Chapter FiftyFive

I strolled into Annie’s kitchen, my head still hurting from the blur of last night.

She was already at the counter, flipping pancakes with a big grin that only increased when she got sight of me. Her eyes narrowed with mischief, obviously realizing I had a story to tell.

“So…” she began, tilting her head in a way that made it apparent she wasn’t allowing me out of this. “Ready to spill, or are you going to keep me guessing?”

I let out a deep sigh, collapsing onto one of the stools and grasping the mug of coffee she offered me. The recollection of waking up next to Tyler made my cheeks flush, the mixture of emotions boiling just beneath the surface... anger, nostalgia, a weird comfort I’d forgotten he could provide.

“It was him,” I murmured finally, the words sliding off my lips, feeling both bitter and somehow liberated. “The guy from last night was Tyler.”

Annie’s spatula landed with a crash. She gazed at me, blinking like she wasn’t sure if she’d heard me right.

“Tyler?” she muttere