Chapter 9 - You're Not the Boss of Me (1)

But every time you hurt me,

the less that I cry

And every time you leave me,

the quicker these tears dry

And every time you walk out,

the less I love you

Baby, we don't stand a chance,

it's sad but it's true

I'm way too good at goodbyes

— Sam Smith, Too Good at Goodbyes

T Y L E R

I couldn't believe this was happening. Not now. Not after three years of living my life without her. Yet here she was, right in front of me where I could touch her to know that she was real. She looked at me with those blue-green eyes beneath her long lashes, and I suddenly felt like a seventeen years old boy who was completely in love with his three-years girlfriend.

"What are you doing here?" I caught her arms and helped her get up on her feet.

She smiled and put her forefinger up, pointing at the ceiling. "I'm going to the club. They have the best margaritas here. What about you?"

"I'm going home. I was just from there." Although I was there for work, a completely different reason than her. I stared at her beautiful eyes and still couldn't believe I finally met her.

Faith Gauthier was my girlfriend for three years. She used to live across the street with her grandparents while her parents lived in Toronto. The first time I saw her was when I was helping her grandpa with their fence.

She just moved there for two days and hardly knew anyone around. We had a lot of things in common so we connected almost instantly. She was the nicest person I've ever met and there was absolutely nothing that I wouldn't do for her. It was embarrassing to admit but I really was head over heels for her.

Just like any teen relationship, it ended with a broken heart. One day she decided I wasn't the one she was looking for and broke things off. She didn't say goodbye nor did she leave any message. She simply left. She packed her bags and moved to Toronto to live with her parents. I've never heard of her since.

Her brows lowered in confusion. "So soon?" Her confusion cleared and she smiled. "Ah. There's someone waiting for you at home, isn't it?" She clasped her small purse in her underarm and smiled knowingly. "Go. Don't let me keep you."

She was right. There was someone waiting for me at home, someone who found out about my lies and demanded the truth. Ten minutes ago, I would've run home, ignoring everything else to reach for Autumn. I would've tried my best to get home quickly so I could explain to her why I lied. Yet right now, meeting Faith has changed everything.

I pressed the call button. "I could use a drink." I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jeans and looked directly at her.

Her brows lifted up her smooth forehead as she stared back at me. "Are you sure?"

Am I? "Yeah." The elevator opened and I held my hand to keep the doors from closing. She stepped inside and I followed close behind.

Faith hit the rooftop button then leaned against the mirrored wall. "So, tell me, what happened to you since high school?"

I chuckled. "What do you want to know?"

She grinned and the smile reached her eyes. "You know me." She gave her shoulder a little shrug. "I wanna know everything."

I slid my gaze across the shoulder of my navy blue jacket and straight into her eyes. Her eyes were blue in the center and surrounded by green, which reminded me of the blue sky and the green forest.

I swallowed hard. She looked exactly like she was three years ago. Except that she was no longer a seventeen years old girl, she was twenty years old now. Her lips were no longer bare, they were painted bright red. She looked grown-up. I dropped my gaze on the floor and let out a deep sigh, secretly hoping that I wasn't making a huge mistake now.

* * *

It was almost eleven PM when I finally realized I was spending too much time chatting and drinking when I should get home and face the problem instead of delaying it like a coward. I grabbed my jacket from the back of the sofa beside me and stood. "I gotta go now, Faith."

She put her half-empty glass on the table and stood. "Okay." She reached for her purse and dug around inside. "Here," said Faith, putting a piece of bubblegum onto my palm. "Don't want to get you in trouble. Whoever at home probably doesn't want to see you drunk."

I looked at the piece of bubblegum in my hand and smiled. It reminded me of those high school days when we sneakily broke in her grandparents' liquor cabinet and got ourselves drunk. I had those days when I wanted to get drunk and blame my father for everything while she blamed her parents for ditching her to live with her grandparents. Back then, she always had bubblegums handy and gave me a piece so I could chew it on my way back.

"Safe trip home, Ty! Call the cab, you may not fully drunk but I don't like the thought of you driving!" shouted Faith as I walked toward the exit.

I laughed and yelled back at her, "You're not the boss of me!"

She rolled her eyes. "You wish!" Typical Faith for always wanted to have the last say. I pressed the call button on the wall and stared at the spot between my shoes as I waited for the elevator to come.