Page 63 of A Constant Reminder

Chapter 38 – Tyler

After waging a mental war with myself for a few days trying to decide whether or not to reconnect with Andrew, Sam’s advice finally won out.

One day when Sam had a couple of evening tutoring appointments, I asked Gabe to keep an eye on the house and asked Andrew to meet me at a local bar.

When I arrived, he was already sitting at a high-top table with a beer in his hand. I took off my jacket and gestured to the bartender that I would have what he was having.

“I’m surprised you came,” he said before taking another sip.

“Dude, I’m the one who invited you here, remember?”

“Kind of figured you would just have me waiting like an idiot all night.”

I shrugged. “Thought about it.”

A waitress came over and set the frosty bottle down in front of me.

“Why’d you change your mind?”

I took a long drink not entirely sure how to answer. “Let’s just say I had some help seeing the light.”

He smiled and nodded. “Would it have anything to do with that cute blonde you were with the other night?”

“Her name is Sam, and keep your filthy paws away from her,” I said with a touch of humor in my voice.

“Well, what advice did she give you?”

“She told me that maybe I didn’t have to forgive you right away, but people change, and maybe it was worth getting to know you again.”

“She sounds like a smart woman.”

I shook my head. “You have no idea.”

“Tell me about her,” he said sounding genuinely interested.

“We met last year, and I hired her to be my math tutor.”

He spit out his beer all over the place. “You? Hired her to be your math tutor? The man who can crunch numbers in his head in mere seconds?”

I let out a loud, hearty laugh. “Yeah, she fascinated me. Sam is unlike any woman I’ve ever met. She came from practically nothing, but she doesn’t strive to be rich. Rich people actually kind of get under her skin.”

“Then, why the fuck is she dating you?”

“Hell if I know, man. But I’m sure as shit glad she is. We did the back and forth for months, but finally she gave us a shot. She’s smart and driven and a total badass in her own right. You wouldn’t believe the shit she’s been through in her life, but she still grabs life by the balls.”

“You love her?”

I took another sip. “More than anything.”

“Damn, look at you. Tyler Wendell ready to settle down?” He said mockingly.

“Something like that. But enough about me. How was your tour?”

He got quiet as his eyes drifted down to look at his bottle instead of me. “Shit’s rough over there. I’ve seen things that no man should ever have to see. Been seeing a shrink since I got out.”

“Fuck, Drew. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you to talk to.”

He held up his hand. “Stop. I don’t need a pity party. Yes, it sucked, and I’m trying to get past some shit, but you have nothing to be sorry about. I know I hurt you really bad with what I did, and I wish like hell I could take it back. But I can’t. All I can do is try to mend our friendship from here and hope we can move past it.”

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