The Boyfriend Deal(9)

Her look said she was both relieved and worried.

"You should have called," she said.

"I know. I just got caught up in the moment."

"Would you mind if I wash my hands, Mrs. Ryan?" Tyler asked, holding up his blackened hands.

"Not at all, Tyler. The bathroom is down the hall." Mom waved him in  that direction before facing me again. "Are you sure this relationship  is worth the trouble you seem to be having?"

"Mom, Hunter was a problem before I agreed to date Tyler. Alicia is a  new complication, but maybe she got the message after the principal made  her clean my locker. I heard she got detention too and was warned  another infraction would end with a suspension."

"And Hunter?" Mom asked.

"The principal was going to call his parents after he got back to his  office. Tyler told the cops he didn't want to press charges, but they  said since he was a minor it wasn't up to him. He said he could  understand the guy being upset because if he'd lost me, he'd feel the  same way."

"That's not comforting, Hadley. You don't need two boys that are completely nuts."

I laughed and shook my head. "Tyler isn't like that, Mom. I promise."

"Very well. What are your plans for today?" she asked.

Tyler cleared his throat to alert her to his presence as he walked up to  us. "I asked Hadley if I could do homework with her, as long as you're  all right with it, Mrs. Ryan. I'll understand if you want me to go. I've  caused Hadley a lot of trouble by asking her out."         

     



 

Mom patted him on the shoulder. "It's all right, Tyler. You can stay if  you want. Dinner will be served at six, if you think it would be okay  with your mother for you to stay. We're having meatloaf, green beans,  corn on the cob, and rolls."

Tyler's stomach rumbled and we laughed.

"I'll make sure I send my mom a text to let her know I'll be home after dinner."

"Hadley, you may study in your room, but the door remains open."

I felt my cheeks burn as I led Tyler up to my room. What would he think  of it? It was kind of girly, but I liked it. I tried to see the room  through his eyes. The lilac walls, white eyelet comforter, the deep  purple armchair near the window. My desk was a mess, and it wasn't big  enough for two people. I wasn't sure where Mom thought we were going to  sit.

Tyler took my hand and led me over to the bed, pulling me down beside  him. Did he think homework was a keyword for something else? Because I  had every intention of actually working on my assignments. Then again …

His lips brushed against mine and I couldn't help but lean into him. His  fingers tangled in my hair and I fisted the front of his shirt. I'd  never enjoyed kissing someone as much as I loved kissing Tyler. I was  really going to miss this when it was all over. But what if it didn't  have to be over? Was there anything I could possibly do to make him want  to keep me after his mom had been appeased?

He pulled away and rested his forehead against mine. "I could kiss you all day and all night."

My toes curled at his words and I smiled up at him.

"So, what kind of homework do you have?" he asked, picking up his bag.

"Well, there's the essay we both have. We could work on that, if you want?"

He nodded. "Sounds good. Are you going to type yours later or just turn  in a handwritten one? Our class was told that either would be  acceptable, but a handwritten one has to be longer. I think it was three  typed pages or five handwritten pages."

"I'm definitely going to type mine, but I'll probably start it by hand."

"If I'd thought of doing homework with you before I left this morning,  I'd have brought my laptop with me. I'll stick it in the truck tomorrow,  just in case."

"You want to do homework with me again tomorrow?" Did he really want to  spend so much time with me? Or was it all for show? Not that his mother  would know the difference between him being at my house or hanging with  his friends. Either way, he wasn't home.

"I like spending time with you, Hadley. I enjoyed our date yesterday. I  liked having dinner with your family last night. And I loved going to  breakfast with you this morning. I'm not here because I have to be; I'm  here because I want to be."

"But your mom and military school … "

He nodded. "Yeah, that's a part of it, but I really do like hanging out  with you. I just wish it hadn't taken me so long to get to this point.  Maybe if we'd talked sooner, my mom never would have felt she needed to  threaten me."

I snorted. "Yeah, like you would have asked me out otherwise."

"Hadley, the fact that you're a band geek had nothing to do with it. I  didn't care that you were a geek and I still don't. But I dated a  certain type of girl because that's what I wanted. Easy. And you are far  from easy. You're the kind of girl someone takes home to their mother,  the kind you go away to college with, and the kind you eventually  marry."

"That's a bad thing?" I asked softly.

"No. It's a really good thing, but most guys aren't looking for that in  high school. Most of us just want to have a good time, and you're not a  good time girl. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with you, or  that you're less somehow. If anything, it means you're better than all  of them. Better than me."

"Tyler … "

He placed a finger over my lips, then followed it with a kiss. His  tongue traced my lips until I opened and let him in. If I'd thought our  other kisses were hot, this one was hotter. If what he'd said was true,  did that mean he was no longer looking for those party girls? Was he  ready to have a serious girlfriend, the kind you took to college with  you? Was that why he'd mentioned needing to apply to two more schools?

My heart pounded in my chest as I thought about the possibilities. A  future with Tyler was all I'd ever dreamed of, but I'd always been too  afraid to reach for it. Was it now within my grasp?

"We should do homework," he said, pulling away. "Although, I can't promise to keep my hands off you."         

     



 

"Tyler, what are we doing? I mean really."

"I don't know, Hadley. Let's just see where things go, okay? I know this  started out as a way to get Mom off my back, but the more time I spend  with you, the more I like you. I'm not saying I'm great boyfriend  material or anything, but this may end up being more than just a deal  between friends."

"Were we friends?" I asked.

"I've always had my eye on you, Hadley. I just knew better than to go after you."

"Better you than Hunter," I muttered. "That's one mistake I'd love to take back."

He laughed and kissed me again. "And I'd love to go back and never ask  Alicia out. Yes, she had a purpose in my life, but I'm not sure it was  worth it. She's a little crazy, if you haven't noticed."

"As long as she's satisfied with her prank and doesn't come after me with a bat or something … "

"I'd never let her hurt you." He laced our fingers together. "Please believe that, if nothing else."

I nodded, my cheeks flushed, and released his hand to pick up my  notebook. As I worked on my essay, I caught him watching me several  times. It wasn't a bad feeling to have, to be wanted like this, but I  wasn't used to it, and I wasn't sure what exactly he wanted from me. If  we were to make this relationship the real thing, would he expect more  from me? More than I had given Hunter? I was a little worried I'd be all  too willing to give in to him.

I had trouble concentrating, but I was happy with my progress, all  things considered. It wasn't every day I had the most popular boy in  school in my bedroom. Setting my essay aside, I stood and stretched. The  bedside clock said we'd been working for an hour already.

"Want to take a break?" I asked.

"What did you have in mind?"

From the gleam in his eyes, I knew what he had in mind. "I thought we could go downstairs and get a snack."

Tyler stood and took my hand. Since he started leading me toward the  stairs, I assumed he was in agreement. Either that or he was going to  take me hostage and toss me in his truck. I didn't think that second  option was really all that viable since his things were still in my  bedroom. When we got to the kitchen, I could smell dinner cooking, but  my mom was nowhere in sight. That didn't mean she wasn't lurking nearby  though.

I took out two sodas, handing one to Tyler, then pulled open the snack drawer.

"We have cookies, peanut butter crackers, honey buns, and chocolate  cupcakes." I looked at him expectantly, and he reached into the drawer  and pulled out a package of crackers. Deciding I wanted the same, I  grabbed another package then shut the drawer.

"Are we eating down here so your mom can see I'm not molesting you?"

I choked on my swallow of soda, and he thumped me on the back.

"I'm not allowed to eat in my room. Mom complains when I leave crumbs upstairs."