You run.

You run, and you run.

Finally, you're in front of this big house. Storming inside, you look around frantically—heart racing, searching for someone.

That one.. special person.

That's when you spot two blondes chatting among a group of people. For a second, you stop in your tracks—hesitating. But the urgency of the situation outweighs any uncomfortable feelings or drama—not that what you're about to bring up isn't drama either though. So, pushing aside your hesitation, you stride up to them and unleash your pent-up frustration—pointing directly at Wyatt with accusatory intensity.

"Is this what you want, Wyatt? You win! Are you happy now?!"

Your words echo through the room, startling everyone, but especially the two blondes you know all. too well. Dominic raises his eyebrows in surprise at your sudden appearance—however, probably more surprised by your attendance at this party instead of your riot entrance. Wyatt instead, looking utterly taken aback by your outburst. Confusion flickers across Wyatt's face momentarily as he stares at you with his knitted eyebrows.. before recognition sets in..

The bet.

"The fuck Em? I even forget about it by now—"

"So you made a bet that ruined me and Tyler's life—"

"Don't drag me into this—"

"and you have the fucking audacity to forget about it?!" you shout, brushing off Tyler's attempt to grab your arm—who takes a deep breath, feeling uneasy as he glances at his bro. Tyler, who had just arrived behind you—and paused in panting breaths, tries to intervene but stops short as he notices the other blonde—who happens to be his newfound mortal enemy.

Even at his arrival, Dominic throws his head back in exasperation, glancing between the three of you—before he silently pleads with his friends nearby to ignore the impending drama. Still, they're not moving, glued to the floor, becoming more invested in what's going to happen.

Liam gulps nervously, his guilty expression showing regret as he tries to explain himself, "I'm sorry, Em... I really just—I was trying to help, okay? It was supposed to be a harmless dare—setting you up with Tyler, since we all know how you two are—" stopping mid sentence to glance uncomfortably to the figure beside him, he adds, "but I really had no idea about Dom—"

"What happened, Em?" Hunt interjects, still, after everything that's happened, he's still willingly saving Wyatt's ass.

"Everything's messed up, Dom! You and Ty! Ty and Lucy! You and me! And it's all because of him!" you retort passionately, jabbing your finger accusingly at Wyatt. Looking like eternal fire about to fire off your nose.

Dom sighs deeply and glances at Liam—who merely runs a hand through his hair. Suddenly, Eve and Tara burst into the room, panic written across their faces—must've just heard about this ongoing incident from one of the partygoers.

The room falls silent, the tension thick in the air as everyone waits for Wyatt's response—who finally takes a deep breath and finally speaks, "Look, Em, I screwed up. I shouldn't have let it go this far. You said I won—" he pauses and purses his lips before spreading his arms wide to frustratingly shout in spasms, "but for what—?!"

"Wait.." Tyler suddenly cuts in, his eyes narrowing as realization dawns on him—causing Wyatt to stop mid his grandeu speech. Tyler turns to you, suspicion evident in his gaze.

"What do you mean he wins?"

"The bet ruined our lives, Ty! He—"

"No. Not that."

Tyler cocks his head to the side, glancing at you, then at a confused Liam. With suspicion in his eyes, he asks, "For Liam to win, we should be single—" he looks at Dom, then back at you, resuming, "and what do you mean.. you and him—"

And your face drains of color—your anger shifts to panic. Seeing your reaction, Tyler's expression immediately shifts to suppressed pure rage. And in a low.. menacing voice.. he addresses..

"You're not with Dom and you didn't tell me?"

You look away, and your worried gaze automatically meets Dom's.. to Eve.. Tara.. then to Liam's.. In a blink, Tyler snaps his head to Liam—to find him immediately looking away in fear. Tyler's eyes widened in disbelief, "You knew?! You fucking. knew?!" He then turns to Dom, then to Eve—who looks extremely uncomfortable—even to Tara, who's been staring with a cringe on her face.

"Spectacular! Everybody knew except for me!"

Stepping away as he runs his fingers through his hair, he tries to calm himself by taking a deep breath, until he turns back to you.

"Since when?"

But you stay silent. Tyler immediately turns to the others.

"Hunt, when was this?"

Not surprised. He's only to be met with disappointment as Hunt only rolls his eyes and sighs. Losing patience, Tyler moves to Wyatt—his eyes full of daggers as he growls,

"Wyatt, when was this?"

Only to be met with Liam's stammer as he stares at him—before he glances at you, asking for help—

"After your fight with him."

Cavill's body goes rigid. Turning slowly to you.. his eyes widening in shock as he cocks his head to the side, calculating the timeline. Sighing, you emphasize, "Before our last meet at the lake, I met with him first and—"

"Four months."

Tyler looks at you with disbelief, completely stunned. "Four months and the others knew—" he points at Liam—to everyone—while his eyes still fixed on you, before he finally explodes,

"4 months?! And you didn't tell me—?!"

"Tyler—"

"What. the. fuck?!"

Feeling nauseous, you turn.. and run.

As you dash out, Tyler, throwing his head around in frustration, shouts, "Don't you dare run away from—Emilia!"

Outside, you sprint down the street, your heart pounding—the world around you a blur. The sound of Tyler's footsteps behind you grows louder—still, you're not daring to look back.

"Tell me—why do you always have to run?! Might as well join a marathon, Winters!"

Irritated, you eventually glance back—to see him gaining on you. His eyes squinted, mouth pouts in a funny way that makes you cringe and turn away—you trip, slightly, but fortunately fast enough to catch yourself and try to pick up speed. Running past your house, you see Mr. Cavill just arriving as he waves,

"Heeey Em—"

But you keep running, face scrunched in determination. Puzzled, Greg watches you go by and as he turns his head—to spot his son, chasing after you. Greg shouts, "Brat, what happened—?!"

But the brat—with another face scrunched in determination, just runs past him. Violet steps out of the house, noticing her son sprinting down the street. She moves her head a little to the right.. to see you not far in front of him, heading towards the lake. Patting Greg's head, she nods,

"Teenagers, baby. Teenagers."

Mimicking Usain Bolt, you dash around a corner, thinking you've lost him—but Tyler is relentless. "You can't avoid this forever, Emily!" he calls, getting closer. You take a sharp turn behind a tree, hoping to find a hiding spot. Breathing heavily, you turn around—just as Tyler appears in front of you. Growling in annoyance, you kick the grass under you. Panting, the both of you stare at each other in an awkward encounter.

"If you wanted to hide, why pick a place I know about, you idiot?" Tyler pants, frustration clear in his voice.

"Heh—just wanted to tire you out, Rambo. Make you annoyed," you retort, a challenging glint in your eye.

"Well, it's fucking working!" he shouts. And without missing a beat, he lunges forward—and you dart backward! The chase is on, both of you dodging around trees and bushes like kids—teenagers.

"Seriously, Em! This is ridiculous!" Tyler huffs, trying to catch up to you.

"Catch me if you can, so-called pitcher!" you challenge in a mocking hint while weaving through the trees—which succeeded in making him more heated. Tyler chases you even faster, almost catching up to you!

"I knew you didn't love him, but what's fucked up is that—I thought you were still dating him, Em! If I had known you broke up a long time ago—" he weaves right as you weaves left, "I wouldn't have felt so guilty everytime we—!"

"That was the whole point! So we wouldn't be together!" you shout back, ducking behind another tree, peeking out.

He stops for a moment, catching his breath—glaring at you. With a look of disbelief, he snaps, "Why are you so phobic about 'us'?!"

Taking the opportunity to make a run for it again, you dart swiftly through the grass. With a burst of speed, unfortunately—he catches up and pulls you into his arms! Causing both of you to tumble to the ground, rolling in the soft grass!

You let out a surprised yelp as the two of you roll, and roll—the lake becoming closer.. and closer—! The two of you scream in manic manner! But as you get near the edge of the lake—as if by divine intervention—you both come to a stop, pressed against a big log!

Breathless and tangled together, you find yourself already wrapped tightly around each other. As you both realize how close the two of you are, there's a shared sense of surprise—the frantic beating of your hearts could be heard from a mile away. You don't know whether it's because of the adrenaline of your loco-chase-act.. or.. because of this.. electric feeling going on between you two.

Showing how this moment entertains him, Tyler gives a lopsided grin, eyes sparkling mischievously as he brushes a strand of hair behind your ear to say,

"Gotcha."

Your expression shifts from bashful to annoyance when you try to squirm free from his grasp—but he holds you firmly in place despite your protest, holding you in place. And eventually, you relent, feeling defeated.

You give him the frustrated look before burying your face against his chest with a groan, shaking your head in annoyance—which, almost makes him laugh. The moment you feel his chest vibrate from his annoying amusement, you immediately lean away and glare at him.

But eventually.. that glare turns into helplessness. And as he gazes down at you, his initial amusement fades into tenderness, his fingers gently stroking the side of your head. "Em," Tyler begins, his voice now softer and yet, still tinged with frustration as he asks, "why didn't you tell me?"

Exchanging a soft gaze, in this tiny space, you can't help but rest your hands on his chest. You look up at him, hesitating for a moment before responding, "I was about to tell you, Ty," startled, Tyler recoils, but you already add, "remember? The last time we were here? I was so sure about it, but you—" you pause, a flicker of pain crossing your face as you recall the painful memory when he..

"You chose someone else over me—again, remember?"

Tyler looks away, his hand lowers as realization hits him straight on his brain. Of course he remembers. When he lost Dom as his brother.. when everything felt so confusing.. when he struggled with the overwhelming feelings..

Anger for his own self bubbles up. If only he hadn't been such a coward. If only she had told him sooner. If only—

"Wait Ty," you interject, your eyes searching his gorgeous face—despite the marathon fiasco—with suspicion, "what do you mean you knew I didn't love him?"

Tyler meets your gaze, his expression contemplative as if weighing whether to answer. Finally, he takes a deep breath and sighs, "You said my favorite scene is sleeping in the cold, with a single warmest coat to embrace me."

Confusion flickers across your face until realization suddenly dawns.

"My favorite scene is sleeping in the cold, with you."

Your eyes widen as his words sink in, and you grip his shirt beneath your fingers, feeling your heart race faster. Before you can react, Tyler continues, reciting softly..

"They say to love someone is nothing.
To be loved by someone is something,
and to be loved by the one you love is everything.

We were just bestfriends that spoke like lovers.
And that seemed to be enough..

For two teenagers who were scared to love one another."

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites