Blind
Tyson stared at Hilary, who in turn, was staring at Kai. Tyson narrowed his eyes as he watched her watch him. Did she have some kind of crush on him? Her face wasn't red and she didn't look exactly 'love-sick' either… Perhaps she was thinking a way of knocking some of that ego out of that arrogant son of a bitch? Tyson stabbed his food moodily. Why did Kai attract all the girls? He barely paid them any attention, he was probably the rudest person on the planet and his personality wasn't all that desirable? Plus Tyson had he sneaking suspicion that Kai wasn't into the female gender. Tyson stared at the mush on his tray. Why was he even friends with him? Tyson looked back over at Hilary, who was no longer staring at Kai, and was talking to Mariah instead. Tyson peaked over at Kai, who now was staring at Hilary, moodily, his eyebrows set in a frown. What exactly was going on?
/
Six months later, Tyson decided he regretted ever asking himself that question after he walked in on them in the bathroom of some girl's house at her party. He had stared at them for thirty seconds, in amidst of his drunken situation, trying to gather the scene as calmly as possible. "I thought you two hated each other?" He asked, clinging to the door for support, almost smacking his nose into it.
Kai glared at him.
Hilary on the other hand, threw a toothbrush at him, followed by the jar of soap. "Get out loser!" She had screamed at him as he closed the door as quickly as possible. Tyson turned around.
"Hey, is someone in there?" Rei asked.
Tyson grabbed his shoulder. "Do not go in there if you want shit thrown at you." He said, clutching Rei's shoulder tighter. He was most likely going to die at the hands of Hilary within the next twenty-four hours.
/
Instead of Hilary coming to kill him the next day, it was Kai.
"You are not to tell anyone else."
"It's a secret for a reason."
"Hilary and I are making an exception for you."
"If you tell even one person, I will make sure you're six feet under the ground."
Tyson stared at Kai, who looked like the epitome of doom and gloom standing there head to toe in black, outside his front door. "Do you have any idea what the time is?" Tyson asked as he scratched his pounding head.
"Are you understanding what I'm saying, Tyson?" Kai asked.
Tyson shrugged. "Fine, fine, I'll go along with it." He said. "I honestly was beginning to believe you were gay though, Kai."
/
Tyson spends New Years Eve at Hilary's house, trying to get her to stop crying. He silently wishes that she had called Mariah but he suspects the tears are over Kai and then remembers he's the only one who knows. Tyson doesn't want to tell her, but she sounds horrible as she cries. Loud, body-wrenching sobs. Her face bright red and tear-streaked as he sits next to her with his arm wrapped around her shoulder, trying to get her to calm down long enough to drink the glass of water he brought up with him when he arrived. "It's going to be okay." He said, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. "I promise."
Hilary sniffed, letting out a deep breath. "I don't understand why he's so…."
"Rude? Stupid? Moronic?"
Hilary let out another deep breath. It seemed like she was calming down a bit. He passed her a couple of tissues. "He is just so un-trusting and moody and…." She blew her nose, loudly. "I knew he was like this before but… It's much harder now."
Tyson passed the glass of water to her. "Drink this." He said. "Maybe it wasn't meant to be." He said, softly. He doesn't want to incur the wrath of Hilary, not now at least.
Hilary passed him the empty glass and grasped his free hand. "I'm a fool, aren't I?" She asked.
Tyson had no reply.
/
By the time Hilary's birthday rolls around in March, they still hadn't patched things up. Hilary was very polite to Kai in public, too polite some would say, Tyson would go so far as to describe it as 'icy'. Tyson had to give it to her, but she was very good at keeping up the act. And in the three times where the three of them had been alone, she hadn't even dropped it, not even under any of the pressure of Kai's death glares. Tyson had to give it too Hilary, she had a tough shell. Though every time they heard a new rumor of Kai and some new girl (almost every week, it seemed), Tyson swore he was beginning to see cracks starting to appear. Even Mariah had noticed and had asked Tyson if he knew anything. Despite wanting to tell her, he didn't and he felt even worse inside. Watching Hilary drown in her depression was becoming sickening to him. And he knew the person who he should take it out on.
"Yes?" Kai asked as he swung his apartment door open. "What do you want, Tyson?"
Tyson clenched both of his fists. "You know that you're a complete asshole, you know that?"
Kai lazily raised an eyebrow. "You came all that way just to tell me that?" He asked, looking rather bored.
Tyson clenched his fists tighter. He was here for Hilary. He was going to knock some sense into him, one way or another. "You know what I'm talking about." He said. "I'm talking about Hilary." For once, Tyson had gotten a reaction out of Kai.
"Shut up Tyson! You have no idea what you're talking about!" He hissed, stepping towards Tyson.
"Can't you see how sad she is? How depressed she is? She wants to be with you, she has feelings for you, and you went and tramped all over them like they were nothing!"
Kai grabbed the front of Tyson's jacket. "I'm serious Tyson. Shut up and leave it alone. She's better off without me and she knows it." He said, pushing Tyson backwards. Kai slams the door shut. Tyson stared at the closed door. God, he was arrogant. All Tyson wanted was Kai to apologize to Hilary. He scratched his head. Perhaps this was a lost cause. Tyson turned to leave, when the door opened again. Kai shoved a wrapped package into his hands before slamming the door shut again. Tyson stared down at it. Was this for Hilary? For her birthday?
/
Tyson went straight over to Hilary's. She spent five minutes staring at the neatly wrapped package. Tyson stared at it, remembering how fussy and much of neat freak Kai was, and how it was wrapped neatly, much better than he could ever wrap. "Are you going to open it?" Tyson asked.
Hilary looked up at him. "Should I?"
Tyson has no idea. He's kissed girls, he's liked girls but he's never been in this deep, the way Hilary and Kai are. Tyson had spent a lot of time recently trying to work out when they started their relationship, but he always came up empty. He had no idea why Hilary clinged onto him like he's the fountain of knowledge. "There could be no harm in it. I hardly believe it's a bomb." Tyson froze after he said the last word. Kai takes chemistry and psychics and is super smart beyond anyone else he knows. Tyson stared at the package. Nah, it couldn't be a bomb. He looked up at Hilary and shrugged his shoulders. Hilary slowly picked it up and unwrapped it slowly. It's a book and by the looks of it, an old book. Hilary stared at it. "A book?" He asked. Hilary passed it over to him. It was a book written in Russian. He opened the cover to see something written on the inside. 'ever mine ever thine ever ours' Is written in Kai's weirdly messy handwriting. Tyson suddenly felt like he was intruding on the most private moment. Tyson closed the book and handed it back to Hilary. "You should probably look inside." He said.
Hilary opened the book and stared at it for a while. Afterwards, she closed it and placed it on her bedside table. "Thank you Tyson." She said, calmly. "You're a good friend."
/
It takes years later for anything to go awry again. They finish high school, go to college and get real adult jobs. Hilary either, became the shell or just continued on putting on the brave face after her birthday. It scared Tyson. Did love often make people that crazy or was it just those two? Tyson swirled his drink around and looked over at Hilary who was replying to a work email on her phone.
Hilary looked up and smiled. "I swear, just two more seconds. I can't believe the nerve of some of my co-workers!" She said as typed away fast. "They are about as smart as a bag of rocks."
"You shouldn't diss the rocks like that, Hilary." He said, taking a sip.
Hilary snorted. "Please, that probably would've flown over their heads." She put her phone down and picked up her own drink. "Did you get the invite?"
Tyson chuckled. Rei was the first one to succumb to marriage. "Yeah, I did." He said. "I bet you're maid of honor?"
Hilary laughed. It sounded rather bitter. "I am." She stared down at her drink. "You know who else was invited?" The Taboo subject. She hadn't brought him up in years. Not since they had graduated college and had gotten together with their other friends and drank themselves into a stupor. She had told him things that night that he wanted to forget.
"I'm pretty sure I know who." He said. Perhaps he should change the subject….
Hilary downed the rest of her drink. "I know what you're thinking. It's been seven years Tyson. I can handle it."
/
When Rei and Mariah's wedding comes along, Tyson realizes that he's got the person who can't handle it wrong. Hilary is the epitome of niceness and politeness and everything that's good in the world to the point it makes him sick. It's not until he sees Kai, alone, dressed still head to toe in a black suit, sitting at the bar, ordering drink after drink, that he actually realizes. "Ah, beer please." He said to the bartender as he sits down next to Kai.
Kai looked over at him and snorted. "You haven't changed much." He said.
"Either have you." Tyson takes a sip of his beer.
"How can you stand to drink that?"
Tyson looked between the beer and the glass of what looks like expensive whiskey in front of Kai. "I'm not as rich as you."
Kai smirked. "Touché."
Tyson takes another sip. "I suppose you've seen her."
Kai nods. He drinks a rather large sip of his drink before indicating to the bartender for another. "She's…"
"Changed?" Tyson supplied.
"Filled out more."
Tyson stared at Kai. Who knew the jerk was such a pervert? But he had to agree. Hilary had… filled out the top of the dress she wore to the rehearsal dinner very nicely. "Touché." The bartender gave Kai his next drink.
"I fucked up." He said. "I know I did, all that time ago, but I'm not good enough for her."
Tyson stared at the bar. He would've thought hearing Kai admitting that he fucked up after all this time would've brought joy, instead it doesn't. It makes him sad. "I don't think she saw it that way." Tyson swallowed. Just say it. "She still loves you." If Hilary heard him say that, he'd probably be bashed to death, despite it being the truth. Kai coughed. Tyson scratched at the sticker on the beer bottle. "Do you?" There was a pause.
"I will every day until I die."
/
Tyson doesn't understand how weddings make people emotional. Mariah's mother spends the entire ceremony bawling her eyes out. Rei's does as well. It's rather annoying and he's grateful Hilary doesn't. Instead she spends the entire ceremony staring at Kai who stares right back at her. It reminds Tyson of that day in the cafeteria, except this time, they're twenty-five years old and this time they are both staring at each other at the same time. And rather blatantly, to the point where it's almost off putting. They make it through the reception, unscathed until everyone watches the bride and the groom do their first dance. Tyson notices that Hilary's disappeared and leaves the huge room to see where she's gone. He heard voices from around the corner.
"I didn't expect anything but greatness from you."
"It's hardly anything to brag about. I could be looking at a promotion within the next five years."
"Well, in any case, your life seems on track. You've done well for yourself."
"You have too. I always knew you would."
There was a sniff. "I don't understand how you can just pretend like nothing happened."
"I don't pretend like nothing happened."
"Come on Kai! Your facial expression barely tells anyone the difference from when you're angry to when you're happy!"
Tyson heard Kai sigh. She did have a fair point though. "Hilary… I didn't want to do this here."
Hilary scoffed. "Like you didn't want to do it seven years ago." Tyson heard Hilary sniff again. "Was I just another girl to you?"
"No. I have never felt this way about anyone. Ever."
Hilary's crying harder now and Tyson feels the urge to walk away. He's heard enough. All that needs to happen, is these two communicating properly and having a good old fuck fest. Tyson walked back to where everyone else was, dancing and celebrating. He sat back down in his chair. He sat there alone until someone else sat down next to him.
"You okay?"
Tyson looked over to who was sitting next to him. It was one of Mariah's bridesmaids. The one Tyson had escorted down the aisle. Her name was….? "I'm fine." He said.
She smiled at him. "My feet hurt already. You men are sure lucky." She said, her eyes going over to where people were dancing. "If I asked you to dance, would you say no?"
Tyson smiled. "No, I wouldn't."
/
"Sorry, work email." Hilary said.
Tyson snorted. "Sure it is."
Hilary glared at him. "It is!" She said. "I swear on my mother's life."
"That's not very nice."
"So, how is….?"
"Zoe? She's…great…."
Hilary put her phone down and smiled. "Come on Tyson, you have to give me something. After all these years and you've seen me…well… give me something!"
"You were having sex on someone's bathroom counter. I feel sorry for whoever used it after you."
Hilary went red. "Ugh. I'll just ask her myself then. She added me on Facebook."
Dread went into Tyson's stomach. "She did not."
Hilary smirked at him. "Oh yes she did and I will become good friends with her and find out all your juicy secrets."
Tyson sighed. "Too bad I already know some of yours."
Hilary gaped at him. "No..!"
Tyson shrugged. "I'm glad you two are… happily in love."
"Really? Do you mean it?"
"As long as he's never an asshole to you again, then sure."
Hilary leaned over and grabbed his hand. "Thank you Tyson. For everything. For being there for me." She said, smiling at him.
Tyson smiled back.
Hilary crushed his hand. "Now you tell me everything that Kai has ever told you, okay?!"
