"Tyler, come on, dude." Aiden shouts from downstairs. A certain sense of déjà vú hits me right up when I remember the times he used to call me to go to school.

"Geez. Chill your ass out." I said, walking down the stairs.

He laughs at my expression and Angela crosses her arms against her chest.

"Tyler!" She exclaims. "Aiden doesn't have the best of the vocabularies. Saying things like that next to him will only cause him to worsen what is already bad." She says and Aiden sticks her tongue out like a six-year-old.

I wonder if Aiden will ever grow up. When I see him trying on Angela's heels, I'm sure he won't.

"Ouch, it must hurt like hell to wear these kind of stuff," he makes a face while holding the shoe in his hand and examining it like a science project.

"Yes, but you can endure the pain when you see how hot you can look in a pair of these." Angela giggles.

"Okay, we better go now. I'm not the one who wants to listen aunt Margaret naming her seventeen cats." I huff.

"She has twenty three now." Aiden chuckles.

We take our bags to the car's trunk and close it as soon as everything is packed up. Mom decided to reunite the family at Nana's house.

Aiden starts the car and turns on the radio. Angela hops in next to him and sighing, I go to the back seat.

The song that's playing is She Will Be Loved by Maroon 5. I think of how this song makes me think about her, but I just ask Angela to switch it to another station.

The drive is calm and I look out the window to see that not much has changed around here. It's amazing. Almost five hundred thousand people live here and only one of them was able to mess with me in a way no one else couldn't.

I push that thought away from my mind. She just pops up into my head at random times.

Aiden and Angela start to sing according to the lyrics of Seven Years by Lukas Graham and I just sigh.

Some minutes later, we arrive at Nana's house. Dad's car is already parked in front in the house, along with some others. We get out of the car and walk to the house.

The place isn't full, but there are a couple of people. Dad is making a barbecue and I spot Nana watching her favorite soap opera from 1987 or so.

I walk up to her and cover her eyes with my hands in order for her to guess who I am.

"Oh, my." She says. She touches my hands and from the reflection of the television, I see her smiling.

"Tyler!" She exclaims happily and embraces me into a hug. Nana always has been shorter than anyone in the family, making her hugs the best ones. "I've missed you!" She says.

Everyone in the room turns to see us. She lets me go to hug me back in only a matter of seconds.

"How have you been, my boy?" Nana asks. "It's been ages since I last spoke to you." Her smile is warm and genuine.

"I've been great, Nana. Studying and working a lot, but I've been great." I tell her and she smiles in response.

"I've made some brownies. They're in the kitchen. Eat as many as you like, I just can't tell you I'll walk there with you because that way I'll miss my SO  and that wouldn't be a good thing." She tells me and I laugh and kiss her forehead.

On my way to the kitchen, some uncles and family members greet me and tell me how grown up I am. I laugh and explain to them how the past years have been back in Washington.

I grab one brownie from the tray and eat it. It's delicious and only Nana can make them like this. I feel a tap on my back and turn to see who it is.

It's my cousin Milan.

"Tyler, I heard you were back and I thought I'd come by to see you." He says and I smile.

"Yeah, that's great, man. I think it's been at least six years since I haven't seen you." I laugh and he nods.

"Yeah, it's been some crazy years." He tells me.

I spent the next fifteen minutes talking to him and telling about my life. He's the owner of a hotel in Los Angeles now, just like he always wished he would be. He tells me about his life and his new child that's going to be born.

"And you, do you have any children by now?" He asks me and I quickly shake my head.

"No, I'm only 22. I wanna take things slow." I laugh and he nods.

A man walk past him and he calls him. The man approaches us and shakes my hand as soon as he sees me.

"Tyler, this is Caleb." Milan says. "He's a friend of mine."

"It's so great to meet you. I've heard a lot about you." The man tells me.

He seems to be some years older than me, maybe 24 or 25. He has light brown hair and green eyes. He adjusts his tie and glances at his watch.

"I better go now," He tells Milan. "Duty calls."

Milan nods and he shake my hand once more. "It was a pleasure meeting you," He tells me and makes his way to the floor.

I sigh and look around, hoping this day ends soon.

***

Some hours later, I find myself sitting down in the couch. People just left some minutes ago and everything is finally quiet. Aiden left with Angela and mom and dad are still here helping to get everything cleaned up. I suddenly feel the need to get some fresh air.

I walk to the kitchen and find mom putting the plates into the dishwasher.

"Mom, I think I'm gonna get some fresh air." I tell her and she smiles at me.

"Okay, son. You can take our car if you want to. I think your dad and I will be spending the night here until grandpa comes tomorrow from his trip. I wouldn't want to leave Nana alone." She says and I nod.

She gives me the car keys and I kiss her goodbye. I get in the car and start driving. It's the first time I'm alone since I arrived and I'm glad about it. From times to times I tend to need a little time with myself. While I drive, I spot the Tower Café. I smile when I remember all the times I spent there, so I pull in.

I get out of the car and walk into the café. The moment I sit down in a table next to the big shopwindow, a waitress comes take my order. I order a latte, eggs, bacon and toast and she leaves. I check my phone and see a new text from Nate.

Yo, dude. Come back soon. Washington sucks without you.

I smile as soon as I read it. It's really awesome to have a good friend as Nate.

After I'm done, I leave a 20 dollar bill on the table and get up to leave. I walk a little and notice the street looks quite the same it did when I last came here. I enter a small disco store and look at some of them. My chin lifts up a little and I look back to the street. And that's when my eyes widen.

I'm seeing her. With that, it seems like all air escape from my lungs and I stand there, looking at her. It makes me feel pathetic to think that you have such a big effect on me.

And she looks so damn gorgeous.

Her blonde locks fall on her shoulder just like they used to some years ago. She's wearing a black dress and some heels, making me smile and think that some things in her will just never change. She's about to cross the street and I notice how blue her eyes really are. Her head is bobbing along to a song that she is whispering the lyrics according to the beat coming from her earbuds.

It's been more than four years since I last saw her. She's here for her sister's marriage, just like I am. I heard she went to LA to study art. If she only knew she already is pure art.

And now I wonder if she still likes her skinny peppermint latte with no foam burned exactly at 170ºC. Or if she still bites her lower lip whenever she's nervous. Or if perhaps she her favorite band is still Kodaline.

And I remember 3 years ago when she told me she loved me.

And I think of how I could say it back.

In a heartbeat, without any doubt.

-

Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a long time. For those who don't understand, this is the time of the epilogue from TICNTY. That's when he first sees her after all these years. More updates this week. <3

Jas, xx.