8. It's You

My parents' white van and Zack's black Nissan weren't in the driveway, which was expected. Still, I craned my neck a little further when I turned the corner in anticipation for one of them to be there when they shouldn't be. Zack wasn't foreign to skipping class. I was glad today was a day he decided to be where he was supposed to be. The house looked deserted, which made its raised ranch size appear so much bigger and hollow. The bay window in the front looked like a black hole.

I pulled into the usual spot by the curb in front of my house and ran across the lawn, scanning the street left and then right at the line of identical homes, each looking as deserted as mine as I reached the fence door. I unlocked it and left it wide open for Tyler.

Even the backyard seemed darker today. The whites of my shoes were being overpowered by unusually dark green stems of grass that hasn't been cut in a while. It was looking a bit patchy, growing higher in some places and lower in others. I walked towards the trees, where the lawn ends and the wilderness begins, staring into the darkness between the tree trunks. I found myself searching for something, for anything. Seeing nothing made me feel blind. Silence settled in, my breathing being the only thing I could hear. It was creeping me out, I needed a distraction. I took my iPod out of the pocket of my leather bomber jacket, stuck the buds in my ears and flicked on the shuffle. Claire de Lune began to play, filling my ears and the silence, pushing the fear away. It was pretty soothing. I even swayed a little from side to side, succumbing to the melody.

A cold touch skimmed my ear, tugging out the head phone from my right ear. I jumped and swivelled around, relieved to see Tyler and his crooked smiling face behind me. My hand was over my pounding heart, pressing down to calm it. Tyler coughed a little and took a few steps back. He looked like he smelled something not so pleasant. I breathed in deeper, expecting to be met with skunk aroma, but instead smelled nothing but the wet tree bark and grass. I shrugged it off.

"Hi." I smiled. "Thanks for meeting me here."

"Of course. Why are we here, exactly?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I just thought we could be alone instead of in a crowded coffee shop."

"Good thinking. So, the backyard, hm?" He said sceptically.

"Actually, I was thinking we could maybe take a stroll in there. I've always wondered what it was like in there, but I could never go alone." I said, pointing towards the trees.

"Oh, I see. So, I'm the decoy in case of some wild animal attack?" He laughed.

"Obviously. I wouldn't go risking my life out of curiosity." I joked.

"Oh of course not, just mine." He shook his head, his smile widening.

"You read me so well." I chuckled. His smile faded and he lowered his head slightly.

"On the contrary, you're not easy to read at all." He sighed. My head twitched back as he said it, remembering he'd said something along the lines of not being able to read me before. Was he serious? He seemed to always be right on the money with me. He even understood my sense of humour.

"I disagree." I said bluntly. He huffed out a smile.

"I'm just good at taking educated guesses, Stella. There is a lot about you that is a complete mystery to me." Whoa, talk about irony. Here I was, pinning him as the man of mystery and he thinks I'm the mysterious one? Interesting. It was sort of empowering, I've never considered myself as the mysterious woman sipping a cocktail at a bar alone type, but I guess he did.

"That's funny. You're very mysterious to me too." I admitted.

"Well, hopefully after today some of the mystery will be unfolded for the both of us. Shall we?" He extended an arm out to the trees. I looked at the woods hesitantly. I wanted to go in, to walk around and leave the rest of the world behind, but reason was popping the bubbles of my fantasies and warning me of the dangers that could erupt if I went into a dark forest. Sure, our little joke about bringing Tyler along to be the decoy was just all fun and games, but in reality that could very much be the case, or worse, I'd be the decoy. Perhaps I hadn't thought this through as much as I should have. Acting impulsively is never a good idea, I always knew that, hence my lack of risk taking.

"I'll keep you safe." Tyler said as he placed a strand of hair behind my ear. I looked up at him, his warm, golden eyes practically glowing in the darkness. Every nerve ending in my body twitched, pushing me to go with him, to trust him. I knew I felt safe with him, even though my mind knew it didn't make sense, that I shouldn't feel so secure with someone I've only known for mere days. But I couldn't deny that my heart filled with a tingling warmth whenever he was around, that tingles prick the insides of my skin whenever he touches me, even if only briskly, that I wanted to go with him. I nodded, agreeing to go in, trusting him entirely. He placed a hand at the small of my back and led me into the trees.

We walked in silence for a few minutes, the only sounds being the crunching of our feet on the bed of green, red, yellow and brown leaves on the ground. It wasn't as dark in here as it had appeared from the outside. The forest was dreary looking. With little line shining through the clustered grey clouds and the layer of rain water blanketed over every surface, the scene in here was that of a greyish blue, like someone had put the woods under a film of blue. Every so often, pops of color from bright yellow or red leaves would shine through, but their color was hushed by the forest's blue hue. All of Wolfville was grey like this, but there is always something going on, always something to distract from the dreariness. In here, there was nothing but the trees, with long, thin trunks and naked branches that blended in. It was sad and depressing. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It was so easy to just forget the modern world in here. This was the world before humans happened to it. The air felt better, it smelt better. I felt cleansed with every breath I took, breathing deeper each time to take it all in. This is serenity, here in the wild. There are no boundaries, just endless possibilities. I silently laughed at myself for being so afraid of coming into the woods, of knowing how much time I'd wasted sitting in my room being bored when I could've been here.

Tyler led me to some fallen trees, where we decided to stop and take a seat, to enjoy each other's company without any other distractions like we'd planned. He seemed very comfortable in the woods, almost like he'd been here before. While my eyes were darting all over the place, he just looked straight ahead, weaving through trees without hesitation. It felt like I was the out-of-towner and he was the resident showing me around.

I turned to him, straddling the tree trunk we were sitting on, pressing my hands in front of me to its rigid skin. Tyler then turned to face me too, propping his left leg up instead of letting it hang off the other side.

"This was a good idea." He said.

"Yeah, it was, wasn't it? It's beautiful in here." My eyes darted to the sky, to the intertwining and entangled branches of the trees, then to the ground and back to Tyler. Once I caught sight of his eyes again, a single leaf stuck out from all the rest on the ground. I got up and walked towards it, pinpointing it and bent down to retrieve it. I carried it back to the tree trunk, swinging my leg over it.

"What?" He asked. I looked up at him, then back at the leaf, scrutinizing it. I wanted to be sure it matched. I smiled and held it up to his eyes.

"They match. Your contacts are practically the same color as this leaf." I said. Tyler parted his lips to say something, then pressed them together again. He took the leaf from me, taking it between his thumbs and his index fingers and ran his thumbs up and down on it.

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"What's your real eye color?" I asked. Tyler took a deep breath, still staring at the leaf.

"Green."

"Really? Why would you hide green eyes behind coloured contacts? I wish I could get green contacts. My eyes are too dark for them, though." I sighed. Tyler looked up at me then. He rose his right hand to my face, sweeping his thumb at the corner of my eye.

"Your eyes are beautiful. Most brown eyes are dull, but yours are full of depth, like I could swim in them." He stared intently into my eyes, not blinking once. I gulped.

"Thanks..." I shrugged.

"You shouldn't underestimate how incredibly beautiful you are." He said, still staring into my eyes. His face was so close I could feel his breath on me. I thought it was a breeze at first until I realized it was coming from his mouth. He smelled so good. I tore my eyes away from him and pulled back a little. The intensity burned through me like a magnifying glass over an ant.

"I'm sorry." He said, looking away.

"For what? Paying me compliments?" I laughed. "Don't apologize, I appreciate it, really. I'm just not used to that. I'm not self loathing or anything, it's just weird to hear someone say that to me..." I explained. I didn't want him to think I was the kind of girl who needed to be complimented all of the time, because I didn't. I hoped he didn't get the wrong impression.

Tyler stared at the ground with his brows furrowed. He opened and closed his mouth several times as if he were about to say something, but then deciding against it.

"I hope I – " He began, then cut himself off.

"What?" I asked, encouraging him to continue. I lowered my head so that I can meet his gaze again. He responded by looking up.

"I hope I don't scare you when I say that I feel very lucky to have met you." He said, his brows still pinched together, creating a 'V' above the bridge of his nose. His eyes moved from side to side rapidly, searching mine.

"I feel lucky to have met you, too. I've never acted so impulsively before in my life," I giggled. "but it just feels right with you. That sounds so cheesy, but there's nothing else that comes close to explaining it."

Tyler smiled, taking in a deep breath.

"But..." I muttered. I hated to ruin the moment, but I couldn't just keep riding this high of what feels right. I have to know it's right, too. "I need to know you better for this to go anywhere serious, you know?"

"I agree. Where shall we begin?" He asked. I smiled, ready to jump right into a quick came of twenty questions, give or take a few.

"What's your favourite color?" I asked, beginning the line of numerous inquiries.

"Blue. Yours?"

"Ah, close! Mine is turquoise. Favourite number?"

"Thirteen."

"Oh, lucky number thirteen. Mine is three. Who is your favourite actor?"

"Charlie Chaplin."

"Really? Not Angelina Jolie or Penelope Cruz?"

"Goodness, no."

"Why Charlie Chaplin?"

"He's a legendary comedian! Haven't you ever seen a silent film? An actor today has lines to guide them, but to carry a story without words, that is acting. Plus, the man had exceptional hair."

"Well, I can't say I've seen a silent film. I'll YouTube him later."

"As you should. I guarantee you'll love him. In fact, there is a specific scene from City Lights I think you should see. I'll find it for you and show you, maybe on Thursday before class."

"Okay."

"And who is your favourite actor?" He asked.

"It changes all the time. Right now, it's Kat Dennings."

"Why is that?"

"I just saw Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist last week and I really liked it. She's not generic either. I don't know, I'm just feelin' her right now, I guess. Next week it'll probably be someone else." I shrugged. I was never too keen on favourites. I mean, nobody ever just has one favourite, and if they do then it's really not a favourite, it's more of a preference. Preferences I have; favourites, not so much.

"I see." He chuckled.

"Moving on. Are you a morning person or a night person?"

"Night."

"Ditto. I hate that just waking up feeling. Favourite drink?" Tyler tensed, inhaling quickly before answering.

"Water. Nothing is more refreshing than a cool glass of water." He said, like he was trying to convince someone he in fact did love water.

"I couldn't agree more." I nodded. "Do you collect anything?"

"I suppose. I have a wide variety of books and music from many different eras and genres."

"That's so cool, I wish I could say I collected things like that."

"What do you collect?"

"Ha, well... don't laugh okay." I could feel heat collecting at the apple of my cheeks at how embarrassing my collection was, especially compared to him.

"I promise."

"Fridge magnets. When I was like, seven, every two weeks when I got my allowance I'd buy myself a nice new magnet to stick on my mirror. They're all stashed a shoe box in my closet now." I laughed, reminding myself to get rid of them immediately.

"That's not so bad." He said, a smile forcing its way across his face until he burst into a laugh.

"You promised!"

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. You're just so cute when you're embarrassed."

"Mhm..." I rolled my eyes and smiled at the idea of him thinking I'm cute. "Next question: if you could have any superpower, what would it be?"

"I wouldn't want one."

"Oh come on."

"I'm serious. I wouldn't want a super power, given the choice."

"That's no fun. Not even flying?"

"No."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Being super isn't as super as people seem to think it is."

"Are you kidding? Of course it is! Like, if I could have a super power, I'd want to know what people are thinking."

"No. You wouldn't." He answered quickly, his words firm and precise. "It may sound great in theory, but in reality it's nothing but a pain."

"You say that like you know." I scoffed.

"I don't, I'm just playing devil's advocate, seeing the reality of such a power. You can't be selective about it, you'd hear every thought of every person you ever encounter, even ones you haven't. You'd hear things you'd never want to know and intrude on the most private of things. It would be a constant bickering, silence would be a distant concept. Sure, the idea of knowing what a particular person is thinking for your own personal gain sounds like a blessing, but in reality it's nothing but a curse. Being normal isn't as bad as people make it out to be."

"Okay, I believe you. How about a simple question like, if you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?"

"Eastern Sahara."

"As in, Africa? Why there?"

"It's the sunniest place on Earth."

"I thought you said you liked the clouds..." I looked at him, questioning his contradiction. He chuckled.

"Good memory. I do find comfort in them, but if I could I would live in the sunniest place on Earth."

"Well, I change my answer then. I had no idea Eastern Sahara was the sunniest before now."

"What was your original answer?"

"California for the sun, New York for everything else."

"New York is a great city."

"You've been?"

"A couple of times, briefly. Just passing through really."

"Lucky..." I muttered.

"Next question!" Tyler urged.

"I'm going to test you with this one." I warned. "What was the first thing you noticed about me?"

"Your lips." He answered quickly. I should've known, I just knew they overpowered my face. "They're magnificent, so full and soft to the touch." He said, running a thumb along my bottom lip. "But then I looked into your eyes and was put under your spell." Again with the eyes. I didn't understand what he saw in them, so many others had these eyes. His face was close to mine again and I wasn't sure if I could control myself.

"Kiss me." I whispered, my eye lids fluttering to a close. I parted my lips, pouted and waited. He was playing with me, keeping his lips so close I could almost feel their smoothness. His breath expanded over the lower half of my face, sending his scent exploding into my nose and filling me entirely. I wasn't sure how much longer I could wait for him, I was so prepared to just throw myself on top of him. He chuckled, releasing another explosion of breath and then backed away, chuckling even more. I opened my eyes to see him with a hand to his mouth as he laughed. I playfully shoved him in his left shoulder and shook my head. I couldn't help but laugh though; he got me.

"You sir, are mean." I said coyly.

"Oh, my apologies miss, I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought, since we're still unravelling the inner mysteries of one another, the physical mysteries could wait." He said, speaking with a sophistication that dated back centuries.

"After openly inviting you to kiss me, I doubt my physical urges are anything but a mystery. Yours, however, I am questioning."

"Believe me, there is nothing more I'd want than to kiss you. But, perhaps we should pace ourselves."

"Fine, have it your way. What's your biggest regret in life?" I asked, continuing with the question game we were having. Tyler took in a deep breath and looked away from me, his head motioning forward when he gulped. Whatever his regret was must be huge. I felt I should retract the question in fear of pushing him too far.

"You don't have to answer that if you don't want to." I said.

"It's alright. Finding the words to explain it is somewhat difficult, that's all." He sighed, his mouth parted as he tried to continue. "Sometimes in life, the things you want," He stopped, searching the ground for his words. "When it involves someone else, what you want isn't always what is right for them. I suppose I regret being selfish with what I wanted, because even though I knew it was wrong of me, I continued to yearn for it. It's a nasty part of the human condition, I suppose." He finished, speaking just above a whisper.

"Everyone wants something they shouldn't. It's normal. You shouldn't regret it, I hear being normal is pretty super." I said, smiling.

"Whoever told you that must be pretty super." He grinned, always one to play along with my little jokes.

"Yeah, he's alright. He likes a dude named Chaplin, which I don't quite understand, but hey, who am I to judge?"

"You know what, I am going to send you that clip later on tonight, then you'll see. Your favourite actor will be changing tonight."

"Oh, is that so? Will I be coming into some money soon too, oh great one?" I asked, mocking his prediction.

"It's fuzzy, try again later."

"Ah, it's just my luck." I laughed.

"I have the feeling that will change soon. Back to business, do you have any regrets?"

"Yeah, sort of. I regret not being more adventurous. I've always played it safe, never jumped at opportunity when it came. Even though I've always liked my alone time, I feel like I've missed out."

"Well, let's start anew. Opportunity is knocking, will you answer the door?" He asked, leaning towards me.

"Yes?" I answered sceptically.

Tyler scooted closer to me, sweeping my bangs out of my face and pulled me closer to him. He glanced down at my lips then into my eyes, his mouth breaking out into a smile before pressing his lips to mine. He was so cold. If I didn't know any better I'd think it were January, when really it's only the middle of October. I couldn't stop kissing him though, no matter what thoughts popped into my head. Our mouths moved so perfectly together. Then he surprised me by darting his tongue in my mouth through my parted lips. It was magical. His lips separated from mine, but still hovered in front of them. He pressed his lips to mine briefly once more before leaning back. My eyes remained closed as I recovered from what opportunity had given me.

"Wow." I whispered.

"See, taking risks has its rewards."

"Yes, it certainly does."

"Are there any more questions you'd like to ask me?" He asked.

"Oh there are plenty. What's your major? I don't think I've ever asked you... Usually that's the first thing people ask each other on campus."

"Philosophy."

"Makes sense..." I mumbled.

"Why is that?"

"You're very philosophic."

"Oh, that explains it. I've got a question for you."

"Okay, shoot."

"Do you believe in miracles?" He asked. The song 'You Sexy Thing' by Hot Chocolate popped into my head when he asked me that. I was about to sing 'I believe in miracles since you came along, you sexy thing' until I realized he was being very serious.

"Um...I don't know I mean, I think there are things that happen that we can't explain with science. I wouldn't say I'm a non-believer, I've just never experienced one so, I don't really know where I stand on that one." I answered, the words fumbling from my tongue.

Tyler's lip tugged at the corner and he looked down. He seemed a little disappointed with my answer, like he'd wanted me to say yes. He licked his lips and looked up at me again.

"Where do you see yourself five or ten years from now?" He asked, changing the subject drastically. I was a little caught off guard with that one, one minute we're talking miracles, the next we're into the future. It was quite the jump. His questions were pretty heavy duty compared to my 'what's your favourite...' questions, these actually required some thought.

"Um," I chortled. "I don't know, really. I try not to think too far into the future. I'll probably be a teacher or something like that. I've always imagined myself as that cool high school English teacher that all the kids love. And I'd pick really cool things for them to read and inspire them to pick up a book outside of school. But that's so far ahead into the future, who's to say I won't be bumming it on some street in Northern Nebraska, you know? I just take the days as they come."

"So, say if something unexpectedly took you from your dream of being an English teacher, you'd simply go with it?"

"It's not exactly my dream, I'm just being practical. But yeah, I guess so. I mean, you can't predict things like that."

Tyler's eyes rose to meet mine, his gaze wide and inviting. I wondered what my answers meant to him.

"Where do you see yourself down the line?" I asked.

"Hopefully, existing with my one true love."

"No career?"

"Sure, I suppose I could be a professor of some sort, but what really matters who I'd be sharing my existence with."

"Yeah. Honestly, I just want to be happy. Even if I don't become a teacher, if I have some half ass job managing teenagers at the local Burger King, if I'm happy then that's good enough."

"You have an interesting way of putting things, Stella." Tyler laughed. "But you're right, happiness is key. I'd love to be happy in the future, even if it happens to be with the woman managing the local Burger King."

I laughed first, before the reality of what he was saying settled in. He saw me in his future. The smile fell from my face as I measured the extent of what that meant. How could he possibly believe that if he doesn't know me? How could I? I can't deny the way it felt to hear him include me in his future, to be the one he would want be happy with, but at the same time it was terrifying. My thoughts and my emotions were under immense conflict. My heart was ready to extend my left hand and shout yes, but my mind knew to take it easy, to be careful. While I've never really been in love, I have been rejected and broken hearted before, to throw myself whole heartedly so soon is just asking for disaster. And who's to say he won't change his mind? What if he's being all sweet and charming because he wants something from me? It wouldn't be a first. And even if he was being genuine, we're still so young. It's silly to think of forever at such an early stage, but looking at the future, who's to say what will happen or how we'll both change?

"Stella? Are you alright?" Tyler asked, placing a hand on my arm. I looked up and smiled, but I couldn't mask my inner turmoil.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Do you think, maybe, we're getting a little too ahead of ourselves?"

"I suppose we are. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"You didn't. It's more about me than it is you, honestly."

"When I'm with you I find it difficult to control myself. I get so excited thinking about the bigger picture, I forget what's happening here and now."

"Ditto." I said, laughing quietly to myself. "I feel so comfortable with you, so much so that I lose touch with reality for a minute. Then I remember I've only known you for a few days and that I shouldn't be, at least not as much." I confessed.

"I know." He nodded.

"You feel that way too?"

"Yes, very much. When I'm with you I feel like I've spent a whole other lifetime with you, and then I remember that I have only had days with you." He said, emphasizing 'you', like there was a difference.

"It's weird, huh?"

"Or magical. Maybe what we have is something the mind simply can't comprehend, something so much more, that knowledge has no explanation for other than destiny."

"I want to believe that, I really do. But if I did then it'd mean that I have absolutely no control over my own life and I don't think I could live like that."

"Even if your destiny is one of love and eternal happiness?"

"Even so. If I'm going to be happy I want it to be because of something I did, because I earned and deserved it, not because it was just given to me."

"Who's to say you don't deserve it? Everyone deserves happiness, Stella. Even a monster deserves a little happiness. If not then, what's the point of even trying?"

My phone started vibrating in my pocket before I could answer. I ignored it at first, so that I could tell him that I agreed, that I wanted to take the leap and let destiny carry me, but that not having control scared me, but the vibrating persisted and there was no ignoring this call. I held out my hand to Tyler, pausing our conversation as I slipped my phone out of my pocket and answered it. Dane started talking before I could even say hello.

"Where are you?" He shouted.

"I'm at home. Why?"

"Who are you with?"

"Nobody. Dane, what's wrong with you?"

"I'm coming over."

"No! I'm..." I bit my lip and shook my head at Tyler. He smiled, stood up, took his black sweater off, then tugged at his white t-shirt, raising it so that a bit of his stomach was exposed. His perfectly sculpted pelvic bone distracted me for a moment from what he was trying to tell me to say.

"Um, uh, I'm... taking my clothes off?" I muttered. Tyler laughed and shook his then raised a hand over his head, fist clenched and turned it in a circle over his head.

"Oh! I'm just jumping into the shower." Tyler nodded with a grin and sat back down.

"Well don't, I'm on my way." Dane said.

"I really need a shower, I um, stopped at the gym and had this really intense workout and I stink really bad so I need to take a nice, long shower to get rid of the stench. You don't want to be around this, really." I insisted.

"Stella, I don't care. Do you forget the time you fell into Mr. Harrison's disgusting, mouldy pond? Who walked next to you for six blocks with you dripping in muck? I'm almost there."

"Don't be, please. I was like, six, I didn't care back then. I don't want to be smelly around you." I shrugged and shook my head at Tyler as I said anything I could possibly say to get Dane to stay away.

"I'll wait." He persisted.

"What?"

"I'll wait for you to shower, it'll be fine."

"Ew, Dane I do not want you to be here when I'm naked in the shower."

"Since when were you a prude?"

"I am not. You're like my brother, having you there when I'm, you know, just grosses me out. What's so urgent that you have to be here right now?"

Tyler stood up and looked through the trees towards my backyard. He clenched his jaw and stood a little in front of me, like he was expecting something.

"I need to see you. I'm about to turn into your street, so hurry up and smell nice." I could hear his bike speeding up, and then louder as it neared my house. I stood up and took a few steps forward, anticipating him to come barrelling through the trees. I turned to Tyler.

"Shit. He's coming. I have to get to my house or else he'll go nuts. Come on, you can just sit in my room for a minute while I get rid of him." I said, waving him over.

"I don't know, Stella. He sounded urgent, perhaps I should go." Tyler said, taking a slow step back.

"Please, don't go."

"You really should just deal with this, I'll come back. Go ahead. I don't mind." He nodded, urging me to go ahead without him. I sighed.

"Alright. I'll call you when he's gone." I said as I walked backwards towards my house, before turning and running home.

I felt like a track star, hurdling over logs and dodging trees. It was exhilarating, this running thing. But, by the time I reached my backyard my run turned into a very slow jog and I was heaving for air. Running? Yeah, not so much for me.

Dane was walking towards my front door when I appeared from the side of my house, out of breath and tuckered out from running home in time to meet him. Dane looked confused when he saw me drag me feet across my driveway towards him on my porch. I tried to smile and play it off like it was nothing, but my throat was screaming for hydration, which in turn made it distracting to happily greet him like it was no biggie, that I was just enjoying the weather.

"I thought you were jumping into the shower?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yeah, but then I remembered I can't make it to the gym tomorrow so I decided to do a couple extra laps around the house, you know, to burn some extra calories." I lied.

"Right..."Dane folded his arms across his chest.

"Yup."

"You don't smell so bad." He commented.

"Yeah...I, um, I took that shower, a quick one, and then realized I needed to fit in an extra run. So you know, it's not as bad." I shrugged, knowing he probably wasn't buying it, but that maybe he wouldn't bother pestering me for the truth either.

"You gonna invite me in, or are we going to hang out here 'til it starts to rain?"

"Oh, yeah come on in." I walked past him towards my door, pulled out my keys and stepped aside for Dane. He nodded as he walked in the door. As I closed the door, I noticed Tyler's Volvo was nowhere to be seen. He didn't leave the forest with me either. I wondered what happened to him and where his car was as I closed the door and escorted Dane to the living room downstairs.

Dane craned his neck upstairs before stepping downstairs, and then did the same when we were in the living room, stretching his neck out to inspect the other rooms of the house as we sat down on the couch, Dane on one end and me on the other. I repositioned myself so I was blocking his view.

"Looking for something?" I asked.

"No, not at all. I was just wondering where your family was."

"It's the middle of the day, everyone's gone."

"Right. This couch is just as comfortable as I remember it to be. Is the leather spill resistant?"

"Yep..."

"That's good. Black's good too, matches everything..."

"Did you come here to talk about my furniture?" I interrupted.

"No. I just wanted to see you."

"That's it? You sounded like there was a national emergency on the phone."

"Sorry, I was driving. You know how I get when I drive."

"I don't actually. Last time I drove with you, it was in your dad's old Buick, and you used to be pretty relaxed while driving it."

"Oh yeah, that was a sweet ride. I miss that car."

"What do you mean?"

"We had to sell it. Got a good amount for it too, it's like a collectable or something."

"Why on Earth would you sell it? You loved that car!"

"We didn't have a choice. We were behind on bills, and it's not like he left much behind. All of his money was in that car, so when things got too tight to manage we sold it."

"Dane, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. It's fine. Anyway, with the bike driving is just such a rush. It's great. I'll take you for a ride sometime."

"No, thanks. I value my life too much to risk being flown off a little bike."

"C'mon! It' s safe, I promise."

"We'll see." I answered. Dane nodded, his eyes dropping to his fiddling hands. This was getting awkward.

"Honestly, though, why did you come here?"

"I – " Dane cut himself off with a deep sigh. "I thought you were with him."

"Him? You mean Tyler? What is your problem with him? I don't understand why you are so against him. Maybe if you met him and got to know him you –"

"You know what, can we just not talk about this? He's not here, I was wrong, let's move on." He rose his hands, surrendering the subject. I was surprised that he was the one changing the subject. Before, he jumped on any chance he could to tell me how horrible Tyler was, but this time he didn't. This was progress, I thought, this is good.

"Okay, let's just forget about him. It's funny, we have so much to catch up on, but I can't think of anything to say." I laughed.

"Yeah, it's weird. We've never had to do this before."

"Yep...how's life been treating you?" I asked, hoping to get the ball rolling.

"It's been okay, a little rocky, but okay. After my dad died there was a lot I didn't really understand and things were happening to me that I couldn't even begin to grip. I know you aren't a fan of the guys, but they've really been there for me. They carried me through this past year, helped me understand a lot about who I am. I don't know where I'd be right now without them there to guide me. They've become my family."

"I'm glad they could be there for you when I couldn't. I still don't understand what happened, but I'm glad you're doing okay with whatever it is."

"Yeah, they're really a great group of guys. Me and Caleb are so much closer now, too. You should meet them on better terms some time, maybe we can all grab dinner or something."

"I'd like that." I smiled, a warmth filling me as the old Dane shone through his new physique. I loved that he wanted to include me in his life again, that he was willing to make the effort. I wasn't exactly thrilled with getting chummy with his new 'family', but I figured the guys who helped him through whatever it was he went through are worth giving a chance to.

"What about you, how's life?" He asked.

"It's okay, kind of boring but I can't complain. I got into Acadia and have basically been there all year, studying. School kind of took over my life for a while, then I had a break for summer and now I'm back into it again."

"Oh yeah, you're a college girl now." He laughed. "Is university what you expected it to be like?"

"Sort of. I had this image in my head of rigorous studying and brain bending exams and assignments, but it's actually not as hard as I thought. It didn't change me much, either. I thought I'd have some kind of metamorphosis, you know? But, I didn't. Everyone else seems to have changed, though. Like Jessica, remember her?" Dane nodded. "During first year, she went out of her way to be this exaggerated version of herself and to meet new people, which is fine, I guess. Then a week ago she picks up that book series, Twilight, and starts hanging out with all of these new people and ignoring me. It really sucked, besides you she was my best friend. But then Tyler showed up one day out of the blue and changed everything, made me feel important again." I stopped when I noticed Dane tense, realizing mentioning Tyler was a mistake.

"Have you read New Moon?" He asked. I stared at him peculiarly for a moment, sure I hadn't even mentioned New Moon. I worried he'd start gushing about how amazing it is like some twi-hard, but when his jaw slowly clenched and his fingers curled into his palm, forming a fist, I knew what he thought about the series wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

"No, but Lindsey already put it in my room with a box of tissues she insists I'll need." I chuckled. Dane rolled his eyes.

"Why are you reading that garbage anyway? You used to be into dudes like Hemingway and Sartre, now you're reading Twilight?" He said, spitting out 'Twilight' with disgust.

I explained how I never liked Twilight to begin with and refused to read it, even when bombarded with it everywhere I went. I told him about Lindsey's obsession with it, about her blog and about The Stella Project. I vented about how Jessica, the one person out of the loop with me, eventually gave in and became a twi-hard, one of them, leaving me all alone among the non-readers and boys who have yet to succumb to the Twilight madness. The deal breaker, though, was Tyler. I knew I shouldn't have brought him up, but by the time I did, it was too late.

"Then Tyler brought it up and I got curious so I read it." I said, finishing the long journey to how I eventually gave in to the Twilight craze and read the first book. Dane huffed and shook his head.

"Of course he did." He mumbled.

"What do you mean by 'of course he did'?" I asked.

"Because..." He shook his head. "He's a pansy ass."

And just like that, our conversation turned from better to worse. He was slowly regressing back to the new Dane I wasn't too sure I wanted to know and burying the old him behind this tough guy attitude. I glared at him.

"Sorry, I just – I wish you could see what he really is." He said, staring at his fidgeting fingers.

I sat in silence and watched him fidget. I didn't know what to say. I knew I wouldn't stop seeing Tyler, which is what Dane wanted. I knew Dane wouldn't tell me why I should stay away from Tyler, so there was no point in asking again. My eyes filtered over his hunched form on the couch, his elbows resting on his knees as he picked at his fingers. I found the scar on his left arm, a jagged, white line near his shoulder reminding me of one of the many escapades Dane and I had together.

"I remember when we were eight, it was the middle of October and all of the trees were bright with red and orange leaves and there was that one leaf that was yellow in the middle and the edges were red, making it look like a flame. And I pointed at it and told you I would give anything to have that leaf and then you ran to the tree and started climbing, and you shimmied down that branch like a caterpillar on a wire." Dane and I were both laughing as we remembered his little body clinging to the branch, scooting himself further and further until he reached the leaf.

"Yeah, and I fell and landed on a piece of glass from a shattered beer bottle." He said, rubbing his scar with his right hand.

"You were bleeding all down your arm and I was freaking out. You just smiled and handed me the leaf. It was in perfect condition, too. You were a crazy kid."

"I wanted to make you happy." He said simply, a corner of his lip tugging up into a smile.

"You did." I whispered, placing a hand on his shoulder. He gulped and inhaled then, turning to me.

"What do you see in him?" He asked. I looked away, sighing at the fact that we were back to talking about this. I didn't want to argue with him anymore.

"Dane, please don't." I muttered.

"I just want to know. What is it about him that you like so much? Help me to understand this."

I took in a deep breath as I tried to explain in a way that wouldn't be confusing for him, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't find the words.

"Honestly, I couldn't explain no matter how much I want to. It's electric with him, I feel ways I've never felt before. When he looks at me, it's like he knows me through and through and I feel so...secure? I guess. I don't know. There's just this understanding there between us, we don't even have to talk, we can just be together without the silence getting awkward. He's different, intriguing...it just feels right."

"Okay." He whispered. I was stunned that he wasn't going off about how that was all wrong and I didn't know what I was doing.

"Okay?" I repeated.

"Yeah. Don't take this the wrong way but, a relationship is so much more than just feeling things, Stel. You have to know each other, I mean really know each other. You don't know him."

"Maybe not yet, but we're getting there."

"Whatever, you know I don't like it. If you're going to keep seeing him then promise me, when you do, that it's in a public place with lots of people around, okay?"

Did he think I was meeting some pedophile from the internet? It was just Tyler. And it's too late for that kind of advice, any time I've ever been with Tyler besides the first time we hung out has been alone.

"Sure." I lied.

"I should go. I have to meet Caleb." He stood up, reaching his hands to the ceiling to stretch before walking towards the stairs. I followed him upstairs and out the door to his bike. It had begun to drizzle outside now, the droplets cold as they hit my skin.

"Maybe I should give you a ride. It could be dangerous riding around in the rain." I offered as he put his helmet on.

"I'll be fine, it's not too bad."

"Call me when you get home, so I know you got there in one piece."

"Okay mom." He laughed, then swung his leg over the bike. "I'll see ya." He said before zipping down my driveway and into the street.

I nodded to myself, agreeing that all in all, Dane's visit went pretty well. I hoped that he was finally coming around to the idea of me seeing Tyler, regardless of whatever it is he thinks he knows about Tyler. It wouldn't happen overnight, but in time, I thought, maybe they could even be friends. Maybe I was shooting for the moon a little, but these days I'm starting to believe that anything can happen if the proper risks are taken.


A/N: This chapter is a bit longer than usual, I did some rearranging and ending up putting the Dane visit in too, instead of saving it for the next chapter. I hope you guys liked this chapter, I had fun writing it. The title is from the song 'It's You' by Annie Stela. The silent movie, City Lights, with Charlie Chaplin is on YouTube if you're interested. The scene from City Lights that Tyler mentions will come up again. To wath that scene, type in ' City Lights - Luci della Città (Charles Chaplin) 1931' in the search bar and it should be the first video. The movie itself is great, if you have some time to spare I recommend watching it. Charlie Chaplin is hilarious and the story is beautiful. Also, there's a poll on my profile right now because I've been toying with the idea of making a Twitter account for my fanfiction acocunt, just for updates between posting chapters and to get your input and ideas for what you'd like to see happen next. So if you're interested in one, let me know and vote. And finally, reviews are greatly appreciated. Have a good one, see you next Tuesday! :)