Promises to Keep

nothing is ever that easy

Tayla walked back to her condo, as quickly as she could. She knew where Tyler would be; the same place he was every Sunday; hanging out at Jamie and Katie's place, typically catching the football game. 

Tayla 3:00 p.m.

where u?

She sent a text to Katie, just to ensure that they had not deviated from their usual Sunday pattern. 

Katie 3:01 p.m.

where else would I be on a Sunday?

Katie replied almost immediately. Tayla rolled her eyes, quickly typing back a response.

Tayla 3:02 p.m.

 ok ms sarcastic. i'm coming over

Katie 3:02 p.m.

everything ok?? BTW Tyler's here

Tayla 3:03 p.m.

I know.

And with that, she hopped into her car, her heart racing with anxiety. 

Justin 3:04 p.m.

You get 'em, girl! Good luck!!

She simply smiled at his text, trying her best to not speed, despite just wanting to arrive at her destination as quickly as she could. 

Katie eyed the message with a little skepticism. It was strange Tayla would even ask where she would be on a Sunday afternoon; she always knew. It had been months, however since she'd made an appearance. Although Katie always asked her to come join, she never did because of Tyler's presence. 

"Everything okay?" Jamie asked, as Tyler went to the other room to grab another beer. Katie simply showed Jamie the messages, and once he read them, had the same perplexed expression Katie bore just moments before. "Soo, it's not okay?" Jamie then asked, and Katie shook her head. 

"I have no idea, honestly" Katie shrugged. "I just think it's kind of strange" 

"Maybe she wants to talk to him?" Jamie suggested. 

"That would be my only guess..." Katie trailed off, biting her lip. "I guess we'll find out, here she is. Where's Tyler?" Katie eyed the seat Tyler had just occupied only moments earlier before he got up to grab a beer. 

"Kitchen probably" Jamie replied. "Apparently taking forever!" he added a little louder, so Tyler would be able to hear him. He got no response back, so he became a little concerned. "Be right back" he excused himself, just as Katie heard a knock at the door. 

"Hey, Tay" Katie greeted Tayla, who looked unusually happy. "You look... well, you look really happy" she commented, not wanting it to sound like an insult. When she had gotten the text she was concerned something was wrong; evidently that wasn't the case. 

"I think I am" Tayla replied, as the pair made their way to the living room. "I met a guy at-"

"Woah there" Katie stopped her mid sentence. "You met a guy?" she asked, hoping to God Tyler wasn't able to hear her. Her eyes flickered to the dining room, where she noticed Tyler standing there, a sad expression on his face. Before Katie nor Jamie could flinch, he was out the back door, all without Tayla noticing. 

"At the park, yes" Tayla confirmed, not fully understanding what it sounded like. "I kinda bumped into him at the park. He's really nice- I'd think you'd get along with him well we all have a lot in common" she added, continuing her rapid train of thought.