34. Tyson

I parkand exit the car, giving one final glance to my phone.

Tyson: How’s your morning? I miss you.

She never responds, but I can see the read receipts. I walk up the short stairs and ring the doorbell.

“Hey, son,” my dad says, moving out of the way and giving me space to walk.

“Hey.”

We walk through the front into the living room. “What brings you by again? This is like the fourth time this week.”

I stuff my phone in my pocket and have a seat on the sofa. “Some things happened a few weeks ago.”

“Oh, like what?” My dad looks back from his favorite chair while flipping channels.

“Me and Tyree got into it.”

He rears back with his eyebrows dipped low. “What? Why?”

I hold my head down and release a breath.

“Shit, Dad, it’s so fucked up.”

“Damn, what happened?”

I lean back with my head resting on the sofa and spill everything. Other than the next day with August, I haven’t talked to anyone since it all went down. I reached out to Tyree a few days later to find I was blocked, and I understand it. I’m not sure what I would have said if he had answered.

“Let me start by saying I know I’m fucking wrong. Tyree has been my boy since college. But I fell in love with his fiancée. I don’t even know how I let myself go down that road. I know it’s selfish. But dad,” I say, shaking my head. “She’s it. I’ve never felt this kind of pain.”

I close my eyes, fighting the need I have to see her. I’ve been fighting for over two weeks.

“Shit, wow, son. I gotta be honest. If somebody had tried that with your mother, I would have fucked them up. Friendship means something, and fourteen years is a long ass time. I’d wonder if you were always a snake and I missed it. I’d wonder who I let into my home.”

I rub my face in a swift scrubbing motion. “Believe me, I know. But you always told us sometimes you have to be selfish.”

“Damn, boy, I was talking about taking care of yourself. Going to the game, or not stretching yourself too thin. I did not mean to steal one of your oldest friend’s woman.”

“I can’t steal her. She’s not a t-shirt,” I say, sitting up.

“So what did she do?”

I swallow and turn my head. “She won’t talk to me. I’ve tried to give her space because I know I blew up her life, but I know she has to feel it.”

“Damn, you did all of this on a whim?” He laughs.

“Are you really laughing at me, Dad?”

“Am I laughing at my son, who is still the impulsive, bright-eyed kid with the best of intentions and questionable delivery? I sure the hell am. Son, what the fuck were you thinking? Ass-whooping aside—which you still deserve because you can’t take a man’s girl and think shit gon’ stay sweet. It’s on sight every time I see you, but that’s my generation.” He shrugs.

I laugh this time, too. My dad says whatever is on his mind.

“So what, your advice is to be prepared to fight?”

“I would, but no. My advice is, what are you waiting on?”

I narrow my eyes at him before I speak. “What? I’m waiting for her to tell me?—”

“Stop right there. Did you wait for her before you professed your love in front of her fiancé and God?”

I bite my lip and take a deep breath.

“Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission. Plus, I know you’re not this cool.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You professed your love and got radio silence, yet you haven’t given up.”

I sit back and shrug. “You always told us persistence was key.”

“Persistence. Yeah, well, it could also count as a felony, so tread lightly, son.” My dad laughs. “I’m trying to figure out what you see that makes you think it’s worth pursuing. Why you would destroy a friendship like this.”

I close my eyes and think about his words.

“On the surface, it doesn’t make sense. It’s like knowing the odds of playing Powerball.” I squeeze my neck and sit up, moving my elbows to my knees. “I’m aware of the odds. I know it’s not in my favor, but Dad, I think I can win.”

My father looks at me for a long while before he nods. Growing up, my dad has always been my hero. I’d never talk this freely with anyone else, but he knows me. He knows I wouldn’t do something like this for no reason, as fucked up as it is.

“Feels like you should be talking to her and not me. Absence doesn’t always make the heart grow fonder, and time away might shift this out of your favor.” He turns to the TV and focuses on a home improvement show.

“That’s your way of dismissing me?”

“Nah, I’ve been waiting to see what they’re about to do with this deck and pool. In the last episode, they did a built-in waterfall. Shit was timed to lights and everything,” he says with fondness.

“That’s it?”

“No sense in speaking what we both know. Get your ass off your shoulders and be about the action, son.” He still hasn’t moved his eyes from the TV, but I smile.

He’s right. I’ve been moping and waiting for her to respond. I’d probably be more anxious if her friend Marissa didn’t fill me in on some things. All my attempts to get direct information about Issa were met with resistance. She would tell me she was not involved and I needed to talk to Issa about it. But a few days after everything happened, she told me about Issa’s dad. I wouldn’t even have had her number had it not been for the wedding meet and greet. Since I was the best man and she was the maid of honor, we had each other’s contacts for that.

It took everything in me not to show up where she was, but I knew she was dealing with a lot, and I didn’t want to add to the stress. I remember her telling me about her parents’ trip and how excited they were to travel.

“On that note, I’ll see you later. Tell mom I dropped by.” I stand and move to the door.

“Son, now comes the hard part.”

I pause and turn back. He doesn’t say the words, but his meaning is clear. It’s about to be an uphill battle for her to talk to me. I nod and continue out of the house.

I pull out my phone and look through my text thread. Still no response. I already know she’s staying at Marissa’s house because she let it slip when she told me about Issa’s dad. I don’t think she noticed it, but I filed it away. I’m not sure if she’s still there, but I know it’s where I’ll start.

I ring the doorbell and stuff my hands in my pockets while I wait.

“Girl, what did you forget?” Marissa says as she opens the door. She freezes when she sees it’s me, and her mouth falls open.

“Well, hello. What brings you by, Tyson?”

I cock my head to the side before saying, “Come on, Marissa. You know why I’m here.”

“Do I?”

“Marissa.”

“Okay, okay, true, I do know, but you just missed her.”

I turn to look around the yard as though she’s hiding in the bushes.

“You have”—she pauses to look at her watch—“forty-five minutes, give or take, to catch her before she’s gone.”

I scowl and stand straighter. “Gone? Gone where?”

“Flight UN005 leaves in forty-three minutes. You’ve already wasted two of them.”

“What?”

“Listen, Tyson, I’m not doing this for you; it’s for Lis. I saw something when it came to you two. Even though she never voiced it, we’ve been friends too long for me to miss the chemistry.”

I smile, thinking if her friend acknowledges the chemistry, then it can’t be one-sided and I’m not alone.

“I’ll tell you the details, but you need to leave now.”

With those words, I’m flying down the driveway and hopping into my car to get to her.