CHAPTER 011
1246 Words
*FAILURE SERVED IN BLACK*
Flora's POV
Tyler clearly looked irritated. His jaw tightened, and he gave her the smallest nod possible without pulling away. His gaze shifted across the room for a brief moment, landing on an older couple watching them with proud, approving smiles. The same man and woman from that old i********: photo.
His parents.
They were flashing him encouraging looks, as if this was exactly what they wanted to see.
Who is she? I wondered, my chest tightening.
And why did she look so comfortable touching Tyler like that? Like she had every right to be in his space?
“Who’s this?” the woman asked, turning her sharp, perfectly made-up eyes on me. She tilted her head slightly, studying my full gothic ensemble with mild curiosity and a hint of amusement. “She looks new. I mean, I know you don’t keep many people in your circle, Tyler.”
The entire table went silent. Everybody’s gaze shifted to Tyler—Sean with his signature smirk, the two other massive players leaning forward with open curiosity, even the air felt thicker with anticipation.
Tyler paused for what felt like forever, his expression unreadable. I held my breath, heart hammering against my ribs.
“She’s my friend,” he said flatly, his voice low and even.
A small, unexpected blush crept up my cheeks.
His friend.
Progress.
Maybe the gothic look was actually working after all. I sat up a little straighter in my chair, trying to hide my satisfaction as I continued chewing my gum slowly.
The woman—Allie, apparently—raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. “Seems you’ve loosened up over the years.”
“What do you mean?” Tyler asked, his tone icy, the irritation still clear in his voice.
Allie switched her gaze between me and Tyler, a knowing smile playing on her lips. “I mean, this whole gothic stuff used to creep the s**t out of you. You must be someone special,” she said, looking directly at me now. “Considering the fact that he lets you wear things like this around him. Reminds me of that one time we were supposed to go out and he left me standing there just because I decided to do the whole gothic dressing thing.”
My eyes widened in horror.
Gothic creeps Tyler out?
How was that possible? The girls at the coffee shop had sworn up and down that it would work. They’d been so convincing.
Shit.
What was I even thinking, taking seduction and fashion advice from a group of random strangers over iced lattes? I suddenly felt ridiculous in the heavy velvet dress, the dark lipstick, and the dramatic eyeliner. The confidence I’d walked in with was crumbling fast.
Just then, Megan walked over, her red dress swishing dramatically around her legs.
“Allie!” Megan squealed, her voice full of exaggerated excitement.
“Megan!” Allie squealed back.
They hugged each other tightly, laughing like long-lost sisters. Jeffery, one of Tyler’s teammates, tried to join the group hug with open arms and a goofy grin, but Megan shot him a sharp look.
“Sit down, Jeffery.”
“Sitted,” Jeffery muttered, awkwardly retreating to his seat with a defeated shrug.
Megan then turned to Sean and kissed him long and hard, right there in front of everyone. My stomach clenched with a fresh wave of anger. The sight stung, no matter how much I tried to push it down.
I looked away, focusing instead on the intricate pattern of the tablecloth.
“You look good,” Megan said to Allie as they finally pulled apart.
“Thank you, Megan,” Allie replied warmly. Then she gestured toward me again. “I was just telling Tyler how much he’s loosened up. I mean, look at this.” She pointed straight at my outfit with an amused smile.
“Oh, trust me, he still dislikes the whole gothic s**t,” Megan added with a sweet, poisonous smile, clearly enjoying rubbing fresh salt into my wounds. “Some tastes never change.”
“That’s enough,” Tyler said softly, his voice carrying a quiet warning edge that made the table settle slightly.
“Aww, Tyler’s all grown up now,” Allie cooed, ignoring the tension. She leaned against the table, clearly enjoying reminiscing. “I remember when you used to walk around the house with your little stethoscope, so determined to become a doctor. And now look at you—this big bad hockey player.”
“The Devil on Ice,” Megan corrected proudly.
They both chuckled, sharing a look that spoke of years of inside jokes.
Tyler just shrugged, saying nothing, though his fingers tapped restlessly against the table.
Allie kept going, dropping casual stories that made it painfully obvious she knew Tyler far better than I ever could. “Remember that summer trip when you refused to swim because the water was ‘too unpredictable’? You’ve always been so particular about everything.”
Megan jumped in with another hidden jab. “Some things never change. Right, Flora? Takes a special kind of person to get through that wall.”
I forced a tight smile, but inside I was dying. Every word felt like another nail in the coffin of my ridiculous plan. The gothic dress suddenly felt suffocating, the dark makeup too heavy, the entire approach a massive miscalculation.
After a while, Allie stretched out her hand toward Tyler with a playful smile. “Wanna dance with me, Ty?”
A long, uncomfortable pause followed.
“No. I’m fine,” Tyler said, his voice firm and final.
His teammates mimicked him under their breath, clearly amused by the exchange.
“It’s fine,” Allie said with a light laugh, waving it off. “The great Tyler has only ever loosened up around Caddy.”
Caddy?
Who the hell was that? Another girl? Tyler’s i********: had looked so clean and empty, yet he seemed to have a whole history of women in his life.
Everyone at the table burst out laughing at the comment. I noticed Tyler’s breath hitch slightly, his expression changing for just a fraction of a second—something vulnerable flashing across his face before he masked it completely.
“Excuse me a moment,” Tyler said suddenly, pushing his chair back. “I want to go change for the next event.”
He stood and left the table without another word, his broad shoulders tense as he walked away.
Finally.
This was the chance I’d been waiting for all night—a moment alone with him, so I could finally make my move, even the scores after the dreadful loss from this gothic dress.
“Excuse me,” I said, standing up quickly from my chair. “I’ll be right back.”
“Umm, hello?” Megan snapped from behind me. “Nobody cares.”
I ignored her completely and followed Tyler through the side entrance he’d used. The hallway stretched long and quiet, lined with many closed doors. He was nowhere in sight.
My gothic dress swished loudly around my legs as I moved quickly from door to door, heart pounding in my chest.
Where did he go?
I kept moving, checking each door, my mind racing with what I could possibly say to salvage this disaster of a night.
Suddenly, a strong hand reached out from one of the half-open doorways and yanked me inside the room.
- Writer
