Tyler's POV

I got down from the car and slung my bag over my shoulder, nodding at the gateman who bowed his head in greeting. Suddenly, I began to hear raised voices coming from inside the house and I didn't need a soothsayer telling me that it was Aunt Kemi and my dad engaging in an argument. I also didn't need a soothsayer to tell me that they were arguing about me.

What is it this time? I asked myself as I made my way into the house, catching both their attention.

"Thank God, he's back." Aunt Kemi said, giving me a small smile while my dad scowled at me instead.

Since our little show down a week ago, things have become tensed between us. We basically stayed out of each other hair and ignored each other like we were plagues. I ate in my room and he ate in his study. Bottom line is, we have become strangers in our own house.

"What's going on?" I asked, dumping my bag on the sette. I heard my dad take a deep breath.

"Debola, calm down." Aunt Kemi said calmly and I looked between them, trying to figure out what was going on. I watched my dad pick up his phone and move towards me. His stance scared me to bits but I tried not to look fazed by it.

"I got a call from you teacher," He started in an awfully calm voice while I frowned in response, trying to remember if maybe I did anything in school or something of that sort.

"I didn't don't anything in school." I quickly defended and he scoffed in reply.

"It would have been better if you got into trouble at school." He replied, his face scrunched in a glare. He rose his phone up. "I got a called from your teacher." He repeated and I swallowed, waiting for him to continue.

"Mr Olayiwola." He revealed and my eyes widened in shock. "His name rings a bell right? He called to let you know that you have been accepted into the Arts College." He deadpan, his glare not wavering.

Fuck!

"I can explain..." I started and he scoffed again in response, shutting me up.

"You can explain? That's all you've got?" He asked incredulously. "How long has this been going on? Were you ever going to tell me?" He asked me and I kept quiet, not knowing how to response.

The truth is that I wasn't going to tell him. The only person I told about it was Aunty Kemi and my friends. I can't believe I never told Mr Olayiwola not to mention it to my Dad. Now he knows and that admission is as good as useless because he will never agree to me studying Art.

"You were never going to tell me, were you?" He asked, bringing me out of my mind trip. I licked my suddenly dry lips. I looked at Aunt Kemi who was silently pleading for me to take it easy.

"No I wasn't." I admitted, looking back my dad who looked shock at my audacity. "Because I knew for a fact that you will not accept me studying Art. Because I knew this would be your reaction." I swung my hand for emphasis.

"What is the matter with you, Tobiloba!" He snapped, calling me by my middle name for the first time in a while. "You have suddenly become so disrespecting and you have dishonoured me so much!" He yelled. I clenched my fist, trying not to loose my shit.

"I have been dishonouring and disrespecting you?!" I snapped back in question. "You have neglected me! Why do you think I didn't tell you anything about me applying for an Art College? You don't even want me doing art!" I snapped back.

"Are you raising your voice at me?! Aunty Kemi, he's raising his voice at me!" He turned to Aunty Kemi who looked at me in a pleading expression.

"Tyler, don't raise your voice at your father. Don't disrespect him." Aunty Kemi chided calmly and I scoffed in response.

"But he needs to hear the truth! And if you are not willing to tell him the truth, I will!" I yelled looking back at my father who was currently fuming.

"Debola Adebiyi-Williams, you haven't been a father to me for the past  six years! And you are not willing to get off your high horse because of your fücking ego!" I spat out in disgust. Aunty Kemi gasped while my father looked on, his gaze stoic and stony.

"Oluwatobiloba!" Aunty Kemi snapped but I ignored her.

"There is absolutely no way I'll respect a man who doesn't care about his own child." I concluded and a resounding slap followed after, along with Aunty Kemi exclamation.

He slapped me again.

My head jerked to the side on impact as tears stung my eyes. I didn't take my hand to massage the spot he had slapped. I turned back to look at him dead in the eye, mirroring his death glare. We both engaged in a staring contest, whole room silent, just the sound of our heavy breathing.

"You will reject that admission." He broke the silence and my shoulder slumped in defeat. "Since you don't want to respect me has your father in this house, I'll get that respect by force." He added, his voice stern. I didn't argue with him as I watched him walk to where an envelope was and picked it up.

"Just in case you get any ideas." He stated and then ripped the envelope into pieces, I knew immediately knew that was the admission letter and the form as well. Tears welled up in my eyes and they began to fall in beads.

"You will not study Art. You are not your mother."

"Debola, this is too much." Aunt Kemi stated calmly.

"No! His words to me were too much." He replied simply and walked out of the living room.

I stood right there, immobile as tears made it out of my eyes. Aunty Kemi rushed to me and gathered her in her arms. I fell to the floor, dragging her along with me as I burst into tears. She cooed, whispered to me that everything would be okay while I just sat there on the floor, head resting against her chest, weeping.

****
Nothing remained the same. Lately, I preferred keeping to myself than staying with anyone. I was either in the stadium or locked up in the visual art studio. Classes have started going on but I made up one excuse or the other to get myself out of class.

Mr Olayiwola kept apologizing for his slip up but it really wasn't his fault. My friends noticed a change in my behaviour but they left me to myself. Due to to myself isolation, I haven't gotten to see Tiana as often as I would have wanted. But I really didn't want her seeing me in the mental state I was in.

It was one of those days and I was locked up in the visual art studio, trying to paint something but I really wasn't getting any expression. And just when I thought I had locked up the art studio...

"Lyla said you'd be in here." A familiar voice came from behind and I turned around to see Tiana walking in, shutting the door behind her. I looked at her in surprised, wondering how she got in.

"I thought I locked the door." I said and she chuckled in response, shaking her head.

"No you didn't." She replied, moving closer to me.

"So you are talking to Lyla now." I state and she shrugged.

"I was pretty desperate in finding you and she seems to be the only one who doesn't look at me like I'm shit." She replied, gaze unwavering. We remained in silence for a moment.

"You have been scarce lately. What's wrong?" She asked and I sighed, looking away from her and not responding. From the corner of my eyes, I could see her move closer to me.

"Tyler." She called softly but I still didn't respond, not knowing what to tell her. Suddenly, I felt her hand on my fore arm, the skin to skin contact sending series of sparks flying through me.

What was that?

On impulse, I jerked my hand away from her grasp, rather aggressively, giving Tiana a wrong impression. She veered back, obviously surprised at my reaction to her touch. She looked at me in disbelief for a while but I realized what I did.

"Tiana, I didn't mean..." I started and she shook her head, stopping me from talking.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come." She said, and began to make her way towards the door but I was quick to get in front of her and obstruct the way.

"Wait Tiana, please." I said, my voice coming off more pleading and desperate than I wanted. She stopped and looked at me. I sighed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I just..." I trailed off, not knowing how to put all my emotions in one word. "A lot has been going on." I told her.

"And you still don't want to talk about it?" She asked calmly and I sighed again, suddenly feeling all the emotions overwhelm me.

"It's so complicated." I told her and she kept watching me, her eyes intently on mine and suddenly, like someone under a spell I began to say more.

"I don't know what's wrong with me exactly. I feel so overwhelmed by so many emotions. Things are not going well for me at all. Things are really going down heel and I can't seem to reverse it." I rambled and she just kept watching me. I suddenly felt so stupid for dropping all that baggage on her.

"I'm rambling, ain't I?" I asked her and she smiled in response.

"I hope you don't mind." She stated and I frowned in slight confusion.

"Mind what?" I asked her. She smiled again and moved closer to me.

Her hands suddenly wrapped around my neck and pulled me even lower, bringing me in for a hug. I stood in surprise for a nano second before my hand automatically wrapped around her midsection and hugged her back.

Wow.

It felt like a burden had been lifted off my shoulder as I did that. I involuntarily nuzzled my face in her neck and my nose was suddenly filled with her scent, her sweet scent. It felt good to be hugged like this, in this way. It been a while since I've been hugged, and this definitely made up for lost time.

"Does that feel better?" She asked, still hugging and I nodded.

"Yeah. It's been a while since I've been hugged." I told her. She didn't say anything for a moment, only tiptoeing and arching her body against mine, causing me to hold her tighter to my self. I didn't understand why she did that until she spoke.

"Me too."

Now I understood.