, where are you going?"

"My, uh, my friend needs me. I think it's important."

"What's important?" Papa asked as he appeared from the hallway, his eyebrows furrowed.

"My friend needs me."

As soon as those words slid past my lips, a grin grew on Papa's face. "Alright, be safe."

"I will," I said before I hurried out, trying to hide my raging blush at the double meaning that was implied.

My heart was in my toes the ride to Tyler's house, which seemed like a year passed for every minute I was on the train. But before long, I was approaching his apartment, practically running.

If Kyra had done or said something to him to swore...

Me [7:03]: I'm on my way up. R u ok?

Tyler :) [7:03]: i'm on the roof

Those four words lit a fire under me and I wasted no time getting to the roof, taking the steps two at a time until I was in front of the hatch that led to the roof. "Tyler?" I called as I turned the knob on the door. It didn't budge. "Tyler are you okay? Tyler, answer me!" I begged as I continued pulling on the door, but it was as if it was super glued shut. "Ty, please–"

I was interrupted by the hatch opening and Tyler looked at me with an amused raised brow. "Dude, you were pulling a push door."

I looked at the hinges and sure enough, he was right. A wave of embarrassment washed over me, leaving my cheeks warm.

"Oh, sorry. But are you okay? You had me worried on the phone and–"

"Come up here and you'll see." He stepped out of the way and I climbed onto the roof. My breath caught in my throat.

There was a huge array of pillows and blankets thrown into a big, comfy-looking pile in the middle of the roof along with a picnic blanket filled with snacks and a projector showing a silenced TV show on the raised edge of the roof. Above us loomed a starry night sky and below us bustled the busy city, but it felt like we were light-years away from either, instead, we were in our own pocket of time.

"Ty, what is this?"

"It's a surprise date," he simply said as he took my hand and started leading me toward the pile of blankets. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, I just wanted to get you over here without tipping you off. We haven't been on one and you haven't been feeling well lately, so I wanted to cheer you up." The soft look in his big brown eyes that captured the night sky as he looked at me made me melt and the gentle way he spoke made butterflies erupt in my stomach.

"Tyler this..." I trailed as I looked between the setup and him.

"Please tell me you love it because I'm gonna be really embarrassed if you don't," he joked though there was a bit of nervousness that clung to his words. He was so cute.

"Of course I love it," I assured him with a grin.

I love you.

The thought flew into my head before I could stop it. It honestly scared me. Did I...love him? I couldn't, at least not yet...right? We weren't even dating yet so how could I feel such a strong emotion toward him already? I mean, I loved aspects of him but did I fully...?

Emotions were so confusing and scary.

He leaned in and kissed me, as he gently used his pointer finger to to direct my head up to meet his lips.

Somehow or another, I ended up laying on the pile of blankets–that were way softer than they looked but nowhere near as soft as Tyler's lips–with my legs wrapped around Tyler's waist, the kiss becoming impossibly deeper. "Addison, can I ask you a question?" He asked after he'd pulled away, though there was barely an inch between our faces. Even in the dark with only the dim light of stars millions of miles away and a projector illuminating his face and wearing an old sweatshirt, he was still the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. And the way he was looking down at me as his body caged my own in as if protecting me from everything the world could throw my way made me want to never let go of him.

At that moment, I realized that I would do anything to have him look at me the way he was. To hear him laugh. To make him smile. To hear him say my name. To be his. His protector, the cause of his joy, the consoler of his grief. To just be his. There was nothing more that I wanted.

I love you I thought again as I looked up at him, not a shadow of doubt in my mind.

The revelation caused me to smile. "I don't know, Tyler. Can you?" I asked before I ran my tongue across his lips and pulled him into another kiss. He groaned as he trailed his hands across my body before intertwining his fingers with my own. The way our bodies fit together felt like something straight out of a movie like I was truly feeling for the first time in a long time. It was euphoric, and I was drunk off of the feeling.

"Babe, I'm serious." He chuckled as he fully pulled away and started running his thumbs over my knuckles. "Addison, I really like you. I think about you all the time and I honestly miss you a lot when you're not by my side. I know no one would know about it but us since we're not out but, uh... Addison Michael Bruno-Williams, vuoi essere il mio ragazzo (do you want to be my boyfriend)?" Hesitance laced his words as the Italian sloppily tumbled past his lips. His pronunciation was completely wrong and his accent was non-existent, but all I could focus on was the effort he'd put in it.

For me.

I gripped his face between my hands and pulled him down for another kiss. He tensed for a moment out of surprise but quickly melted into it. I pressed my forehead to his. "Si. I will be your boyfriend."

Then the smile that I'd fallen for spread across his face. If I were standing, I would've fallen on my knees for him, no joke. "Really?" He breathed out.

"Of course, Tyler. I could never say no to you." As those words slid past my lips, I realized that I'd admitted exactly how whipped I was for him, but I didn't care.

I had a boyfriend.

Me and Tyler were officially together.

He placed one last lingering kiss on my lips. "Good because it would've been real awkward if you would've said no."

I laughed before Tyler pulled the blankets over us. "I got all of your favorites and I'm even putting you on some of mine. You're welcome in advance," he said as he reached over me and grabbed a bag of Taki's, something I'd never had before. He opened it and offered one to me. I took it and popped it into my mouth.

It was...intense to say the least.

"So..?" He pressed.

"I don't know. I'm going to have to eat more before I can form an official opinion."

Tyler grinned. "That's what they always say and before you know it, you're addicted."

"Whatever," I said, though I couldn't keep a smile off of my face. That was just the effect Tyler had on me.

"Now, on to the main event. I've never watched this show before, but I remember you said you like it because your dads like it," Tyler said as he grabbed the remote to the projector.

I gasped. "You don't mean–"

"Oh, but I do." And just to prove it, he clicked a button and the first episode of the show my dads fell in love to popped up, ready to start. "The Vampire Diaries."

"I didn't think you would remember," I admitted.

"Of course I remember, Addison. Anything you like, I want to try to like, including what looks like a trash TV show."

I raised a brow at him. "Trash, huh? We'll see how you feel after the first few episodes then you'll be eating your words."

"Yeah, we'll see about that, Addison."

Like the needy boy I am, I climbed onto Tyler so that I was fully laying on him and rested my head on his chest. His body heat paired with the comfort of the pillows and blankets made me never want to get up ever again. "Out of all the pillows I slaved away to get up here, you're just going to lay on me, huh?"

"As my boyfriend, it's your job to be my pillow. It was right there in the job description, Tyler." Officially calling him my boyfriend caused bouts of pride to fill my chest like water in a balloon.

"I guess so," he said with faux reluctance as he wrapped his free arm around me then pressed a kiss to my forehead.

As we laid on the roof in each other's arms eating junk food and getting absorbed by the supernatural world of Mystic Falls, for the first time in a long time, I was truly able to forget about the hectic world around me. I forgot about school, my crazy family and their childish arguments, and even the girl who had the power to break up the single best thing that's happened to me.

I forgot it all and instead focused on being there in the moment, wrapped in the arms of the boy that I secretly loved.

***

So yeah, I wanted to make a bit of a cutesy chapter, so I hope you guys enjoyed. Are you surprised that Tyler asked Addi out? What do you think about Addi loving Ty? What do you think Kyra is up to? Let me know in the comments, and don't forget to vote! As always, the next chapter is available on Inkitt and that's when the stakes are really raised for poor Addison and Tyler. Here's a hint: their secret may or may not get spilled. To figure out what exactly happened, click the Inkitt link in my bio to read the next chapter 100% for free one week before it's out on Wattpad, or you can wait until next week when I upload it here.

Stay safe!

Love y'all- Jordan