"You ok bro?" Wyatt asks nonchalantly as Tyler strides into the cafeteria.

Tyler shrugs, a nonchalant grin tugging at his lips. "I'm chill, bro. Don't be dramatic," Tyler replies while sitting down.

Wyatt shoots him a mocking glare, pouting in disgust. Casually chatting with Brad and Luke, Tyler chuckles—acting completely normal—especially every time Wyatt says something stupid. But accidentally.. Tyler's gaze inadvertently drifts across the room..

And see you.

Laughing freely with your friends.. the way you rake a hand through your hair when you find a joke too funny.. the way you scrunches your nose when you laugh..

Your laughter is like music to his ears. And for a moment.. he finds himself captivated. A smile dances across his face as he watches you from afar like you're the most beautiful person in the room.

Unexpectedly.. your eyes meet his. At first, your eyes widen—but you smile back. A smile made only for him. And in that fleeting moment.. the world seems to stand still.. and Tyler's heart skips a beat.

However, sensing how someone's also watching him, Cavill hesitantly turns to his right.. to see Liam, already glaring at him with a weary expression. His smile immediately falters as he dumbfoundedly asks, "What?"

"Pretend like everything's normal, indeed."

Rolling his eyes at Liam's sarcasm, Tyler dismisses him and shifts his gaze to your way again.. only to find Scott.. and Dom—approaching your zone. Before Tyler can fully process the situation, Dom leans in to kiss you. From afar, he could see you smile—but reluctantly shift to check on him from the corner of your eye. His jaw tightens, and a flicker of annoyance flashes in his eyes.

"Aww all of my bestfriends getting along~ Perfect!" Liam interjects sarcastically. Tyler's frustration reaches its peak, and with a swift motion, he tackles Liam in annoyance.

In the aftermath of the baseball tournament, emotions run high as the team grapples with defeat. As they gather in the dugout, Wyatt is busy fixing himself up, Dom sits in the dugout—clearly irritated by the defeat, and Tyler, having just been reprimanded by the coach, walks back with slumped shoulders to join them.

"You guys okay?"

Turns out, you and Eve are already down in the field, concern evident in your voice as you check on them. The two of you walk over to them, bringing several snacks and drinks to lift up their moods. The others looked really somber and dejected. However, Tyler oddly smiles brightly as he takes the energy drink from you.

Wyatt hugged Eve while giving Tyler a peculiar look—whispering to him, "You're fucking smitten." Without even taking his eyes off you, Tyler nudges Wyatt's stomach with his elbow. When a sudden realization dawns on him how he's around a bunch of sad people. He looks around, scratching his head in slight embarrassment.

Dom, noticing the strange exchange, hastily approaches you and hugs you, planting a kiss on your cheek. "Thank you baby," he greets you as you say your words of encouragement. However, sensing your bestfriend radar going off, in concern, you give Dom a you'll-be-back-in-a-sec look—before turning to Tyler. Despite all smiles and grins, you know he's having a hard time—so you hug him.

"You ok Tyty..? It looked pretty bad.."

Sincerely concerned since you know how tough the coach is when it comes to the pitcher, you continue to pat his back gently.. not knowing what your hug does to him. As you finally lean away.. you're only met with his face already looking blank—all red as all memory goes back to when..

"You smell so good—"

"And you taste like strawberry—"

"Well, this is my favorite gloss for the month, so—"

"I love strawberries."

And he jumped away from you!

"T—Ty—are you okay—"

Tyler quickly walked away, ignoring you. From a distance, the coach yells, "Cavill! Tyler Cavill, come back here!"

Instead of turning back, he just awkwardly waved without looking back.

As you approach the door—suddenly Tyler stands there, his hand hovering over the handle as if he's about to leave. Your eyes meet, and a smile spreads across his face, mirroring yours. At the time, it seems your noise cancellation mode turned on and everything else dims besides him.. and his gorgeous grin.

"Hey."

Feeling a flutter of excitement at the sight of him—and his attractive low voice—a lopsided smile forms on your lips. "Hey.." you reply.

The two of you stand there for a moment, neither of you moving—content to just bask in each other's presence.

Eventually, you break the silence, feeling a sudden rush of courage. "Uh.. I was just about to—" you cringe, gesturing towards the classroom.

Tyler's smile widens, and he nods in understanding. "Oh! I was just about to—" he replies—gesturing towards the hallway, his eyes sparkling with playful mischief.

Without a word, you both take a step to the left—movements perfectly synchronized. But as the two of you attempt to fix it—again, both of you take a step to the right, perfectly in sync. A laugh escapes his lips as he realizes what just happened, and you chuckle awkwardly—scratching the back on your neck.

Watching you in a gentle gaze, he tilts his head in a manner you've never seen before—and softly asks, "So.. which way do you want, hm?"

Smiling sheepishly, you hesitantly propose, "Our.. left?"

Following your instructions, he immediately takes a step left while giving you a smirk. Chuckling bashfully, you follow suit, and the two of you exchange sweet glances, ending up leaning against the door frame—

"Are you both in love?"

It is revealed that since then, from behind, Wyatt's standing behind Tyler and Eve behind you. In a panic—you both hastily respond, "What?! No—" but then, trailing behind, you accidentally blurt out,

"Yeah, there's no way in hell—"

Tyler, who was initially grinning sheepishly, slowly turns to you. "No way in hell? Talk about disrespect—"

"Disrespect?! You're the one who—"

And the two of you bicker.

Knowing this could take a long while, Liam and Eve exchange looks and roll their eyes—before walking past you and Tyler, kissing each other's cheeks and part ways, leaving the two of you to your drama.

"Ok. So who kissed who first?"

Evie interrogates you while the two of you sit across from each other on your sofa. Her eyes squint as she observes you like a hawk.

"I—I don't know! It all happened so fast! Both of us suddenly crashed into each other—" but you feel a shudder as you see Eve staring at you with a raised eyebrow.. and you know this won't stop until you—

"M—me..?"

Admit.

"Oh for God's sake, Emily!"

She screams, burying her head in your pillow—before she crawls and lies on the bed, the pillow still covering her head.

"I'm sorry!"

"I'm not the one you should be sorry for!"

Her words put a stab in your heart. Feeling the guiltiness seeps on your skin for you don't know how many times.. you reply helplessly, "I know.."

Throwing your pillow away from her face, Eve briskly sits up—similar to that scene in Frankenstein, and scolds you, "And your boyfriend's Dominic Hunt, for God's sake! You know how he is!"

Knitting your eyebrows in internal dizziness, you look down, pouting while playing with the edges of your pajamas. For a brief moment, Reed observes you intently—before looking away in conflict, muttering, "Ugh—I knew this one would be too much,"

Snapping your head at her words, you narrow your eyes and tilt your head. "Eve. What was that?"

Rolling her eyes in frustration, Evie throws her head back, "Oh come on, Emily! You know Liam did all of that for the two of you, right?" You widen your eyes—but.. it's not like it's a secret either—his attempts.

"I.. actually—I've been wondering—what—exactly makes people assume about us?"

Chuckling, Eve looks at you as if you're joking. But seeing you hold up your hands as you shrug your shoulders dumbly, she irritatingly shuts her eyes—making them flutter like a window shutter whenever they meet the winds. Exhaling, she regains her zen and smiles, trying to be patient with you.

"Ever heard a saying.. if a girl is in love, you'll see it in her smile.. and when a boy is in love, you'll see it in his eyes?"

For a while.. you try to decipher her words like an archaeologist unraveling an ancient artifact. However, a sudden realization dawns on you. You shake your head vigorously, trying to dispel all the evidence swirling in your mind. You gaze at her with wide eyes.. before resting your forehead in your hands, which are now slumped against the sofa's head. As a heavy feeling settles in.. you begin to pinch your forehead, feeling overwhelmed.

"There's obviously. something between you two. People would be blind. not to see it, Em. Even Dom."

"What?!" you shout, snapping your head to her. This one.. you're genuinely.. really clueless about this one.

"Yeah, believe me, he knew."

In disbelief, you float your head around, trying to deny it. "But why—?!"

The weight of her words sink in, and you find yourself landing your head on the sofa, stifling both external and internal screams of frustration. Sensing your distress, Eve crawls back near you, comforting you by placing her hand on your head.

"Listen, I know this is not what you have hoped for.. but you gotta be honest with yourself," she advises, stroking your head patiently. With a pout, you emerge from the sofa to face her, feeling like a lost puppy seeking guidance.

"Because—see? One way or another.. these kinds of feelings always have a way of coming to the surface."

Narrowing your eyes, you hesitantly ask, "What.. kind of feelings?"

As those words leave your mouth, shivers start to spread all over your body. Probably because deep down.. you never really needed to ask. Because probably.. deep down..

You already knew.

For a moment, Eve gazes at you. "Well—" she begins, before finally.. a lopsided smile spreads across her lips.

Love.

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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/62peQdQv4uo