Tyler's Pov

If there was a more worse way for that conversation could have gone I don't know how. When he left me alone. I just sat down in shock how things escalated like this. I ended up seeing him again at dinner. I arrived first and shortly he made his way with R.J. he looks more put together compared to when he left. It feels weird having him sit beside me eating considering what just happened an hour ago. I shift uncomfortably. Usually he would hold my hand or wrap his arm around me but now he just talking to his family with hands to himself just.... eating.  

"Tyler, You okay? You haven't really touched your food." Rosie says concerned. 

"Is the food isn't to your liking?" Lance asks as he cuts into his steak. "I can make you something else?" 

I shake my head, "I'm okay! The food is great! I'm just not hungry."  Rosie looks at Torsha in way that Torsha understood. They know something is wrong and its eating at me. Natalie tugs on my arm as if she wanted to be picked up. I grab her and place her on my lap. She just snuggles into me and just lays there with her thumb in her mouth. 

"It's so sweet how she has clung to you." Torsha adds as she sips her wine. I smile as I rub her back and let her sleep. 

"How has planning for the wedding?" I say as I look over at Adrian. 

"It has been stressful. Work has been picking up Emma has been a huge help." Adrian then leans in as a sinister grin starts to grow, "But i'm more interested in when your wedding will be." He says as he winks. 

Before I could respond, Cesar steps in, "Adrian, stop."  Cesar's voice was intense. I don't say anything after his statement, and just focus on rocking Natalie to sleep. I could use Tammy right now. 

 "Um... Tyler, we can take Natalie..." Bonnie and Emma take sleeping Natalie from me and go back inside of the house.  Leaving me with  R.j. and Adrian, Torsha, Rosie, Riccardo and Lance, and Cesar. 

"So you guys are about to head into your senior year. Excited?" Riccardo asks. 

"There is a lot to do. It's going to be a stressful time." Cesar adds. Between the both of us working on our senior performances we will have very little time to see each other. The very thought makes me nervous especially since our conversation. 

I don't want to be here. I start to get up, "Im sorry. Im going to head to bed early. Traveling here took a lot of energy  out of me."  

Ceasar doesn't say anything and takes a sip of his beer. His father glances at him and then looks back at me.

"Okay... Get some rest we have activities first thing in the morning. " Rosie says as she glances at Cesear who doesn't show any response. "Are you going to go with her Cesear?" She adds. Cesear doesn't respond. 

"It's okay I know where to go. Have a good night."  I make my way back to the bedroom so I can cry my eyes out. 

Cesar POV

As I finish up my food I have my family staring me down to explain what just happened. I don't say a word. Im honestly have soo much crowding my mind I don't want to do with it. 

"Whats going on with you two? You weren't like this earlier." R.J says confused. It's his dumb fault. I wouldn't have thought about any of this if he didn't bring it up. 

"Did you two get into a fight?" Mom asks trying to understand. I don't say anything and continue to drink my beer. 

My mom looks at my dad, " Hun..." 

My dad not paying anyone mind sits up, "Cesar lets go for a walk." I refuse to move, " Now." in a way with a threatening tone. It startled me enough to get me off my ass and walk behind him like a wounded puppy. I never liked when my dad gets like that. 

We both walk at night by the lake. We just stand there looking into the water. Me and my dad are close in personalities so this actually quite nice. 

" What are you thinking about right now?" He finally asks me. 

"Right now I don't want to think about anything." I admit while picking up a stone. 

"You don't have to do it alone." He says as he watches me throw the rock. 

"You make it sound so simple." 

"It definitely isn't but I at least hope that talking with me makes it less difficult." 

"I don't usually talk to you about this stuff..." 

"I know because you are me. R.J is more like his mother than he would like to admit. So he always comes to talk to me about things that are bothering him. I don't tell you much about how I feel when it comes to you and for that I am sorry. I know we have been working on how I feel about your career choices and when you shared with me that you felt out of place at home. I felt like I let you down. I was embarrassed that I didn't know my own son. I know you always respected me but I had noticed through the years you have kept your distance. You always did your own thing and I didn't- we didn't say anything."

"Why are you saying all this now?" I prepare to throw the rock.

"Because you're doing it again." I pause before throwing it. "Not with us though, with Tyler."

"R.J. told me he thinks i'm in love with Tyler." I interrupt him as I throw the rock. 

"And do you?" 

".... I don't know." 

"Do you think she loves you?" 

" I don't know. Not like it matters anymore.."

"What do you mean?" 

I sigh heavily, "She got  into this crazy good 2 year internship over seas very competitive...She didn't tell me until now."

 "Thats amazing... 2 years..." 

"Yeah she never told me that this is what she wanted... She never told me she signed up... She found out a week ago she was selected and just told me." 

"How does that make you feel?" 

"Angry... Confused....Sad...."

"Why?" 

I start to get annoyed. 

"Surely,  you should be happy for her its would boost her dancing career..." 

"Yeah, but..." I mutter. " Why didn't she tell me? We tell each other everything..." 

"Did you ask her?" 

"Not really... I just shut down. She asked me if I sees us together after graduation?" 

"What did you say?" 

" I honestly don't know." 

He sighs heavily, "Its alot. You guys have only been together for 6 months. When is she leaving If she goes?" 

"Summer after we graduate." 

"So you would have dated a year and 6 months at that point...." 

"Should we break up? Would that be better for her? But what if she finds someone else and then we break up anyway-" 

"Sounds like you don't want her to leave you. I feel like thats something to tell her rather than not talk to her." 

"Ill talk to her... Eventually... I just need to figure out my feelings." 

" I see why know your mother gets frustrated with me... Its a pain in the ass... This would go away if you just talk to her. "

"But that would require me to share that-"

"You may actually love her? Is it really that hard for you?" 

"Say if I did... and we break up... then what? Im left with all of this hurt."

"Well shit cesear no one said love wasn't going to hurt from time to time. Love is what made me who I am today. I was a mess before your mother came into my life. It grew me into a Man worthy of being a husband and your father. When I met your mom I was insecure because I thought at the time that I wasn't good enough for her. I kept that in and didn't allow myself to get in too deep, but I couldn't help it. I wanted her but I afraid of what other would think and honestly, i didn't want to get crushed. Me, a gang member didn't want to get his heart crushed by some random girl in my AP class. She confronted me about it and she was actually the one who told me she was falling in love with me but she herself was scared.  It made me realise that my fears and worries are not exclusively to me. That the person on the other side may be feeling the exact same way." 

"Mom said it first?" 

"Yeah, and I will always regret not saying it first. Just something to think about. You are afraid of her loosing feelings that you may lose feelings but chances are she is feeling the exact same way. I can only imagine how Tyler is feeling right now." My dad walks back inside after tossing the rock. 

I turn to watch him, "Hey dad?" He stops and turns around, " I love you." 

My father smiles, "Love you too, Cesar." He starts walking away again, "Now say it Tyler!" He yells over his shoulder. I smirk and look out into the lake again.