Chapter_7
Tyler’s voice cut through the silence, the weight of his words hanging in the air. “If you still find this weird, you can try treating me as a friend.”
A friend? Olivia’s heart skipped a beat. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it, but the situation was far from funny. Would friends sleep together? The question lingered in her mind, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that everything had become a blur of obligation and pressure, not friendship. How was she supposed to navigate this?
Tyler waited quietly for her response, his gaze steady, giving nothing away. Olivia’s mind raced, her thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind. Naomi couldn’t wait much longer, and Mrs. Jones certainly wouldn’t allow her to drag things out. She was standing at the edge of a cliff, and there was nowhere to run.
The past two times had been traumatizing, each one leaving her trembling and gasping for breath. She could still feel the weight of those moments in her chest. She was trapped between what she feared and what was expected of her.
She managed to squeeze out a response, her voice barely audible. “Got it.”
Tyler didn’t linger after her response. He simply nodded and said, flatly, “I’ll send you home later,” before turning and heading back into Naomi’s ward.
Olivia stood there for a moment, her hands clenched at her sides, her thoughts a jumble of confusion and dread. What had just happened? Was this how things were going to be now?
Inside the ward, Naomi was still recovering, but the news had clearly taken a toll on her. She had lost her appetite and looked defeated. Mrs. Jones was beside herself with worry, and when she saw Tyler, a look of relief passed over her.
“Tyler…” Mrs. Jones’s voice wavered with an undercurrent of desperation.
Tyler didn’t acknowledge her immediately. Instead, he walked over to Naomi’s side, sitting down and gently reaching for her hand. “Maybe you should eat something you like. You need to keep your strength up,” he suggested softly.
Naomi shook her head weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t feel like eating.”
Tyler’s expression softened, but his resolve remained. “We have porridge. I’ll feed you,” he said, his tone gentle but firm.
Naomi’s eyes welled up with tears, and she grasped his hand. “Why did this happen to me, Tyler?” she asked, her voice broken.
Tyler’s features softened further as he took the porridge and, with great care, began to feed her. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” he reassured her. “Okay?”
Naomi nodded, visibly calming as she allowed him to feed her. The warmth and care Tyler showed her were undeniable. It was clear to Olivia that Naomi was the one who held his heart.
Olivia stood frozen at the door, her stomach twisting with a strange mix of sadness and envy. She had once depended on Jacob in the same way, but those moments felt like they belonged to someone else now—someone from a life that was slipping through her fingers.
As she watched them, the weight of it all pressed down on her. She felt like an outsider in her own family, caught between two people who needed something she couldn’t give.
Later that evening, Tyler drove Olivia home, but the silence between them felt suffocating. The car moved steadily through the night, the dark streets blurring by, and Olivia began to realize they weren’t heading to the Jones residence. She glanced at Tyler, but he said nothing, only asking, “Are you hungry? Let’s grab something to eat.”
She wasn’t hungry, but she couldn’t quite bring herself to turn him down. “I’m not hungry, thank you,” she said quietly, her hands gripping the seatbelt as if it could offer some comfort.
“Alright,” he replied, his tone flat.
The car continued to roll forward, and soon, it stopped in an unfamiliar place. Olivia looked around, her unease growing. The area was quiet, dark, and empty, with only the sound of cicadas breaking the stillness. She felt the sudden chill of her dress against her skin, and a knot tightened in her stomach. She had a sinking feeling that she knew what might happen next.
Tyler didn’t say anything, just sat there in the driver’s seat, his posture relaxed, but the air between them thickened with tension. Olivia’s heart raced in her chest, the beat echoing in her ears. She wanted to speak, to ask him where they were, but the words wouldn’t come. Her mind was in turmoil, her emotions spiraling out of control.
Without warning, Tyler reached over and pulled her into an embrace.
She froze, like a startled bird caught in a trap. Her body stiffened as she pressed her hands against her arms, her breath quickening. She could feel his warmth, the steady rise and fall of his chest, and the intoxicating scent of sandalwood that seemed to envelop them both.
Neither of them spoke. Their breaths became ragged, filled with a tension that neither of them knew how to break. Tyler’s lips were mere inches from hers, and Olivia could feel his presence, overwhelming and suffocating, closing in on her.
“I know you’re scared,” Tyler’s voice was a soft whisper against her ear. “Relax.”
She didn’t know how to relax. She didn’t know how to breathe, how to stop the panic rising in her throat. She wanted to run. She wanted to escape, but in this confined space, she was frozen, unable to move.
He whispered again, his voice low, coaxing. “Come closer. Don’t be scared.”
Olivia hesitated, her body trembling. She wanted to resist, but his words were like a pull she couldn’t ignore. Slowly, she moved, shifting her body, trying to comply. She rested her face on his shoulder, her breath still erratic.
In the midst of the chaos, Tyler’s hand slipped to her waist, pulling her closer, his body pressing against hers. Their breaths quickened, their hearts pounding in sync, as the distance between them vanished.
“Olivia,” Tyler whispered her name, the sound of it wrapped in a question, a plea.
Her mind spun. She didn’t understand. Why was he doing this? Why were they like this? How could two people who barely knew each other be so intimate, so tangled in this mess of desire and confusion?
Her thoughts scattered as his lips brushed against hers, and for a moment, she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began.