Chasing the Sun

Two weeks had passed ever since Abbey and Tyler’s miniature mental breakdown in room 746 and despite many days of stepping backwards and causing even more mental- and emotional- strife; things were beginning to look up.

Three days before Abbey had called Tyler up as he was on his way home from visiting her at the hospital- another day of bringing in items in an attempt to recollate her memory- to ask if he were able to convince her doctors to discharge her later in the week. She was ready to come “home”.

“You sure your ready for this?” he asked for the twelve thousandth time. Abbey rolled her eyes dramatically as she slipped her legs into the yoga pants that Tyler had brought from the house for her ‘Coming Home’ outfit.

“I am. I think I am.” He knew that she was second guessing herself. Over the past three days she had gone back and forth on whether or not she wanted to go home. He knew she wanted to get out of the hospital, but the fact of going home with a strange man, and living in his strange house was beginning to care the shit out of her.

“You’ll do fine, Abs.” he assured rubbing her arm and giving her a reassuring squeeze. “I even cleaned up, you’d be so proud of me…”

“If I knew who I was?” she finished, raising her eyebrows towards him. He took a deep breath but nodded in agreement, it wasn’t like they were lying to themselves.

“One day, maybe I’ll wake up and remember everything. All the kisses, and birthday gifts, and trips that we went on together? Maybe one day it’ll all click.” Abbey was partially lying; in a way she wanted her memories back. In a way, she didn’t.

“Maybe.” He wasn’t convinced. He knew- deep down- that there was something that Abbey wasn’t letting onto, and even though he wanted so badly to find out what it was, he was going to let it go. In her own time she would say what she needed to say.

~

They had arrived back at the red brick house close to early evening. Abbey stared up at the large bay window in the front and awed over the dark blue shutters than encased the large windows in the front.

“It’s beautiful.” She breathed as he parked in the front driveway and shut off the ignition. She took in all the sights through the front window and pressed her face up against the passenger window in an attempt to see the expansive yard that laced the large piece of land.

“It’s much more beautiful if you don’t lick the glass of the car. You can get out, Abs.” he reminded her as a small grin approached her face. She was hesitant to open the door, but got out and stretched her legs. The first time in weeks that she had seen anything outside of the four ugly whitewashed walls of UPMC. Walking over to the other side of the car, he helped her out and placed his hand on the small of her back, leading Abbey up to the front of the good-sized house.

“… And to end the tour, this is your favorite part of the house,” Tyler fanned his arms to show the giant bay window that Abbey had seen when she first drove up with Tyler. Her eyes glimmered with pure delight as she saw the large and expansive window that looked out to the pond across the street. “You used to come in here and start working, and get completely lost. This room was the reason why we bought the house in the first place.” Again he gave her another nugget of information about their former lives. She grinned and curled up on the seat, picking up a book that was sitting underneath the pillow. Great Expectations, somehow, somewhere Abbey remembered in herself really enjoying reading the Charles Dickens classic.

“That was your favorite book,” he mused quietly in the background as she began to get pulled into the frayed edges of the copied print.

~

“Thank you for making dinner,” Abbey thanked Tyler graciously after he had cooked them dinner, in thanks she agreed to help him with the dishes. He shrugged, handing her another plate to dry from the soapy suds.

“It was no big deal--”

“But to me it was. Way better than the hospital food I’ve been eating. One night I’ll have to exchange the favor… that is if I can cook.” A slight smirk played on her lips, Tyler grinned and nodded quickly.

“You’re a fantastic chef. You used to cook me spaghetti every single home game day. Your grandmother taught you how to make it and you just put your own spice on it… though I still don’t know what exactly that might be.”

“Really?” he nodded, taking in how familiar this felt despite everything being such a coo coo’s nest. She shook her head and took the last cup, drying it off carefully before placing it back in the dark stained cabinets, Tyler looked over to where she was standing, she eyed back at him.

“What?” she asked, trying to glance off the toaster to see if she had something on her face, he shook his head and just smiled.

“I’m just happy to have you home.”

She rolled her eyes casually, and walked over to where he was standing. For a hot second Tyler thought she might kiss him- he wouldn’t have been lying if he actually wanted that- but she snuck past him and dipped her hand into the soapy water that was draining out of the sink. Before he could catch her hand and stop the small, soapy hand from plastering his face, she wiped it all over his tan skin and into his messy hair, making sure he had soap everything. Groaning, he let out a loud laugh.

“That was mean,” he pouted, jutting out his bottom lip. She rolled her eyes again as he caught her wrist, holding it with a feather-like touch. “Payback!” he finally yelled, grabbing the hose connected to the sink and spraying her with the warm water all over the front of her clothes and partially on her face, a good portion of the water hitting the ground.

“That was meaner!” she squealed, trying to get him back but he pinned her against the counter with his massive body. He inched closer to his face to where they were only mere centimeters apart, and spoke in a hoarse whisper.

“Paybacks a bitch,” he spoke as he got close enough to kiss her. Grabbing up the balls, he bent down his face and angled it with hers, pressing his lips against her battered ones, the result was not one that he had hoped for.

The slap had surprised both of them. Abbey hadn’t expected him to kiss her, so instinctively she whacked him across the face; and Tyler was almost expecting for everything to be the same. Hadn’t it been a moment of normalcy just five seconds before?

“I’m—I’m really sorry,” he began as she tried to push away from him. Hot tears welled up in her eyes as she tried to push away the torrential downpour that was about to come.

“Just leave me alone!” she cried, pushing him against the island with what strength she had, and plowing past him.

“I--”

“Leave me the hell alone!” she cried again, gripping her sides and wrapping her arms around herself. She looked around the large kitchen for something- unbeknownst to Tyler- and when her attempts at searching for whatever it was ended miserably, she took her crying and sniffling self down the hallway towards the master bedroom that Tyler had given her to sleep in while everything was figured out.

He followed her down the hallway after hearing the door slam shut, listening to the door, he heard on the other side loud sobs from such a tiny person. His heart broke because he knew he unintentionally caused this, and he was the reason for her cries. He knocked on the door lightly, just enough to hear, and he heard the cries become silent for a moment.

“Abbey?”

“Tyler, just please leave me alone right now. I need some time…” Her voice was raspy and low, and if he hadn’t had his face pressed up against the frame of the door, he wouldn’t have been able to hear her.

He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and taking back down the stairs two at a time. Shoving his socked feet into a pair of tennis shoes, he grabbed his keys off the counter, and let himself out to where his car was parked. He pulled the car out of the driveway and made his way over towards the bar on 5th St. in Sewickley. In the past couple of weeks he had made this joint a frequent of his. It served booze till nearly three in the morning, so Tyler was able to get stone cold drunk before having to deal with another excruciating day of waiting until Abbey would get her memory back.

He used it to cope, the alcohol. It made him feel as if the huge hole that was currently making resident in his heart had been slowly covered up just for the time being. He sat down on the bar stool and placed his face deep into his hands, shielding himself from everyone in here.

“The Coke is from the young lady on the end,” Jack, the bartender, expressed, sliding the glass over towards him. Tyler looked up and waved meekly towards the blonde haired woman sitting towards the end. She got up from her seat, and adjusted her too-short dress, sitting down next to him.

“I’m Paige,” her Southern drawl lengthened her short name. Tyler didn’t look up from where he was nursing his drink, but took another swig to acknowledge her.

“Tyler,” he replied back gruffly as he turned towards her. Looking past the obvious ‘puck-bunny’ look, he decided she wasn’t that god awful, and struck up a conversation with her. Something about the Pens and the winning season that they were entering… not that she actually knew what he was talking about. Mindlessly, he let his gaze fall towards her ample cleavage and not before long she noticed.

“My hotel is over a couple of blocks…” she spoke, batting her eyes, and drawing out the words as if it were going to hook him in. He shrugged, taking a long drink this time, and slamming the glass against the table. She didn’t even blink, just started at him with hungry eyes, hoping he’d take up her offer.

This definitely wasn’t how he had pictured his first night home back with Abbey.