siren// tyler joseph

eight

the next day, tyler had asked about what happened, just as you expected he would. you grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and began writing.

you had to lie. you didn't want to, but you didn't have any other choice. it was either that, or tell him you had managed to save him and bring him all the way to florida, which just seemed impossible.

i was on the boat too, you wrote down. we must've all went unconscious because i can't remember anything that happened either. my guess is someone found us and brought us to shore, but even that doesn't completely make sense.

it really wasn't believable. to you, at least. it was definitely more logical than telling him you were a siren who sunk the ship he was on, and then saved him by swimming all the way from the middle of the ocean to land.

"i guess we won't really know what exactly happened," tyler said with a shrug. "but at least we're safe now. that's all that matters, right?" he asked, his lips curving into a tiny smile. he nudged you with his elbow playfully, and you shyly nodded in response.

"where are the other girls? i remember you telling me you had a few roommates," tyler asked.

we actually just moved, but we haven't sold this place yet.

"oh, really? where'd you move to?"

columbus.

"for real? that's amazing," tyler replied excitedly. "we can hang out now!"

i know, it's gonna be great!

"by the way, when mark comes to pick me up you guys are welcome to come. there's no way i'd just leave you here. you can even come to our show," he suggested. "it's gonna be in new york."

you thought about it. a concert, with thousands of people standing around you. what if they tried to talk to you? what if the ocean called you right in the middle of it? you couldn't just run away without telling tyler.

i'll think about coming to the show. i should talk with ashley about it first and then i'll let you know.

"alright. do you wanna walk along the beach or something?" he offered. you nodded, but then you remembered how angry the ocean would be with you. you already agreed to going with tyler though, so you just had to ignore her for now.

you went through the backdoor of the house and started walking along the sand. it was cloudy out, and a nice breeze blew through your hair. you looked over at tyler, who was basking in the warm air, his honey brown eyes staring at the horizon. he really was beautiful. you wanted to tell him that, or at least maybe write it down, but you were much too nervous to do that.

amidst your staring at the brunet boy next to you, you could hear her voice in the back of your mind.

please, come back...

i need to know what's going on with you.

it hurt you to ignore her. she cared for you, and she just wanted to talk. now wasn't the right time though. you'd have to talk to her some other time, when tyler wasn't with you.

"the water looks so beautiful tonight, don't you think?" he asked. you nodded, because that was all you really could do. you wished you could talk to him though. you wished he could hear your voice, and that he could hear you tell him that you had never really bothered to make friends with anyone else, but he was different.

"hey, i've been wanting to ask you something. and now that you live in columbus, i guess it makes even more sense to ask," he started. you watched him intently, letting him know you were listening. "would you wanna go on a date sometime?"

a date. he was asking you on a real, actual date.

you nodded vigorously, unable to contain your excitement. no other stranger had managed to make you feel the same way tyler had.

it then occurred to you that this was just another thing the ocean would be furious with you for. you couldn't have any significant others, people who you would eventually fall in love with. it was against the rules as a siren.

but you couldn't say no to him. other than the other girls, you had never felt this connected to another person since your old life. you couldn't give him up just because of some stupid rule. and if you got in trouble for it, so be it. you felt trapped for so many years. but now, with tyler, it felt like freedom.