September 2022

Seemingly after work, a middle-aged man and woman sat in a white marbled pantry. Laughter filled the house, mingling with the aroma of coffee and tea dancing through the air. However, their peace was abruptly disturbed when a teenager barged in hastily.

The parents, startled by their son's sudden entrance, set down their cups of coffee and tea—their laughter fading into an uneasy silence. Exchanging concerned glances, they observed their son's distressed expression. Sensing the gravity of the situation, they instinctively leaned forward—eyes filled with worry.

Gripping the edges of the marble, he caught his breath before piercing his eyes into his bewildered parents—but then he rested his gaze solely to..

"Dad—can we.. talk? You know—" he uttered in urgency. Reluctantly, he glanced at his mom guiltily, then faced his dad again to whisper, "Man to man?" His dad knitted his eyebrows in concern. However, his mom's expression seemed more amused than concerned as she rolled her eyes and muttered,

"Teenagers."

Slightly offended, his black hair bounced as he tilted his head and scrunched his face, complaining, "Mom, man to man."

With a mischievous wink, his mother left the scene, leaving the father and son alone. His dad gestured for their son to continue, silently urging him to share whatever was troubling him.

"Dad don't tell mom.. but I kinda.. have a fight with Emily—"

"HUH WHY?!"

Mr. Cavill shouted in surprise, causing Cavill junior to cringe as he seethed air through his teeth, hushing a "Dad!"

"Oh right—why?" Mr. Cavill quickly adjusted his tone to a hushed one—but it was too late since they could hear Violet's hasty footsteps getting near.

When she finally appeared, she poked her head from the pillar just to ask, "Something wrong?!"

"No—no mom, we're fine," Tyler faked a smile, trying to reassure his mom that everything's 'fine'. He hid his face behind his hands—silently cursing under his breath as he finally took a seat.

Scrunching her face in suspicion—despite of her dying curiosity, Mrs. Cavill pouted and huffed before leaving, again. Tyler gave his dad a pleading look, while his dad apologized to him with a sheepish grin.

Until finally.. he began, "So.. basically—ok you know I have a girlfriend—that's why I borrowed your car, right—you with me?" Greg nodded in apprehension before Tyler nodded and continued, "Ok before you ask, I also had a fight with Em for not doing what she called 'SMASH and WEBBS', you know, that habit of ours—"

"Can imagine how sad she is.." Greg pouted with a dramatic pause, adopting those puppy eyes that made Tyler—

"Don't—my bro! Don't make me feel guilty! Your job here is to not make me feel bad—!"

"Sheesh, the amount of disrespect! Where did you learn to talk like that, brat?! John?!"

Staring at his dad with utter helplessness, he just shakes his head impatiently and continue, "Ok—long story short we made up—"

"Who? With your girlfriend or Emily?"

As his stare transformed into a glare, his dad just stared at him in innocent wonder. "Are you even listening—" trying to be patient, he exhaled deeply before responding, "Emily. Ok—we made up, and I assured her to let me drive her as per usual—"

"Huh, what about your girlfriend?"

Closing his eyes in subtle irritation, he now exhaled a huge flare from his nose, sneering, "Dad I swear if you interrupt me one more time. I'm canceling this meeting—"

"Wow there young man, calm down won't ya? Not my fault I can't differentiate your actions towards your real girl or your—whatever, ok ok I won't! Continue." Greg ranted before making a hand gesture of permission.

Inhaling in an attempt to cure his zen—as if it could be cured at times like these—he forced a smile and continued, "But all of the sudden she just stormed off the car—" Tyler paused mid-sentence, a look of realization dawned on his face. His brows furrowed slightly, he tilted his head to the side in confusion, muttering, "Wait.." and with widened eyes, he turned to his dad and asked,

"What do you mean.. you can't differentiate my actions.. towards.. them..?"

Wearing a scrutinizing gaze, Mr. Cavill observed his son until a eureka moment struck him like a jackpot. "Ah, my boy my boy, I think I know what this is," he exclaimed. Tyler averted his eyes to the floor, running a hand through his hair in a nervous gesture before Greg said—

"Did you kiss her in front of Emily?"

As if jolted by a lightning bolt, Tyler's head snapped up to his dad, eyes widening in shock as Greg confirmed his suspicions, "How the hell did you know—"

"Experience." Greg shrugged his shoulders smugly. Tyler rolled his eyes, but his sass immediately changed into seriousness when his dad asked, "And how do you feel when you kiss in front of her?"

The weight of Greg's words bore down on him. Tyler paused and averted his gaze, feeling a pang tugged at his heartstrings. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, mind racing as he struggled to come up with a response. He scratched his right shoulder out of irritation, clearly frustrated as he spoke,

"I.. It was.. weird—I don't know! I'm confused!"

Unintentionally slamming his arm on the table out of affliction, he stood up and paced back and forth, ranting, "See?! The thing is, I know I should've felt—nothing right?! I mean—it's normal to kiss your girlfriend! But then—and her face!"

Gripping the edges of the white marble, his head bowed down under his shoulders as he sighs heavily—before finally lifting his head back to his dad. A look of.. guilt.. washed over his face as he muttered, "And the fight was—it was—" pausing to run a hand through his hair in frustration, he continued, "it felt different. And seeing her like that made me—"

"Made you what?"

Gazing at the far end of the room, the scene replayed in his head like a relentless loop, each detail etched vividly in his mind. The image of your expressions.. the way your eyes reflected disappointment—hurt.. Amidst the tumult of his thoughts, one thing remained painfully clear..

It made me want to run to her—and hug her and say I'm sorry, whatever it is—

But instead, briefly closing his eyes, what came out from his mouth was, "I just.. I want to know whatever this is. I suppose, probably, if I know for sure.. it'll be a relief. Not knowing really does feel like torture."

Exhaling in apprehension, Greg consoled, "Sorry to break it off to you bud, but I'm the wrong person to ask for this one."

"What the—my whole life living hearing you say 'Experience.' just for you to say—"

"Only you."

Tyler fell silent. His face glazed, like a switch just flipped behind his mind. Leaning away, also dragging his hands on the table, Tyler squinted his eyes contemplatively. Doing a one eighty degree shitshow, Greg casually raised his eyebrows before continuing, "Because you are the only one who'll find out the answer yourself."

Still looking perplexed, Tyler peered at his dad.. before it briefly turned into a glare as he rubbed his eyebrows. "Some experience you got there, dad—"

"Hey, don't mock me just yet! Listen—" Greg interjected. Sighing in resignation, Tyler finally relented with a hand gesture, allowing his dad to continue.

"Well, you two have been together since you were little, and now.. as you're growing up, it's natural to have these.. confusing feelings."

Tyler knitted his eyebrows in thought as he grabbed his hair at the back of his head, listening intently to his dad's advice. "Just take it one step at a time.. while of course, maintaining your friendship—because that's the most important thing," Mr. Cavill advised with a warm smile, his words carrying a sense of wisdom and.. experience.

With a chuckle, he continued, "Also, you have a girlfriend now. You need to find balance. Don't neglect her. I don't have a girlbestfriend, what I have is a gaybestfriend so I don't really—"

"WHAT?! HOLYSHIT—"

"GUY! Damn it, my tongue just slipped because I talked too much—because. of you! Don't you dare mock me! If it's Chris Evans I'd be okay, but, you know—it's WINTERS. Don't make me throw up, son."

Tyler let out a chuckle, however it didn't reach his eyes. Greg casually sipped his coffee to lubricate his tired throat before continuing with his speech, "I think.. limiting your attention for your girlbestfriend—in my opinion, is a good decision. She'll understand. Maybe not right now, but she should understand,"

Tyler listened keenly while tilting his head, pondering—as his dad continued, "Because—well.. if you prioritize Em over your girlfriend—what's her name again? Taylor?" Tyler reluctantly nodded, his father's smirk not escaping his notice before he finally declared,

"Now that. is trouble."

"I'M BREAKING UP WITH YOU!"

Mouth agape, Tyler stands still beside his locker. Eyes widening in disbelief, he processes his girlfriend's childish demand after uttering his plans. "Babe, c—come on! Did you—did you just break up with me?! Does going to the same college really matters that much to you? Even Emily is ok with it—"

"Long distance relationship will not work, especially if you have a girlbestfriend!"

"Wait—what?"

"And—now wanting to drive her to school—just the two of you?! Without me?! The audacity—"

"For God's sake—it's not about driving her to—" starting to move his hands in a vexation, he explains, "It's just two days! It's our habit!"

"How can we even do long distance like this?!"

"Dammit, Tay! Stop being dramatic!"

"No matter what, you'll always prioritize her!"

The silence that followed was deafening. Tyler's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes blinking rapidly. "P—prioritize—?" he murmurs. It seems to trigger something within him, remembering what Mr. Cavill said several months ago.

But is this though..? Am I starting to—nah folks this is normal, she's just exaggerating—

Momentarily, he faltered. But with a shake of his head, he dismissed the notion. Moving his hands helplessly as he attempted to defend himself, Tyler found himself at a loss for words—

"Come on! Just because I want to do my usual habit since I was little?! It's like not I cheated on you or something—"

"Ha! Yeah, right—"

"It's not gonna be with some random girl! It's with Em—"

"Exactly!"

Tyler falls silent, his confusion deepening as he struggles to comprehend. Meanwhile, a small crowd begins to gather nearby, intrigued by the unfolding drama. People start to whisper and exchange glances, realizing that the King and Queen of River High are having a public breakup.

"Don't you understand?! It's because of her!"

Tyler recoils, his brows furrowing closer together, mind racing to make sense of her words. The surrounding students glance nervously at the escalating argument, but he's too lost in the whirlwind of emotions to notice. Ending the soap opera, Taylor places her hands on her hips, tilting her head and scoffs, "Do you even like me?"

Snapping his head as if awakened from his reverie, he gapes, reluctantly answering, "W—what—o—of course I like you—"

Making a statement how it was actually.. a rhetorical question, she walks past him, bumping into his body, and pauses.. only to deliver one final blow,

"You really need to sort it all out."

He doesn't know why, but those sentences feel like the perfect last blow, hitting him to the deepest pit of his stomach. Taking a sharp inhale, Tyler turns—about to catch her. But when he looks back, he notices Taylor stopped abruptly, her body tense. And as Tyler follows her line of sight..

He sees you.

It's as if time has slowed down, each second stretching out as Tyler takes in the sight of you and Eve. A wave of realization washes over him as he observes Taylor squinting at you with a growl before finally leaving the scene—and a sense of déjà vu floods him as he notices you retract your head in irritation.

For a moment he stares blankly—until your eyes meet his. Tyler scratches his head, shrugging his shoulders, and you shake your head in disbelief.

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

https://youtu.be/fW1_kp18coc