Loving Him ✔️(#2 Loving Series)

Chapter 22

Tyra's POV

The next two days are another blur as we prepare for the Twin's Birthday Party. The Spirit Week at school would usually end up with a dance, but being the rule breakers and wanting to end their last year in school in style, the twins had kept their party on the same day as the school's dance.

But wasn't it you who prompted them in the first place? My subconscious hits back at me and I roll my eyes knowing it was the partial truth. In my defense I had tried to convince them otherwise, but they retorted that they should have their birthday on their birth date rather than later on a different date.

And just like that, they had a counter argument all prepared, and that's also how all of the senior class at Everthrone High was at the Twins Halloween Birthday Party rather than the dance at school. I guess everyone wanted to go out in style or not have the irk of the master pranksters by missing their party.

"Where are you? Can you see my hand?" I say into the phone over my call to Bella, as I wave my hand in hair, hoping she can spot me as she enters the house.

The party was in full swing and I had just parted from the group to receive Bella. She had been hesitant to come, reminding of myself till last year, but on insistent coaxing by me and Wren, she had agreed.

Halfway towards the door, as the crowd became thinner, I finally spotted her and what greeted me left me flabbergasted. Annabella was wearing a neon fluorescent dress with equally matching coloured accessories and dense make up in neon colours. I could see the almost snickers on the faces of the few people who noticed her entry.

"Hey Tyra! What do you think?" she excitedly greeted me, unaware of the looks she was getting from the sparse crowd around.

"What the hell!" a voice exclaims behind me and I see Tristan had found us. A loud snicker leaves his mouth which in turn becomes a loud laughter. His laugh gives the few people around us the courage to laugh out loud.

The confusion on Annabella's face is evident but she doesn't let the laughter deter her, "Don't I just fit in!" she continues with her bright smile.

"Oh yeah if the theme of the party was circus," Tristan pokes in between his laughter spell and I see Annabella's face drop to a frown on realizing what was actually happening. She makes a quick turn to escape but her crumbling face is enough to warrant an elbow jab to Tristan before I run out the house after her.

I find her just outside the driveaway of the Twin's house, her sobbing in full force.

"Hey! Don't listen to Tristan," I say trying to placate her as I pull her into a hug. Seeing her face streaked with tears, so vulnerable, so different from her usual no nonsense attitude, clenches my heart.

"I didn't even want to wear this stupid dress and make up anyways," she says between her hiccups, the sobbing having subsided. I have a lot of questions running through my head but I keep quiet, knowing she wants to rant it out and needs someone to listen to her.

"I had always been the girl with tomboy looks, I was happy with it, but..." she continues.

"But?" I prompt her to continue, as she steps back from me and wipes forcefully at her face.

"I don't know, there was always this part, that wondered what it would be to maybe be normal for a day, and I got my reply," she shrugs while pointing towards the house, indicating the fiascos that just happened.

Along with sadness, a tiny flicker of rage bubbles inside me, "Those guys were.."

"Idiots, we were idiots," Tristan says he joins us as well. I see the apology evident on his face. Bella, surprised by the new person to witness her so vulnerable, tries to step away but Tristan grabs her wrist. I silently take a step back,

"I am sorry, it wasn't my intention to hurt you," he apologizes properly, "I was being an idiot, not that it's any news for you," he tries to joke by referencing the day they first met when Bella had superficially judged them.

I see Bella flinch a little, "I am sorry for judging you that day," she somberly replies and my heart just feels lighter seeing them interact almost friendly without my interference

Tristan shrugs it off as no big deal and asks her to follow him to the house where Violet was waiting for them, to help her. There was no teasing or any sign of judgment when he said that, I guess Annabella realized it too and followed him.

Now with the crisis averted, I too decided to go back in too but found an all too familiar figure standing in the verandah towards the side of the house. So instead of going directly back in, I decided to take a little detour.

"What are you being so lonesome about?" I question Austen as I reach him. He shrugs his shoulders as if it was the most obvious thing, and I simply roll my eyes at him.

With the thumping music pulsating in the background, we both stand in a comfortable silence, enjoying the crisp cool winds, indicating the start of snow season soon.

"Dance with me," Austen breaks the silence with his demand, holding his hand towards me. I realized the thumping music inside had quietened down to a slow song.

Without thinking much about it, I slip my hand into his waiting hand and Austen pulls me closer to him. There is enough distance between us as he places his other hand tentatively on my waist while mine goes to his shoulder.

"The day we met.."

We slowly started swaying to the music, just like we had on the cliff near Maggie's place.

"...Frozen I held my breath.."

My eyes, find his, to see him already looking at me, tenderly.

"...Right from the start..."

Despite the space between our bodies, a warmth fills me.

"...I knew that I'd found a home for my heart.."

I know I won't get such a chance again, so I just lose myself in this moment, in his arms.

We are in that bubble that we find ourselves in when we are alone. The bubble where nobody else exists, our eyes only one another, me drowning in his and the space between us getting smaller and smaller.

His head slowly starts leaning towards me, and my eyes close on their own accord. I feel his head rest on my forehead as a whisper escapes from him, "May I?".

Just two words, no other explanation, but I slightly nod my head, afraid that any loud moment will break this dream.

The nod is all he wanted, as slowly his lips descend on mine, a light brush, as if testing. The tingles that usually fire my body at his touch are in full blast.

I have barely taken a breath in when his lips touch mine again, this time staying there, tasting them a bit longer. His hands pull me closer to him, pressing body against mine, while my hands go to his neck.

When the next need to pull a breath breaks our lips, Austen doesn't let me go completely. His hand still keeps me flushed against him while he rests his head on my forehead. A light smile makes its way to my mouth as the feeling of happiness courses through me. The smile widens when I notice Austen mirroring my expression.

We couldn't talk about it, as our luck had run out. Tristan soon came to find us, his hollering voice enough to give us time to untangle ourselves from each other.

Are you guys trying to hide that something happened? My subconscious pipes us and I ignore it, not letting it douse my happy high.

The rest of the night I ride my happy high. Seeing Austen's face light and eyes almost sparkling with happiness is enough for me not to overthink. I knew we needed to talk but now wasn't the occasion.

Except what I didn't know was that this was the calm before the storm. The storm which I knew would crash and crumble my happiness when I reached home that night. My adopted family was back home.