The Man She Was Never Supposed To Love

Dinner Alone With Tyler

Sarah's POV

The guest room was beautiful. That was the problem.

I stood in the middle of it, slowly turning in a circle as she took everything in. The neatly made bed. The soft blankets. The nightstand with a small lamp glowing warmly in the corner. Fresh towels were folded on a chair, and there was even a small vase of flowers sitting beside the window.

Tyler had thought of everything. I hated that he had. Because every thoughtful detail made this situation feel more real.

This wasn't a temporary visit anymore. This was where I was supposed to sleep. Under Tyler's roof.

I slowly sat on the edge of the bed and stared at my hands.

"How am I supposed to do this?" My voice was barely above a whisper.

My parents were supposed to be gone for weeks, possibly months, and until they returned, I was staying with Tyler.

Tyler, out of all people.. I could have stayed at home by myself. I'm an adult now.

Tyler. The same Tyler I've spent years trying not to think about.

The same Tyler whose presence could make my heart beat faster even when he wasn't doing anything at all.

I rubbed my palms against my jeans and sighed. Maybe I could survive a few weeks. I just needed rules. Keep my distance. Stay busy.

Go to class. Study. Come home. Sleep. Repeat. Simple.

Except there was one major problem. I wasn't sure I could survive an entire weekend alone with him for the first time.

I glanced toward the door. "What happens when it's just us now?"

During the week, I could escape to campus and work. I could bury nyself in assignments and pretend everything was normal.

But weekends were different. No classes. No excuse to leave. No crowded campus to disappear into.

Just me... And Tyler.

The thought made my stomach tighten. I stood and walked toward the window, staring outside.

I could already imagine it. Breakfast together. Awkward conversations.

Tyler asking questions I didn't want to answer.

Me trying desperately not to stare at him. And the worst part? I knew Tyler well enough to know he would notice every little thing.

The way I avoided him. The way I became quiet around him. The way I looked away whenever their eyes met. I groaned and covered my face.

"Why did this have to happen?" A soft knock suddenly came from the door. I froze. My heart jumped.

"Sarah? He called out to me."

Tyler. Of course.

I quickly dropped her hands.

"Yeah?" "The door's open."

Tyler pushed it open slightly, keeping his distance.

"Dinner's ready."

I swallowed. "Okay."

Tyler looked at me for a moment.

"You coming?"

"Yeah. I'll be there in a minute."

He nodded. "Don't take too long. It'll get cold."

Then he disappeared down the hallway.

I released a breath I hadn't realized I've been holding. "Get it together."

I straightened her clothes and followed him downstairs. Dinner was surprisingly quiet.

Tyler had prepared everything himself, and I couldn't deny that it smelled incredible. I sat across from him, concentrating intensely on my plate.

I kept my eyes down. Fork. Plate. Water. Anything except Tyler.

"So..."

My stomach began to tightened.

Tyler leaned back slightly in his chair.

"How's college going? Hs asked trying to enx the silencebetween us."

"Good. I replied. "

"Just good?"

I shrugged. "Yeah. I said"

Tyler smiled faintly. "You've always been more talkative than this."

I stabbed my fork into my food. "I'm tired."

"I figured."

The silence returned. I hoped that would be the end of it. It wasn't.

"What are you planning to do after college?"

My fork stopped halfway to my mouth. I slowly lowered it l. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No. I said."

Tyler tilted his head.

"You've got to have some idea."

I shrugged again. "I've thought about a few things."

"Like what?"

I finally glanced up. Our eyes met.

For one dangerous second, neither of us looked away. My heart skipped. I immediately dropped my gaze back to my plate.

"Maybe graduate school," I said quietly. "Maybe get a job somewhere. I haven't figured it out yet."

Tyler nodded. "Whg us that?."

I pushed my food around. "I want to get a job that I'm majoring in, which is advertisement but my parents want ms to follow in their footsteps in some form of field science. Why are you asking?"

"Because I'm curious."

"About my future?"

"About you."

The words hit harder than they should have. I slowly looked up again.

Tyler wasn't smiling anymore. He looked completely serious. "I've known you for a long time, Sarah. I've watched you grow up. I want to know what you want out of life."

My throat tightened. I wasn't prepared for that answer. I looked away. "I just want to be successful."

"I know you will be."

I looked at him again. There was something in his expression that made me uncomfortable—not because it was threatening, but because it was sincere.

Tyler picked up his glass. "And wherever you end up, I hope you choose something that makes you happy."

I stared at him. Happy. I wasn't even sure what that meant anymore. Especially with him sitting across from me.

I lowered my eyes again. "Thanks."

Tyler nodded. Neither of us said anything for several seconds. But my thoughts were already racing.

The weekend hadn't even started yet.

And I was beginning to realize that surviving under Tyler's roof might be much harder than I had imagined.