Chapter Eighteen

                                    

                                          
 Warnings: Minor angst
                          
Word Count: 1190
                          
August 24th, 2017
                          
You pushed your pile of mashed potatoes to the other side of your plate. It had been nearly a month since you had gone and visited Tyler in California, and with each passing day it seemed less likely that he was ever coming home. The two of you had been talking almost daily, but he had never said anything that alluded to the fact that he was coming back.
                          
	You knew it had been stupid to get your hopes up. Both of you had established lives that couldn't just be dropped at will, especially not for someone you had reconnected with in a matter of days after being apart for ten years. At least you had enjoyed the time with him while it lasted and you finally had the opportunity to see California.
                          
	"Are you doing alright?" your mom asked.
                          
	You had given her the full rundown of the conversation you and Tyler had on the way back from the airport. As a result, she had been extra sensitive to your mood in the recent weeks. She had maintained a positive outlook on the situation to keep you from getting too down about it. You had lost count of the times that she had told you that moving was a long process and the fact that it had been close to a month could be a good thing.
                          
	"I don't think he's coming back," you said.
                          
	"Oh, honey, don't say that," your mom said.
                          
	You wiped a tear away and stared down at your plate. Your mom was about to get up and walk over to comfort you, but your phone buzzed before she had the chance. You grabbed it quickly and read the text that you had received.
                          
	Ordered something for you. Should be on the porch.
                          
	"Who is it from?" your mom asked eagerly.
                          
	"Tyler," you answered, staring at your phone in confusion. What had he ordered for you?
                          
	"What does it say?"
                          
	"He ordered something for me and it's on the porch."
                          
	"What are you waiting for? Go check!"
                          
	You stuffed your phone in your pocket and got up from the table. Fergus trailed behind you, eager to see what you were up to. You switched on the porch light and swung the door open, curious as to what Tyler was up to. The porch was empty, save for the cheesy welcome mat that your mom had bought a few years ago. Confused, you looked up towards the street.
                          
	Tyler was standing a ways down the path that led to your house. Two suitcases stood next to him, and he was smiling widely. You made a sound somewhere before confusion and excitement as you ran towards him and crashed into his arms.
                          
	"I came straight from the airport," he said. He was holding on to you almost as tightly as you were holding him.
                          
	"I thought you weren't coming," you sniffled, although it was now tears of joy.
                          
	"I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I'm not going to lose you forever just because I made a dumb mistake."
                          
	You were now fully sobbing into Tyler's shoulder. He continued to hold you tightly and whisper reassurances in your ear. Fergus was circling your feet, trying to figure out just what exactly was going on.
                          
	"I'm so glad that you're back," you said once you managed to stop sobbing.
                          
	"I'm glad to be back."
                          
	You finally let go of him and took a couple of steps back to give him some space.
                          
	"And you're really back for good?"
                          
	"I still own the house in California in case I ever need it, but I'm back for good."
                          
	It was hard for you to believe. You had spent so many years without him and gradually adjusted to not having him in your life. It had been difficult, but it was what you had to do to get by. Now he was back, living only a short distance way, and it was like a missing piece of you had been filled again.
                          
	"Do you want to come inside?" you asked, wiping away a few leftover tears.
                          
	"There's one thing that I want to do before that."
                          
	"What do you-"
                          
	Tyler rested a hand on your cheek, prompting you to stop mid-sentence. He took a few steps closer to you, and finally things clicked.
                          
	"Oh, I see where this is going," you smiled.
                          
	He pulled you into a kiss, and this time you let it happen. All of the doubt and fear was gone. There were no more red flags screaming in the back of your mind. Now all you felt was the warmth and happiness that Tyler brought into your life.
                          
	"I told you that you're more important than anything, and I should have remembered that before I made the dumb decision to leave."
                          
	"Well at least you remembered it in time to come back," you smiled, pulling him into a another kiss.
                          
	You heard cheering behind you, and when you turned around you saw your mom standing in the doorway bouncing around giddily. Your cheeks immediately went bright red and you couldn't help but feel like a teenager again.
                          
	"Mom!" you said.
                          
	"I'm sorry, honey, but you know how long I've wanted this."
                          
	"No worries, Ms. Y/L/N," Tyler said.
                          
	"Oh, Tyler. You know to call me Y/M/N."
                          
	"Sorry," he smiled.
                          
	"Come inside, you two. There's no point in having a reunion in the front yard."
                          
	You helped Tyler carry his stuff inside. It was impossible to keep yourself from smiling. You had spent so many years feeling like you had been dealt a terrible hand in life that it was nice to finally have something go your way.
                          
	The three of you took a seat in the living room. Your mom sat in her favorite armchair and you and Tyler sat together on the couch. He lightly rested his knee against your own.
                          
	"So why didn't you tell me you were coming home?" you asked.
                          
	"I wanted it to be a total surprise."
                          
	"I was afraid you were never coming back!"
                          
	"Of course I was coming back! Have I not gotten the fact that you mean more than anything across yet?"
                          
	"Apparently not," you smiled, bumping his knee.
                          
	"So what does this mean for your music?" your mom asked.
                          
	"Not much has changed. There's a lot of companies here that I can use instead of ones in California, and if something is really important than I can always fly out there."
                          
	"That's fantastic to hear," she smiled.
                          
	You hadn't even realized that you were staring at Tyler until he turned to you and raised an eyebrow.
                          
	"Sorry," you blushed. "I'm just still in awe that you're even here right now."
                          
	"Get used to it," he smiled. "Because I doubt it will be long until we're living together."
                          
	"I didn't even think about that, there's a lot of decisions that are going to have to be made."
                          
	"Don't worry about it too much," he said, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you into his side. "We have all the time in the world now."