Chapter 5: But Tyler Wasn't Jareth
Tyler's date was the typical dinner (if you could call it that) and a movie.
He had picked her up from her parent's house and taken her straight to a small café that was close to the theater.
It was called Sip It. Sarah had never heard of it before, but Tyler insisted that it was worth it as they sat at a table near a window. As Sarah looked around, she observed that only one other couple was in the vicinity.
"Sorry I couldn't take you somewhere more fancy," Tyler apologized, "but my wallet didn't seem to receive the memo that I was taking a beautiful girl out today." Sarah held back the cringe at being called a girl (Jareth had always referred to her as a young woman; even when she was fifteen), but managed to smile warmly and place her hand on his.
"That's fine Tyler. Being with you tonight is enough." For some reason, the innocent act of placing her hand on his made her feel guilty, so she pulled away.
A young man walked over to their table and took their order as a young woman walked in and moved behind the counter.
They didn't order much. Sarah asked for a regular coffee and a blueberry muffin. Tyler ordered a hot chocolate and a maple scone.
The man (Coiy, according to his name tag) left them to retrieve their orders, shooed away the young woman behind the counter, and, as the woman sat at a table alone, returned with their purchase.
Sarah excused herself from the table so she could fix her coffee. She didn't want to do it, but as Sarah stood at the separate counter making her coffee, she found herself comparing Tyler to Jareth (if her were to take her out in the Aboveground).
*Tyler wore a long-sleeved shirt and a denim jacket
**On a casual date…err…outing such as this, Jareth would have worn a poet's shirt (revealing a fair amount of bare chest, no matter what the temperature) and his infamous leather jacket.
*Tyler wore well-fitting, blue jeans, but either he wasn't as nicely endowed as Jareth (A/N: *wink* lol I just had to put that in there) or these jeans just fit too well because they didn't reveal anything.
**Jareth normally wore those damn tights that probably revealed too much. In this case, he would have worn black, tight-fitting, black jeans that hugged him in the right places, both front and back.
*Tyler wore black cowboy boots.
**Jareth would have worn black boots, but wouldn't be caught dead in cowboy boots of any color.
*Tyler's hair was slicked back and hardened with gel.
**Jareth couldn't slick his hair back if his life depended on it. His hair was a big, poofy, blonde mess that she wouldn't trade for all of the Underground … or the Aboveground for that matter.
*Tyler was amazingly sweet and kind, but he hadn't made an attempt to woo Sarah at all, whether it was holding her hand or even flirting a little!
**Jareth would constantly be holding her hand, kissing her … cheek (since it would only be a friendly outing), touching her face, and flirting nonstop while somehow finding a way to still be a gentleman and not cross the line.
*Tyler had taken her to a cheap café that hardly anybody knew about.
**Jareth would probably want to take her to an expensive restaurant, but he knew her better than she knew herself, so he would take her to some sort of restaurant that would be nice, but not too extravagant.
*Tyler had ordered a hot chocolate.
**If Jareth had taken her somewhere like this, then he would have ordered a coffee like Sarah had. Somehow, she just couldn't see the Goblin King sipping a hot chocolate while she gulped down a coffee.
*Tyler was going to take her to see a movie next.
**Jareth didn't see the point in mortal films ("It kills the brain cells," he always said, "I mean, you sit there and watch the entire thing play out and haven't used your brain for anything except for maybe discovering the fact that you're drooling.") Instead, he would take her out dancing then go for a walk somewhere romantic … even though it would only be a friendly outing.
Suddenly, Coiy emerged from a room in the back with a CD in his hand crying out "'Ey!" as he walked over to an occupied table.
Sarah shook her previous thoughts from her mind and returned to her seat.
As she made her way to Tyler, she noticed that the young woman from before was still sitting at the same table, but now she was sharing it with a guy who looked more nerdy than Bill Gates. Actually, it looked like the girl was bored out of her mind.
Just as Sarah sat down, the girl and "Bill Gates" moved to the table that was occupied by the first couple.
Sarah watched Tyler quietly sip his hot chocolate and saw that he looked nervous and uncomfortable. She didn't understand this behavior. Being around a man who was unsure of himself was not something Sarah was accustomed to.
When she was young, she had never been very interested in guys so she had not seen any of the "first date insecurity". Her father never exhibited any sign of "weakness", at least not in front of his children. Toby had no reason to be unsure of himself because 1) she was his sister who would love him no matter what and 2) he was the funny guy who made everybody laugh. He was the popular guy in school who was loved by student and faculty alike.
And Jareth … come on. He was the Goblin King - feared and loved by his subjects, respected by all others of the Fae Court, loved by his parents and younger sister, Camiya, and Sarah knew that all females (no matter what race) possessed a soft spot for him. Why would he have any reason to feel insecure about himself?
Tyler, on the other hand, was incredibly embarrassed.
He had been planning the perfect date with Sarah since seventh grade, but had never been able to work up the courage to ask her out. He had envisioned an expensive dinner and a night out on the town. It didn't matter what they did, but he had imagined something more sophisticated than a wannabe dinner in a café and a simple movie.
He could also tell that Sarah's mind was not on him. It seemed as though she were distracted with other thoughts.
The atmosphere in Sip It became suddenly quiet. Sarah and Tyler both returned to reality and turned to face the other table occupied by the two couples. They had been talking awkwardly, but now they were silent.
Coiy returned to Sarah and Tyler's table and asked, "Can I get you folks anything else?"
"No, thank you," Tyler responded as Sarah shook her head. Coiy nodded and made his way to the other table to check in on them.
Sarah turned to Tyler to say something when a loud coughing was heard. Once again they glanced at the other table and saw that they all looked rather uncomfortable.
Sarah could only guess what was going on. She leaned closer to Tyler and said,
"I'd bet you anything that those couples came here for blind dates, but what that" - Sarah pointed to the young woman who had sat alone earlier that evening - "woman really wants is to be with that" - she pointed to the other guy who was a jock through and through - "guy. Actually," - she put her finger to her lips in thought then pulled them away and continued - "I'd bet that they know each other."
She glanced at Tyler who looked surprised, "What do you think? Wanna make a little wager? Winner pays for the popcorn?" Sarah raised her eyebrow, as she normally did whenever she wanted Jareth to go along with something … but Tyler wasn't Jareth and the eyebrow raising did not affect him the way it did Jareth.
Tyler shook his head and finished off his hot chocolate. "Nah. I don't like making wagers about people I don't know … or people I do know for that matter. Making bets just never appealed to me." He felt embarrassed again, and this time, Sarah could plainly see it. Her disappointment was also written all over her face.
Jareth would have smirked and made his own bet. Jareth was a lover of games of all sorts and Sarah found soon after permanently living in the Underground that she shared his passion for them. He probably would have predicted that the two nerdy looking people would leave with one another and the first young woman would leave with the jock. Sarah was disappointed that Tyler wouldn't play this game of chance with her. This time, she couldn't deny that she missed Jareth terribly.
"Scuba lessons!" was heard from the table. Sarah rolled her eyes and found that she wasn't having fun. Tyler felt pathetic and tried to think of a way to redeem himself at the movies.
All of a sudden, the jock-dude laughed and the building was silent yet again. Then the noise of shouting came as soon as the silence had. Before Sarah even had the chance to think, "Bill Gates" and the other nerdy-looking woman left together. Jareth would have won that bet, she thought.
Sarah glanced out the window and could have sworn that she saw a white barn owl, but it was gone within a second. Shaking her head, she looked to Tyler and said, "Are you ready?"
Tyler looked surprised at first, like his mind had been elsewhere, then he nodded. Leaving some money on the table, they took their leave.
As they walked away, "I don't think she had wide enough birthing hips for you!" could be heard coming from the woman.
If she had been with Jareth, he would have insisted that they stay long enough to see what happens. If she had been with Jareth, he would have wanted to win the bet entirely, not halfway.
But Sarah wasn't with Jareth; she was with Tyler.
And Tyler wasn't Jareth.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Later on, Sarah couldn't have told you what movie they saw, what genre it was, or what it was about.
She was distracted throughout the entire course of the film. Tyler seemed to have gathered up what courage he had to do something. Although it was what Sarah had been hoping for, she felt guilty for responding in even the most innocent fashion.
She couldn't suppress the feeling that she was being watched and every time Tyler held her hand, she felt like a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar … or a goblin touching the king's throne or playing with a crystal.
During their time spent at the theater, Tyler held Sarah close to him and held her hand. She had also caught him staring at her more than once. She had to admit that even though these signs of affection were better than practically being ignored, it did not feel the same.
If Jareth …. No … she had to stop thinking about Jareth. Tonight was for Tyler. She would see Jareth tomorrow night.
Tyler held Sarah's hand as they left the theater. Sarah hadn't realized how cold it was going to be or how late it would be before she returned home, and she shivered, wearing only her turtleneck. Tyler had been sweet enough to give her his jacket and hold her close to him.
As they drove in his car, he stole multiple glances of her and soon, she was home.
Tyler walked her to the front door and they stood there, feeling as awkward as teenagers after their first date.
"I guess I'd better go then," Tyler said, feeling as if the night had ended too soon. Sarah couldn't stop thinking about leaving for the Underground tomorrow night and how exhausted she was.
Sarah looked into Tyler's brown eyes and found that she missed those mismatched eyes that she had become so used to. Everything about Tyler was different, from his appearance to the way he held her.
Tyler placed his hand on Sarah's cheek and leaned in. Before anything could completely register in Sarah's mind, Tyler's lips were on hers and he was kissing her.
His kiss was soft and sweet. Sarah could still taste some of the popcorn that he had eaten earlier that night. Jareth's hurt expression randomly appeared in Sarah's mind and she had to pull away from her old friend.
She forced a smile and said "I'd better go in … before my father comes out."
Tyler smiled, nodded, and said "When can I see you again?"
Sarah shook her head and said, "Tyler, I leave for France tomorrow evening and there's no way I could keep in touch with you." - She chuckled - "I'm not a big believer in long-distance relationships. I won't be back until Toby's birthday."
Tyler looked disappointed, but nodded in compliance. "Then, I suppose that this is good-bye and goodnight. I'll miss you."
Sarah couldn't meet his eye. "I'll miss you too." She kissed him on the cheek then entered the house.
Tyler watched her go then walked back to his car.
On the way, a white barn owl flew in out of nowhere, scratched the side of his face while knocking his head sideways, and flew away.
Tyler didn't know what had happened or what had caused the bird to harm him, but at the moment, he didn't care. All he could think about was the kiss he had shared with Sarah.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Sarah let her father know that she was home and he told her that Toby was asleep.
She went into her room and changed silently into her pajamas.
She kept thinking about her date with Tyler and how different it would have been if it had been Jareth. She was too drained to care whether it was an outing or a date.
What she didn't understand was why she couldn't stop comparing Tyler to Jareth.
Sarah collapsed into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin and instantly fell asleep.
That night, she dreamt of home. But instead of seeing Jareth smiling and happy, as she always did, he stared at her accusingly and was obviously hurt.
Although she didn't want to admit it, she knew that Team Jareth was right.
If Jareth ever found out about this one date with Tyler, he would be hurt beyond words.
If Jareth had taken her out, she might have ended her night differently.
If Jareth had kissed her, her lips would still be tingling.
If Jareth had been with her tonight, it would have a night of fun that would have been worth remembering.
But she hadn't gone out with Jareth.
She had gone out with Tyler.
… And Tyler wasn't Jareth.
A/N: OK, Jareth didn't make it into this chapter and an important part for Toby hasn't been able to be seen yet but those will be in the next two chapters.
Now, my question is whose chapter do you want to read first ... Toby's or Jareth's? Tell me in a review and I'll make my decision based on those ;)
Thanks to magialuna, zotlot, Alexandraya, notwritten, and BAsupporter! I appreciate your feedback!
Special thanks to Alexandraya! Your review made me laugh so hard that my mother came into the room to see if I had finally lost my mind! =D
I'm sure they wouldn't object as soon as their clothes were off ;) As for Jareth's reaction, you'll just have to wait and see!
So everybody review and let me know which chapter you'd like to see first.
P.S I also hope that all of you "Team Jareth" people enjoyed the constant comparing of Tyler to Jareth. If not, then don't tell me because I found it amusing =]