Now I've gone for too long

Living like I'm not alive

So I'm going to start over tonight

Beginning with you and I.

- Hayley Williams

The hands were warm, oozing all kinds of tingles which were spreading over wherever they touched. They were making their way from my legs, leaving trails of desire. They came up to my thighs and gripped hard. And I arched my back and felt those fingers through my core.

His lips. Oh, his lips trailed their sweet warmth from my stomach and up. I clutched the bedsheets tightly and his touch left my body, though I kept on waiting for something, waiting for him to give me something, something that only he could give me. Something filled with desire. But it never came. And I was frustrated. I moaned and moaned for him. "Ty..Tyler! Oh Tyler! Tyler?"

My eyes flashed open immediately and I sprang up. I was about to raise my hand but found it in a tight fist with bedsheets. I quickly let go and jumped out of the bed. Why was I breathing so hard? I rubbed the sweat from my face and neck.

And that was when the scenes flashed before my eyes. I glanced at the twisted bedsheets and felt terror slip in me. My feet worked on their own and brought me out of my bedroom but I found no sign of anyone. I looked down at myself and I was covered, covered with the clothes I wore for yesterday. At least, I was wearing something. I released a sigh but then I realised, I realised I had a dream, a dream about Tyler and not just any dream, a wet dream!

Oh no. Clearly, I deprived myself of some activities for far too long and now, here I was horny as hell. What would Chloe think if she knew about this? I bet she'd be laughing her ass off. Well, I wasn't planning on telling anybody. Especially not the man himself, who came in my dream.

The sun was out already. Since there was no job to get to, I shook my head to release some tension from my body and walked toward the kitchen. Since I was already out of bed and out of bedroom, I thought of putting some water in a pot, for my morning coffee. Then I went to the bathroom to get cleaned up for the day.

By the time I came back, half the water had evaporated but it was enough for a cup of coffee. I made some toast and scrambled egg, and took them to the counter top, taking a seat at the high stool. I picked up my toast to bite into it but stopped midway because the sound of keys and the opening of my front door came to me. I dropped the toast on the plate and turned around slowly eyeing the baseball bat that stood beside the door as my weapon in need.

I was about to make a run for it when the door turned completely, showing me the person behind it. Tyler Sanders, my official fiancé. "Oh, you're awake."

"What the hell are you doing here?" I greeted him with widened eyes. I was starting to doubt my dream's reality. Did it happen? Or was I still dreaming? I saw him putting the keys on the side table and take off his suit jacket, putting it on the stand. "How did you get my keys? Why do you even have it?"

"I came to check up on you." He casually walked toward the counter and picked up my coffee cup, smelling it first then sipping it.

"Hey, that's mine." I immediately launched for it but he turned away. I rolled my eyes at his action. "And Check up on me? Why? I'm fine." When he remained silent and kept on sipping my coffee. I huffed. "Well, can you at least tell me where did you get my keys?"

"Your bag." He swallowed and cocked his head toward my sofa where my bag nestled among the cushions.

I walked toward my bag and opened it. "You went through my bag? Where was I when this happened?" Nothing was missing other than my house keys. Good.

He shrugged, "You were sleeping..." Then, he looked me in the eyes. "..after having couple of drinks. You offered me but I refused. Then you passed out. So I took you to bed then went out, taking those keys with me." He turned toward my plate of breakfast and asked. "Are those toasts?"

I sprinted toward it and picked it up before he could get his hands on it. "Yes and they are mine. Didn't you have your own breakfast?" I glared at him hard. First my coffee, now my toast? Not a chance. He was behaving like as if he didn't have any breakfast. He had food in his home, right?

He took a seat at the high stool and turned to me. "No, I didn't have time to. I directly came here and I have to be in office..." He pulled his sleeve a bit and checked his watch. "..in 30 minutes if I want to be present in any meeting."

"Oh." That's the only thing that came out from me. What was I suppose to say anyway? Thank you for not having breakfast because you had to come and check on me? Nope, I had my pride. But then he came to check up on me. That was kind of sweet. I never knew this guy could be caring toward me. I slowly sled the plate of my breakfast in front of him and nodded at him. He raised his eyebrows at me and I glared. "You need it more. I have the whole morning free to make another." And turned away, walked toward the stove to make another scrambled egg.

After last night m, I was starting to think different about him. I clearly remembered when we got back to my apartment from the cafe after our supposed propose and kiss, to discuss more about our arrangement. I blushed when I remembered the kiss. The whole thing was branded in my head. I could still feel the heat of his body. And his, oh, so talented lips.

Since Tyler was right behind me, I put that kiss quickly in the back of my mind for now. I remembered taking out some beers from the fridge and having it. Drinking wasn't my usual thing but yesterday, I sealed away all my problems. And that was a good reason to celebrate. I probably had only two bottles. I couldn't handle alcohol much so I guess, it was easy for me to get drunk.

After having those drinks, I didn't remember anything else. I trusted Tyler when he said he took me to bed only and then left. He cared enough to put me to sleep, then lock my door with the keys. I realised I could trust him with everything. I realised Tyler just squeezed himself into my family list. I knew he would take care of me.

I looked back at him to find him eating the breakfast, while going through his phone. Yes, this guy would take care of me and I vowed right at that moment that I would take care of him and his daughter with everything I got in me.

His daughter!

I couldn't believe I still didn't know her name. I quickly made up my breakfast and joined him on the counter. "Can I ask you something?"

"Depends on what you're asking." Tyler muttered, looking down at his phone.

I rolled my eyes at him. What did I expect? Yeah, Claire ask me anything? As if that would ever happen. This was Tyler Sanders. I finished chewing then I said. "I realised I don't know your daughter's name yet." At the mention of his daughter, he looked up at me, curiously. "What's her name?"

Tyler locked his phone and put it away. He leaned front, keeping his elbows at the counter top. "Claire, I should clear something with you." Did I say something wrong? I just asked Little Ariel's real name. This guy was totally unexpected. I waited for him to continue. "You'll be my wife and my daughter's mother. Remember, you'll never be a step-mother to her. You'll be her own mother in every way. I would even make you her legal mother. But Claire, you must treat my daughter Lydia as if she is your own."

Lydia, so that was her name. It was beautiful like her but then I realised what Tyler just said and I recoiled as if he burned me. Step-mother? Every step mother wasn't bad. Even if he made me Lydia's mother in every way. I would still be a step-mother but I never planned to treat her any different. I already admired her. I would never treat her bad. How could Tyler think that I would? Did I ever give him a reason to have him warn me? I felt insulted that he would even think like that but I knew he was just being a dad. A careful dad.

I dropped the fork on my plate and looked down at my lap. "How could you think I would treat her different?" I compelled my eyes to meet his. "She is the reason we are here, together. But it's not only that. I met her before, before all this." I gestured between him and me. "I admired her from the moment I met her. I wou--"

Tyler's touch on my hand made me stop in mid-sentence. I ignored the little flitter in me at his touch. "I was just making sure, Claire. I never meant to offend you."

And I believed his words. I knew he didn't mean to offend me. I covered my hand over his and squeezed it. "I know. But you should know this Tyler, I would treat Lydia as if she is my own. That I promise you."

He looked at our hands, intertwined together then at my face. Tyler squeezed back my hand and smiled at me. And I smiled back at him because his smile was worth it all. I saw his first ever genuine smile and I felt like I accomplished something. "Thank you."

As the silence stretched after that and we still kept on smiling and staring, we realised we were acting like idiots. So Tyler took the liberty to clear his throat and peal away my hand from his, then straightened up. I stood up with him. He took his belongings and glanced at me. "I should get going." He gestured toward the breakfast plate. "Thank you for that."

I nibbled my bottom lip and nodded at him. For a second, I thought his eyes flickered to my lips but I must be imagining. He took a step forward and pressed his moist lips on my right cheek, muttering. "See you soon, Claire."

And then walked out of my apartment, leaving me standing like a statue right there in the middle of my living room.

Slowly I raised my hand to touch the skin where his lips came in contact. Immediately, a smile graced my face. I knew I was physically attracted to this guy. Who wouldn't? I didn't know how we would behave after we married and I didn't want to think about it now. If I started thinking about that, then lot of other things would bang on my brain's doorstep. I left my thoughts at that and went back to finish my breakfast.

But before I could even lift the fork, my phone ringed from somewhere in the living room and I sighed. I looked down at my unfinished breakfast. Looked like I wouldn't get a chance to finish it. I stood up again and walked back to the room, to find my phone on the coffee table and guess whose name was on the screen.

Chloe.

I picked up my phone and answered my sister's call. "Hey Chloe, what's up?"

"What's up?! Really Claire, you gonna go with that? Aren't you suppose to say something else?" My sister responded with suppressed anger. I creased my forehead in confusion. Now what happened? I was about to ask her that, when she continued, "..something important? Something life changing? Something a family should know first before the whole world knows it? Or should I say see it?"

Now, she completely lost me. The whole world knows it? What was she tal..... Wait! Right that moment, Tyler's words from yesterday came back to me.

I'm letting everyone know that we are getting engaged so that no one would be surprised when we get married.

And I gulped. Before I could even take control, I already uttered. "Oh no." Since the phone was still attached to my ear, Chloe heard it.

She replied with an unknown tone, that I wasn't familiar with and it got me more scared. "Oh yes Claire, Oh yes. You know what little sister? Imagine my surprise when I opened my morning magazine to find a woman who is a total replica of you." She gasped mockingly, "You know what was the headline Claire? It was and I quote, 'Billionaire Tyler Sanders proposed mystery woman!' Am I missing something here, Claire?"

Mystery woman? I was going to kill Tyler when I see him next. He didn't even warn me that the photos will be out by the next morning. Gosh, I wasn't prepared for this confrontation from my sister. I really hoped my parents back home in Boston, didn't see it or else I would be in for a lot of interrogation.

I took a seat on my sofa and closed my eyes. I clutched the phone tightly and said. "Chloe, ah remember when I told you about someone a few days back?" When she muttered a slow suspicious yes to me, I continued. "Yeah well, that someone is Tyler."

There was silence at first and then she replied with that unknown tone of her. "You don't say."

And I knew I was dead meat right there.