16

When I woke up the next morning, Tyler was gone. The blanket was folded next to the pillow.

I sighed. Maybe I was trying too hard to be his friend. I could understand why Tyler would be uncomfortable staying with me, but I thought we were making progress.

I pulled out my phone to text him, but changed my mind.

Forget about it. Just let things play out the way that they're going to play out.

I did my best to put Tyler and the events of the last twelve hours out of my mind and went back to doing homework.

An hour and a half later, I finished reading Fahrenheit 451 and picked up my phone to a text message from Tyler.

Tyler: Sorry

Tyler: I didn't want to overstep

I don't think you ever could.

Me: You won't. I invited you for a reason

Me: If it's going to make you uncomfortable, I get it. Don't feel obligated. Just know that the offer is always available.

Tyler: Thank you

I was fully engrossed in writing my review paper of Fahrenheit 451, and almost fell out of my chair when my phone rang. My dad's face lit up the screen.

"Dad! I completely lost track of time!" I said, closing my laptop.

"Do you have a lot of homework already? We can reschedule our lunch date, if you need to." He sounded a little down.

"No, I'll be there. I just need to get my shoes on. I'll meet you at The Spot in, like, ten? Or, are you here already?"

"I'm at The Roasted Bean," he chuckled. "I'm guessing you want me to grab you something?"

"Yes, please," I said, digging my shoes out from my closet and slipping them on. "I've been wanting to try the frozen hot chocolate for a while. I'm heading out, and I'll meet you there."

"Frozen hot chocolate? Isn't that just basically a chocolate milkshake? Why over-complicate something that's already so good?"

"I don't know, Dad. That's why I want to try it."

He let out a long sigh. "You might get your looks from your mom's side of the family. That sass though? That's all Bresnahan."

I laughed. "I'll see you in a few minutes. And remember, frozen hot chocolate, not a chocolate milkshake."

"Yeah, yeah, I got it."

We hung up, and I headed out the door. I was still thinking about the conversation I had with Tyler earlier.

***

I sat down at a table at The Spot and waited for my dad. The Spot was an on-campus pizza place that was usually super busy.

"Wow, there's no one here," he said, sitting across from me and noticing how oddly quiet it was for a Saturday afternoon. He placed my frozen hot chocolate on the table in front of me and took a sip of his coffee.

"Well?" he asked as I took a drink. It tasted like hot chocolate powder mixed with milk and turned into a slush. I could have made this at Dad's house. Next time I'll just get a chocolate milkshake.

"It's not bad."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "That means it's also not good."

I jokingly rolled my eyes. "Funny. It's good, just not what I was expecting."

"Right, because you were expecting a chocolate shake, weren't you?"

I shook my head. "Weren't you supposed to order the pizza when you got here?"

"I called it in on the way here. Don't change the subject. You were disappointed that it wasn't a chocolate shake."

"Maybe a little. It's good though! Try it."

He just looked at me, and I knew I was trying too hard.

I was saved from trying to upsell the value of the frozen hot chocolate by the waitress bringing us our pizza. Two pieces of Hawaiian for my dad and one piece of pepperoni and one piece of cheese for me.

"Have you ever read Fahrenheit 451?"

"In middle school," he said, reaching for a piece of his pizza. "It's one of my favorites, actually. Why? Have you?"

"Yeah, I just finished it. We had to read it in Twentieth Century Fiction."

"And? Thoughts?" I opened my mouth to speak, but he interrupted me. "You had better not say ‘not bad' or I will actually disown you."

"I can't believe you didn't make me read it earlier. I can see why you like it so much."

He nodded. "Good. I guess I'll keep you around." He smiled at me and took a drink of his coffee. "How's everything else going?"

"So far so good. Well, mostly. Mom is still set on the whole Alpha thing. And," I looked down, fidgeting with my bracelet, "I met this guy."

He raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

"He's in my History class and I have to work on this big paper with him."

Dad didn't say anything. I looked up and saw him watching me, head slightly tilted. Tyler's green eyes flashed through my mind and I felt a slight smile tug at the corners of my mouth.

"And? Is that all?" Dad asked, starting on his second piece of pizza. I started picking pieces of pepperoni off my pizza and eating them.

Do. Not. Bring up the futon.

"I don't know yet. I think we're friends now? But he's interesting, Dad. I can't stop thinking about him."

"Lexi," he said softly, waiting for me to look up before he continued. "Don't rush into anything. And you know I'm always going to tell you to be careful. Don't give your heart to someone who doesn't deserve it."

Like I did with Brock.

"I won't. I learned my lesson last time."

He nodded, gathering our plates and cups as we stood. "Have you told your sister?"

"Yes, she's very invested."

"I'm sure she is," he said, as he deposited our trash in the trash can. He wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed my temple. "What's on the agenda for the rest of the day?"

Trying to figure out what's going on with Tyler and why he acted so weird this morning.

"I'll probably knock out my 451 paper while it's still fresh and just try to stay ahead of other stuff."

"Sounds like a busy day. Just don't forget to take some time to have fun."