Broken 2 // h.s.

t w e n t y

t w e n t y.

Harry has called six times today to which I have all ignored. Three voice messages, all saying how much he'd wish I'd call him back. I can't find it in myself to do it yet.

If there's one thing that's brutal, it's going back to school after Christmas break especially when you just learned of your boyfriend's infidelity.

I can't help, but remember Redd telling me about how Harry cheated on her several times. I don't want to be put through that.

After my classes, I go to the Columbia's library and fish out my laptop to start writing my paper; I attempt to distract myself.

I only make two hours of solitary until a chair is pulled out beside me and I look to see Tyler sitting down.

"Hey," I whisper to him.

He smiles tightly. "Hi."

"Do you want to get a cup of coffee after this?" I gesture to my laptop, figuring it's best if we talked. I wanted to continue our conversation from the other night about the situation with Sarah and where we stood as friends.

"Okay." He nods.

After I save the document to my laptop, I get up and Tyler follows. We walk out in complete silence, side by side; the tension between us is killing me. I'd kill for things to go back to normal between us and not in a relationship way, but in a friendship way.

"The sun is out today." He finally speaks.

I look up to the sky and surely enough, the sun is out and there are barely any clouds to keep the blue away. It's still freezing though, the crispy air making it burn whenever I breathe in through my nose.

"I can't stand this." I shake my head.

"What?"

I stop walking and turn to face him. "It's weird between us."

"I wouldn't expect it to be normal."

"Why? Why can't we just move on from this?"

He sighs heavily and looks me in the eye, his gaze firmly holding mine. "Maybe because I am still hopelessly, pathetically in love with you and you are in love with someone else."

His words hit me directly in the chest. I don't know how to respond to something like that, the words coming from my ex boyfriend's mouth. Tyler must pick up on how flustered I became because he didn't wait for me to answer. He turned and walked right into the cafe.

I followed and he looked back at me like he knew I would.

"Do you want black or sweetened?"

"Sweetened." I answer, figuring I need the energy from the sugar. I go to take my wallet out to pay, but Tyler is quicker and pays for the both of our coffees. "You didn't have to do that."

He pulls my chair out for me. "I always used to pay for our afternoon coffee runs. Old habits die hard."

As soon as he takes his seat across from me, my phone begins to ring. I don't need to look at it to know it's Harry again. Tyler looks down at my phone on the table then back to me, waiting to see if I'll pick up.

"Aren't you going to answer that?" he asks.

"No. Uh- I'll...call him back later." I press ignore and return my attention back to him. "How's Sarah?"

"She's doing good. She doesn't need surgery, but she will have to go through some physical therapy for the next few weeks."

I nod, feeling relief. "I'm just glad she wasn't seriously injured."