Tyler stood still, frozen until he could no longer see Abbie. Things between them were getting worse and worse and it seemed like it was always his fault. He didn't know how to stop screwing things up with Abbie. He didn't want to break up with her, but if things continued on like this, Tyler wasn't sure where their relationship would exactly head.
Tyler slowly turned back around to the group and that's when Sebastian reached out to touch him, but before he could, Tyler quickly pulled away.
"I...I need to be alone right now." He whispered then he hurried out of the coffee shop.
Sebastian sighed and briefly glanced at the gang before hurrying after Tyler. Tyler didn't stop walking until he got to a lone bench and sat down on it, burying his face into his hands. He felt his body starting to shake and he wasn't sure if it was because of the cold weather or because he was upset. At the moment, he didn't care if he froze his butt off.
Suddenly, Tyler felt something warm wrap around him. He glanced up to see that Sebastian had draped his jacket over his body before he sat down next to him. Tyler looked away.
"I can't stop screwing things up with Abbie."
Sebastian reached out and gently patted Tyler's knee. "You might not want to hear this, but maybe now is the time to separate yourself from her."
Tyler groaned softly as he sat back against the bench. He knew Sebastian was right in a way, but Tyler didn't have the courage to break up with the one girl he loved. He still hoped that they would be able to fix their relationship some way.
Just then, the gang approached them. Tyler looked up before jumping out of his seat and he quickly removed Sebastian's jacket and gave it back to him.
"Hey..." He quietly greeted.
"Tyler, you know you're still our friend, right? Just because you and Abbie are fighting, it doesn't mean we're picking sides." Emily told him.
"Yeah, man. You can always come and talk to us. Our door is always open for our friends." Zack chimed in.
Becca crossed her arms. "And if you ever want to sob and eat a tub of ice cream, you're free to."
Tyler smiled softly. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. I guess I just thought you guys were favoring comforting and listening to Abbie more. I felt so alone and Sebastian was the only one there for me."
Zack walked up to Tyler and wrapped an arm around him. "Not anymore! You have us."
"Hey, Tyler, why don't you come over and we can all hang out? We can watch some tv and talk about whatever you want to talk about." Emily suggested.
Tyler glanced at Sebastian, wondering if it was okay to invite him too. Sebastian quickly got the memo, though.
"Go on. I have some work I have to do."
Tyler nodded. "Oh, what about your watch, though?"
Sebastian started putting his jacket back on. "I can pick it up later." He said then he gently patted Tyler's arm and gave a short nod to the gang before walking away.
"Alright! Let's go! I still have to call about the boiler too." Zack said.
At the house, Tyler sat down with Emily and Kaitlyn on the couch while Becca prepared some snacks.
"Do you want to watch some The Crown & The Flame?" Emily suggested.
Tyler shook his head. "No. Watching that used to be my and Abbie's thing and now I just associate that with Abbie so it's no longer fun to watch for me." He explained.
Emily frowned. "Oh."
"Hey, how about that new tv show that just came out called Hero? It's about this everyday office worker who-"
"Zack, don't spoil it!" Emily playfully scolded him.
Tyler smiled. "That...actually sounds nice. Let's watch it."
"You three go on ahead without me. I've gotta call about the boiler." Zack said then he walked away to make a phone call.
Becca stepped into the living room with some snacks then she sat down on the couch.
"Let's skip the tv show. I want to hear some gossip." Becca suddenly announced.545Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYgcxztfzO6
"Becca!" Emily shouted.
Becca shrugged innocently. "What?" She then turned to Tyler with a smirk.
"So, last night, what happened between you and Sebastian?" She asked.
"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.
"So, you're saying Sebastian spent the night at your place and that's it? Nothing happened between you two?" She asked.
"Like what?"
Becca groaned, rolling her eyes. "Come on, Tyler."
Tyler sighed softly, looking down. "Something...did happen, but promise to not repeat this. Especially to Abbie."
Emily, Kaitlyn and Becca quickly nodded in agreement.
"Well, last night, I couldn't stop thinking about Abbie and even relationships in general so Sebastian suggested that I focus on something else and when I asked him what, he...he..."
"He what?" Kaitlyn asked.
"He kissed me." Tyler confessed.
"No way!" Kaitlyn shouted.
"On the lips."
Becca's jaw then dropped. "Are you freaking kidding me? Is this why Sebastian refused to take me out on dates and compliment me? Because he's gay?"
Tyler quickly shook his head. "It's not that. I even asked him about that and he said he's not interested in relationships or...people."
Becca scoffed as she sat back. "That's a bit hard to believe."
"Wait, so Tyler, you're actually saying that Sebastian kissed you last night? To...help you focus on something else?" Emily asked.
Tyler nodded.
"How did it feel? Was the kiss nice?" Kaitlyn asked.
Becca rolled her eyes. "Of course you would be the one to ask that, Liao."
Kaitlyn stuck her tongue out at Becca before focusing back on Tyler, waiting for his answer.
"It...the kiss..."
"Hey, what did I miss? Did you guys start Hero yet?" Zack asked once he entered the living room.
"Sebastian kissed Tyler last night!" Kaitlyn announced.
"What!? Seriously!?" Zack exclaimed, his eyes locking on Tyler.
"It's a long story..." Tyler said softly.
"As if! Give us details, Tyler!" Kaitlyn urged.
"Kaitlyn, relax. Don't push Tyler if he doesn't want to say." Emily told her.
Kaitlyn pouted and crossed her arms.
"Anyways, the kiss was nice. I mean, his lips were soft and gentle, but I couldn't really focus much because I was taken back by it happening."
Becca smirked. "More like you didn't have the chance to kiss back~"
Tyler's face started to flush. "W-what!?"
Kaitlyn pointed. "See! He's blushing! Tyler, do you like Sebastian?"
"What!? No!" Tyler quickly shook his head. "We're just friends."
"Mhm. 'Friends'." Becca said, making air quotes.
"Okay. Enough teasing, guys. You're making Tyler uncomfortable." Emily scolded her friends.
"Remember to not tell anyone. Especially Abbie. She's already upset that I've been confiding in Sebastian so much while we've been fighting. If she hears about Sebastian kissing me, it's all over."
Emily nodded. "We promise. Right, guys?"
Becca, Zack and Kaitlyn quickly nodded. Zack held his hand up. "Scouts honor."
Tyler smiled, relaxing a bit.
"But you know, Tyler, if you ever want to talk, you have me and Zig." Zack told him.
"Why Zig?" Tyler asked.
Emily narrowed her eyes. "Zack, this doesn't have anything to do with Zig being bisexual and you being gay, right?"
Zack shrugged. "I'm just saying if he ever wants to confide in someone with stuff like this, it's better to come to the experts."
"Hey, what about me? I went through my own struggles of coming out too!" Kaitlyn piped up.
Tyler sighed. "Zack, I appreciate it, but I'm not coming out. I still like girls."
"For now." Becca whispered.
"What was that, Becca?" Emily asked.
Becca smiled innocently. "Nothing."
Tyler smiled at his group of friends. Though, what Zack said about going to him or Zig got him thinking now.
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