Tyler was leaning against the hood of his car, oblivious to the group of sophomore girls who were chattering loudly right next to the neighbouring car. His hair shifted upon his forehead as it was pushed back by the light breeze, giving way to the intense concentration on his face. The girls looked up every couple of moments, purposely letting out loud shrieks of laughter but Tyler was too busy tapping repeatedly on his phone.

I guess the tenth graders were just too young to remember and nobody had warned them otherwise. I mean, they had been in middle school when Tyler began his descent from the top, so they had no idea what idiots they looked like, trying to get the attention of a guy who would never spare them a second glance.

As I approached Tyler, one by one, their heads perked up in my direction, following me with disdainful glares. Chuckling under my breath, I turned my attention back to my best friend's brother, letting out a laugh when his focused face fell.

"God dammit!" He breathed angrily, pocketing his phone and letting out a breath of frustration.

"Temple Run?" I asked, eyeing him carefully when his head shot up in surprise.

Once he registered the fact that it was only me, Tyler wrinkled his nose and pursed his lips. Shaking his head, he gave me an exasperated look.

"Flappy Bird." He grunted, moving his hair back when the wind pushed it into his eyes.

Grimacing, I let out a light laugh and crossed my arms over my chest.

"What's your high score?" I asked daringly.

His bottom lip jutted out as he pouted, giving me a sheepish look.

"Thirteen," Tyler replied pathetically, brushing his hair back once again and peering at me with a questioning look. "Yours?"

"Ninety seven."

I giggled when his jaw dropped, leaving his mouth wide enough to catch flies.

"Seriously?" He voiced incredulously, gaping at me.

I paused for a long moment, drinking in the adorable way his entire face lit up in astonishment before snorting.

"No, of course not!" I spluttered, feeling my face redden as I attempted to hold in my laughter. "Couldn't get past twenty."

The way in which his face dropped was so comical that I let out a guffaw, throwing my head back as I cackled at him.

"Did you seriously think I'd be that amazing?" I breathed between each laugh as Tyler gave me a flat look.

"Not funny," He grumbled, casting his eyes away as I leaned against his car hood and playfully bumped my shoulder against his.

"Aww come on Tyler, you know what I'm like," I grinned, causing him to glance up at me with a scowl. "You've always beaten me in every single game."

Just like the egoistic boy he used to be, Tyler's confidence and cockiness rocketed sky-high after being reminded how amazing he was at video games. His scowl lessened considerably, slowly dissolving into a goofy smile as he blinked at me.

"Oh yeah," His eyes glazed over at the memories I presented him. "I guess I am better than you at everything."

The smugness lacing his voice pulled my lips into a straight line as I gave him a flat look and rolled my eyes.

"Dude," I pulled out my phone and thrusted it in his face. "My high score is still better than yours."

Once again, the sheepish look returned before he mirrored my straight face, narrowing his eyes just a fraction.

"Just be quiet and get in the car," Tyler grumbled, shooting me an irritated look as he stood up to his full height and towered over me.

Sea-green eyes challenged me to retort, darkening at they roamed over my defiant stance. But the slight flicker of amusement was enough to make me back down and strut to the passenger side.

"Jeez, what a sore loser!" I muttered under my breath, opening the door before sinking into the leather seats and tossing my bag into the back seat.

When he slumped into the driver's seat, Tyler shot a glance at me and switched on the engine.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," He grunted, glancing over his shoulder as he peeled out of the parking lot.

The car journey was peaceful and silent, filled with the low buzz of the radio as Tyler kept his eyes on the road. Knowing that he wasn't paying the slightest attention to me, I stole numerous glances at him, acknowledging the subtle way his nose wrinkled up when he was focusing on the traffic, or the way his thumb drummed against the steering wheel when we stopped at an intersection. Not many people noticed that, up close, there was the faintest dusting of golden freckles splattered just across the bridge of his nose. I didn't want think about how I found out about those freckles, but my cheeks began to heat up.

"Do you do this to every person who gives you a ride?" Tyler's deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

He tore his gaze away from the road, eyeing me expectantly as he waited for an answer. Sucking in a breath, I jerked my head to the front so fast that I wouldn't have been surprised if I ended up suffering from whiplash.

"Do w-what exactly?" I stammered, cranking down the window to let some cold air in. Either the car was too hot or I was blushing. I definitely needed to let my cheeks cool down.

As we stopped at a traffic light, Tyler turned his body to the side so that he was facing me, giving me no way of escaping his burning gaze.

"I asked why you always stare so much," His voice was low, making my body tense as I tried to think of a suitable answer.

Instead, I wound the window even further down, letting a biting gust of wind chase away every inch of warmth in the car.

I could feel the weight of Tyler's gaze faltering when the traffic light turned amber, breathing a sigh of relief when he was force to turn his attention away from me to take the next left turn.

I didn't dare steal another glance at him again, instead focusing on the scenery outside the window, letting my eyes flicker on each store we whizzed past as we reached downtown. Propping my arm on the open window, I used it as a pillow and laid my head down, staring at the grey clouds as bronze leaves fluttered down from every tree.

We remained in a slightly uncomfortable silence, shivering as the ice-cold wind nipped at our cheeks and froze the interior of the car.

"If you're hot, I can just turn the AC on," Tyler offered, breaking the silence when we were a few blocks away from his house.

He leaned forward to press one of the many fancy buttons his car had. Instantly, I jerked forward and pushed his hand back, ignoring the surprise on his face.

"There's no need. I'm not cold," I replied, trying to keep my voice even but failing when it became hoarse.

I cleared my throat but Tyler had already noticed.

"You'll get one if you don't wind up that window."

His eyes returned to the road before flicking back to me. He stared at me, waiting for a response but after a couple of seconds, I felt myself snap at him.

"Eyes on the road Tyler."

Shuddering from the brisk coldness, he took a hand off the steering wheel and zipped his parka up to his chin, shooting me a doubtful look before shrugging his shoulders. Guilt swelled up inside me but I forced it back and grunted at my burning cheeks. Why were they still flaming hot? I thought the harsh wind would distinguish them to embers but instead they raged redder when Tyler's eyes roamed my face.

Moments before Tyler pulled up in front of his garage, I finally wound up the window, expecting a sarcastic remark from him but he was strangely quiet. Unbuckling his seatbelt, Tyler slid out of the car, leaving me behind as he sauntered down the path.

"Aren't you going to put your car in the garage?" I raised my voice when I slammed the passenger door shut behind me, making him turn around.

He shot me a flat look, blinking hard in an effort not to roll his eyes at me.

"And how do you intend to get home later?" He didn't refrain any sarcasm, letting it ooze from every word as he rose an eyebrow.

My mouth formed a perfect o-shape, and this time, Tyler didn't bother holding back an eye roll.

"That makes sense," I mumbled sheepishly, trudging after him as he started walking along the winding path that came to a halt at their spacious porch.

"It does, doesn't it," Tyler replied sardonically, albeit the teasing glint in his eyes pushed back my urge to punch him.

I still felt the sudden temptation to shove him off the path and into his mother's precious flowers, earning him the lecture of his life, but grunted instead. There was no point ruining Mrs Miller's picturesque patches of roses, foxgloves and tulips just to spite him, even if the poor stems didn't seem to be withstanding the windy weather much, trembling as each blast sent them leaning dangerously forward before they jerked back into an upright position.

Tyler hopped up onto the porch, slipping his house keys out of his back pocket and swiftly opening the front door. Sparing me a glance, he held his hand out as if he was a hotel doorman and motioned me to enter the house. I rolled my eyes and barged past him, diving into the warmth of his house as he shut the door behind him.

"Are your parents home?" I asked, looking at the grand staircase before letting my eyes flicker to the ceiling, listening for any sounds of movement.

The soft rustle of footsteps came from the living room, catching my attention until I just managed to grab the last of Tyler's grimace from my peripheral vision. I turned to him, waiting for a response as he unzipped his parka and put it on the coat hanger.

I shrugged off my jacket, placing it into his outstretched hand as he hung it up for me.

"They're still in New York working on a new case that's going to be presented to the Supreme Court." Tyler replied in a bitter tone, walking past me and dropping his backpack on the kitchen counter. "They disappeared the day after the anniversary and didn't bother telling me beforehand."

I followed him and dumped my own bag beside his. Tyler's hard eyes softened when I glanced at him with a pained smile, trying to console his taut shoulders by placing a hand on them. Sea-green eyes roamed my face, threatening to swallow me whole until he broke the contact and stared at his feet.

"It's the way they deal with the loss of their daughter," I whispered quietly, moving my hand to his arm and giving his tense muscles a squeeze. They loosened under my grip and Tyler visibly relaxed, letting out a defeated sigh.

"I know, I just wish they'd make more of an effort, y'know?" He sighed again and ran a hand over his face, revealing the fine lines forming around his eyes and giving way to the dark circles under his eyes.

"Yeah," I hung my head and stared at my feet. "You just want things to be how they used to."

Tyler nodded, blinking back his emotions until his frown deepened before it flipped it back up into a lazy grin. Unzipping his backpack, he carefully retrieved a sealed container and handed it over to me. I cracked open the lid and pulled the cake out, placing it on a plate, but not before swiping a finger along the edge and popping it into my mouth.

"I saw that!" Tyler chuckled, leaning against the marble island on his elbows, looking at me accusingly.

"Sorry, you can't blame me when this tastes like heaven," I mumbled, my voice sounding remorseful even though my actions said otherwise.

I dragged my finger along the exterior of the cake again, scraping another helping of cream cheese frosting. I expected him to smack my hand away but instead he breathed a laugh and gave me a wicked grin.

"Rosemary is gonna kill me for my presentation skills but who cares," Tyler dug his finger along the top of the white blanket, revealing a gash of dark red and ruining the perfect frosting.

"Tyler!" I hissed, staring at him with wide eyes as he sucked on his finger and watched me flash him a deep frown. "You're ruining your hard work!"

"You ruined it first Ashley," His moist finger ran along the cake again, this time in the opposite direction forming an X-shape.

Tyler smacked his lips and was about to take another helping of the frosting when I smack his hand sharply.

"Ouch!" He hissed, snatching his hand back and staring at the red skin, clearly offended by my attack.

"I told you not to ruin the cake!" I rolled my eyes when he rubbed his hand.

I didn't even smack it that hard! The boy may look tough and rugged, but he acted like such a wimp sometimes.

"Stop being a hypocrite Ashley," He grumbled, still rubbing his hand with a wounded expression.

Then to my disbelief and quicker than a cat's pounce, his entire hand scraped the frosting off the cake, this time tracing a zigzag along the exterior.

With a smug smile, he waved his hand before my face before popping all fingers into his mouth one by one.

"Mmm, this is so good," Tyler laughed as I just gawked at him in shock. "Want some?"

I leaned away when his wet, sloppy fingers reached out towards me. When he realised I wasn't going to let him touch me, his fingers moved towards the cake again.

My hand shot out again, this time hitting his skin with a loud smack.

"Tyler, if you touch the cake again, I'll hurt you far worse than that!" I hissed back, taking a threatening step forward as his eyes widened a fraction.

Then his eyes narrowed into slits, flickering between my eyes as he caressed his injured hand.

"Yeah? I'd like to see you try," He challenged me, leaning forward in a defiant nature as I squared my shoulders and stood my ground.

Sea-green eyes darkened dangerously as they roamed my face, drinking my deep frown and hard eyes. Bewilderment filled them when I gave him a sly grin, turning to the cake before shoving my fist into it and grabbing a handful.

"Mmmm, this is so good." I mimicked him, squishing the cake in my hand until it was a dark-red snowball before taking a bite. "Want some?"

Tyler's mouth hung open as he blinked at me before his eyes flashed.

Redness began to tinge his neck, creeping up to his face as the vein in his temple jumped up and down angrily. Just as he opened his mouth to yell at me, another voice interrupted our conversation with a booming laugh that was followed by a gleeful clap.

"You guys should start your own sitcom!" Rosemary laughed as she walked into the kitchen with a wide grin.

The dangerous glint in Tyler's eyes dulled into exasperation when he realised that murdering me in front of his housekeeper probably wouldn't go down too well. Knowing that he was capable of doing anything to me, I placed some distance between us and watched her eyes flicker towards the demolished cake.

"Dear god!" She gasped, staring at the sagging cake that I had destroyed. "Tyler what have I told you about presentation!"

Sea-green eyes flashed with incredulity and disbelief before they swivelled in my direction to shower me with a deathly glare.

"Me?" Tyler pointed at my face before jabbing at the corner of my mouth. In one quick motion, he swiped the skin and I felt my cheeks flame that he had just cleaned icing off my lip.

My cheeks burned even hotter when he popped the finger into his mouth, still glaring at me without realising that Rosemary was grinning wildly at the scene before her.

"Just look at all the cream around Ashley's mouth and tell me that I'm still the culprit here," Tyler finished off, wiping his finger on his jeans.

"That's what she said!" I sniggered, making his snap his head at me before they returned to Rosemary. I clamped a hand over my mouth when I realised that brown eyes were watching me with amusement, before mumbling, "Oops sorry."

"About my cake or your dirty mind?" Tyler muttered hotly under his breath.

As Rosemary clicked her tongue at him and turned around to look at the cake again, I tiptoed around her and leaned over towards Tyler, letting my warm breath fan his ear when I let out a laugh.

"Neither."

His eyes widened, meeting mine as his irritation dissolved into amusement. Without any warning, Tyler's lips curved up and he let out a laugh.

"Always knew you were kinky."

To my humiliation, Tyler's voice filled the entire kitchen, catching Rosemary's attention as she spun around and watched us both in astonishment. Brown eyes danced with amusement and something else I couldn't quite pinpoint, but her gaze was unnerving.

Heat filled my cheeks when her lips twitched and I stole a glance at the red-faced guy beside me. Tyler's ears were tinged with pink as they peeked out from a tuft a golden hair, but his wide eyes caught my attention as they flickered over to me before wandering around the room.

I had to admit he looked really cute with an embarrassed grimace, and I felt my eyes scan his face, searching for the nervous traits he used to have. I was surprised that I still remembered how Tyler used to rake his left hand through his hair whenever he used to get nervous, anxious or embarrassed.

As if on cue, his left hand shot up, pushing back his hair to reveal his unblemished forehead before the golden glory flopped back down. Without making a comment, Rosemary turned around but not before catching my eye and flashing me a wink. I coughed, spluttering and choking my own saliva when I realised what she was insinuating. Did Rosemary really think that Tyler and I...

Seriously?

Alarmed at my sudden choking, Tyler's head snapped up in my direction, acknowledging my red face.

"Are you okay?" He asked slowly in a hesitant voice.

Placing a hand on my chest, I gulped a mouthful of air and met Rosemary's smug brown eyes before nodding at Tyler without taking my eyes off her. Her gaze lingered on me for another second before she shuffled past me to a drawer on the far left. Retrieving a spoon, Rosemary scooped up the cake, making certain there was some cream cheese frosting accompanying the burgundy clumps of cake.

"Is this even edible?" She asked, shooting both of us a terrified glance before eyeing the mountainous scoop she had picked up.

My chest tightened when Tyler's face fell and guilt swelled inside my chest because I was the first person to start ruining his cake.

"Of course it's edible!" I replied, "I know it looks... well, like everything a cake shouldn't look like, but it tastes divine. Trust me."

They both eyed me with a bemused expression at my burst of enthusiasm but when Rosemary looked down at the cake, Tyler's lips pulled up into a grateful smile. My cheeks tinged with pink and I averted my gaze towards Rosemary as she reluctantly put the spoon in her mouth.

"Kids!" She spluttered, beaming at us as she swallowed a mouthful. "This is marvellous!"

I giggled when she picked up another spoonful and closed her eyes, wrinkling her nose slightly as she made a face.

"Needs a little less sugar though."

Tyler nodded, taking on board Rosemary's constructive criticism like a true gentlemen. It was humbling to watch his eyes light up when she pulled him into an unexpected hug.

"You have no idea how proud I am of you," She pinched his cheeks when they pulled apart.

"It's just cake." Tyler rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly shooting me a side glance.

I gave him a thumbs up, receiving an eye roll in response but it didn't matter. His lips were stretched into a wide grin, and that was really all that mattered to me.

Rosemary tucked a few stray hairs behind her ears, beaming at Tyler.

"It's more than 'just cake'." She replied softly, patting his shoulder before turning to face me. In a hopeful voice she asked, "Are you staying for dinner Ashley?"

Her plump hand landed on my forearm. I quickly looked at Tyler who was busily shoving a crumbling slice into his mouth, chewing loudly whilst his sea-green eyes flickered in my direction, waiting for me to answer Rosemary's question.

"Yeah, are you staying?" He mumbled, covering his mouth his a hand but still managing to let a few crumbs rain down his shirt.

I bit back a laugh when he quickly brushed the cake remnants away and blinked up at me, sheepishly trying to act like he hadn't just swept the crumbs away like there were spiders crawling up his chest.

"Sure," I grinned, turning back to Rosemary, "What's on the menu?"

"Pizza, right?" Tyler interjected, shooting his housekeeper a puppy-dog look when she frowned deeply at his suggestion.

"I was going to whip up something better since Ashley's here," She mused, drinking in Tyler's pout before eyeing me.

"I'm too hungry to wait two hours for you to make something," He whined, draping an arm around my shoulder. Ignoring Rosemary's eye roll at the two hour exaggeration, his eyes found mine. "Plus Ashley doesn't mind pizza, do you?"

I was too busy trying to swallow my surprise that his muscular arm was resting on my shoulder, setting the skin on my nape on fire. Struggling to conjure up a coherent sentence, I just shook my head. This caused Tyler's arm to pull me a fraction closer to him when he gave Rosemary a smug grin.

"See! So can we get pizza?" He pleaded.

Brown eyes fell upon me, taking in my flustered and awkward smile.

"Fine, I'll call them up now." She turned to Tyler, sporting a questioning warm smile, waiting for him to tell her what toppings he wanted.

"I want tomatoes, red onions, pepperoni, jalapenos, tandoori chicken and garlic sauce. And Ashley wants..." He dropped his arm from my shoulder and glanced down at me with a thoughtful expression. My insides flipped, filling up with liquid heat until he turned back to Rosemary. "Ham, pineapple and pepperoni but tell them to lay off the extra cheese."

My jaw unhinged itself and fell to the floor as I struggled to comprehend the astonishing fact that Tyler knew my all time favourite pizza toppings.

"How did you know?" I croaked, barely able to form a sentence.

Two pink spots formed on his cheeks as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Probably Taylor?" He replied sheepishly in a slightly higher pitch than usual.

I picked my jaw up off the ground and ignored Rosemary's wide grin when I turned my body to face Tyler.

"Your sister was attentive but we all know her memory was absolutely crap," I rolled my eyes at his obvious lie.

Tyler bit his lip, staring at the ground as I shared a weird look with his housekeeper - that was, until she flashed me a suggestive wink -  then I had no choice but to look away, blushing at her insinuation as she called Domino's Pizza and placed our order.

"You kids occupy yourselves until it comes. I'll leave the money in the hallway," She paused, placing the house phone on the counter before letting her brown eyes flicker between Tyler and I. "I have to pop over to the grocery store and run some other errands for a while. You'll both be okay for a few hours, right?"

"Rosemary, we're eighteen not eight." Tyler drawled, pouting when she gave him a stern look for using sarcasm.

This time, she didn't bother concealing her suggestive look and flashed us both a wink.

"Exactly my point."

Once she left the room, an uncomfortable silence settled inside the kitchen, coaxing me to bite my fingernails to ease my anxiety. I could hear Rosemary's chuckles even after she disappeared into the hallways and that only made my cheeks burn hotter.

"So, umm," I paused, clearing my throat as sea-green orbs observed me. "Exactly how long is the pizza going to take?"

"Probably no more than half an hour, but if we're lucky then it might come earlier."

I nodded, rocking back and forth on my heels as silence fell between us again. The sudden slam of the front door indicated Rosemary's departure making me bite my lip as I shyly glanced around the kitchen. My eyes landed on the final slice of cake and my mouth began to water. It was smaller than my fist and had a large indent on it's upper surface where I had destroyed it earlier.

When my eyes locked with Tyler's, I felt incredibly unnerved that they were already on me, watching me as I licked my chapped lips. We both eyed the final slice, before looking at each other. His intentions were much easier to work out compared to dodging his hand when he tried to shove me out of the way. Being a head shorter than him, I ducked and snatched the slice before darting out of the kitchen.

"Hey that's mine!" He bellowed but I kept sprinting, struggling to bring the slice to my mouth while keeping up my pace.

The drumming echo of Tyler's rapid footsteps made me push my thighs harder. I took a sharp left and skidded into their ginormous, high-ceiling living room, barely missing their cinema screen sized television before I slammed into the sofa, toppling onto the soft beige cushions.

Winded by my minor fall, my breathing hitched considerably when I heard Tyler laugh.

"Gotcha!" His voice sounded so close that I jumped up and spun around, startled to find him leaning against the door frame, barely breaking a sweat.

On the other hand, I was panting heavily, frantically scanning the room as I searched for my next big escape but my only option was to stagger backwards. From the corner of my eye, I spotted the glass doors leading to the garden and quickly reviewed my options as Tyler took slowly steps towards me.

I could've just handed him the slice and faced defeat; I could've sprinted to the nearest door that opened up to his parent's office rooms; or I could've darted around his outstretched arms to make a run for the garden.

The devilish grin on Tyler's lips made my terror heighten and I made a rash decision. I made a break for the garden, skimming past his slender fingers as they grazed my waist.

"Ha ha!" I squealed triumphantly, wrenching the door open and stumbling into their garden.

When the sunlight blinded me like a spotlight in a school stage production, I held a hand over my brow and squinted, grunting at my stupid decision.

Tyler's backyard was the size of our school's soccer pitch with plenty of space to run but barely anywhere for me to hide.

I shot past the swaying swing-seat, almost stopping to marvel at how many times Taylor and I had shared secrets under the stars when I couldn't sleep. Nostalgia began to cloud my senses but hearing Tyler's heavy breathing behind me was enough to jolt me back into reality.

"Crap!" I hissed as I stumbled past the angel fountain. It was identical to the monument in front Taylor's burial site and it watched me with it's eerily beautiful, stone eyes.

Shooting a glance over my shoulder, I squealed in surprise when I acknowledged the thunderous glint in Tyler's eyes. He was a metre's distance behind me and closing in - fast.

"Hand it over Ashley!" He bellowed, sounding pissed off that I was scurrying around his backyard like a pesky rodent that had just landed upon a slice of cheese.

"Never!" I screeched with a hysterical giggle, taking a sharp left towards the pool.

The kidney shaped pool was one of the Miller residence's greatest attractions. It was a snapshot of a five-star hotel pool, marked with mosaic tiles that glimmered in the deep sunset, giving the turquoise water an orange glow that blinded me for a split second.

Feeling grateful that cycling had toned my muscles to a rock hard status, I was able to outrun Tyler for a minute as we circled the pool like Tom and Jerry. Kicking through numerous leaves that had fallen from massive oak tree that overlooked the pool, I heard my silvery laughter coincide with Tyler's profanities.

He shot swear words my way when his fingers grazed the hem of shirt, brushing the skin around my waist but he wasn't close enough to grab hold of me. Exhilarated by Tyler's obvious frustration, adrenaline egged me on, making my cackles ring louder.

"I made the cake so I should get the last slice!" He roared as I felt his hand yank a few strands of my long curls.

Wincing, I came to a sudden halt, screeching when a jolting pain shot through my scalp.

"Tyler!" I screamed when he slammed into my back, making me career forward.

Losing my balance, I whirled around just as his arm shot out to steady me. Surprised that he had hurt me, Tyler's vice grip loosened giving me the chance to shove him back. Apologetic eyes regarded me but I was one step ahead of the remorseful guy before me.

Keeping a tight hold on the cake slice, I rubbed my scalp with my free hand and then flipped the bird at Tyler.

His wide eyes crossed together, struggling to focus on my finger since my hand was an inch away from his face. I stifled a giggle at how cute he looked but used the opportunity to dart past him, chortling like a maniac as his unfocused eyes hardened.

"Come back here!" Tyler roared, sprinting after me as we circled the pool again.

Since I was on a high, giggling with my curls billowing in the breeze, I failed to notice that Tyler had changed direction. My eyes bulged out of their sockets when I glimpsed his blond hair flopping everywhere, speeding towards me.

Realising that there was nowhere else for me to run, I slowed down until I was standing by the edge of the pool, giving Tyler's long limbs the chance to catch up to me.

"Shit, what now?" I muttered to myself, spinning around to face the towering, former athlete who was hurtling towards me faster than the speed of light.

It was only when the hazy sunlight bathed his entire face in a warm orange glow that I caught a glimpse of the dangerous glint in his eyes.

Tyler was a metre away from me when I realised his intentions but it was too late to react when his muscular body slammed me into the pool like wrestling move.

The entire world flipped under my feet as my head broke the crystalline water surface. Air was sucked out of my lungs and it was replaced with water, cold and icy. My body sank like a stone, plummeting into the chilling, deep end before gently touching the tiled bottom of the pool. By the time I resurfaced, I was hacking out litres of water that I had swallowed on the way down.

"Tyler!" I screeched, flailing around as I tried to locate him. "I'm going to kill you!"

A deep, rumbling laughter tickled my left ear, forcing a high shriek to leave my lips. I jerked violently when I felt his hard body press into my back.

"You should have known not to test me Ashley."

The warmth of his breath heated my ear, sending a rippling shiver down my spine although I was certain that it was due to the icy water.

Spinning around, I glowered at him, shocked to see that his eyes were sparkling with amusement, completely devoid of any anger. That sight, accompanied with his flat hair, glistening skin and dazzling grin, all resulted in my quickening heartbeat.

"You're such a j-jerk!" I planted my hands on his chest, ready to shove him away from me but they remained put.

Underneath my fingertips, an erratic drumming stole my attention, making me wonder if I was imagining his strangely hammering pulse.

Tyler cocked up an eyebrow, challenging me to lash out against him but I just marvelled at the curvature of his pectoral muscles, questioning how he managed to stay in shape when he quit soccer. I knew that he wasn't as built as he used to be but there was still a lot of definition under his drenched shirt. Mentally smacking myself for checking him out, I reluctantly pushed myself away from him.

"Jerk is my middle name." He joked humorlessly, letting out a bitter laugh. "Can't help my second nature when you're acting like a starved, sugar-deprived animal."

"I am not! I just like cake!" I huffed, using both my hands to slick back my curls.

When a dark red sponge bobbed past Tyler, he eyed it warily. With an amused smirk, I watched it float towards me, questioning my next actions before I shrugged my shoulders. I snatched the soggy slice of cake and popped it into my mouth.

"Mmm," I giggled when Tyler scrunched up his face with disgust. "Chlorine and red velvet will definitely get us an A in the assignment."

He scoffed, wading towards me as I backed away, terrified that he was going to make me spit it out.

"Get away from me," I stifled a laugh when I kissed my fingers like a chef and swallowed the remaining cake in my mouth. "C'est magnifiqué!"

My bad French accent made Tyler throw his head back and laugh.

"Let's just ignore the fact that you take French and can't even come up with a decent sentence," He chuckled, raking a hand through his hair. "You are, without doubt, the grossest girl I have ever met Ashley."

Flashing him a cocky grin, I dramatically flipped my ratty locks over my shoulders.

"Well what can I say?" I giggled, too absorbed into our conversation to notice him edging closer. "Gross is my middle name."

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[A/N: Howdy y'all. Lol jk. I'm begging to be American when my accent is as cockney as they can get. Okay, it's not East London kinda bad or that typical Essex drawl but...oh whatever.

Anyway, I had to split this chapter in half otherwise it would have been l o o o n g g g g. Like really long.

Next chapter: "Tattoos And See-Through Shirts" so you can knock yourselves out with curiosity.

I'll see you in four days amigos.

Vote, comment and fan.

- Kaddy]