The Lunacy of Tyler Lockhart ✔️

Chapter Sixty - Present

Present

Victoria

A week passed since the incident.

I still remember it like it was yesterday. I tasted fear and death. I'd come out of that like a new person, and the experience made me look at things in a different light. I was the same, yet not completely. I'd discovered that I was stronger than I imagined. I wasn't scared when I'd picked up that gun to shoot, there was only bitter anger and hurt over what my old friend had done to me, everything that Noah had confessed. He'd lied to my face all those years about being my friend when all he wanted was to screw me over to get back at Tyler.

I'd come home late that morning before dawn and tore all the old pictures that I'd taken with him.

I wanted to put it behind me as soon as I could so I brushed those thoughts away and concentrated on icing the strawberry cheesecake. I arranged the diced strawberries on the top and began cutting the cake to put it on display. I mentally reminded myself to make the Nutella donuts which were the most popular and bestselling in the bakery.

Patrons filed into the place moments later and I served them their usual coffee, and donuts or pastries, plastering on a smile and answering politely to their inquiries. What happened that night wasn't a secret any longer and most people in town knew about it and wanted to dig deeper.

I worked myself to the bone for the next couple of days because sitting around doing nothing brought me back to that night again, and I would rather do something else than relive in those moments. Archer had received an offer for an internship for a famous hotel in Boston so he'd left for that leaving me and Hazel to take care of the business here. Tyler had been surprisingly distant, allowing me some space which was unlike him. That night he'd hugged me close and told me that he had some business to take care of and that he'd be back soon. I smiled to myself, thinking about him. I'd decided not to fight him anymore...

Or sacrifice the love that I felt towards him...

If he couldn't love me the way I wanted him too, maybe I could teach him to love if he still wanted me, that is.

Tonight I'd given Hazel a night off, I felt bad that she had to work so hard even though she should've been partying and doing the stuff that a girl her age should be doing.

As if on cue, the bell of the bakery dinged. I looked at the time; it was a little past ten p.m. Hazel told me she wasn't going to be back home until after midnight.

"You're back early..." I said looking up and froze.

Tyler stood at the door, looking like a meal as usual. He wore a black leather jacket, over ripped denim jeans. His hair rumpled but adding to his alluring beauty.

Could he just stand there forever so I could admire him?

Because every time he showed out of the blue, dressed like that, it took my breath away. I looked down at myself. I was wearing a decent yellow dress with little sunflower print over it. Hardly anything you'd consider sexy, but it was cute.

He was holding a large box of pizza in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other, grinning he said, "Did you order pizza, ma'am? Thought I'd deliver the pizza and myself on your doorstep. I'm complimentary."

"Lock that door, Tyler Lockhart."

Who in the right mind would say no to pizza, wine, and a man like that?

"Careful there, Miss, I might start getting all the wrong ideas." He said grinning as he flipped the sign to 'CLOSED' and locked the bakery door from the inside.