Arabella's POV

Silently I watched him sitting at the edge of the bed, his shirt dangling between his fingertips as he stared straight ahead at the wall. With a sigh I propped myself up on the palm of my hands, making sure that the duvet didn't slip from my hold as I gripped it tightly against my bare body.

At the sound of me shuffling around the bed he turned towards me, the frown that was etched on his face slipped into a smile and I smiled in return–more like blush because of the way he was looking at me. "Good morning." He mumbled as he crawled towards me.

"Uhg–is it a good morning?" I asked softly. He nodded his head and slipped in beside me, his bare hand wrapped itself around my waist and the other cupped my cheek before he pulled me in closer towards him to plant a kiss against my forehead.

I cleared my throat, willing away the heat that rushed to my cheeks to go away. As I raised a hand to push him away he caught it in his grasp and trained his eyes on my finger, my ring finger specifically. I flickered my eyes shut in hopes that the constant fluttering in my stomach would subside but it didn't quite seem to go away.

So I peered through my long lashes, Tyler's eyes were no longer on my hand but they were trained on my face. "Are you okay?" He asked softly, I nodded my head and sat upright against the headrest. "Yeah! Are you? After last night I didn't know what today would hold, are you okay?"

"I'm more than okay."

"How can you be sure?"

"Don't make me say it, I'll sound cheesy and cringe so don't make me say it. All there is to say is that I'm glad last night happened and I wouldn't want it to be with anyone else. Just you and only you." He mumbled softly as he ran his long fingers delicately through my scalp.

I chuckled softly and leaned against his shoulder as he soothed my scalp with his mesmerizing touch. His skin was hot against mine but I didn't mind the heat at all, "Tyler."

"Yes?"

"That was cheesy."

"Oh shut it!" He chuckled deeply as he shoved me off of him. I tumbled back onto the bed, my head hitting the pillow as I let out a small humph. With one hand he jumped onto me, trapping me underneath his body. I squealed softly when he closed in on me, leaving me to see nothing except his nose.

"Kiss me."

"What?" I chuckled confusedly. He rolled his eyes and smiled before puckering up his lips, "I said kiss me."

"Is that an order?" I scoffed. "Fine!" He exclaimed before pressing his lips against mine quickly. I didn't get a moment to even relish in his touch before he sprung off the bed and hightailed towards the washroom, leaving me laying there in a daze wondering what the hell happened in the past nine hours.

~ ~ ~

"Do you want anything from the cafeteria, some coffee maybe it'll do you some good seeing as you were up most of the time last night and you've got work," Tyler exclaimed as we entered the school building. I nodded my head and sighed deeply, "yeah, coffee sounds great."

"Okay, I'll go get it just go find the guys." I nodded my head in response and slipped my hand out of his grasp. For a moment I could see the hesitant look on his face as we departed before he sucked in a harsh breath, spun on his heels and made his way to the cafeteria.

We didn't stop for coffee on our way back because we both needed to get to class early and well considering the circumstances we were extremely late. Now class was finally over and I needed to head to work for my shift today. Right now a nap sounded like a dream come true.

A much-needed nap both psychically and mentally.

I made my way down the lounge, mumbling hello to a few students here and there whilst also searching for my friends. In the crowd of students, I somehow recognized the tall blonde leaned against the wall, his phone in his hands as he gazed down at it intently.

Memories from a few hours ago flooded my mind and I couldn't shake it off. I couldn't shake off the disappointed look on Aaron's face when he found me outside the bar. He was angry, hell he's never been this angry at me before and I knew it was because I willingly put myself in danger for Tyler.

Thinking about it now that bit was ridiculous. Even if Tyler were down there I had no business going. I really could have gotten hurt and Aaron was right. I needed to apologize to him.

"Aaron?" I mumbled softly when I finally approached him. I watched his thin lips curl into a frown yet his eyes were still concentrated on his phone. Without meeting my gaze he asked, "did you finally find Tyler?"

"Y–yeah I found him after I left the parking lot last night–well this morning." I murmured. He nodded his head, his eyes finally meeting mine. But there was something in his gaze that I couldn't comprehend, it wasn't anger yet it wasn't sadness. . .it was disappointment.

"Tyler is really lucky to have met you, Arabella. I hope he realizes that he found a girl willing to put herself in danger just for his safety. I hope he loves and cherishes you and he doesn't screw up whatever it is that you guys have going. Hell. . .if I had met you first who knows, maybe I'd be the lucky winner." He chuckled humourlessly, his eyes flickering away from mine once again.

Standing there I could see the turmoil on his face. The urge to get away from me before he said anything else but he already said enough. I thought that over time his feelings would have gone away but I'm guessing it never did.

And it's eating me apart.

Knowing that my best friend has feelings that I can't reciprocate. Not when I love Tyler. "Aaron I'm sorry, for everything. For putting myself in danger last night, I know now how much it pained you and I'm sorry that I can't reciprocate these fe–"

"Don't! Just. . .don't say that please." I pursed my lips in a thin line, not being able to tear my eyes away from his pained face. I wanted desperately to hug him, to hold him and tell him that I was sorry for hurting him in ways that I didn't think possible.

I don't want to hurt him, not like this. Not when he knows his other best friend can never reciprocate his feelings for him and then there's me. "Aaron. . ."

He flickered his eyes away from me, they trailed to the back of my head and I frowned deeply when he pulled his lips into his mouth and nodded his head. "I'll see you later," before I could respond he spun on his heels and trekked away from me.

What was this feeling? Guilt? I knew this was more than me putting myself in danger, this was me putting myself in danger for Tyler and Aaron realized it too. He realized how much I loved Tyler.

"Hey, what was that about. Where's he going?" I snapped my head towards Tyler who stood behind me, he handed me a cup of coffee and I now realized why Aaron left so suddenly. He saw Tyler approaching us and didn't want to be anywhere near us.

So much for apologizing.

"He–he had to go do something he said he'll check-up with us later," I said reassuringly, more to myself than Tyler.

"Hey, come here." He slipped his hand through mine and tugged me towards the couch. He lowered himself down and I plopped down beside him, my legs finding it's way over his and both his hands fell against my thigh as he pulled me closer to him.

"You know I was serious about spending every day with you." He suddenly said. I parted my lips at the stoic expression on his face, and no it didn't seem like he was joking neither now nor last night. But the way he said it, with such desperateness and pain in his voice I thought he only meant then–to never leave him.

"Are you ever going to tell me what happened last night. Why you were crying?" I asked. He smiled sadly and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear before bringing his lips to my cheek. "I promise, one day I'll tell you everything you want to know."

~ ~ ~

"Arabella great work today!" Ryan exclaimed excitedly as he leaned against my cubicle. I smiled and nodded my head sharply, "oh Judy Kirt called today, she said that she wants to have a meeting with you on Tuesday so I booked you in for five, precisely an hour before your lunch break and a time when I know for a fact you have nothing dire to do."

"And that is exactly why you're gonna nail his internship assessment." He whispered softly, his eyes flickering from my cubicle to the busy room to make sure that no one heard. I chuckled loudly, not missing the way his lips curved into a smile as he peered down at me with something–some sort of feeling in his blue eyes.

I shrugged it off, it's better to not know than get tangled up in my wild imaginations. "Hey, Arabella. . ."

"Yes?" I turned my head back towards Ryan and frowned at the nervous look that was etched on his face, he pulled his lips into his mouth and chuckled softly before running a hand through his hair. "Do you maybe want to go out with me. Like a do-over for that dinner we missed?" He asked hesitantly.

I cleared my throat, sitting upright in my chair. Maybe my imaginations weren't as wild as I thought they were because from the looks of it this didn't seem like something any ordinary boss would ask his coworker. Intern or not.

"Is it formal?"

"Ugh–no."

"I'm sorry Ryan, I have a boyfriend." He pursed his lips in a thin line and nodded his head before chuckling softly, "I uh wasn't aware of the fact that you're seeing someone. I'm sorry asking you to dinner was totally inappropriate." He exclaimed, his wide blue eyes flickering away from me.

"It's okay Mr. Marks there's no way you would have known. But I'm making it known now, thank you for the invitation anyway."

He nodded his head firmly and spun on his heels before sauntering away. When he was no longer in view I let out a shaky breath that I didn't even realize I was holding. Did my boss seriously just ask me out to dinner?

I know the last time we were supposed to have dinner apparently it was to discuss the fashion show at which my dad wore my outfit but Ryan was busy. . .but now he even said it wasn't formal.

It only occurred to me now that these past few weeks have been one of the most peculiar weeks I've had. Maybe it was because everything was going my way, I finally got an internship at my dream company, my father modelled one of my designs at their fashion show, despite the circumstances Tyler and I are now finally an official couple.

But then slowly bad things happened.

Tyler has gone missing for hours to the point where my anxiety got the best of me and I went on a wild goose chase for him. Amidst all of this my best friend gets dragged into it and after screaming at me for being careless I sincerely thought that I could apologize but the only revelation I got was that Aaron still had feelings for me.

And then somethings going on with Tyler that he doesn't wanna share with me. To the point where it has made him cry, and Tyler Hart never cries.

Then there's Ryan asking me out on a date, I don't know how or why but that seemed off in some kind of way.

Maybe this–all of these blessings are just the calm before the storm.

And I'm going to be the eye of it.

Disclaimer: The next few chapters will be a little light hearted, meaning nothing serious happens in most of them because I'm about to reign terror down on them at the climax of this story because I'm a horrible person😊 just wanted to make the next few chapters enjoyable before I stomp on y'all parade! Love you though😘