Give me love like never before,

'Cause lately I've been craving more

From Markus
i told ya no. how many more fuckin ways do i need to say it?

Sorry for wanting to hang out with my boyfriend! Jesus.

I tossed my phone angrily next to me on the bed. I had been texting Markus all day trying to get him to hang out. But he didn't want to. Nothing I could say could change his mind; he didn't want to do anything at all with me.

I picked up my laptop and clicked through Netflix before settling on FRIENDS just because I wasn't in the mood to search for something and just needed some sort of background noise or else I'd freak out.

I picked up my phone and dialed Mae's number and held it to my ear.

"Oh hey, Dollface!" she said in her sweet Texan twang that always calmed me down.

"Hey, Maehey," I said back glumly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

I groaned, "Markus is just being a dick," I complained, knowing, deep down, everyone probably got tired of hearing me complain about him so much.

She sighed, "And water's wet, darlin, that's nothing new."

I closed my eyes and nodded, "I know...I just keep hoping maybe..."

"There's not gonna be a maybe, baby," she told me, "this is how he's pretty much always been."

"I keep trying, Mae. Really I do, I mean, I asked him like, four times today if we could hang out. He just kept shutting me down each time. It's hurtful, you know?"

"I get it," she told me, "the problem is, is that's how he is. He's been putting you through this shit for years, Raeanne! You can't stay with someone just because you think you should. You need to be with someone who will treat you so good, that you won't even understand why you hung around with Markus for so long."

I hummed, knowing I didn't need to give her a real response. I knew she was right, and she knew I knew she was right.

"Speaking of people that are better than Markus," she said with a teasing edge to her voice, "I keep hearing about the dinner that y'all had with Tyler there last week."

I laughed, "Is Mama still talkin about that?" I asked.

"Yes!" she laughed, "I think I know just about everything about Tyler and I wasn't even there!"

I shook my head but continued to smile, "I don't know about that lady," I mused.

"Please," Mae continued, "Daddy and Sawyer been talkin about him too. Man crush Monday every day with those guys."

I laughed loudly, "Sawyer is all excited about the game Tyler gave him tickets to."

"That's so sweet," Mae cooed as I heard a beep in my ear, I pulled my phone away from my ear and looked, seeing a text from Tyler come through.

I smiled and put Mae on speaker phone so I could check the message from him. I pulled up our message stream, the last one being from him which was the heart eye emoji when I told him I was really excited to see the upcoming game live.

From Ty
Plans tonight?

"Ty asked me if I have plans tonight," I said to Mae.

"Do you?" she asked sarcastically.

I snorted, "You know I don't."

"So tell him that!" she urged.

I groaned softly as Mae scoffed on the other end.

"Oh give me a break, Raeanne! Tyler is a friend! A good friend, a friend that is, ya know, a normal human being."

I laughed and shook my head, "I mean..."

"Oh ya mean nothing," she said.

I smiled and typed in a response.

I've got nothing!

"Waiting for a reply," I told her after I sent it.

"Ooohh," she said jokingly making me laugh.

"Is it dumb that I kinda feel...I dunno... giddy a little bit each time that he texts me?" I asked my slightly older sister.

"Of course not!" she said immediately, "This is a good guy showing genuine interest in you! All you've had before was Markus tooling around and doing whatever, barely paying you any mind! How could you not feel giddy with him texting you and stuff?"

"But do you think it's a...I don't know...thing that happens to couples when they've been together as long as me and him?"

"No!" she said loudly, quickly, "Dollface, I still get butterflies each time Dustin texts me. I just love talking to him, and flirtin with him! He makes me feel good! He still makes me feel so special! And that's how he should make you feel still, not like it's a chore to talk to you or hang out with you!"

From Ty
The guys and some of their ladies are going for dinner wanna join?

"I don't feel excited when I talk to Markus," I admitted, "I feel like I constantly have to keep my guard up and be ready for a battle that will surely come. And it gets a bit tiring."

"I know," she said sympathetically, "Don't forget, I lived in the room right next to you when you and Markus first started dating. I remember how happy you were, and I remember how much you laughed and...other things," she said causing my face to flush and an uncomfortable laugh to come from my lips, "but he's shown time and time again that's he's kinda done with this relationship."

"Yeah," I breathed.

"Did Tyler reply?" Mae asked, excited.

I smiled, "Yeah, he said him and the guys and their girls were getting dinner, and he asked if I wanted to come along."

"That's so sweet!" she cried.

I laughed, "It's nothing."

"No that's definitely something!" she retorted, "He wants you to meet his friends and their wives, that means you're special to him! I don't think he just brings around any old person to hang around with his team and everything!"

"We don't know that," I said.

"Please," she said, "what did you say?"

"I haven't replied back yet," I said, looking at the messages between me and Ty.

She tutted, "Say yes Miss. Raeanne."

I laughed, "I guess," I mused letting my fingers glide across the keyboard.

Sounds like fun! 2 questions! How fancy do I need to get? And where is it?

From Ty
AWESOME!! I think you look great in everything, and we're going to vh. i can pick you up?

I’ll meet you there! What time?

"Silence means you're going with him!" Mae told me as I grinned.

"I am...I'm actually kinda excited!"

"Good! That makes me so happy, Rae!" she told me, "I'll let you get ready! Text me when you're done and let me know how it went!"

"I will!" I promised before we hung up.

From Ty
Reservations are at 830

It was 5:37pm so I still had plenty of time to get ready.

Meet you there!

From Ty
can’t wait to see you! been missing you...

I bit my lip as I looked at the message with a smile; we hadn't seen each other since the dinner with my family a week and a half earlier. He had been busy with games both home and away and I was busy with the shop.

Been missing you too! It’s not the same to just watch you through a screen!

I turned some music on and went over to my bathroom that I used to share with Mae when she was still living at home, the connected through each of our rooms. I showered and shaved quickly and threw on some comfy PJs while I wrapped my wet hair in a towel.

I went back into my room and did my makeup, actually taking my time and trying to do it nicely, and I was pretty happy with the end result, with the soft purple smoky eye and nude lip and pretty decent looking skin! I moved to my hair, blow-drying it and then curling it to get my signature beachy waves.

I grabbed a pair of black skinny jeans, red long sleeve top with a V-neck, black ankle booties and a faux leather jacket and called it done. I check the time and saw that it was 7:53pm and decided I should get an Uber in case I had some wine.

I went downstairs after ordering the car and saw my mama in the living room; I leaned against the door frame and smiled at her.

"Hey, pretty girl, where you headed?" she asked me.

"Tyler asked me if I wanted to go to dinner with him and some of the team and their girls," I told her.

Her face lit up, "Oh honey that just sounds so wonderful! I hope you have a good time!"

I laughed and nodded, "I hope so too," looking down at my phone and seeing the notification that my ride was out front, "I gotta go, but I'll be home later, mama."

"Have fun!" she called when I opened the front door.

The ride there wasn't too bad, I was there just at 8:30, I went to the host and he led me to the table.

I looked around and saw the guys that I had spoken to that night of the game, and I recognized some of the girls that were there. But Melody wasn't there so I was pretty stoked about that to be honest. I caught Tyler's eye immediately and smiled at him, he smiled back at me and stood up, motioning to the empty seat next to him. I smiled and walked around the table and walked right into his embrace.

"Hey," he said as we hugged.

"Hey, Tyler!" I said smiling as we broke apart.

"Come on, sit, we're just waiting for Jamie," Tyler told me before pulling my chair out and letting me sit.

I smiled up at him and took my coat off, letting it hang off of the back of the chair, "Hi, everyone!" I said with a smile, trying to seem like I was somewhat confident when I was pretty nervous to be hanging out with everyone.

"Do you remember everyone?" Tyler asked me quietly, leaning over to whisper in my ear.

I smiled at him, "Vaguely," I admitted, "I don't think you told me the girl’s names," I whispered back.

He nodded at me, "Let me reintroduce everyone!" Tyler said to the table, "So, Rae, next to you is Devin, and his girlfriend Maggie. There's Sharp and his wife Abby, Cody next to them, Stephen, Rous right here across from us with his girl Alex, Spezza and his wife Jennifer, over here is Jordie and his girlfriend Jess, and this empty seat is for Chubbs," Tyler motioning to the empty seat next to him, "this is Raeanne everyone!" Ty said with a grin to the table.

I smiled and waved a little to everyone and they all greeted me with warm smiles and hellos.

"And speak of the devil himself!" Jordie spoke up looking in front of us; I looked over and saw Jamie walking in with a smile at us.

"Sorry, everyone," he apologized before sitting down between his brother and Tyler, "hey, everyone!" he said looking around at the table while everyone greeted him too he looked at me and smiled, "Hey, Rae! Nice to see you again!" he said to me.

"You too, Jamie!" I said with a smile.

"That's Chubbs, Rae," Tyler corrected jokingly, Jamie and me both smacking him at the same time.

Jamie and I both looked at each other before we started to laugh, with Jamie raising his hand in front of Tyler at me to give him a high five, which I did as Tyler laughed in between us.

"Wow, okay, yeah I'm offended,” Tyler said while he was still laughing.

I laughed and put my hand on his shoulder, "Aww, its okay, Ty!"

He smiled and looked over at me, "You're lucky you're cute," he said to me making me laugh, before he turned to look at Jamie, "You on the other hand..."

I couldn't help but laugh lightly and shake my head as the table laughed loudly with the guys tossing in some words too to each other. Our waiter came back with our drinks placing mine and Tyler's wine in front of us, with the bottle Tyler had ordered for the two of us in front of us.

The table finally settled down and we ordered our food and drinks and there were a couple different conversations going on around me, I felt slightly unsure of myself, not knowing if I should join in on what people were talking about. My faux air of confidence was definitely gone. These people had known each other for a while; I was a newbie to them.

Tyler kept looking at me and would smile reassuring at me, getting me involved in the conversations he would be having with Jamie or whoever else had caught his interest.

"So, Rae," Jennifer said to from her seat on the other side of the table, "I hear you own a shop in North Oak Cliff, right?" she asked with a smile.

I nodded and smiled proudly, "Yeah, that's my baby," I said with a small laugh, tucking some hair behind me ear, "I've been there a couple years now."

"Jason brought my some of the stuff home when he was there with Tyler that one time!" she said grinning, "That body scrub was amazing! I'm trying to savour every last bit of it!"

I laughed and nodded, "Thank-you so much! I like to think we have some pretty good stuff in there."

"Wait," Maggie said from a couple seats away from me, "is it Charmed that you're talking about? Do you own Charmed?" she asked me, wide eyed.

I nodded, "Yeah, that's my store."

She smiled widely at me, "Oh my God! I love that place! My best friend Kathy had a bridal shower a few months ago and got the thank-you gifts from there!"

"I remember that!" I smiled, pointing at her, "Yeah, she got cotton candy scented bath bombs! We worked together for weeks trying to get that scent right!" I said with a laugh, "We're actually gonna start selling them in the store!"

"That's awesome! Everyone loved them!" she gushed.

"That's amazing, I'm so happy to hear that!" I smiled in appreciation.

"You've got a bunch of new products coming out, don't you Rae?" Tyler mentioned, putting an arm around my shoulders.

I smiled at him quickly and nodded to the rest of the table, "Yeah, I mean, we're testing a couple things out right now, but we're all pretty excited about them!"

"What are they?" Jessica asked curiously.

"A few different bath bombs, couple different masks," I said, listing things off on my fingers, "a few different bath soaks too! Oh, and a few different body scrubs, and we're thinking about working on some face scrubs too."

"I can't wait to try them!” Jennifer said with a smile.

I smiled back, "Yeah! I mean, I can make each of you like, basket with the new stuff to try out, if y'all want?" I asked, looking at the ladies at the table.

A chorus of happy yes' came from the table and I smiled and nodded, "Me and my brother are coming to a game in a few days, I can bring them there, is that alright?"

"That'd be awesome! Thanks so much!" Maggie squealed.

I smiled as the conversations drifted off again, but Tyler kept his arm around my shoulder and squeezed, I turned my head to look over at him, "That was really nice of you," he told me softly.

I shrugged lightly at him, pushing my hair to the other side of my head, "I hope they like everything," I mused.

He leaned his forehead to mine, "They'll love it."

I smiled and nodded, before looking back at the table, and seeing Alex have her phone out.

"Let me get a photo of you two!" she said, lifting her phone up.

I was just about to protest, but Tyler leaned into me. And I was overwhelmed with the smell of cologne. I looked at him with my lips parted and saw him gazing at me with a small smile. And I felt my heart flutter and my stomach began to flip around. Suddenly I felt anxious but happy at the same time. His fingers grazed my shoulder, and even through the fabric I still felt the heat from his fingers, it felt like it was burning me. But in the absolute best way possible.

"Ready?" he asked. HIs voice sounded different to me, too. Maybe it was sweeter...or gentler. But it was just...different.

"Yeah," I breathed, letting a smile take over as I turned to Alex and she took the photo of me and Tyler together.

She brought her phone down and scrolled through it before turning it to us with a smile, "You two are so cute!"

I smiled as I looked at the photo. I looked so happy. And that was heartbreaking to me. Because my smile looked so natural. I was leaning, unconsciously into Tyler with his arm around my shoulder. Our faces were...maybe two inches apart if that. His smile was just so big and pure.

And I felt heartbroken because I never looked like that with Markus, and Markus never looked like that with me. And I just couldn't understand why. Why was I so stiff in photos with him, but in one photo with Tyler...I looked happier than I did in six years. I couldn't understand why Markus didn't love me anymore...or ever. I didn't know why he never wanted to be around me. And the only time I went to his house it was purely sexual. After we were done, he would all but ask me to leave. Actually, some night he would flat out say to me that I could leave.

But that photo with Tyler, God, I could feel the energy through it. I could see the spark through it. And it was confusing but it made me feel happy. It made me feel loved and Tyler didn't even love me. He had an admitted crush on me, but that sure as hell doesn't equal up to love.

"Can I post it to Instagram?" she asked me, flipping her phone back to face her.

I snapped out of my thoughts and focused on her again, "Yeah, of course," I told her.

She smiled and handed me her phone with Instagram open, "Find your profile!"

I took her phone and typed my username in for her and handed it back to her. Her fingers were flying across the screen before she finally put it down with a smile.

"Posted," she said simply with a smile.

I smiled back at her, "Send that to me!" Ty told her.

She nodded and went back to her phone and Tyler's dinged just a second later with the photo.

Tyler opened his phone, saved the photo, and put it as his background photo for the home and lock screen before he sent it to me too.

"Thought you'd like it," he said with a small wink.

I laughed and nodded, "Well thanks for thinking of me."

He grinned, "I always think of you," he said lowly so only I could hear him.

Feeling bold after a glass and a half of wine, I moved my hand under the table and let it rest on the middle of his thigh, "I always think of you, too," I told him.

His eyes flashed just briefly in surprise before going back to a neutral look, "Can't say I'm unhappy to hear that."

I squeezed his thigh before moving my hand back to my lap, "Me too."

Notes

Please let me know what you think!!