It took the entire ride to Tyson’s house for me to finally gather my wits about me. I still couldn’t believe that I was alone with Tyson and that I was going to go into his house. I let out the breath I hadn’t known I’d been holding as he pulled into his drive.

He glanced over at me and smiled. “Relax. Cori’s going to love you.”

I tried to laugh, but it came out more forced than anything. “I’m not nervous.”

He raised his eyebrows. He didn’t believe me—It was written all over his face.

So I nodded. “Okay, maybe a little.”

He shot me another smile as he pulled his door handle and got out. I followed after him as he walked across his yard and up to the door. He headed inside, and I hesitated on the stoop. He glanced back at me.

“Come on, she won’t bite.”

I could hear cartoons playing in the background. A blue light glowed in the room to the left. I nodded and stepped inside.

Tyson slipped off his shoes and threw his keys in a bowl that sat on a small table in the corner.

“I’m here,” he said as he made his way into the living room.

I bent down, slipping out of Rebecca’s shoes and setting them next to Tyson’s.

A squeal sounded from the other room, and a little girl with curly blonde hair jumped up from the couch. “Ty!” she screamed as she bounced a few times and jumped straight into his arms.

He pretended that she weighed a ton, bringing her close to the ground, then he pulled her back up and threw her into the air.

There was a moan from the couch as his mom’s head appeared. “Keep her quiet, Tyson.”

“When did Anna leave?” he asked. I could see the frustration written all over his face.

“Ten minutes ago.”

He glanced down at Cori. “So, she’s not sick, is she? You just texted me ‘cause you don’t want to deal with her. Didn’t you.”

“Don’t Tyson,” his mom snapped.

I saw his expression turn stony as he stared at her. Cori was watching their interaction. Tyson must have noticed because he glanced down at her and smiled.

“This prince wants to put the princess to bed,” he said as he leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

My heart melted into a puddle of goo on the floor.

Cori squealed and Tyson wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around. That only made her laugh more.

“Tyson! Don’t rile her up, or she’ll never go to bed.”

Tyson didn’t seem to notice ‘cause he stopped spinning and began throwing her up in the air. Cori laughed, throwing her head back.

Inwardly, I groaned. How was I ever going to stay away from him when he was rapidly becoming the best guy I’d ever known? I was supposed to be Switzerland here. Impartial. Seeing him only as my lab partner and study budy. I couldn’t allow my heart to want more when, every time we got close, he just pulled away.

His mom must have shot him a murderous look, because he sighed, wrapped his arms around Cori, and motioned with his head for me to follow him. “I’ll put her to bed,” he called over his shoulder as we walked out of the room and I followed him up the stairs.

Cori must have noticed me as she peeked over his shoulder. “Who’s that?” she asked, eyeing me.

I gave her a smile. For some reason, I really wanted her to like me.

“That’s my friend.”

She narrowed her eyes. “I’ve never seen her before. What’s her name?”

When Tyson got to the top step, he turned and shifted her so she was on his arm. She laid her head on his shoulder, never breaking eye contact with me.

“Her name is Destiny. But I call her Tiny.”

She grew quiet for a minute. “Is that like my name?”

“Yeah. Like your name. Corinne, but we call you Cori.”

She wiggled, so he set her down. She walked up to me appraisingly. I never felt so nervous, standing there, being scrutinized by a kid that only came up to my bellybutton.

“Do you like princess movies?” she asked, folding her arms and tapping her foot on the floor.

“Of course. Who doesn’t love princess movies?”

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s your favorite?”

“Um…” I really wanted to say the right one. “The Frog Prince.”

She grew quiet. Then turned her attention to Tyson. “I like her. She can stay.”

Tyson laughed and stepped forward, scooping her up into his arms. A sense of relief washed over me. Was it weird that I was so happy that his little sister liked me?

“Come on, Tiny. I want to show you my room and my princess pajamas.”

After she was dressed and her teeth brushed, she climbed into bed, patting the mattress next to her. “Can Tiny read me a story?”

Tyson glanced over at me. His eyes were wide. For a moment, I sensed a glimpse of approval before he shrugged. “It’s up to her. What do you say?”

“If that’s okay. I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes,” I said.

Tyson laughed as he walked over and grabbed a picture book from the bookshelf. “It’s okay. I’m pretty tired of this one anyway. It needs new blood. Someone to breathe some life into the words.”

He handed me a condensed version of Cinderella.

I nodded as I took it from him. Cori’s eyes widened as if realizing I was actually going to read to her. She squealed and shifted over as I sat down.

I brought my feet up onto the bed, and she snuggled in next to me. My heart swelled for this little girl. I knew what it was like to have disappointing parents. But for me, I still had one that cared for me. She had none. Well, she had Tyson.

When I glanced over to where he had been standing, I saw the he’d moved over to a nearby chair. He was leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching me.

There was something so open and raw about his stare, that it made my heart pound in my chest. What was he thinking? It couldn’t possibly be what I so desperately wanted it to be.

“You can start. I’m ready,” Cori said as she yawned.

I snapped my gaze down to the book and nodded. “Of course.” I flipped open the cover and started.

It was nice, sitting there with Cori, reading to her. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it reminded me of when my mom used to read to me. And that made me sad. Made me long for a time when my life hadn’t been so complicated.

And having Tyson in the room made me both nervous and comfortable at the same time. I liked being in his presence, but it also scared me.

Just as I read the last sentence, Cori’s chin dipped down onto her chest. Her breathing was slow and heavy, and she was no longer giggling at the way I read Gus Gus’s voice.

“I think she’s asleep.”

I jumped. Tyson had left his spot on the chair and was now standing next to the bed. I took a deep breath, realizing how close he was to me.

Instead of focusing on the fact that he was standing over me, looking at me in a way that took my breath away, I turned to Cori and slowly shifted her off my shoulder and onto her pillow. After some Matrix-smooth moves, I was off the bed.

Tyson was inches from me, and it seemed he was not going to move. I needed to. I couldn’t be this close to him.

I took a step forward, desperate to get away, when a sharp pain shot up my foot. I yelped and stumbled. Just as I placed my hands out, anticipating the fall, two hands wrapped around my waist and pulled me up.

“You okay?” Tyson asked. He kept his arms around me as he pulled me to his chest.

“Yep. Um hmm,” I said, ignoring how good he smelled and how amazing it felt to be in his arms once more.

“Those Barbie shoes. They’re dangerous.”

I nodded as I wiggled my foot against the carpet, hoping to dull the lingering pain. It seemed to be working. Or maybe my body had just given up on transmitting the pain and had refocused its efforts on the feeling of Tyson pressed against me.

Good call, body. Good call.

“Come on, we should get out off here before she wakes up.” He stepped away, sliding his hand down my arm and wrapping his fingers in mine.

My heart hammered so hard, I swear he could hear it. It was like all my emotions were rushing through my blood at a mile a second. I just hoped I didn’t have a heart attack before this night was over.

Out in the hall, Tyson pulled Cori’s door shut then hesitated. I watched him, wondering what he was thinking, hoping that he wouldn’t pull away again.

“You did great in there,” he said, bringing his gaze up to meet mine.

Oh, good, we were just going to chat. I could do that. Mindless talking. I smiled at him. “Thanks. She’s a sweet girl. Almost makes me wish that I had a sibling.” I pushed aside the pain that gripped my heart. Having a sibling would mean that Mom hadn’t left, that I wouldn’t have been abandoned.

He must have seen my face fall because he looked worried. “Are you okay?”

I chewed my lip and nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about my mom.” My voiced dropped to a whisper. “And how she left. How everyone seems to leave.” I didn’t realize I had said those words until they lingered in the air. What was I doing? Why was I saying these things to him? He had enough problems in his life to worry about. My sad childhood shouldn’t be one of them.

He stepped closer to me, meeting my gaze. My heart picked up speed. “She’s an idiot.”

I cleared my throat. What was happening? “Who?” I asked.

He focused on me. “Your mom. Only an idiot would leave you.” He reached out, grabbed my hand, and pulled me closer to him.

And I knew. I knew he was going to kiss me, and that was all I wanted him to do. He reached out his other hand to cradle my cheek and then dipped down to press his lips against mine.

It was gentle at first. Like he was seeing how I would react. This time, I didn’t hesitate. I dropped his hand and wrapped my fingers together at the base of his neck, pulling him closer to me to deepen the kiss. I wanted him to know how I felt.

He took control, moving me back until I was pressed against the wall. He lifted me up so I was level with him, using the wall to support me. I tangled my hands into his hair and let him kiss me.

Every moment. Every heart-breaking moment we’d shared earlier today was washed away. All I cared about was Tyson and me. That was it.

Moments later, he pulled away and set me down on the ground. His breath was deep, and his gaze held an intensity that weakened my knees. I was thankful for the support the wall gave me.

He pressed his hands on either side of me as if he too needed that support. After a few deep breaths, he met my gaze again. And I saw it. Worry. Regret. All the things that I wanted to beg him not to feel. This was right. I liked him, and I was pretty convinced that he liked me too.

“Tiny, I…” His voice was deep as if emotion was choking his throat. When he glanced up at me, I could see the conflict in his gaze.

“It’s okay,” I said, even though my heart broke from those two little words. It wasn’t okay. I wanted to be with him. And he wanted to be with me. And even if I said I understood why he felt we couldn’t be together, the truth was, I didn’t.

He shook his head. “I like you, Tiny. You’re different. And I like that. But—”

I pressed my finger to his lips. I couldn’t hear those words again. I wanted to bask in the moment for a bit longer before reality crashed down around us.

He raised his eyebrows but didn’t say anything more. Instead, we just stood there, inches from each other. We didn’t say anything. We just lived in this moment. Lived in what it meant. And what it could never be.

He reached up and cradled my cheek. He brushed his thumb against my lips, sending shivers across my skin.

How was I ever going to be the same after this? There are defining moments in everyone’s life, and the moments that I’d shared with Tyson carried that weight. I wasn’t going to be able to walk away unscathed. He’d changed me. I just wished I could tell him.

I wished that he wanted to hear how I felt. But he looked so broken as it was. I didn’t want to burden him with my problems as well.

I reached up, wrapped my arms around him, and pulled him close. He was a friend, and I wanted to show him that. He responded by wrapping his arms around my waist and holding me tight.

We stood there, in his hallway, outside of his little sister’s door, holding each other. If his phone hadn’t started ringing, we could have stayed there forever.

But he broke our hug and pulled out his phone, glancing down at it.

“Huh, that party we were at? Apparently it got broken up by the cops. Crazy, right?” I saw him smile as the phone lit up his face.

“Yeah.” And then I realized that I never told Rebecca I was leaving with Tyson. She was probably worried about me. “My phone,” I said, stepping toward the staircase.

“You okay?” Tyson asked, following after me.

“I forgot to tell Rebecca that I went with you. She’s probably freaking out.” I padded down the stairs and over to my purse, which I’d left by my shoes. I grabbed it and pulled out my phone.

I’d been right. There were at least fifteen texts from her. I clicked on the last one, and my heart sank.

Rebecca: Tiny, I hope you don’t hate me, but I can’t find you. I had to call your dad to see if you were home. Please, don’t be mad at me. I’m just so worried.

My stomach flipped as I swallowed. I needed to get home. Right now.

I glanced up, and Tyson must have seen my worried expression because his eyebrows were drawn together.

“What happened?” he asked.

“You need to take me home. Now.”