The Boyfriend Deal(10)

I sat next to Tyler while we devoured our snack. I was getting a little  too used to him being around. When we broke up, it was really going to  suck. I'd gotten used to being alone and then he came barging into my  life with this ridiculous deal. And me being the idiot I was, I'd agreed  to it.

"Why don't you have a pet?" he asked out of the blue.

"A pet?"

He shrugged. "You seem like a cat person, but I haven't seen any food  dishes or anything around. There's no dog in the backyard yapping to be  let in."

"Mom always said if I ever got a pet it would have to be a gift because  she refused to purchase an animal, even from the shelter. I told her  we'd be giving a home to a cat or dog that might otherwise die, but she  hasn't budged on it. I think she just really doesn't want me to have  one, and since no one has ever given me a pet, it hasn't been an issue."

"We had a dog when I was growing up, but he died this past spring. He was old though, and he'd had a good life."

"I'm sorry, Tyler." I placed my hand on his. "You must miss him."

He nodded. "Mom offered to get me another dog, but I'm going to college  next fall and she'd be stuck taking care of it. Didn't really seem  fair."

"You have a good point. Maybe it's a good thing no one ever gave me a pet."

"Have you thought about what next fall is going to bring? Are you  staying in a dorm, or would you consider renting an apartment with  someone?"

I shrugged. "I don't really know anyone going to the schools I applied  to, not anyone I would consider rooming with anyway. And how would I pay  rent? I mean, I guess I could get a part-time job while I'm taking  classes, but wouldn't it be better to stay in a dorm?"         

     



 

"What if you had a boyfriend attending the same school?"

"But I don't."

His thumb stroked the underside of my wrist. "I printed off the  applications for UT Austin and UT Knoxville last night. I'm filling them  out this weekend and getting them turned in by Monday morning. Mom  agreed to express mail them."

"Tyler, why are you doing this? You're confusing me. I thought what we  had was just for pretend, but you're giving me mixed signals. There's no  one here to impress right now, so why act like a real boyfriend? Or are  you just remaining in character?"

I thought he was going to answer me, but Mom walked in the room and he  snapped his jaw shut. Whatever he'd been about to say was lost to me  now. Why did Mom have to decide now was the time to check dinner? Or  maybe she was checking on us. Either way, she'd ruined the moment and my  one chance to figure out what the heck was going on. I doubted I could  get him to talk about it again, at least, not today.

"Are you kids finished studying?" she asked.

"We still have a little more work to do, Mrs. Ryan," Tyler answered. "My  mom will be impressed I'm finished before midnight for a change. I'm  usually up all night working on it."

"How is it you've been able to bring Hadley home two afternoons in a row? Don't you have football practice after school?"

I watched his cheeks flush. "Yes, ma'am, I do. I've kind of blown off practice this week to spend time with Hadley."

My jaw dropped. "You've done what? What about the game on Friday?"

"Coach will still let me play, but he told me today I'd better be at  practice tomorrow or else. I don't suppose you'd like to stay after  school tomorrow and watch me practice? I could run you home afterward."

"Tyler, I think Hadley needs some time with her friends. I'm sure she  loves spending time with you, but maybe the two of you should take a  break tomorrow," Mom said.

I wasn't sure I liked her interfering, even if the thought of football  practice did scare me. I knew the girls who went to those practices, and  they would not be pleased to see me there. Especially since I was  dating Tyler, the one boy every girl wanted for herself. But Mom did  have a point. I hadn't spent any time with my friends, had barely spoken  to them since this boyfriend deal with Tyler. Maybe a little girl time  would be good for me, even if they did grill me about Tyler the entire  time. And I knew they would.

"Maybe I'll go to Amber's tomorrow," I told Mom. That seemed to appease  her and she left the room just as quickly as she'd entered it. It  furthered my suspicion that she hadn't come to check on dinner, but had  been coming to check on me. Mom might seem okay with Tyler hanging out,  but I knew she was nervous that a boy this cute would have me making bad  decisions before she had time to put a stop to it.

Tyler looked bummed, but I hoped he understood. It wasn't that I didn't  want to spend more time with him, but Mom was right. I was neglecting my  friends, and they would be around forever while Tyler was just  temporary. I couldn't afford to alienate the people who had stood by me  all these years just because I was feeling a little boy crazy at the  moment.

"Are you mad?" I asked.

He seemed surprised. "Of course not. I had hoped you'd get to come to  practice, but it's no big deal. It's not like she said you can't come to  any practices, just not the one tomorrow. I'm sorry if I've made you  neglect your friends."

"It's fine. I'm sure they understand that I've been busy. Yes, we have  lunch with them, but I haven't really had a chance to talk to them much  lately. Even our phone calls have been short and texts have been few and  far between. It will be nice to have a little girl time."

He winked. "And talk about me?"

My cheeks warmed. "Maybe."

Tyler laughed and leaned over to kiss me. It was a quick kiss, but it  still packed quite a punch. If he didn't stop kissing me, he was going  to short circuit my brain. I'd already determined he was hazardous and I  should proceed with caution, and yet every time we were together, I  threw caution to the wind and just lived in the moment. If I wasn't  careful, I'd end up a teenage statistic. Not that Tyler had fathered any  children, that I knew of, but there was always a first time, and I was  determined it wouldn't be me.

"You look serious all of a sudden," he said.

"I just realized I don't seem to have any self-control when I'm around  you, and I'm not sure that's a good thing. I don't want to do something  stupid I might regret later."         

     



 

"And being with me like that would be stupid?" His voice was tight with  anger and there was a flash of pain in his eyes that he quickly masked. I  wanted to take the words back, but it was too late; they were already  out there and had done some damage.

"I didn't mean stupid, exactly, but what if things did go that far  between us and something happened? You've obviously been careful up to  this point, but accidents happen, Tyler. If there was a baby, then you'd  be tied to me forever, and we could probably both kiss our chances at a  future goodbye. Or at least I could. No way I'd be able to have a baby  and start college in the fall."

"Whoa! Whoa! Hang on a sec. No one said anything about you getting  pregnant. And I never said I was going to push you to go that far, but  if something did happen between us, I'd like to think I'd do everything I  could to keep you safe. You're right, an accident could happen to  anyone, but I also don't like calling my potential kid an accident."

"You know what I mean."

He pulled me closer. "Let's take things one day at a time. You're worrying about something that may never happen."

I knew he was right. I was so worried I would screw up that I was  inventing problems that weren't there. From this point on, I'd live in  the moment and enjoy this relationship while it lasted.





Chapter Six



Tyler



Where the hell had that conversation come from? Did Hadley really think I  was the type of guy who would be careless when it came to sex? More  importantly, when had she started thinking about having sex with me?  While I had to admit the idea excited me, I knew it would be better if I  kept my pants zipped this time. Hadley wasn't like other girls. I liked  the fact she'd saved herself all this time. For me, I hoped, but not  necessarily right now. If I played my cards right, we'd go off to  college together, and as our relationship grew, we could explore  becoming more intimate with one another.

If any of my friends knew what I was thinking, they would recoil in  horror. I was the party guy, the guy who jumped everything in a skirt,  and here I was talking about waiting until Hadley was ready, even if  that meant waiting years. Oddly enough, I was okay waiting for her. I  knew she would be worth it, because I'd discovered she was the one. I'd  just never known how to pursue her before now, or if she'd even had an  interest in me. Not until that kiss.

I'd relived that kiss a thousand times, and it made me smile every time.  Who knew one bold move on her part would kick-start something so  fantastic? I had to admit, this was probably the best idea I'd ever had.  I wasn't sure if Hadley even believed the relationship was for pretend  anymore, even though she brought it up on occasion. I figured it was  more as a reminder to herself to keep her distance when things started  getting hot and heavy between us.