A/N: Thanks to the real-life EMT reviewer for
correcting me on the AED thing. Sorry for my mistake, but I guess not all of us
can be genius doctors. Oh, and, for future reference, there was a teacher
committee meeting for three days that a lot of the staff went to right after
spring break, so Kingsport High decided to make spring break two weeks long
with an extra week at the end of school!
Simple To The Mind
LATER THAT DAY
Tyler moved his hand towards the door and pulled it back, repeating a motion he had done maybe a thousand times. With a sudden burst of will and courage, he rapped sharply on Val's door.
"Come
in, Tyler," the voice rang out. He opened the door.
"How'd
you know it was me?" he asked, closing the door as he stepped inside, uneasy.
Val was sitting on her bed in a gray tank top and dark blue cotton pants,
watching a movie. She pressed PAUSE as he came in.
"Tyler,"
Val told him, "there are three people besides me in this house, and I highly
doubt William or your mom would knock on my door."
"True."
There
was a long lapse of silence before it was broken by Tyler.
"We
need to talk." Simple words, but coupled with a serious tone, meaning is
diverse. Val nodded.
"Sit
down," she said, drawing her knees up to her chest. He sat down next to her.
"I'm
sorry," Tyler said suddenly, quickly. "I mean, for kissing you. I wasn't
thinking—I just reacted—lost control—I don't know." He shook his head
despondently. Val raked her fingers through his hair, for some reason,
automatically.
"It's
okay, I mean, I understand. I guess I reacted… too." Tyler looked at her,
meeting her eyes.
"We're
just friends, so… right?" Tyler asked. Val nodded, trying not to let the frown
pulling at her lips show.
"Right.
But… I think that… we are good friends," Val said, searching his face for an
answer to the question neither wanted to ask. "But, sometimes, I think I want
us to be… more." There, she'd said it. But if it was over with, why was the
look Tyler was giving her making her heart bang wildly against her ribcage
again?
"I
think I do, too." It wasn't supposed to end up like this, Tyler told himself.
He had come to apologize for kissing her, and now he was going to kiss her
again, he knew. But for once, he was listening to his heart, and nothing had ever
made him feel quite like this—like everything was perfectly right.
Her
arms wrapped around his neck as he bent down. Tilting her head up, lips met
halfway, arms went around her waist, and a feeling of utter perfection took
over. Dreams had been like this, silver lined and sure. The only time she had
felt quite like this was that day on the beach, and never before.
Troubles seemed to have ended, at least for the few minutes before they parted.
Tyler's
arm was still wrapped around her shoulder when she leaned against the headboard
of the bed—he seemed to like that position, and Val certainly wouldn't object.
Val ran that thought through her head again as she propped her head on his
shoulder.
"What
are you watching?"
"Meet the Parents."
"Good…
no romantic comedy." Tyler was relieved, though he would have watched just
about anything here with Val next to him, head on his shoulder.
"Lots
of comedy, though," said Val. "And a little romance."
"True.
You want popcorn?" Tyler inquired, a little adverse to getting up and making
Val move, but having a craving for food. Of course, if she didn't want it, no
reason to make her move…
"Sure."
Val shifted off him and sat up. "I'll wait 'till you're back to start it over
again."
He
got up and left as Val propped her head on a pillow and thought… long and hard…
about Tyler. Tyler and her. Together. It wasn't that it was difficult to
imagine, it was that it was difficult to believe it was real.
Tyler
returned with a bowl of popcorn. Val took it from him and balanced it on her
stomach, pressing the PLAY button on the remote.
"Why
do you get the popcorn?" Tyler whispered in her ear.
"Because
I'm special," Val replied with a grin.
"So
am I," Tyler answered, taking the bowl and putting it between them. "So are
we."
Val
snuggled into his chest as the movie started.
Val
shifted under the morning sunlight. Her pillow—well, she supposed it wasn't a
pillow, because pillows didn't breathe, and this one had a definite heartbeat
to it—shifted along with her, and she sat up. Looking sleepily down at Tyler,
she nudged him awake.
"I
have the worst crick in my neck," he moaned. "Val? What are you doing in my
room?"
"You're
in my room. I think we fell asleep during the movie," Val told him, looking at
the blank screen. "I guess I rolled over on the remote and accidentally turned
it off."
"So
I guess yesterday wasn't a dream?" Tyler was more alert now, sitting up and
coming awake.
"No—but
it definitely felt like it," Val said. Tyler hesitated a moment before kissing
her quickly.
"I
think I have to get a little used to this," Tyler told her. Val shrugged and
hugged him.
"We
all do," she said softly, "but it's all worth it in the end."
"It's
more than worth it in the end," replied Tyler before getting up. "I have to go
take a shower."
"See
ya," said Val as he left.
Tyler
supposed that in boxers and a T-shirt, with tousled hair, he didn't look like
Prince Charming, but it was even less his luck that William saw him coming out
of Val's room and stopped him in the hall.
"Did
you…?" William nodded his head towards Val's open door and raised his eyebrows.
Tyler stared at him, then felt a fury rise.
"NO!
I would never do that to Val! Never!" He didn't waste time going into
explanations… it wasn't William's business anyway. Tyler marched into the
bathroom and slammed the door. William sighed.
"Hormones."
Tyler
poked his head into Val's room. "Val?"
"Yeah?"
She was reading a book with half her body falling backwards over the bed.
Sitting up, she looked at him expectantly.
"Well…
if you wanted… do you want to go out for dinner tonight?" For once, he had
asked Val to do something with him and his question wasn't garbled. A smile lit
her features.
"I'd
like that," Val told him. "I'd like it a lot."