Break In My Heart

45. Safety and Screams

"Oh my God, Addison, why are you so old?" Uncle Connor asked as soon as he opened the door to my house. He said the word "old" as if it left a terrible taste in his mouth, which was ironic since he definitely fit the "old" description better than I did. However, I didn't have a chance to open my mouth to produce a smart-ass response before he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a tight hug. "I missed you, Addison. Now stop growing up. It's not fair and you're starting to make me feel old!" He whined like a child, causing me to chuckle. Oh, Uncle Connor, still a big child in a man's body.

"I missed you too, Uncle Connor," I said with a laugh as the hug broke. He held me at an arm's length away and looked me up and down as if I'd changed drastically since he'd seen me last Christmas. In all fairness, I had changed a bit: I'd grown, realized I was bi, dumped my girlfriend for my boyfriend. But that didn't mean he had to act like he hadn't seen me for decades.

"Man, you're really growing up fast. Wow."

"Thanks," I said as I walked into the apartment, taking Tyler's hand in one hand and my suitcase in the other. "Speaking of, Uncle, this is Tyler, my boyfriend. Ty, this is my Uncle Connor, one of my dads' childhood friends."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Tyler greeted as he extended his hand out for my uncle to shake.

But Uncle Connor, being the crazy man he was, shooed Tyler's hand away before he brought him into a hug. "Sorry, I'm a hugger," he said, though he showed no remorse for the shocked look on Tyler's face due to the sudden action. After he'd gotten over the initial shock, he let out a small chuckle and hugged my uncle back, though not with nearly as much fever as my uncle was holding him with.

"It's okay, sir."

"Oh, and stop calling me sir. I'm not that old, you know. You can call me Uncle Connor, too."

"Yeah, but, you kind of are," I said in a sing-song voice, causing my uncle to kick me.

"Ow!" I cried out just as the hug broke, but my uncle ignored me.

"I saw the both of you at the game on TV. You were both incredible. And Tyler, the last play you made...wow. I mean, you were literally like the wind. Beyond fast and unstoppable. It was amazing and you should be very proud of yourself."

"Thank you," Tyler beamed before he shot me a glance that made me want to roll my eyes. He'd been getting a big head from all of the compliments from teammates, spectators, and college scouts alike. But I couldn't blame him. After all of my years of getting the same, it still felt fresh and exciting every time someone told you that you played well or that some college wanted you.

To say I was proud of him for playing so well at the game despite everything that he was going through would be a massive understatement.

"Where's Aunt Abbi and the little ones?" I asked as we made our way deeper into the apartment.

"They're all asleep. I mean, it is like eleven pm."

I hummed in understanding and reminded myself to introduce Tyler and Abbi before Tyler went back to live at his house. I had to admit that some selfish part of me didn't want to let him go when he told me on the bus back that he was ready to move back with his dad. Though he'd assured me that it had nothing to do with my family but rather his healing process, and that he'd still come and visit all the time, I knew that my bed would feel extremely empty and lonely without him. I wouldn't wake up to feeling his body against mine, I wouldn't hear his melodic hums as we bathed together, I wouldn't feel his arms around my waist as I cooked breakfast. And yeah, I had to admit that there were moments when I really wanted my personal space or that the small things he did irritated me, but now that I was actually having to face time alone without him, I felt kind of down.