Page 90 of Under Pressure

I stare at the text on my screen, wondering if I’m possibly hallucinating. After that night he spent over here earlier in the week, sure, I’ve thought about if everything he said was for real, if he intended to actually act on any of it. But it’s been radio silence for two days. I figured he’d regretted it and we’d go back to the status quo of speaking the bare minimum to each other in the lab.

Another text comes in, not even thirty seconds after.

Tyler: I’d like to talk to you. Apologize for a lot of things.

My brows rise. Well, I’ll never turn down an apology. Especially from him.

Me: I’m home all night.

Twenty minutes later, a knock sounds on my front door. Kelsey’s still making the most of her spring break, so she’s not here to witness the groveling that’s about to happen. At least, I assume that’s what will happen. I’m actually not sure.

My heart beats harder in my chest as I turn the knob, and I smooth down the front of my freshly changed shirt. I mean, did I frantically change clothes, brush my teeth, put on makeup, and clean the apartment before he got here? Sure. You know, just preparing for any eventuality.

He’s standing there in a blue button-down that makes his eyes even brighter, gazing hesitantly at me. “Hi.”

I swallow, leaning against the door, suddenly overwhelmed at seeing him. “Hi,” I whisper back.

“These are for you.” He hands me a plate covered in tin foil. “I made them.”

I peel back a corner to find the saddest-looking cupcakes ever, with drooping icing and big bald patches revealing overdone tops. They’re like one of those terrible Pinterest fails.

Still, I can’t help the smile that threatens to take over my face. “You made these for me?”

He nods, more hopeful now, and I pull one off the plate and bite into it enthusiastically. My eyes water a bit, the urge to spit it out overwhelming. “It’s really sweet,” I choke out, backing up into the apartment and toward the kitchen to grab a drink.

He rubs a hand along the back of his neck, following me, and closes the door behind him. “I was worried they wouldn’t be sweet enough, so I added more sugar. I know you like sweet things. That’s why I couldn’t figure out why you liked me.”

I set the rest of the cupcake down on the counter, my smile dropping.

“Did you come over here to rub that in my face?”

“No,” he rushes to say, looking uncomfortable, so unlike his normal self-assured demeanor. “I just wanted to do something for you, show you I’m… trying.”

I stay silent, waiting to see what he’ll add.

“I’m sorry I called you the other night. And then showed up drunk. That wasn’t fair to you.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “And then you left the next morning.”

He nods regretfully. “I left.”

“You didn’t say goodbye. Didn’t leave a note. Not even a text.”

He hangs his head down low. “I was ashamed.”

“Of what?”

“Of how I acted. You were right. I shouldn’t have—”

I hold up my hand to stop him. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

He pauses, mentally reviewing what he said, then seems to catch my meaning. “You were right.” He smirks.

“Just making sure.”

He relaxes, some of the pressure off him at my teasing. “I’m glad you were being responsible and didn’t take advantage of the situation. You’re so… you’re so good,” he sighs. I can’t tell if he means it as a compliment, though. “I shouldn’t have put that kind of burden on you after all the things I did, or didn’t do, before.”

“Okay.” Where is he going with this? I hope he’s not expecting me to absolve him of all past misdeeds. Not without giving me a reason.

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