Our Memories

By awaitinglove

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The first time I talked to Tyler Harrison he called me an ugly, fat cow.

Now, given this was in kindergarten, I should have just cried and told our teacher, Ms. Lee. Well, I did cry, but I certainly didn't go running to Ms. Lee so I could hear the satisfaction in Tyler's voice once he eventually called me a tattletale. No, that would have not been acceptable. I was a proud girl, even back then.

So, I cried, and then, with all the might a five-year-old girl could possibly have, I socked him in the face.

I remember sitting in the timeout corner of the small room, feeling so smug while I listened to Tyler Harrison blubbering like a little baby. I can still imagine his red-rimmed blue eyes with tears pouring down his face.

However, I underestimated Tyler. If I thought that by punching him in the face would end his torments, I was sorely mistaken. If anything, it had just made him more determined. So, day after day, year after year, I endured the name-calling, the fat jokes, the cornering after school with his friends by his side, the pranks…

Just about everything a little boy could do. But, Tyler exceeded expectations and always managed to make it worse.

And just when I was absolutely certain that I hated him, so much that I vowed to myself I would never marry a blond man, especially one with dirty blond hair, Tyler would do something that would confuse me. He would make me not hate him so much and actually make me like him.

Like the one time in seventh grade when we officially graduated to middle school. Entering that year, I was still an awkward girl, mind you. I was short, chubby, had braces and glasses, the works.

So, an eighth grader by the name of Sean Ason decided I would be his new plaything. And one day, Tyler noticed Sean taunting me during class, throwing paper balls and erasers at me when the teacher's back was turned.

Now, I hadn't really cared if Sean was the one throwing paper balls at me. For some reason, I was terrified that Tyler would join in with him. It made goosebumps spread over my arms and my heart pound. Only Tyler could do that to me. So, suddenly afraid, silent tears had begun to escape down my chubby cheeks. Tyler, of course, saw them and probably thought it was because of Sean.

And the next thing I knew, the teacher was yelling and Tyler and Sean were on the ground of the classroom, kicking, hitting, and possibly even biting. It was the most spectacular and horrifying thing I had ever seen. When the teacher finally managed to pry them apart, Tyler looked smug albeit slightly bruised, and Sean was the one crying with the most damage.

After that, word got around. Nobody bothered me ever again after that, except, of course, for my favorite tormentor. I even said 'thank you' to him that day once he was released from the office. He had just shrugged and looked at me with those bright blue eyes of his and replied with, "You're mine."

I was too flustered and thankful that I didn't even argue with him even if I did feel that spark of something he always evoked in me.

Entering high school was a lot different from middle school. Tyler Harrison became known as 'hot'. But I didn't like the word 'hot' that girls described him by. To me, he was 'gorgeous'. His dirty blond hair grew so that it brushed against the collar of his shirts, he grew taller and filled out. He looked so different, but I still recognized his eyes. I would always recognize them.

I had changed too. Most of my baby fat dropped off as I grew taller. My braces came off and I replaced my glasses with contacts. I even exchanged my sweatshirts for more fitted, but still conservative, clothes. To my embarrassment and perhaps even to my excitement, I received attention from other guys. But, in the back of my mind, I always wondered what Tyler thought of me. I constantly wondered if he thought I was attractive.

When he eventually saw my new change, he had just stared at me with a burning intensity. Luckily, the hallway was empty, as most students had gone home. I had thought I was the only one left, but when Tyler came strolling out of a classroom door, my heart began to pound in my chest. I turned to glance at him, as if casually, but then found I couldn't look away. I just stood there.

Finally, a smirk dropped into place and he strolled over to me. I held my breath the whole time he made his way over to me.

"Didn't hide behind all those books this summer did you, Anne?" He said while I turned toward him even more.

My eyes had narrowed, "What's that suppose to mean?" I had to crane my head up still to look at him.

His smirk had returned and he gave me a full once over, making it obvious he was checking me out. "Well, for one, you're not the repulsive cow I remember." My mouth had dropped and just with one simple sentence, Tyler Harrison lit my blood on fire.

And for the second time in my life, I punched him.

I hadn't hurt him like I wanted; he reeled back more in shock than in pain. In fact, I had probably hurt myself more. But when he recovered, there was something in his eyes that told me he was immensely amused. There was something else I couldn't really identify, but I could have cared less. He had just insulted and complimented me in the same sentence.

"You know why I always do this to you?" He asked me, an actual smile forming onto his face. He leaned in really close so that I could smell him. I realized he smelled like soap and I had to refrain myself from inhaling him even further. "Because I love seeing you all riled and flustered." Then with laugh, he turned on his heel and started down the hallway while I still stared at him in shock. Over his shoulder, he threw out, "Oh, by the way, you still hit like a girl."

That had broken me out of my gaping and I made a loud irritated noise in the back of my throat. But even as I did that, I couldn't get that stupid grin on my face and the butterflies in my stomach wouldn't stop. I remember hearing his laughter all the way down the hall.

High school went on and Tyler continued to do what he did best. We were like little children all over again, bickering. My friends and his friends were use to it by now, and they knew to not get in the way when we were arguing. They were probably more amused than anything.

But then it all started to change. Our bantering became more teasing, more playful. And Heaven forbid, more flirty.

My friends thought it would only be a matter of time before we 'jump each other's bones and give into the sexual tension'. I had blushed and told them to go play on the freeway.

I slowly became aware of every move Tyler made, and every time he touched me, which, I realized, was quite often. He would get into the habit of playing with my hand during class, which most likely meant he was bored. He would softly run his padded fingertips across my palm and I would shiver; he would smirk and do it again. "You like that?" He would ask in his husky voice. My response was usually another shiver.

I started imagining how it would feel to kiss him, to just press my lips against his. Or how it would feel if he held me and played with my hair.

I felt like I was going to explode, especially when his voice got lower and huskier when he was teasing me. The teasing eventually turned into conversations where we never ran out of things to say to each other. My favorite nights were spent on the phone with him in my bedroom, when the clock was just about to hit midnight. Then, sometime in the conversation, we would hit a disagreement and start bantering like usual. It was never ending…and I loved every minute of it. I loved every minute with him.

In the end of our junior year, we got into a real fight, something that had never happened before, even in our elementary years.

Someone told me that Tyler Harrison was dating Rachel McAllister, one of the more popular girls at our school that had been after him since sophomore year. I managed to get my shock under control and then came the anger, sadness, and the streak of jealousy.

I couldn't picture Tyler with another girl; it just hurt too much. It enraged me to think of the kisses they would share, the way he would probably play with her hand in class, the way his voice would get huskier around her. That moment was the one where I knew I could never just be Tyler's friend; I wanted to be something more to him.

God, I loved him.

I had run to the bathroom before the tears came and once I got myself under control, I promised myself that I was going to try to avoid Tyler as much as possible. I just couldn't imagine how I would feel if I walked around a corner to find them sucking faces.

I wondered how he could do this to me. But then I realized I had no hold over him, that he probably was just amused by me. That our four-hour conversations had meant nothing to him. That he was just playing with me.

My heart started to break, a heart Tyler probably didn't even know he had, and the pain hurt like nothing else I could have imagined.

But, throughout that day, I realized just how difficult it was to stay hidden from Tyler, especially when he made it clear he had an intention of finding me. And I thought that when I started on my walk home that I was in the clear, that I was free. But then I heard tires squeal to a stop, a car door slam, and an angry Tyler stalking toward me.

"I've been trying to find you all day! Where the hell have you been?" He yelled. He was absolutely livid. "Why are you avoiding me?"

My eyes had snapped to his blue ones, "That's none of your business, Harrison." My heart had ached. He was so gorgeous standing there.

He had paused, then, "What is wrong with you, Anne?" His tone had turned incredulous.

My anger, at that moment, was threatening to erupt. "As if you don't know." I stopped. "You know what, never mind. Have a nice life with Rachel." My tone was bitter and the shock on his face was so adorable that I just wanted to pull him to me and kiss him.

Then recognition hit his bright eyes and he had the nerve to smirk, "Are you jealous, Anne?"

I glared at him, "No. Don't flatter yourself." I grew nervous as I watched him take a few steps closer, the butterflies in my stomach erupting.

"No, I think you are, Anne."

"Jealously would imply that I actually care about you," I retorted, my voice emotionless. A sharp pain went through me. When had I been so…hateful toward him?

And just like, his playfulness dropped. It was replaced with anger and…hurt. In the next moment, he rushed at me as I gasped, and pushed me back against the wall of a store I had stopped by. I swallowed thickly and my mouth turned to dust when I felt the hard muscles of his body pressed up against mine. I stared straight at his chest, and refused to look up at him, ignoring the dull ache of knowing I was so close to him but could never have him. He pushed my chin up with his index finger and his blue eyes burned into mine.

His voice got so husky I had to suppress a shiver, "You don't care about me, huh sweetheart?" My heart had fluttered at that but I tried not to show it. "You're so jealous. And I know it when I see it. Trust me."

"You don't know what you're talking about," I responded weakly. I didn't need to hear this.

"Oh, but don't I? You think I like it when I see all those guys trying to talk to you? Trying to touch you? Hell no, baby." I stopped breathing and looked at him in shock, my mouth falling open. He brought one hand to my waist and the other at the small of my back. "Because I want to be the only guy that touches you. And I just want to hit any guy that so much as looks at you. I know what they think. I'm not stupid and I am a guy myself, aren't I?" My breathing came out in short breaths at this point, not believing what I was hearing. I managed to hold my breath as he let out a sharp exhale. "Hell no. If that's not jealousy then I don't know what is. You're mine, Anne. You always have been," he muttered. Tears had started to well up in my eyes and he had frowned and brushed them away.

"Tyler…" I had managed to choke out.

He smiled and my breath left me. Softly, he ran his strong hand through my long hair while the other cupped my cheek. "My strong, beautiful Anne," he whispered, his lips just centimeters from mine.

Then he kissed me.

My first kiss…and it was so wonderful. Perfect.

His lips were soft and warm on mine, and my hands ended up clinging onto his shirt as my knees threatened to give out. He pulled me to him as close as physically possible and I happily molded against him. I gasped slightly when I felt his tongue against my lips, and he took the opportunity to enter inside. He lapped gently and did this sucking thing that absolutely made my head spin. I moaned softly and I felt him shudder and press me more firmly against the side of the wall.

Once we finally managed to pull away from each other, I pulled him into a tight hug and happily cried all over his shirt. "Oh Tyler…" I whispered.

He had put some distance between us so I could see his bright eyes. "What? I'm sorry, did that happen too fast?" He looked genuinely worried and I almost laughed. I just threaded my hand through his hair and his eyes closed briefly.

"Tyler, I think I love you," I said quietly, looking down at the sidewalk.

He was silent for a moment and I felt panicked. But then he exhaled sharply and crushed me to him, "I know I love you, Anne. God, I never thought I would hear those words from you." His tone held a hint of disbelief.

He kissed me again, harder this time that left me breathless, but the broke off with a smile.

"But you're still my ugly, fat cow," he said playfully. I gasped and slapped his arm. "You know, I only said that to make you notice me. I didn't think you'd actually punch me, which just for the record, was the weakest punch ever."

I raised an eyebrow and moved closer to him, watching his lips. "I remember you crying like a baby."

"I did not," he had started to protest with male indignation. But I cut him off with a kiss.

"Excuse me, you two." We broke apart to see the owner of the shop we were currently pressed up against. "That is a no parking zone." He pointed to Tyler's truck.

Tyler suppressed a laugh, "Sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

The owner had gone back inside, muttering something about teenagers, and I let out a laugh. Tyler looked at me with glittering eyes and pulled me into his car. "Come on, let's get out of here."

………………

Time passed, graduation came, and college became a new priority. But Tyler and I made new memories together, ones that could never be erased and we would keep forever.

Like swimming down at the lake during the summer, bickering about whether or not I really could punch, or just kissing lazily in the back of his truck during winter, trying to keep each other warm.

We were still young though, and the both of us still had a lot ahead of us. But we still loved each other, would always love each other. Because that's what love is. The memories of your past. The memories that could be made that very day, in the present. Or the memories that would be made in the future. They all swirled together and combined. Knowledge that just the two of us would share, would know. Our own little special moments of time. Just our memories.

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A/N: So, I wrote this to assure you guys that I have not died a mysterious and/or a tragic death. I am close to death though. I'm so sick, it's almost sad.

Anyways, I've been having writer's block for about a half of a year now. That's pretty sad. But yeah, I have not been particularly inspired lately. But I'm trying to come up with a new idea for a story. I think I want to do something fantasy/romance related. But yeah, until then, I have no idea. I guess I'll just keep posting one-shots up.

Thanks for reading and please tell me what you think. It's not my best and I'm not really sure what I think about it, but please review.

Much love,

Lauren.