Your voice barely a whisper, but he turns to look at you. His eyes initially widening.. but gradually soften as they meet yours.. and at that moment, the weight of the world seems a little lighter.

But then his phone rings. He pulls it out, checks the screen—and sighs. His expression shifts, annoyance flickering across his face. Briefly hesitating, he eventually answers the call.

"Luce. I'm sorry for what happened—but I really can't—"

"I'm outside your house, where are you?"

On the other end, Lucy's voice comes through, slightly muffled by the noise of the street. Tyler grits his teeth at the bad timing, wanting to brush off the call. But he notices you shaking your head, signaling for him to just go home—and in that brief moment, he's reminded of the tense encounter with Dominic earlier. His heart sinks at the reminder of what Dominic did—

"It's okay, Ty. You can handle your stuff first. She's already waiting outside," you murmur, trying to sound reassuring despite the twist in your gut.

Hesitating, he looks at you, torn. Tyler sticks his gaze at you before lowering his phone—before with a quick motion, he brings it back to his ear to say, "I'll text you—" and hangs up. A pang of guilt washes over him for not telling you about the situation with Dominic, but he decides that now.. is not the time to tell you.

"It's really okay, Ty. I have to look after my mom too. Besides, she hasn't eaten since earlier,"

"Have you eaten?"

"I'll grab something for everyone—don't worry! You'll come back later, right?"

Cupping your cheek gently like it's a fragile antique, Tyler hesitates for a moment—before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, go."

Exhaling deeply, Tyler quickly embraces you tightly, ruffling the back of your head affectionately. "I'll be back soon, okay?" he reassures before hurriedly stepping away. He makes a quick goodbye to everyone, consoling them that everything will be fine and he'll return soon.

In The Winters' living room.. sat two figures, locked in an intense exchange. On one side, sat one with a stern look on his face—despite his large figure, his posture was upright. Opposite of him, sat one.. with panic stricken his face.

His usual confidence overshadowed by a sense of panic. With his hands fidgeted nervously in his lap, his eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. The silence between them was deafening, broken only by the occasional creak of the floorboards beneath their feet.

"You—"

Barely uttering a word, the boy already jumped in his seat, startled by the sudden address.

"What the—why are you acting like a scaredy cat?! Not like I didn't know you are though—"

The big man scolded. Pausing only when he caught the boy's seriously terrified expression. Not like he wasn't already cheeky—but a mischievous look flashed on his face as he accused, "What happened brat?! What did you do to my girl?!"

He stood up, ready to spank the boy—but before he could, the boy leapt from the sofa—to stand on the cushions in a defensive posture!

"S—sir—sir—please—we just went to the amusement park–had our SMASH and WEBBS–and–and immediately went straight to the lake!" the boy pleaded, his hand outstretched in front of him, practically begging the man to stand down.

Squinting, the man's eyes narrowing. Slowly.. he lowered his hand and stepped back—sitting down properly on the sofa. Still tense, the boy cautiously followed suit, easing himself back into his seat. With a strange calmness, the big man folded his hands over his large stomach and asked,

"How was it, Cavill?"

Startled, Tyler's eyes widened, he asked again, "S—sir?"

"Well the date, brat. How was it?"

Tyler hesitated, unsure of what to say. If he said it was amazing.. the guy might get angry. But if he said it was bad–he'd probably throw him to the hyenas–so it's settled. He picked the first one. It's safer anyways—

"It was.. great—sir—"

"Just great?"

Mr. Winters furrowed his eyebrows in disbelief like it was the worst answer he had ever heard. Feeling sweat start forming on his hands, Tyler took a deep breath.. and once he felt a little light of zen.. he decided to be honest—

"It was MAGNIFICENT, SIR! We went to the amusement park–rode all the rides–had SMASH and WEBBS–then we went to the lake. We talked for hours! And when we danced under the stars—holy shit it was perfect!"

Mr. Winters stared at him, momentarily dumbfounded. Tyler's words tumbled out in a rush, pouring out every detail of the day until he realized.. that he might have said too much. Tyler's expression went from shock.. to terror—in his mind, a curse kept swirling. However, as he started to make plans of where he should be buried—

Mr. Winters burst out laughing—a hearty, booming laugh that filled the room. Dumbfounded, Cavill sat there while blinking slowly, wondering if he was seeing what he was seeing.

"Wait, you danced 'under the stars?' The fuck was that, brat? What did you do–propose to her?"

Tyler's eyes widened even more, stammering, "N-no sir! I just—"

"So you're not gonna propose?"

"What—no! I—I mean, yes! Wait I mean—it's—"

"Relax, kid. I'm just messing with you. Sounds like you had a good time."

Mr. Winters cut him off, still chuckling. Pausing for a minute, although with mountaining confusion as he darted his eyes to the ground, Tyler exhaled a sigh of relief. For a moment, there was a brief comfortable silence.. until John let out a lopsided smile.. before he asked the question that Tyler wasn't prepared for.

"And how was my daughter?"

For a moment he stared at Winters for a while.. before he directed his gaze to the corner of the room. Tyler's mind raced, rewinding through the day.

Remembering the way you smiled when you strutted down the stairs to meet him.. the way your eyes twinkled when he gave you the flowers he stole–bought. The way.. you sang as the two of you danced between the mountains by the lake your parents and he built..

He couldn't help but form a sincere smile on his lips, and his gaze softened as he slowly.. yet determined, directed his gaze back to your dad. 'This one's easy' he thought. And just like mother tongue.. an answer rolled over his tongue beautifully.

"She's divine."

Taken aback, John backed away slightly from his seat. Seeing the reaction, Tyler too, was startled by his own words. "She was divine—I—I mean—she's—she was great–!" he stammered, before he cringed and buried his face in his hands—hiding a series of curses under his breath.

This time, instead of laughing, John had a strange expression on his face. For a moment, he stared at the boy in front of him.. but then his expression transformed into one of.. contentment. One like.. resolute—like.. relief. He leaned in, with a firm voice, he requested,

"I need you to promise me something, kid."

Hearing the hint of seriousness on Winters' voice, Tyler reluctantly lifted his head—nervously clenching his hands.

"Promise me.. that you'll be by her side. No matter what happens. No matter what it takes. You'll always be there for her."

Tyler's face changed instantly. It felt like thunder landed straight on his chest. "Whatever feelings you're having right now.. Even though it's love—" letting out a startle gasp, Cavill blinked rapidly as he looked away, "and even if it's just a phase. Even if you have your heart broken by her. Or even if you hurt her—"

Making sure Tyler was already facing him, John paused. His hands clenched harder on his thighs until finally, with resignation, he continued,

"Promise me.. that the care you have for her is not just a phase."

Tyler stared at him with furrowed eyebrows. Speechless. Was he predicting the future? Or did he just laid bare his.. wishes—he wasn't sure. Staying silent, Cavill's gaze on the floor.

Growing impatient, John leaned forward, yelling, "Promise me, Cavill! I don't have much time—"

"I promise, sir!"

Tyler shouted with determination as he locked eyes with him, furrowed eyebrows tightened. In contrast, John slightly retracts his head in relief, his seat finally relaxing.

"But sir, what do you mean you don't have much time—"

"I want to sleep, brat. It's fucking 11 pm right now," John immediately cuts him off with an Oscar-worthy deflection. Narrowing his eyes, Tyler gives a subtle smile—rolling his eyes inwardly.

"And about that boy.. he's your friend, right?"

John's right eyebrow was raised as Tyler reluctantly nodded—annoyance seeped through his veins. "I don't know how the hell it happened.. or how the hell she begged you—I'm just going to leave it here. He looks like he's one to break a daughter's heart, kid—" Winters' voice trailed off, looking like he was about to cough. He immediately reached the glass of water that has been the silent witness of this.. occurrence.

"Don't get this too much on your head, boy. Everybody eventually gets hurt. But well.. while with anyone I don't know how far it'd be, I'd rather see you hurt her than him."

Slightly retracting his head at the last comment, Tyler protested, "What do you mean, sir—not like I'm planning to though."

"Because with only 5 yards, I can smack you like a ping pong,"

John threatened playfully, giving a slight lopsided grin. Cavill chuckled nervously when Mr. Winters smacked the back of his head lightly. But as Tyler reluctantly directed his gaze to him.. a look of contentment painted his face.. and a soft smile bloomed on his lips as he spoke,

"I can see the way you look at her, Cavill. It's the same way your dad looks at the love of his life."

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Cecylia Costania @rcpcswrites

You can elevate your experience by also listening to songs I added to this story's playlist! Full Playlist on bio💖

The song that matches this Chapter's vibe:

https://youtu.be/VtQorLzzbQw