Tyler's Troubles

“Tyler, let’s go.”, Nicole said, looking at Lexie but speaking to Tyler as she grabbed his hand. Tyler pulled his hand away.

“Nicole, I’m sorry, but I’m going with Lexie...”, Tyler said, not having the courage to look Nicole in the eyes. Nicole was shocked. He had never attempted to challenge her authority in the relationship before this time.

“Tyler you have to be kidding me! Look at her!” Nicole lifted up Tyler’s head so he was looking at her. “Look at me”, she said with a smile.

“I’m sorry Nicole”, Tyler said as he jerked his head away and walked over to Lexie.

“How the hell am I going to get home?!”, Nicole yelled as Tyler and Lexie turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. Tyler didn’t even turn around too look at Nicole. He threw his car keys at her, over his shoulder and they landed right in front of her feet. “Try to bring it back in one piece”, Tyler yelled as he kept on walking. A smile crept up on his face. It was a real smile, not a nervous smile that he had on his face when Nicole embarrassed him. The smile quickly faded as he remembered how sick he felt. He had to stop walking for a second as he started to feel very dizzy, again. Lexie noticed this and asked if he could make it to the car. Tyler put his arm around her shoulder to steady himself a little and managed to walk over to Lexie’s car. Lexie opened the door for him, something he was definitely not used to since being involved with Nicole, and he sat down in the car. Lexie then asked him where he lived, and he gave her his address. It was only about 25 minutes from her own apartment. She wondered why their paths had never crossed in these past seven years. “Do you live with...her?”, Lexie asked apprehensively.

“No, No, She lives a few streets over.”, Tyler replied. This eased Lexie’s mind a little because she didn’t want to run into Nicole again. They started to drive to Tyler’s apartment in somewhat awkward silence. During the ride, Lexie noticed him fighting to stay awake. “It’s ok Ty; I’ll find the apartment. You can rest your eyes.” He blushed at the fact that she noticed how sleepy he felt.

Lexie looked at Tyler... “This isn’t the same outgoing, secure, captain of the football team, boy I used to know. What did she do to him in these seven years?”, she wondered.

Tyler woke up, startled, about ten minutes away from his apartment. Lexie put her hand on his leg to reassure him. “Shh, it’s ok Ty, we’re almost there. You fell asleep.”

“Oh”, he replied, still sounding somewhat unsure of where he was. Tyler then felt the one thing he didn’t want to feel. He felt like he was going to sneeze. He couldn’t sneeze now. He hadn’t seen Lexie in so long, and he didn’t want to lose her again. Lexie saw him trying to fight the sneeze, and she tried handing him a tissue. He just shook his head no, unable to speak. Somehow he successfully fought back the urge to sneeze, this time.

They had finally reached his apartment, and Lexie helped him get out of the car. They walked up to his apartment and he opened the door so they could get inside. Lexie noticed it was a really nice place, and wondered what he did for a living.

“Want something to eat or drink...want me to put in a movie for you? I’ve got lots of Nicole’s “chick flicks” over there“, he said jokingly, pointing to the numerous DVDs in the corner of the room.

Lexie smiled and said “No, I want you go change into some pajamas or whatever you sleep in and get right into bed. Don’t you dare worry about entertaining me when you feel this sick.”

“Whatever...I sleep in?”, Tyler said grinning. “What if I sleep in the buff?”

Lexie playfully punched him lightly. This was the Tyler she remembered. He hadn’t completely lost his sense of humor, even when he was sick. Tyler told her to hold on one second while he changed, and then they would catch up on old times. Lexie insisted that he go straight to bed, but he wouldn’t hear of going to sleep while he had a friend over. Nicole had really gotten him paranoid about “being rude”. She heard him coughing from his bedroom and figured he must have some type of flu. Lexie wandered around the apartment until she saw a bottle of Tylenol, and next to it, some Nyquil sitting on one of his kitchen counters. She took two Tylenol pills and two Nyquil capsules out of the bottles, then searched in the cabinets for a glass. She noticed a paper cup dispenser over the sink, so she grabbed one of those instead and filled it up from the water dispenser on his refrigerator. Lexie then walked back out into the living room just as Tyler was walking out of his bedroom. He was dressed in black pajama pants and a sweatshirt. Lexie thought he looked really cute, then she remembered she was holding the medicine for him. “Oh, Ty, I hope you don’t mind that I went into your kitchen and grabbed these for you.”, Lexie said.

“No, not at all, make yourself at home.” He hesitantly took the pills from her and swallowed then with the water, wincing at the newly discovered pain in his throat. “Can we sit down on the couch, Lex, I feel kind of dizzy”, Tyler asked.

“Sure sure, of course”, Lexie replied as she helped him over to the couch. Lexie had never seen him like this before. He was always so strong. She’d always had a little crush on him, but never really thought anything of it. They were best friends way back then, and she was grateful for that.

She sat down next to him on the couch, and noticed him holding his head like it was pounding. “headache?”, She asked him, not knowing what else to say. “yeah”, he simply replied. Lexie gently pulled him toward her in a friendly way so he could rest his head on her shoulder. Tyler felt really awkward doing so, but he had to admit that it made his head feel a lot better. They made pointless conversation for a little while, until Tyler’s head kept jerking like he was resisting sleep. Lexie then let him lay down on his back and rest his head on her lap.

Just as Tyler felt himself dozing off to sleep, he felt that familiar tickle in his nose. He hadn’t felt the need to sneeze for a while, considering Nicole was not there with her perfume to bother his allergies. Of course, the stupid flu would not give him nose a break now either. “great”, he thought. The urge to sneeze was too strong to hold back this time. He tried everything; contorting his face, rubbing under his nose, everything. Lexie happened to have her hand resting on his stomach, so she felt him chest rise and fall quickly, realizing he was about to sneeze. She reached behind her to grab a tissue for him but it was too late. She just rubbed his stomach lovingly, as to reassure him that it was ok to sneeze. Of course, he still didn’t feel right sneezing in front of her so he pinched his nose extremely tight, making the sneeze come out a very stifled “HAA haaaa-kmp”, that made his ears ring, his head pound, and sent him into a coughing fit.

“Tyler you don’t have to do that!”, Lexie said, feeling awful for him. “I mean, bless you, but that’s just not healthy. Did Nicole make you sneeze like that?”, she asked astonished and concerned. Tyler just closed his eyes, blushing. He felt his eyes tearing up, but really didn’t want her to see him cry.

Lexie leaned down and kissed him on his forehead, finding it very warm. “It’s ok Ty, I promise it’s ok” she told him as she noticed him fighting another sneeze. He pinched his nose tightly in preparation, knowing he couldn’t completely fight the sneeze. Lexie felt his chest rise and fall right before the sneeze. Thinking fast, she grabbed his arms away from his face so he couldn’t stifle the sneeze. Tyler was terrified but he couldn’t help but sneeze, openly, and wetly” HAAA haaaa HAESHOO” “haaa ESHOO” “haaaa haESHOO!” into the air without stifling it. He was looking right up at Lexie so she got sprayed a little but she wasn’t angry with him for it. She let go of his hands, which immediately shot up to cover his nose, in embarrassment. She gave him lots of tissues to wipe his nose and face with, and he sat up on the couch, taking his head off of her comfortable lap, and did so. Tyler was mortified beyond belief, and was sure he repulsed Lexie now. He started to cry though he tried not to. Lexie went over and hugged him, and held him with his head resting on her shoulder, as he cried. “Bless you. Whatever she did to you, I’m so sorry, Ty”, Lexie told him, starting to cry a little herself. He couldn’t say anything so she just let him finish crying.

She then led him into his bedroom, realizing his fever seemed to be getting worse, and helped him climb into bed even though he protested. Before he fell asleep he looked at her and said “ I love you. I always did. You were my best friend. I’m so sorry. I wanted to call you so many times, but she. she..”