☾THE MECHANIC☽

13. Trouble in Paradise

You wake up to your phone blowing up on your bedside table. You go to grab your phone but you stop due to the throbbing pain in your side. "Shit... This is worse than when my arm was cut by a phantom..." You mutter, rubbing your side. You're surprised you didn't break a rib from your fall. Aiden might be 'Mr. Durable' but you sure as hell are 'Mrs. Durable'.

You grab your phone from the nightstand. You see messages from Aiden, Logan, and Tyler. You stare at your phone as you watch Tyler's name appear on your phone again. 'Is it just me or has Tyler been around a lot more? Protective for sure...' Your mind flashes at all the moments you had with Tyler in the phantom realm. 'Could he..? No, there's no way he could be. He was just being helpful after I injured myself...' You sigh. Then why did he hold your waist? Why did he let you intertwine your fingers? I mean, the two of you have done it once before. Is he just being friendly or is he flirting? All these thoughts run through your head. You grab your pillow and shove it in your face to muffle out your groan.

Buzz. Buzz.

You look at your phone to see another text from Tyler. "Damn... Why is he blowing up my phone?" You mumble. Before you answer his messages you check Aiden's and Logan's first.

ᴀɪᴅᴇɴ
Sorry for not catching you earlier.
Hope it doesn't hurt too much lol

ʏᴏᴜ
Don't worry about it lol
Hope your ankle feels better soon bud
I need to teach you a proper landing...
________________________________

ʟᴏɢᴀɴ
Is your side okay?
You didn't get hurt by a phantom again, did you?

ʏᴏᴜ
Yes, it's okay.
No, I didn't. It was a railing this time :)
________________________________

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
Yo
Are you awake?
How's your side?
Hello?

ʏᴏᴜ
If I wasn't awake before, I am now
My side is fine

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
Funny.
You're lying. I saw the way you fell from the roof. You had the wind knocked out of you. It took you a minute to catch your breath.

ʏᴏᴜ
The Tyler Hernández... cares about me?
You're cute.
That's cute****
But if you must know, it's sore but I'll be fine.
Thank you for looking out for me though.

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
If this was an actual conversation just know I'd punch you.

ʏᴏᴜ
We know how that ended last time. Or do you need a reminder?

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
NO.
Shut up. We don't speak of it.

ʏᴏᴜ
Bummer... I enjoyed it

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
Huh?

ʏᴏᴜ
I mean, I enjoy kicking your ass.

ᴛʏʟᴇʀ
Shut up.
Gts.

ʏᴏᴜ
You texted me first but okay.
________________________________

Your face burns as you place your phone down to go back to sleep. Damn you Tyler and autocorrect.

☾☾Meanwhile with Tyler☽☽

He stares at his screen, your last message being 'You texted me first but okay'. Confusion runs through his brain as an odd feeling in his stomach blooms. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' He tosses and turns in his bed until he falls asleep.

The next morning, Tyler and his sister meet up with everyone at the front of the school. He taps his foot, impatiently, "What's taking them so long?". "They were in traffic" Aiden replies. Tyler raises an eyebrow, "How do you know that?". "[Y/N] told me" Aiden smiles. Tyler's eyebrows furrow, he won't ask why and he doesn't need to thanks to Aiden. "I have a new drink for her to try and she said she might have to wait because they were in traffic" The blonde pulls out a Mango Dragonfruit Celcius. "You two don't need any more energy..." Ashlyn mumbles, noticing you and Logan walking up to the group.

"Good morning, Logan! [Y/N]!" Taylor smiles. Tyler's eyes wander from the blonde to you and Logan. You look more tired than usual and you're holding your side as you yawn.

"M-Morning!"

"Mornin'..."

Everyone walks inside and Aiden hands you the drink, "Guess this is a good drink for today... Looks like you need it". "Thanks... I'm exhausted, last night was... a lot" You take the drink from him and open it. "Mango Dragonfruit..." You read out loud before taking a sip. You hum in delight as the flavor hits your tongue. "Thank you," You say to Aiden. He was right, this drink will be needed today.

You all start heading to class, in a relaxing silence. Well, it would be relaxing if it weren't for the awkward atmosphere Ashlyn and Aiden are creating. "You two are getting on my nerves" Tyler turns to face Ashlyn and Aiden. "How are we supposed to 'celebrate' when you're ruining the good mood with awkwardness" Tyler crosses his arms. Taylor clears her throat, "What Tyler means is that you both seem tense. There's about ten minutes before class, how about you two talk things out and we'll grab some snacks?". You and the others leave Ashlyn and Aiden to go grab 'snacks' but you're really eavesdropping from the stairs below. You sit on the top step across from Tyler, facing him.

"Are you sure you should've come to school with your head injured like that?" Tyler hears Aiden's question. "What about you? You're limping" Ashlyn answers his question with a question. "Yeah but, it's kinda my fault" Aiden chuckles. "Maybe we should talk later, my head's throbbing" Ashlyn sighs. "Ah— Wait!". There's a pause before anything else is said. "I'm sorry, Ashlyn. I didn't think me getting you hurt meant you would too... Ah— Am I too close?" Aiden shifts back. You take a sip from the drink Aiden gave you as you continue listening. "To be honest, I'm still confused about the boundary thing. I've never tried to get close to someone like you" You mentally facepalm at his words. "Someone like me? What's that supposed to mean?". "Not in a bad way!" Aiden's quick to say. He explains a little about his past as you look at Ben. Did they move around together a lot?

"You seemed like the type of person who wouldn't become close with someone unless they were special to you and I'm not exactly sure... How to go about it" Aiden's words make you glance at Tyler. It seems like you and Aiden are in the same boat. You glance away from the boy before he can catch you. "Listen, I'm not good at phrasing my words like Taylor is so I'm just going to be blunt" Ashlyn sighs, "You're impulsive, rash, pushy, annoying, and you have no concept of personal space". You internally cringe at her harsh words. You hope Tyler doesn't see you that way. "But I was wrong to blame you for Savannah. You may have pushed but it was still my decision to go and I don't blame you for what happened on the porch. I would appreciate it if you listened to me more, maybe took things more seriously... I'll also work on becoming more open with you all" Ashlyn says before sighing, "Let's just both try our best, I guess?".

"Wow, that was cringey..." Tyler mutters making Taylor jab him in the side. "I can hear you guys" You hear Ashlyn say causing everyone to sweatdrop. "Welp," Tyler watches as you stand. You're wearing an outfit that suits your figure. He watches as you crush your empty can and toss it into the trashcan at the bottom of the stairs. "I should play basketball" You grin. "Lucky shot" Tyler huffs.