Icy Inferno (Troyler AU)

⋙ Chapter Twenty-One

I want to be
I want to be the one you love
So listen to me
I don’t want to be the one you lost

We Should Go To France ~ Urban Cone

Troye

I woke up in the middle of the night, for some unknown reason. There was no light in the room. Everything was quiet. I checked my clock. It said it was 3:33 - half the devil's number. Why on earth had I woken up?

As I settled back in my bed I heard the sound of something clattering against the window. I looked over at it, faced with a pitch black sky. I waited for the noise, hoping I was just hearing things. No other sounds occurred. My eyelids grew heavy. Before they were fully shut, the noise came again.

Something - correction, a rock hit the window. Flicking on my bedside light, I slid out of bed. I ambled over to the window, wondering what was happening. Carefully I opened the window. I scanned the front garden below, spotting the face of the one and only Tyler. He had his arm behind his head, about to launch another stone. He dropped it when he saw my face, smiling from ear to ear. The stone fell into the pool, creating a large splash.

"Shanghai!" he said, a little to loudly.

"Tyler what the fudge are you doing?" I hissed. I prayed that I didn't wake anyone, knowing they'd be grumpy at that time in the morning.

"I came to get you of course. Come down, I have a plan."

"Couldn't you've waited until daybreak?"

He shook his head and crossed his arms over his chest. That boy was too stubborn for his own good. With a sigh I told him I'd come down.

Although I was mystified by his unannounced arrival, I couldn't help but embrace the fizz of excitement within me. I guessed I was falling for this boy, hard - and I wanted to fall. I wouldn’t have cared if I crashed, as long as Tyler crashed with me.

I shoved on some clothes on the dark, without checking what I was wearing. I tried to sort out my hair but it seemed determined to flop over my eyes. Reluctantly I had to leave it, not wanting my boyfriend to freeze to death.

I crept down the stairs, not wanting anyone to catch me leaving. When one stair creaked I froze. I waited to hear someone wake up, to send me back to bed and tell me off. Surprisingly, apart from Tyde's sleepy murmur, the house remained silent. I kept going, soon reaching the front door. I left a note on the coffee table for my parents, in case they woke before I was back.

Outside the cold winter air sliced my skin. I shivered, wishing I'd put on a jumper. It was too late to change my clothes though. I'd forgotten to bring a set of keys with me, and we didn't keep a pair outside. I forced myself to walk, towards Tyler. When he saw my aproaching figure, he smiled sweetly. He walked forward, meeting me half way. Upon reaching me, his arms promptly wrapped around my neck. My arms wrapped round his waist. I didn't mind waking ridiculously early if it meant being in his arms.

"Oh my god you're freezing," he breathed into my shoulder.

"Well, it just proves how much I like you, if I'm willing to sacrifice my warmth."

He stiffened, leaving my arms. "Don't ever sacrifice anything for me, okay?"

"Ty, I don't care if I'm cold as long as I'm with you." He looked away with a pained expression. "Tyler?"

"I think I have a spare coat in my car. Come with me. We don't have much time."

"Time for what?"

He spun around. A wan smile formed on his lips. "To see the sunrise."

*

After a long car journey, we pulled up at Preston Park. We were only passing through it, in order to reach the beach. Why we didn't just park by the sea, I didn't know. But I knew he must've had a good reason for it. He carried a towel and a blanket under one arm, held my hand with his other. With the soft twitter of birds we walked through the vacant park. Memories breezed past me - some from my childhood, most from the day we came together.