Chapter 2

TYLER POV

“Are you sure you don’t want to come?” asked Autumn as she glanced up from the black dress she was wearing and looked in the mirror at me, who was trying so hard to figure out how the heck four straight metals could turn into a towel hanger.

I put the IKEA instruction manuals on the floor and stood. I walked towards her and stopped right behind her. “You know you don’t have to come if you don’t want to.” I raised my hand to close the zipper on the back of her dress. I kissed the spot between her neck and her spine.

“I know,” she said with a deep sigh. “But I can’t let Jess come alone.”

I frowned. “I thought Colton is also coming.”

“He is. But he’s her boyfriend, she needs a girlfriend too,” said Autumn. Sometimes I didn’t understand girls, this was one of those times. “What if she sees a cute guy? She can’t possibly say it to Colton without him getting jealous.”

“Is that what you did whenever you saw a cute guy? Did you go and tell your friend?” I asked and didn’t bother to hide my irritation.

After what happened in the bar last night, I started to feel like I had so many competitions around. Guys in NYC were so forward, they didn’t care that she had a boyfriend. Or maybe that was how some jerks were, not only here in NYC. But I didn’t seem to notice until later.

Autumn smiled and turned to face me. “Yes. That’s exactly what I did when I saw you.” I was about to argue but she stood on the tip of her toes and kissed my lips lightly. “Don’t worry. You’re the only guy in my mind and in my heart.” Like always, she was always able to calm my storm.

“Call me when you want to go home,” I reminded her as I held the front door open. “I’ll come and get you.”

“Okay!” She pecked on my cheek and headed outside.

I closed the door and walked to the mess I left on the floor. Who would’ve thought this IKEA furniture was harder to build?!

I was about to settle down when my cell phone rang. “Hello?” I greeted.

“Tyler, it’s time.”

I froze. It was him. I should’ve known that there was no escaping this. I gripped my cell phone so tight that my palm hurt. “What do you want me to do?”

* * *

I should’ve known that Santiano wouldn’t leave me alone for more than two days. I guess it was a good thing that Autumn was outside or else I would have to lie to her. And I hated lying even though it was for her own protection. It was better for her not to know about Santiano. Her life has been tough as it was, she didn’t need more things to be worried about.

I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jacket and kept my head down as I roamed through the busy street of New York. The good thing about New York was that the city was too big so no one knew anyone and everyone was too busy to care.

I pulled out my phone and dialed his number. He picked it up after the second dial tone. “I’m here,” I informed him once I turned at the corner of fifty-one street.

“Good. Wait there. Someone will come and give you further instruction,” was all he said before he cut the connection and left me with annoying dial tones.

I shoved my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and waited. A guy who looked like he was probably older than me by a year or two came a few minutes later. In one hand he was carrying a package while the other was holding his lit cigarette.

He dropped the cigarette on the ground and stomped on it without even looking. His eyes traveled from the tip of my toe up until he locked his eyes on mine. “Are you Tyler?” asked him with a thick Italian accent.

I gave him a firm nod.

“Give me your phone,” asked him as he held his hand out. I shoved my hand into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. I put it on his palm and he checked my call logs. “Okay. Here’s the package.” He put my phone on top of the package and handed both to me. “Don’t lose it.”

I frowned. Santiano’s instruction was to wait for this guy’s instruction. “What am I supposed to do with it?”

“Open it,” he answered. But when I went to unwrap the package he quickly caught my hand. “Dude! Not here. Are you crazy?!”

“What’s inside?” I was curious. What was inside the box that I couldn’t show to the world and why did he want me to have it?

The guy smirked, ignoring my question. His hand reached into the pocket of the black jeans he’d cut in several places to make a few holes here and there. He pulled a Marlboro from the pack, then lit the end with his Zippo.“Want some?” He held the pack of cigarettes in front of me. I shook my head. “You really don’t strike me as a dealer. Damn Santiano is really good at hiring people.” With a snap of his wrist, the Zippo closed, and he shoved the pack and lighter back into his pocket. He leaned against the wall. His eyes were on to the sky as he took a pull of the cigarette and exhaled a long stream of smoke.

I watched the smoke hang around his head like a grey cloud as I tried to figure out what to do. I had one unknown package in my hand and the guy who was supposed to give me instruction looked too chill to give me one. I pulled out my phone and decided to check up on Autumn.

How was the party? T.

I hit send and was about to put my phone back in my pocket when it buzzed. Her reply came faster than I thought, it was almost as if she has been holding her phone and waiting for my text.

Boring. Drunk puking dudes everywhere. I miss you, boo. How’s the IKEA? Any luck? You know you can call for their help if you want.

That made me smile. I stole a glance at the Italian dude, he was still looking up at the sky while savoring his remaining cigarette. I returned my attention back to my phone and typed my reply.

I miss you too, love. Don’t worry. I have the manuals, I’ll figure it out on my own.

I knew it was silly not to call customer service and ask for their help, but I couldn’t help myself. The IKEA furniture might look tougher than the calculus test but I knew I could solve it. I had to.

“Are you done love lettering?” His voice interrupted my train of thoughts. I looked up and noticed he was right in front of me. There was no cigarette between his lips or in his hand. “It’s time.” His eyes glinted mischievously.

I shoved my phone back into my back pocket and dared myself to ask, “Time for what?”

“Do the real job.” He turned and signaled me to follow him and so I did.

* * * * * * *

AUTUMN POV

Fine but I need that drawer by tonight. Our place is a disaster and once school starts, I don’t think we’ll have time to unpack and organize our stuff.

P.s. you still owe me that massage ;)

I closed the messaging app once I sent the message then went back to I*******m. I’ve been spending the last two hours stalking Shawn Mendes and Hailey Baldwin. I’ve always shipped him with Camila Cabello since that catchy song I Know What You Did Last Summer but it seemed like my ship had to sink to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. Camila had found herself a boyfriend too and even though the whole thing looked like a PR stunt for me, I had to admit Matthew Hussey did look cute. Plus, just like Harry Styles, he’s British.

I grabbed the red plastic cup and took a drink before putting it back on the edge of the bathtub. I was getting my Sherlock Holmes on and digging for proof that Camila and Matthew’s relationship was fake when a loud repeated knock came from the bathroom door.

“Hey! Whoever is inside, I need to pee! Come out now! You’ve been there for hours!” yelled a girl from the other side of the door.

“Shït!” I put my phone into the pocket of my leather jacket and picked up my red cup. I went to the door but took two steps back and press the flush button although there was nothing to flush. I knew I’d been spending the last one hour and a half, playing with my phone while hiding in the bathroom, but I wasn’t stupid to let the others know about it. I mean, how lame was that? I was at a party for Hemmings’ sake.

I unlocked the door. Before I even had a chance to open it, someone already did. “What the hell were you doing?” asked a blonde girl with gorgeous green eyes. If a look could kill, I’d be dead.

“Relax, Frey.” I slid my gaze past her shoulder to a good-looking guy in a white shirt. I nearly dropped my cup but he caught it and handed it to me. “Be careful.” Those baby blues sparkled when he smiled. If Adam Levine played a movie and they needed someone to play his brother, I would definitely pick this guy.

The girl, Frey or whatever her name was, shot me another murdering look. “Shut up, Ken!” She pushes the door wide open, grabbed his hand, and dragged him into the bathroom. He let out a deep chuckle and gave me an apologetic smile, as if saying ‘what can I do, this hot girl holds my hand and we are about to get naked’.

The door slammed shut and I rolled my eyes. Need to pee my ass, more like they needed a place to bang. “Where is Batman when I need him? Why is he busy saving Gotham and not me?” I muttered to myself.

It took less than twenty seconds for me to run down the stairs. I knew I had to escape before I started to hear moans and other disturbing noises from the bathroom.

The party downstairs looked just like it was one and a half hours ago when I fled upstairs. Some guys were by the pool playing beer pong and cheering super loud that they should’ve joined the cheerleader squad. I was going to stand in the corner but each corner has been turned into a place for a make-out session. I walked past the living room to the media room where some guys were playing video games on one side of the room as the rest of the room was used as a dance floor. Loud EDM music blasted through the stereo and people were jumping up and down to the beat.

I love Troye Sivan and his music but right now, with the song played on a max volume that basically wanted to murder my ears, I wanted to bust the stereo.

Once I turned to the right, leaving all the dancing people behind and entering the other part of this huge house, the music went down to somewhat bearable. I could finally enjoy my beer while listening to Troye and Martin kill the song. It seemed that the song was on replay since it started from the beginning again.

♫ I woke up pissed off today and lately, everyone feels fake, somewhere I lost a piece of me, smoking cigarettes on balconies ♫

Just when I finally found my peace, one guy shouted, “Did you see that? I’ve told you I could do it with one hand!”

I turned to my right and saw a bunch of guys and girls were semi-naked. What the fück?

“How did you manage to unhook it without looking?” asked the redhead guy with thick brows. He looked genuinely curious as he leaned in closer to the girl, who was shirtless but still had her bra on, which she held tight against her chest with both of her hands. “There’s like three hooks there, man. And they’re damn tiny.”

The first guy laughed. “Just snap them at once. Just like this.” His voice got louder at each word as if he wanted to showcase his superiority. I immediately understood what they were on about once the guy put his hand on the girl’s back.

They were trying to unhook her bra with one hand. Geez, college party turned out to be crazier than high school. A lot crazier. Some people just lack the ability to realize that everyone in the room wants them to shut up. Well, maybe not everyone, maybe just me.

I wasn’t a party pooper, I really wasn’t. I loved partying during my junior years in high school, clubbing and drinking, and drunk dancing. But those days seemed so far away now, I felt that I was getting bored with them. So in my senior year, I decided to leave the partying and getting drunk to the jocks and the cheerleaders.

I grabbed the red plastic cup and headed to the kitchen for a refill, leaving the noisy crowd behind. The kitchen was located at the far end, away from the noises the party has caused, and I was glad that my ears didn’t have to suffer any longer.

And that was when I first saw him, making out with a blonde on top of the kitchen counter as if they were at his place and not at a party. They still had their clothes on, thank God, although her blouse was hanging low. Her shoulders were exposed, showing the whole world her red lacy bra band, yet she didn’t seem to care. Or should I say, ‘too busy to care’.

For a second, I thought maybe I could get away with this, maybe I could just get my drink and run without them ever noticing that I was here. I mean, they were clearly too occupied to notice anyway. But considering the barrel was right next to her thigh, that was unlikely to happen.

I took a step back, ready to make my way out when his eyes fluttered open and froze me in my place. Those hooded dark grey eyes filled with passion and promises sent shivers down my spine. Maybe he was caught in the moment, maybe the kisses that blonde girl was giving him on his neck had something to do with that. Yet the mischievous smile appearing on his sensual lips told me otherwise.

The beer has forgotten, I took a step back, out of the kitchen, and walked as quickly as I could to get back into the party. I went to the media room where most people were there and joined them, hoping if that guy was to follow me, he wouldn’t be able to find me in the middle of a mash of warm bodies.

My hips bumped into someone and I was about to turn and say sorry when I realized it was Jess. “Jess!”

Her eyes went wide. “Autumn! Where have you been? We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“Er, upstairs,” I answered quietly.

“What’s upstairs? Do they have another party upstairs?” asked Colton who was standing right next to Jess. They looked so cute wearing the same color outfits. Jess wore a beautiful coral blue dress while Colton had a dark blue blazer on.

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Oh.” Colton sounded disappointed.

“This place is huge!” exclaimed Jess with a little shake of her head. “Seriously, you all Columbia kids are loaded!”

“I’m not,” I said with a shrug. Just like Tyler, I got into Columbia with a scholarship. Although mine was partial, unlike Tyler who went in with a full scholarship.

We walked through the crowd and went to the next room. “Do you girls want some drink?” offered Colton.

“Jack on ice for me, babe,” answered Jess as she winked at him.

Colton shook his head. “No. No more Jack Daniels for you.” He turned to look at me. “Autumn?”

“Beer would be fine,” I replied. “Thanks.”

He nodded then walked away.

“So,” said Jess with a playful look on her face. “What were you doing upstairs?”

I kept my face blank. “Nothing.”

“Oh, come on!” She nudged me and bit her lower lip. “Colton isn’t around, you can tell me.” Her eyes narrowed. “Did you get high?”

“No!” I yelled, causing a few people to glance in our way.

She gasped. “Oh my God. Did you accidentally cheat on Tyler?”

I would be annoyed if it wasn’t for the word ‘accidentally’ she smartly put in her sentence. “No.” I rolled my eyes.

“Then what did you do? Tell me!” She linked her arm to mine and dragged me to the nearest couch.

“I didn’t do anything,” I answered truthfully. She looked at me as if she didn’t believe a word I said. “Okay, fine. I stalked a guy.”

Her eyes went wider than I thought humanly possible. “Who?” asked her enthusiastically.

“Matthew Hussey.” I wasn’t lying, I did stalk Matthew for a bit to find out what Camila’s boyfriend looked like.

Jess’ smile dimmed a little. “Who’s that?”

“Camila Cabello’s new boyfriend.”

She punched my arm lightly as she laughed. “Geez. You and your daily stalking.” She shook her head.

“Don’t you dare judge me! You stalked Niall Horan for God knows how many times!” I laughed.

“That’s cos he’s Niall Horan for Horan’s sake!” She gave me a ‘duh’ look and we both laughed.

My laughter died once I saw the guy walking in with Colton. It was that guy, the one in the kitchen. “Come on!” I took Jess’ hand and led her to the dance floor.

“What are we doing here?” She frowned. “Colton is coming with our drinks.”

“Yes. But he’s coming with the creepy guy!” I said close to her ear, just in case anyone around us knew that guy.

“Where? Which one?” Jess looked around and stopped once she spotted her boyfriend. “Oh. That’s Phraser.”

I raised one brow. “Who?”

“Phraser Ronan,” replied Jess. When she looked at my dumbfounded face, she quickly added, “Geez, babe, how could you not know him? We’re at his house.”

What?! I honestly thought it was just some random house used for partying. I mean, come on, this House was freaking huge, who would want to live here? You need to walk twenty minutes to get to the kitchen from the front door. I couldn’t wait that long to get my pizza delivered to the dining table, I would probably eat them on my way.

No wonder he felt so free to make out with a girl in the kitchen, this was his house after all.

“I’m gonna go to Colton and get our drinks,” said Jess. I replied with a nod.

♫ Last year took a toll on me but I made it with you next to me. Around the world and back again, I hope you’re waiting at the end ♫

I closed my eyes and followed the beats, finally letting go. I didn’t realize how much I missed dancing to good music until now. Last year I’ve been so busy thinking about final exams and college. Even after the exam was finished, I was too busy preparing myself for New York that I didn’t have much time to have fun.

I suddenly became aware of a pair of big hands on my waist. For a second or two, I didn’t give much thought to it. I mean, the floor was crowded, and people were bumping into each other, maybe the touch was an accident. But it became obvious to my stupid booze-soaked brain that the touch wasn’t accidental, I threw my right elbow, wanting to shove whoever it was. Instead, my hand bumped into a solid wall of muscle. I looked over my shoulder, way up into a pair of grey eyes and a face that dropped my jaw to the floor.

♫ I got you, I promise, let me be honest, love is a road that goes both ways ♫

He didn’t smile or say anything. Not even a small ‘hi’. He just looked directly into my eyes while his hands lightly rested on the curve of my waist. Despite being caught right-handed, he looked not a bit sorry that he was touching me.

His gaze held mine, and I knew trouble when it stared down at me. I knew it by the rumble in my stomach and the catch in my breath. I knew I should run. As fast as I could. As far away as possible.

Again, damn! Where the hell is Batman when I need him?