Do you ever have those moments where everything feels perfect? Birds are soaring above our heads, singing a song that could never be recreated. The sun has started to set, submerging the town in a sea of gold. The slight hum of carousel music floats over from the pier and the sticky smell of waffles coated in cinnamon consumes the street from a stall nearby. But that's not what makes it perfect. My mother always told me that it's the people you're with that can turn a bad day into something magical. She was always right.

Tyler holds the door open for me when we get to the restaurant. That familiar grin he always wears has caused little crow's feet to form at the corner of his eyes. His untamed curls are sprawled across his forehead.

"Quit trying to act like a gentleman because there are people around," I tease.

Once I'm inside, he holds his arm out for me. A giddiness bursts in my chest as I let my hands sit around his forearm. Even through his jacket, electricity buzzes under my skin.

"Don't let my mom hear you say that. She'd kill me." His grin widens.

"I like your mom already."

As we stand at the entrance, waiting to be seated, I realize that we've never met each other's family or friends. Understandably, his are out of town. But I haven't invited him over to meet my dad. Should I? Are we even at that point yet? We've only known each other a few weeks but it feels like an eternity. Tyler has managed to worm his way into my life in a matter of days. It took me at least a couple of years to even think about trusting my friends back home.

Doubts start to crawl their way into my head. Are we moving too fast? What if this is simply a summer romance that'll die out before school starts? It doesn't feel that way to me. But does it to him? Then, in a split second, another thought crushes me inside. What if he's a distraction from my pain and nothing more?

"We should go." Tyler's voice pulls me out of the hole I was slowly falling into.

"What?"

He pulls his arm out of mine. My eyes search his and all I see is darkness. As if he's built walls around himself, blocking him off from any attacks. The water that usually laps with the breeze is calm. Too calm. There's no movement at all.

"Let's just get out of here." He reaches out for me but stops himself, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Please," he begs.

Hurt pierces my chest but I don't get the chance to respond before a man who looks to be in his mid-fifties makes his way over. His eyes are narrowed, and his right fist is balled at his side. A pint of beer is still clutched in the other, sloshing on the floor slightly with each step.

"You have some nerve showing your face in here, boy," the man spits. Once he's standing in front of us, he gulps down half of his beer, momentarily unclenching his fist to wipe his mouth.

"We were just leaving." Tyler's clipped reply comes out strained.

The man chuckles lowly. His greasy hair shines under the fluorescent lighting and the concoction of sweat and alcohol wafts towards us. Bile rises in my throat. "What a shame. I was hoping you'd stay for a drink with me." His jaw tenses as he leans in, "talk things over like men, eh? What do you say?"

Tyler doesn't back away- physically- but mentally, he's somewhere else entirely. The pain strung up between his furrowed brows winds me. All I want to do is wrap him up in my arms and protect him from whatever's hurting him.

My mouth opens before my head can catch up. "Who do you think you are?"

The man's head snaps in my direction. He holds my gaze for a matter of seconds before letting his eyes slide down my body. It makes me feel disgusting. "Respectfully, darling, this doesn't involve you," he says, sweet venom lacing every word.

"Let's go," Tyler mumbles. He holds my wrist loosely. "We can go somewhere else."

I search his eyes but come up blank. My Tyler has gone, only a shell remains. Slowly, I nod my head and let him lead me out of the restaurant. Only his steps falter when the man calls out to us.

"Have you roped her into it, eh? Getting your little girlfriend to stick up for you now."

I don't have time to register what happens next before it's too late. Tyler pulls away from me and stalks over to the man. I see the smirk fall off his face and then Tyler's fist connecting with his jaw. The man stumbles backward but doesn't fall. His glass shatters across the floor.

Tyler's shoulders rise and fall heavily. He stares at the shards of glass silently, too distracted to notice the man getting back on his feet. I hook my hands around his elbow and start dragging him backward. Luckily, one of the workers comes over, stopping the man from retaliating.

"I know what you did, boy! I don't believe the bullshit the police let you out for." The man shouts.

The door swings closed behind us, sealing the man and his loaded words inside. The pain Tyler was battling has managed to slip its way out with us. "Hey, are you okay?" I ask.

He doesn't answer. He collapses onto the curb at the end of the parking lot, breathing heavily. Every fiber in my body tells me to hold him in my embrace until the pain is gone but my mind won't let me. Instead, I lower myself onto the curb next to him. His eyes are focused on one spot over the water in the distance. His hands squeezed between his knees.

"Tyler, please, talk to me," I beg. My voice wobbles with fear. Not of the person he became when his eyes locked on that man. No. Of losing him. He pulled away from me in a split second. That was all it took.

He stays eerily silent. It's as if all the sound has been sucked out of the world around us. The birds aren't singing, the carousel music isn't playing, and the waves aren't crashing against the rocks beneath us. All I can hear is my heart thumping in my ears. Growing louder and louder with each passing second.

"I- I don't know what happened in there, but I need you to talk to me. Look at me. Just do something to let me know you're okay."

His hands come up to cradle his head. "I'm fine." He lets out a strangled breath, "just give me a second."

A lump forms in my throat at the boy in front of me. Desperately trying to hold himself together. Gently, I place my hand on his shoulder. Trying to show him in the only way I can that I'm here. But when his breath hitches in his throat and he pulls forward slightly, recoiling from my touch, my hand falls into my lap.

"That man was wrong, okay? He was drunk and he didn't know what he was saying- "

"Just drop it! Okay?" He snaps.

My eyes widen as a sudden wave of nausea washes over me. His eyes soften as he realizes what he's done. But I'm already on my feet, wanting nothing more than to go back and pretend this night never happened.

"Scarlett, I- I didn't," he trails off.

"No, honestly, it's fine. I get it. You're upset. But can we just go now, please? My dad wanted me to help him with something at the house anyway."

Tears threaten to spill onto my cheeks, but I hold them back.

"Yeah, of course." He stands up. "I'll take you back."

We walk back in silence. He doesn't come in to meet my dad and I don't ask when I'll see him next. Part of me wanted him to stop me from going back. To tell me that he was sorry, and he'd make it up to me. But the other part of me knew it was selfish to want that. That man in the restaurant struck a nerve tonight. He needs time to process and heal. But even if Tyler doesn't want to tell me why he said what he said, I need to know.