"Yeah, everyone but Birdy, and me" I sighed. "That's why we're going to go out tomorrow night," I said quickly so that I didn't let it slip that I was going speed dating. There was no way I wanted him to know that.
"Oh, so what are you guys going to do tomorrow night then?"
"Well, we're just going to have a little bit of fun.” I didn’t want to answer any more questions about dating. “ Yeah, but let me check. Let me look in the fridge and get the milk. You didn't say if you wanted any cake or cookies or anything like that," I said quickly, my words stumbling together. I didn't want him to ask me anything else about the next night.
"Yeah. I'll take some Oreos, whatever cookies you have," he said and then yawned slightly. "Oh, man. Excuse me."
"Oh, I forgot you're from the East Coast. You must be so tired right now. Do you want to go to bed?"
"No, I've been sleeping a lot recently. I want to stay up. I want to enjoy our time together."
"Tyler you're so different from how I remember you."
"Oh, yeah? How so?"
"I don't know. It's just a feeling I have. You don't seem to be the same. You seem to be so more calmer, relaxed, less energy almost, if that makes sense?" I could see the expression in his face change and he almost seemed angry. I blinked and the expression was gone, but now in its place was a cocky self-assured grin.
"What? I’m not the same hunky dunky glorious man that you remember from the past? Trust me, my dear. I am."
"No, you seem to be ..."
"I'm too sexy for you." He stood up and started dancing and singing. "I've got energy that will last for days and days and nights and nights and nights."
"Um, are you going to keep singing?" I looked at him, frowning. What had just happened? We were just talking so normally, and now he was acting like a goofball.
"Check out my muscles, Olivia." He flexed his muscles. "Big, huh? Have you ever seen such guns like this?"
"What is your problem, Tyler? What are you talking about?" I was utterly and completely confused. Why was he acting like a douche bag all of a sudden?
"I just wanted you to check out my muscles. Hey, don't you like them?"
I just handed him a cup and went to the living room and sat on the couch. "I'm going to watch some TV. Feel free to join me if you want, or feel free to go in the shower. It's up to you."
"Wow. Someone's a little snappy right now," he said as he followed me into the living room. "I'll watch a movie with you. What do you want to watch?"
"I don't know. I'll most probably fall asleep pretty soon, and then I should make up the bed. This is where you'll be sleeping."
"Oh, man. I was hoping I could sleep in your bed with you, show you what a real man is like."
"Tyler, what is your problem? We were just having a nice conversation, and what, now you want to jump my bones?"
"Mm-hmm. I’ll show you how much energy I have. Don’t you want to jump my bones as well?"
"No, I don't want to jump your bones, Tyler. I'm not interested in anything like that with you." I stumbled over my last words as he seemed to be getting closer and closer. Oh my gosh, was he about to kiss me? I jumped up and headed towards the restroom. “I suggest you calm down while I go potty.” I glared at him as I turned away. Something was definitely different about Tyler and now I was starting to worry that he was on drugs.
Chapter 6
Tyler
I could see that Olivia was looking at me with suspicion in her eyes as she walked back into the room and sat back down on the couch. Not only was there suspicion, but there was hurt and confusion. I knew I'd overreacted to her comment, and acted like a complete and utter fool. Once again, I'd led her to believe that I was just the douchebag that she'd always thought I was, and I hated that. I didn't want her to think that about me, but I also didn't want her to think that I was weak. When she’d made the comment about having less energy it had struck some nerve in me. I had vowed I was never going to be that guy and I’d gone on the defensive. And now I regretted it.
I didn't want her to think that I wasn't the sort of man that could get any woman that he wanted. I wanted her to think that I was virile, that I was cool. I wanted her to be attracted to me. And as I saw her sitting there on the couch, her lower lip trembling, all I wanted to do in that moment was to kiss her.
I sat down on the couch next to her and I grabbed her hand. "Hey, I think I want to apologize to you for my behavior just now. I don't want you to think that I'm just some asshole that's here, staying in your apartment, looking for a good time. You know me better than that, and I want you to be comfortable around me."
"I am comfortable around you, Tyler, and you are an asshole," she said, her neck going back and forth as she pulled her hand away from me. "I don't know why I ever thought you could change. You and Derrick are both the same. You're both the same guys that you were back in the day. Leopards don’t change their spots. You’re still the same ol’ jock that thinks he’s all that.”
“That’s not fair.”
“You were a football player in high school, a football player in college, you got all the girls, and think you can still get all the girls. Well, good for you and for my stupid brother. Derrick can go sleep with his whore, and you can go and find someone tomorrow."
"I don't want to go and find someone tomorrow." I said in a soft voice.
"Oh, okay. So you're not looking to hook up on this trip?"
"Well, I didn't say that exactly," I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows at her, and she just shook her head.
"Really, Tyler? Ha-ha-ha, very funny. Now you're going to try and play games with me as well?"
"I would never try to play games with you, Olivia. You know me better than that."
"Do I though, Tyler? Do I?"
"I would hope so. Do you remember that time you came to me after your high school boyfriend dumped you for not having sex with him?"
"No, not really."
"Don't you remember? What was his name? Shane, right?"
"Yes. It was Shane." She sighed and I held back a grin. She was so stubborn.
"Remember how Shane said he loved you and if you loved him too, you would have sex with him?"
"I vaguely remember he said something like that."
"And remember what I said to you?"
"No. What did you say, Tyler?"
"Remember, I said to you that if a guy really loved you, he would wait if that's what you wanted."
"Yeah. And I said that to him and then he dumped me."
"Well, then, obviously he didn't really love you."
"Yeah, but he still dumped me and that hurt. I lost my boyfriend. I was heartbroken for months and months and months."
"I know you were heartbroken, but would you rather have lost your virginity to him, knowing he only wanted you for one thing?"
"Well, not really, but it's not like the guy I did lose my virginity to was any better."