"Stay still!" I urge.

"I'm trying!"

I loop Lena's hair around the curling iron, letting it form into a bouncy wave. She started doing her hair herself, but she couldn't reach the back of her head. So, she dragged me away from my textbooks and is now forcing me to do her hair.

I don't mind. I was only studying to pass the time while I waited for Tyler to come home.

"Almost done," I tell her, grabbing the final chunk of hair.

"I'm going to be late!" she complains.

"Do you want your hair done, or not?"

"Yes!"

"Then shush, and let me do this!"

She groans, but doesn't say another word until the curling iron beeps, letting us know the curl is finished. I let her hair go, quickly running my hair through it to make sure it's not too tight.

"There you go," I smile. "All done."

"Thank god," she sighs. "I'm going to be late!"

She hops off the chair, running over to the wardrobe. I pack up her makeup while I wait for her. She made a total mess in the bathroom, but I don't blame her. She must be unbelievably nervous.

Her first college date. Her first date with a woman.

If that was me, I'd be terrified, too.

"Okay!" she runs back into the room. "What do you think?"

I eye her outfit. She's wearing a pair of blue skinny jeans, with a cute purple crop top.

"I like it," I say. "Are you going for a nude lipstick or do you want to match your clothes?"

"Nude."

I dig through her stack of lipsticks, picking out a comfortable nude colour for her to wear. She packs her bag quickly, and dumps the lipstick I give her in there, as well.

She hurries out of the room, but I'm hot on her heels.

My heart skips when I see Tyler standing in the kitchen. He's watching us, but I can't focus on him right now. I need to fulfil my best friend duties and help Lena.

"Grab me a snack!" she calls, picking her shoes up off the floor.

"On it," I nod.

I worm my way through the boys, trying my best to avoid touching them. I grab her a KitKat, as well as a granola bar. Just like Owen, she's a huge health freak, so she'll probably eat the latter. I exit the kitchen, and toss them in her bag.

"Anything else?" I ask.

"I forgot my phone!"

I race back into our bedroom, scanning the area for her phone. I spot mine on my pillow, but that's not good enough. I look through the bathroom, and find hers sitting beside the sink.

"I got it!" I call, running back into the room.

"Thank you!" she cheers, heading towards the door. "I'm out!"

"Wait, Lena!" I stop her. She raises her eyebrows at me. "Don't forget to breathe."

She laughs, realising how hectic the past 15 minutes have been. I smile at her, but then she glances back at Tyler. She points between us, giving me a pointed look.

"No funny business," she says. A blush instantly rises to my cheeks. She slams the door shut, leaving me to face Tyler.

A tense silence hangs in the air, but it's welcome. It's far more peaceful than it was seconds ago. I take a deep breath, following the advice I gave Lena. Once my nervous energy has been reduced, I turn around.

Tyler is smirking at me. His eyes are gleaming, and he's radiating happiness. Usually, this would mean he's stoned, but for once, I don't think he is.

"What was that all about?" he asks.

"Nothing," I shake my head. "She's just stupid."

"Where's she heading?"

"On a date with Steph."

"Who's that?"

"My friend," I say. "You met her at the Barrel once."

"I did?"

I nod, pursing my lip. I'm not surprised he doesn't remember. It was the night ht got into the fight with Christian and ran away from the cops.

I walk towards him, hesitantly sitting down at one of the bar stools. Tyler stirs his drink, turning the powder into a liquid.

"What is that?" I ask him.

I know we're meant to talk about what's going on with us, but he doesn't bring it up, and I'm too afraid to.

"Protein," he shrugs.

"What does it do?" I ask.

"Helps me build muscle."

"But you already have muscles."

Very defined muscles.

"I need more."

"Why?"

He shrugs. "Makes my job easier."

His job.

"What exactly is your job?"

"Nothing crazy."

Don't get angry, Sarah. Don't get angry. Stay calm, and talk it out.

"What, are you bodybuilder or something?" I laugh. It's the only thing I can think of that requires regular exercise and physical strength. "Or an athlete?"

He chuckles. "Something like that."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Not right now."

"But... later?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"On one condition."

"What is it?"

"You let me take you out."

"What?" I smile.

"Let me take you on a date."

"Uh..." I hesitate. "Is that what you want?"

"Yes. That's why I'm asking you."

"Right."

"So? How does that sound?"

"Good," I nod. "I just..."

"What is it?" he scowls, his expression hardening.

"Nothing, I'm just-"

"if you don't want to go, just fucking tell me, Sarah."

"No!" I insist. "That's not it!"

"Then what is? Because I'm not going to stand here like a fucking fool while you-"

"I want to go!" I cut him off. "I want to! I just don't want you to change your mind."

"What?" he scoffs. "Why would I do that?"

"You've done it before," I point out. "You ignored me after the kiss, and I don't want that to happen again."

Realisation sets in. He understands me now. He leans over the counter, extending his hand to mine.

"I'm sorry, Sarah," he says. "I promise I won't do it again."

"I believe you," I say. "I'm just... afraid."

"Let me prove it to you."

"No, you don't have to do that."

"Yes, I do," he insists. "I've fucked this whole thing up already, but I-, I don't want to do that anymore."

"You don't? You're not afraid anymore?"

"No, I'm fucking terrified," he scoffs. "But I heard what you said, and you're right. I can't protect you from me anymore. It only makes things worse, and that's the last thing I want."

"Good, because well..." I smile. "I like you, but you make it so freaking hard to!"

He chuckles. "I know, I know. I'm sorry. I promise I'll stop."

"Does that mean we can... try this, between us?" I hesitate, choosing my words carefully.

"I'd like to."

"Me too."

This way, we can get to know each other normally. We can learn to communicate properly. We can stop protecting ourselves, and start building an us. A Tyler & Sarah. A team.

At least, if the date goes well. If it doesn't... well, that would suck and I will definitely cry. But at least we can stop worrying about all of this.

"So, let's see how long we can go without arguing, shall we?"

"No!" I scold. "Don't do that! That's just asking for trouble!"

He laughs. "Don't worry, baby. I'm just kidding!"

"We're not going to argue! We're going to do this properly, and talk about our feelings!"

"Talk about my feelings?" he scoffs.

"Yes, Tyler."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"It's the only way we can make this work."

He sighs, lifting the corner of his lip into an unsure smile. He has to open up to me. He has to. It's the only way this can work.

I know I'll have to, too, but I don't struggle with it as much as he does. We just have to... be honest with each other. That's the one thing that has kept us apart for all these weeks, and we can't do it anymore.

I hop off my seat, heading to the fridge. I pour myself a glass of strawberry milk from the jug Tyler got me. He watches me carefully, smiling at me. How can I do anything when he's watching me so intently all the time?

"Stop it," I laugh, looking away from him.

"Stop what?" he smirks.

"Stop looking at me! It's weird!"

"I can't help that you're so pretty."

"Shush! I'm trying to drink!" the glass wobbles in my hand. He laughs, taking it from me. He sets it down on the counter. I suck in a breathe, noticing his eyes glance at my lips. He places his hand over my cheek, searching my eyes.

"Can I kiss you now?" he whispers.

I want to scream. But I don't. I nod, biting my lips to hide my smile.

His lips meet mine straight away. I place my hands around his waist responding to the kiss. He runs his free hand through my hair, pulling me closer to him. I'm os happy, I can't help but smile, causing me to almost bite his lip.

"Oh my god," I gasp, pulling away from him. "I'm so sorry."

But he doesn't care. In one smooth motion, he picks me up and sets me down on the counter like he did last night. He stands between my legs, and continues the kiss straight away. I'm taken aback by his actions, but respond as soon as I can. This time, I run my hand through his hair and place my other one on his jaw.

He lightly sucks on my bottom lip, causing me to open up. He deepens the kiss, letting out tongues meet. I wrap my legs around him, wanting him as close to me as possible. He pulls me towards him until our bodies are completely aligned. Our mouths move together in perfect sync.

"Jesus fucking Christ."

I pull away from Tyler, surprised by the new voice. I turn in its direction, only to spot Owen standing in the doorway. I drop my legs down, and remove my arms from Tyler's hair, but I can't help but keep them on his chest. Tyler barely moves at all. He stays close to me, with his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me, right?" Owen groans. "First Lena and now you two?"

"I, uh..." I stumble over my words.

"Forget it," he shakes his head. "I'll go."

"No, no, Owen, I'll just, uhm..." I push Tyler away from me. I instantly feel cold without him. He picks me up, helping me down from the counter. "I'll just... go."

"Wait, Sarah," Tyler calls. "I'll see you later, okay?"

I give him a sweet smile, but don't say anything. I turn around, and head towards my room.

If Owen hadn't walked in... I never would've stopped kissing him.