forum •Favorite Liar• [one/one]

Started November 26, 2022 by @Dayzed forum

tune

Josh held Tamryn’s gaze as he left the building, his eyes hard. It was hard to tell what Josh’s motivations were, but one thing was for certain; things had taken a turn for the worst. They either to stay and take out these men once and for all, or they had to leave and try to get to Andy’s uncle in time.

As they headed through the building and out the door, Andy stayed silent, clearly in distress. This was a huge decision— one that would likely impact the rest of her life— and she had no idea which choice was the right one. They could kill the men, but they could be with some sort of gang. The gang could finish what the men started. But, if they went to find her uncle, there was no saying if the men would reach him first. Who knows what other innocent people these men would torment?

Andy listened to Tamryn speak, staring blankly at the ground. Eventually, she spoke up. “We’ll go to a hotel, In the morning, we’ll figure out where my uncle is and try to get to him. And no police involvement, Tamryn. With all their focus on us, they could dig more into you, and who knows what they’ll find.” She took a step away from him, her hands shaking as she crossed her arms over her chest. “I don’t know what I would do if they arrested you…”

"Figure it out." "Try to."
He didn't blame Andy for any of this, but there were so many what-ifs, that this could lead down a very very ugly road. It was surprising to hear Andy say no police involvement, part of which he knew was completely his fault. He stopped at her last words, turning to her.
A look of defeat on his face as he looked her over, then looked to the side on the ground. It wasn't too late. She could still live a normal life, if only he'd turn himself in, no matter what the consequences were. No one would know she had been there that morning. She had been at home sleeping when he went out, and she stayed that way until he came back. None of this was on her. He rolled the idea around in his head. Andy would be so, so angry, but most of all heartbroken.
But…
She'd get over it. With time, she would. She'd live with her uncle and she'd find someone new- maybe that blond-haired guy who he had seen her with that day.
He saw the way her hands shook, the stress was eating at her, and she couldn't go to the police because of him. Things would be much easier if they just had them involved.
"Maybe they won't" He shrugged, trying to be discreet about pitching the idea to her. "I've hidden things very well" He started. Talking like a criminal who had done a job well done, felt weird coming out of his mouth but he needed to convince Andy.
"Don't you think they'd be more focused on you and your connection to your uncle? I would just…be on the sidelines" He said, trying to convince even himself. Sure he had involved himself with this now and they would ask questions, but dig into him? Why would they do that? What exactly could they possibly find? All he needed was a bit of time to get rid of everything. It wasn't an easy task but he could do it. Especially if there was a deadline and he was under a lot pressure.

Andy gently caressed Tamryn’s cheeks as she stared up at him. She knew he was doing this all for her, and it was true. They would be able to call the police if Tamryn wasn’t a wanted criminal. But that didn’t matter to Andy now. None of this did. He was finally hers, and nothing— not a gang or criminals or the police force— would ever take him away from her.

“Shh. None of that.” She rested her head against him and planted a gentle kiss on his shoulder before she continued. “If we go to the police, they will find out, Tamryn. They’re good at their jobs. I’ve seen them work. If they ever got to you, it would kill me, Tam. They would put you on death row, and I would hate myself for letting it happen to you.”

She stood there for a long while before continuing, soaking in Tamryn’s warmth. Yes, the anxiety and stress was starting to wear on her, but there was still a glimpse of hope in her eyes. It was odd, considering her horrible situation, but not a surprise if you knew Andy. She had always clung onto hope, and she tried to see the good in everything. She knew that, while their struggles were rough, they would find a way to get through it one way or another.

“Even if you were on the sidelines, you’re still involved in this. They’ll find out about you,” she whispered. “Tamryn, I need you with me through this. I can’t make it without you. I’ll think of a plan, I just… I need you by my side, okay?”

She took his face in her hand before pressing her lips to his. She was still nervous about kissing him, but the kisses were longer, and she kissed him multiple times as they stood alone in front of the abandoned building. She knew that the men could come at any time, but she wanted to stay with Tamryn for a moment more. She had no idea when she would get to be with him like this again.

He absolutely hated this situation. Here she was, telling him that she would die if anything happened to him, the thing was. It angered him slightly, the fact that she was the one saying those words. If he was caught, which he was sure would come sooner than later, he would take her down with him if he was caught.
He wanted to so badly grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her. Yell "This isn't on you!! it's on me! me!! stop trying to sink in the same boat I damaged!" But he knew that would be cruel of him to say and also hypocritical because he would do the same, he'd stand by her side no matter the consequence.
All he could do was give her a tired look like everything was slowly killing him. He forced a smile, but his inner guilt and hate grew by the second, threatening him to do something stupid. Unlike Andy, Tamryn wasn't so positive, I mean, he tried to be, for his parents and people around him that were close, but deep down there was always this doom that circled him- like he knew no matter how hard he struggled, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, it would always come down to the same thing. The same ending.
As he stood there with Andy caressing his cheek, he stared at her, though it seemed more worn down. He wanted to both cry and laugh at the same time. How stupid was this?! How stupid was he!? Going out with Andy while he was a wanted criminal, not to mention doing the stupid job in the first place! For some reason, the decisions he chose became worse and worse and he dug himself a deeper hole than he had already dug.
He felt like that one butterfly he saw caught in a spiderweb when he was nine and kids kept yelling his name. It just tangled itself more and more as it tried to free itself.
Tamryn found that he could say nothing to convince Andy. He just had to pull the trigger himself. It was Andy or him, and it would certainly not be Andy.
With being pulled into the kiss, Tamryn found it even harder to say what he needed to say next. He allowed the kiss to be longer than the ones they'd had before, sort of grabbing her hair from the back and gently pressing into her with a hunger-like passion. Then he slowly pulled away, placed his hands on the side of her shoulders, and took a step back, keeping her at a distance.

"I'll stay by your side, just promise me, that if the time comes when I'm caught, you won't say anything about today in the morning. You'll testify against me. I came at you with a hatchet and tried to kill you. You escaped and ran to my house to grab your stuff, then came here." He was already pronouncing his death sentence and he wanted to make sure Andy was on the same page as he was.

He absolutely hated this situation. Here she was, telling him that she would die if anything happened to him, the thing was. It angered him slightly, the fact that she was the one saying those words. If he was caught, which he was sure would come sooner than later, he would take her down with him if he was caught.
He wanted to so badly grab her shoulders and shake some sense into her. Yell "This isn't on you!! it's on me! me!! stop trying to sink in the same boat I damaged!" But he knew that would be cruel of him to say and also hypocritical because he would do the same, he'd stand by her side no matter the consequence.
All he could do was give her a tired look like everything was slowly killing him. He forced a smile, but his inner guilt and hate grew by the second, threatening him to do something stupid. Unlike Andy, Tamryn wasn't so positive, I mean, he tried to be, for his parents and people around him that were close, but deep down there was always this doom that circled him- like he knew no matter how hard he struggled, no matter how hard he tried to fight it, it would always come down to the same thing. The same ending.
As he stood there with Andy caressing his cheek, he stared at her, though it seemed more worn down. He wanted to both cry and laugh at the same time. How stupid was this?! How stupid was he!? Going out with Andy while he was a wanted criminal, not to mention doing the stupid job in the first place! For some reason, the decisions he chose became worse and worse and he dug himself a deeper hole than he had already dug.
He felt like that one butterfly he saw caught in a spiderweb when he was nine and kids kept yelling his name. It just tangled itself more and more as it tried to free itself.
Tamryn found that he could say nothing to convince Andy. He just had to pull the trigger himself. It was Andy or him, and it would certainly not be Andy.
With being pulled into the kiss, Tamryn found it even harder to say what he needed to say next. He allowed the kiss to be longer than the ones they'd had before, sort of grabbing her hair from the back and gently pressing into her with a hunger-like passion. Then he slowly pulled away, placed his hands on the side of her shoulders, and took a step back, keeping her at a distance.

"I'll stay by your side, just promise me, that if the time comes when I'm caught, you won't say anything about today in the morning. You'll testify against me. I came at you with a hatchet and tried to kill you. You escaped and ran to my house to grab your stuff, then came here." He was already pronouncing his death sentence and he wanted to make sure Andy was on the same page as he was.

Andy smiled against his lips, slipping her arms around his neck and pulling him closer with the same passion. When he pulled back, she was slightly dazed from the kiss, but that expression quickly vanished when she heard what he had to say. If he was caught, she was to testify against him.

She stood there for a few moments, silently staring at the ground. She didn’t know what to say to that. She knew that, if he did get caught, she would eventually have to go on with her life, and it would be hard to do that if she was an accomplice to murder. She felt like she deserved to be in jail as much as he did, but she knew that Tamryn wanted her to live a full life. She had to do it. For him, at least.

“Fine, Tamryn. Fine.” Her eyes drifted to the ground, and they stayed there for a while before she finally met his gaze again. “I’ll do that only if you get caught. No turning yourself in.”

It was strange hearing those words coming out of her mouth. She was brought up and trained as a police officer. She was supposed to uphold justice, yet here she was, acting as an accomplice to murder simply because the murderer was her boyfriend. Her uncle would disown her if he found out what she was doing behind his back.

After she finished speaking, Andy slipped her hand into Tamryn’s and walked with him back to the car, deathly silent until they reached the vehicle. Once she sat down in the passenger seat, she reached over and gently squeezed his knee.

“Tam, I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure you live a normal life,” she said softly. “Alright?”

Tamryn knew immediately when she went silent and couldn't look him in the eyes that she didn't like that one bit, but he was not going to argue about this with her. She would have to, he would not have it if they tried to arrest her too.
When her eyes met his again and she stubbornly agreed he narrowed his eyes, not because he thought she was lying, but because of the words that came next.
Aaaand he had been clocked.
He let out a tired sigh, there was no way around this with Andy. His hands were tied behind his back at this point, the little choices he thought he had left, soon disappeared from his grasp and he was back at square one.
"I won't turn myself in," He said, raising his hands in the air like he was being held at gunpoint. Still, there was a loophole to this. If he couldn't turn himself in, then he'd just have to somehow get involved with the police, maybe not in an obvious manner, but in a way where it looked like an accident. He would not tie Andy down for the rest of her life, knowing what he had done and what she had covered for him.

As he was led to the car by Andy, the silence made him think she was mad at him, but there was nothing he could do to help her anger. Once he was inside the car he looked over at her when she touched him.
Her words seemed to slap him in the face as a sad look crossed his face. He wanted that too, but with the police nowadays, was that really possible after what he had done? Could he actually get away with it? He had so far, but it was only a matter of time and it scared Tamryn to the core.
"Right. Of course." He said rather firmly, as to not give away his thoughts and try to soothe Andy who was already stressed enough. He couldn't do anything now, but help her by saying what she wanted to hear. He didn't want to deceive her but he had a plan and he was going through with it, no matter how much he wanted to run away from it.

(timeskip maybe?? or do you wanna write out Josh's interaction with the other guys as the other two find a hotel?)

(( Hmm I think I’ll go with a time skip for now and have them figure out what happened during the interaction later ))

Andy sent him a strained smile before turning towards the window in silence, and she stayed that way for the rest of the drive to hotel. Not necessarily because she was angry—however, that was part of it— but more because of the millions of thoughts running through her head about Josh, the men, and her uncle. She still didn’t know if she could trust Josh; he could easily turn around and betray them. But at that point, it was the only choice she had.

Before they went to the hotel, Andy made Tamryn stop by the house, and they headed inside to quickly gather their essential belongings. Andy had no idea when they’d be back, so she made sure she could gather all the clothes she could. They had to find her uncle, and there was no telling how far away he could be.

Once they arrived at the hotel, Andy didn’t spare a look in Tamryn’s direction as she left the car and went to the trunk to get her things. Soon, they were in the hotel, Andy was sitting on the bed in silence as she waited for Tamryn to finish up with his shower. She hated being alone in the hotel room; the locks on the door weren’t great in the hotel room. Relief flooded through her when Tamryn finally reentered the room, and, despite her earlier feelings towards him, she walked over to his side and gently pulled him close.

“This day has been long, hasn’t it?” She let out a hollow laugh. “I thought we would get to to go on our first date, but no. We’re stuck dealing with a gang.”

Andy picked up Tamryn’s hand and held it to her cheek. She had wanted this day to be nice. After all, her and Tamryn had finally become a thing, and she had somewhat mended their relationship. But now, they were in even more trouble than they were before, and part of it was all her fault.

(alrightyy)

Tamryn drove to their destination, his eyes glancing at Andy now and again, but also keeping silent. There wasn't really anything to say at this point.
When they arrived at the house, he turned the engine off and went inside along with Andy to collect some of his stuff as well. He stuffed two shirts and pants into a backpack he used for traveling. He also grabbed other small things he felt could be used while he was out. He shoved the framed piece of paper Andy had given him when they were younger in his backpack as well. He took it with him wherever he went, except to school or his 'job'. He didn't like taking it around for the fear that it might get lost or the glass on the frame would crack or completely break with the move.
Back in the car, he placed his backpack into the trunk along with Andy's things and went to sit in the driver's seat. He turned the engine back on and pulled out of the parking space.

It felt like he was being ignored and it hurt, but he understood and just followed after Andy.
As soon as they go to their room, he went to take a shower- again. It was rather soothing for him and made him feel clean even though his inner being wasn't.
He turned the shower handle to stop the water from running after he was done but stayed there for a second, eyes trained on the tile floors. Everything from earlier came bubbling up to the surface and tears pricked at his eyes and he gritted his teeth. He didn't want to cry. He would cry when it was all over, but not right now. Still, he couldn't help the tears from slipping down his face.
Tamryn dried himself the best he could and stayed a few extra minutes in the bathroom, trying to compose himself. Once he had a grip on his life again, or felt that he did, he changed and walked out.
He watched as Andy came to greet him once he walked out, a small smile on his face as she pulled him close to her.
"It's been so long.." He breathed. All he wanted to do now was sleep, maybe sleep and never wake up, but he knew that he would soon be facing his problems the next day, but it was nice to dream.
"I'll take you on our first date when all of this is over, I promise," He said, exhausted yet hugging Andy gently. It wasn't the usual tight hug he gave her, it was loose and he felt like he had lost. He hadn't lost anything yet, but the feeling was there, ready to hit him with a baseball bat when it happened.
He pulled away slowly, only for Andy to take his hand. It was small things like this that made him smile even more.
"We should get some rest.." He said and although he was smiling it was clear that underneath the smile there was a depression starting to build, something he couldn't quite shake.

As Andy reached up and caressed his face, she could see the familiar glimpse of sadness still lingering in his eyes. She wanted to take him somewhere else— somewhere far away where they could live together in peace— but she knew that wasn’t possible. Not with her uncle missing and so many people trying to hunt them down.

“We could go to a movie. Have picnics,” she said softly. “I have a truck. Maybe we could go car camping in it and drive to a place where we would never be found.”

She forced a smile, trying to reassure Tamryn, but on the inside, she was full of regrets. Maybe they should’ve taken care of the men. Yes, it would’ve been wrong, and Andy wasn’t sure if she would’ve been able to go through with it. But at least her uncle would’ve been safe, and they would have two less people to be worried about.

In fact, Andy was starting to doubt that she should’ve gotten Tamryn involved at all. He was already dealing with enough, and this new struggle seemed to kill him inside. But, at the same time, they did promise each other not to keep any more secrets, and she was determined to keep that promise.

After holding him for a few moments, Andy guided him over to the bed, laid him down, and pulled the covers over him. She went to turn off the lights before she returned and slipped in next to him, snuggling up close.

She looked up at him as they laid there, her face barely visible in the dark. “We’ll finish talking about all of this tomorrow, but I have a plan,” she whispered. “If we can make it to my uncle, he’ll call the police. Maybe, if he won’t do anything, we can even send in an anonymous tip. After that, we can leave and try to go somewhere safe.”

Tamryn blinked slowly at her, the tiredness evident, still, he smiled just for her.
"That would be nice" He muttered. "I don't have much experience with camping but it could be fun as long as we don't run into any bears" He stiffened at the thought. It had always been a big fear of his- bears. He knew it sounded ridiculous, there were no bears around where they lived. It was silly, but he didn't want to find out if he could outrun one or not. He had heard a lot of horror stories about bears and they were a big nope for him.

Now that Tamryn and Andy were dating, he had gotten into this habit of slowly swaying her when they hugged for long periods of time. It was his way of showing he was very happy. He was even more excited when she guided him to the bed. Sleep. Thank the lord. He felt like he was about to turn into mush with all the spinning thoughts in his head.
He got in and looked at Andy with sort of wide eyes when she pulled the covers over him. He pressed his lips together in a straight line, trying not to get emotional again. He remembered all the times he had done the same to his parents when it should have been them tucking him into sleep. Having someone do this for him felt intimate in ways he couldn't understand. He watched as Andy made her way around the bed and got in, turning the light off.
Tamryn held her close, kissing her forehead as his eyes slowly started to close. He looked at Andy with heavy eyelids when she spoke.
"We got this….we'll get it sorted" He whispered softly. He liked that plan. An anonymous tip, if only he could do that for himself.

“We will. I swear.” Andy wrapped an arm around him, gently rubbing his back. “After all, we’ve made it this far. Who says we can’t make it somewhere safe?”

Andy smiled as Tamryn kissed her forehead, and she tilted her head up only slightly to peck his lips a few times. Eventually, after a few kisses, she stopped and buried her face in his chest. It still felt so strange to be this close to someone as a man had never been this close to her before, but she loved the feeling. Especially considering that she was now dating her best friend.

“I love you, Tamryn,” she whispered softly. “Get some sleep, okay?”

She was speaking to herself as much as she was speaking to him. Andy had dealt with a lot that day, and she was finally ready to let it all go in order to get some proper shut eye. It was hard getting to sleep at first, but once she heard Tamryn’s breathing to slow, she allowed herself to drift off as well.

Andy woke up in the morning to the sunlight seeping through the window, illuminating the walls of their room in its warm glow. Surprisingly, she woke up feeling refreshed. Normally, her nights were plagued with everything ranging from nightmares to sleep paralysis because of all the stress she’d been through, but not last night.

After planting a gentle kiss on his forehead, she gently moved out of his arms, carefully trying not to wake him up. It was already 10 AM, and Andy still had a lot to do to get ready for the day. She knew that she had been scheduled to work later today, but she was going to have to call out for likely a month. It would be hard to explain to her fellow police officers what was going on, but she would figure up some excuse. Besides, it wasn’t like she was coming back to this town anyways. Not after all that had happened.

Andy took her belongings to the bathroom, where she showered and began to get ready for the day. The entire time she did so, her mind was occupied by her uncle and the events of the day before. She knew she had to find him before anyone else did, but how could she when she had no idea where he was. The two men who were after them yesterday probably knew something, but they would kill her if she tried to find them. Even so, Josh was with them, and she knew he would be much more open to talking with her. The question was is if she should trust him or not.

She finished up with her hair and makeup, and eventually, she headed back into the room. Her face lit up as it always did when she saw Tamryn, and she walked over to his side, pulling him into her arms.

“Good morning, my love…”

It wasn't after Andy had gotten into the shower that Tamryn stirred awake, feeling her absence. The sound of the shower had woken him up, otherwise, he would have kept sleeping probably late into noon.
When Tamryn woke up he rolled over to lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. The color was white instead of the soft gentle green he was used to. It was blank and foreign, just like his mind at the moment. He found himself spacing off into it.

After yesterday, Tamryn had woken up with nothing. Not a single emotion bothered him, which felt strange but nice. He felt numb and there was this hollow feeling in all of his being that he wasn't sure what to do with. Life had lost its spark and he wanted to lay there forever- better yet, cease to exist. He blinked tiredly at the white ceiling, not allowing himself to think, and simply drift off, starting to close his eyes again to fall back asleep. As he did so, the same thought echoed in his mind.
Tamryn was not a fighter. He did what he had to do because it was necessary in his eyes, and while he had lasted this long, everything was starting to slip away from his hands. Shit hadn't hit the fan yet, not really. There was this in-between of waiting and taking action and Tamryn wanted to lay down and give up. He wasn't sure what was wrong with him, I mean, a lot of things were wrong with him. He had killed people, but aside from that, there was something that was slowly draining all the energy from him.
Something seemed to snap inside of him as the words "I'm tired of taking care of people." came to mind as a passing thought. He immediately felt a wave of guilt wash over him, but it wasn't sharp and hurt like usual, it was more gentle, trying to lure him back to sleep and keep him there.

As Andy entered back into the room, Tamryn's eyes focused on her now. Even though he was feeling like shit. Even though he wanted the earth to swallow him up, he broke a smile for her. Being brought into her arms, Tamryn snuggled into her. She was always so pretty…

"Good morning…" He said rather slowly, feigning like he wasn't having a small crisis right now. Tamryn, never in the history of ever, let himself have a crisis or fall apart like this. The only time that had happened was until recently when Andy stayed over on one of those nights. At the time, he didn't know that this was going to be a recurring feeling inside of him. He had chalked it up to the stress of his job and everything being too overwhelming, but he didn't know that this all stemmed from childhood. While it might not have affected him that much as a kid, it was all catching up with him now.
"I'll go take a shower," He said, gently pulling away from Andy. "Then we can go get something to eat," He said, though he said nothing more. No talk about yesterday, no mentioning what plans they would be taking today. Honestly? Eating sounded like a tiring thing right now even though he was very much hungry.
Tamryn got up and made his way to his backpack and grabbed some things to take with him to the bathroom.

As Tamryn snuggled up close to her, she could feel a difference in him. She couldn’t place her finger on exactly what it was, but he felt… weak. Exhausted. Like he would collapse right then and there if she wasn’t holding onto him. She wanted to keep him there forever, holding him as she gently caressed his face, but he pulled away all too soon.

She stood there, watching for a few moments as he collected his belongings. It hurt watching him now. He had seemed so happy yesterday, so full of life, but now, in just a few hours, his cheery demeanor had quickly faded. He was hollow and broken, and while Andy wanted to help, she had no idea what to do.

She hesitated for a few moments before walking to his side. She had no clue what to say, and she found that even if she did speak, she would never be able to find the words to say to him. Instead, she let her fingertips trickle down his back before pulling him into a gentle kiss.

Once it ended, she finally pulled back, releasing him. “Take as long as you need, okay?” she said softly. “We can go out to eat at whatever restaurant you want.”

She watched Tamryn for a few moments long, her eyebrows furrowed in concern as he disappeared into the bathroom. She couldn’t imagine how much he had to deal with lately. Not only had they had to face an entire kidnapping scheme, but he was also a murderer. He killed people for a living.

Murderer, murderer, murderer…

Those words still rang in the back of her head like an echo that wouldn’t seem to go away. Andy knew that Tamryn just wasn’t killing people for the heck of it. There was more to it than that, and the call she had overheard when he was burning the body proved just that. But why was he doing this? Who were the people on the other end of the phone? There were so many unanswered questions, but she couldn’t focus on them too much. Not for now, at least. She was dealing with enough, and thinking about all the things that didn’t make sense would only weigh her down more.

She picked up the remote and turned on the TV, wanting something to drown out her thoughts. The channel was on a local news station, and she was about to turn it when something caught her eye. They were doing a story on Andy’s college, and according to the news broadcasters, multiple witnesses had heard gunshots on the east side of campus. It was unclear exactly what went down during this incident, but one of the people who were involved was arrested. Another was missing. Andy caught her breath as an image of the missing individual flashed onto the screen. It was Josh.

Andy immediately flipped the television. Her chest felt tight as she stared blankly at the wall, trying to take in what she’d just seen. Josh was missing. He was missing because of her. She had never liked him, but he still didn’t deserve this. As far as she was aware, he was only trying to help them.

Andy turned her attention to Tamryn as he stepped out of the bathroom, trying her best to hide her worry from him. He was already dealing with enough. She would find a time to tell him later.

After regaining her composure, she walked over to his side, slipping her arms loosely around his waist. She smiled up at him. “Where do you want to go, my love?”

Tamryn gently pushed the photo frame he had brought with him to the side as he took his clothes out. It wasn't until he felt Andy by his side, did he look up. He stood with the clothes in his hand and made a small sound when Andy pulled him into a kiss. The kiss wasn't long, but it held warmth and comfort. Still, he found himself staring back at her, a sort of apologetic look on his face like he didn't have the right words to say either.
"Thank you" He whispered at her reassurance, then left without another word.

It wasn't a surprise that Tamryn took a long time in the shower, he always did, except this time he took a quick shower and spent the rest of the time sitting under the hot water that rained over him. He watched as the fog flooded the bathroom and clouded his vision. He sat there, eyes blinking slowly as he stared at the wall, he didn't want to leave the warmth of the shower, it was so cold outside of the bathroom. He didn't want to feel cold.
Almost an hour had passed before Tamryn decided to get out and change, which took an extra thirty minutes as he brushed his teeth and did his morning routine of fixing his hair. It usually didn't take him more than ten minutes to do that, but today he was slow.

Stepping out of the bathroom he caught Andy turning off the TV, but didn't really think much of it as he went over to his pile of things on the floor, grabbing the drawstring bag he had brought with him to contain his dirty clothes until he could wash them.
"Anything interesting on?" He asked, not really looking at her as he stuffed his clothes inside the bag and pulled it close.
Tamryn hadn't picked up on her worry and the way she tried to hide it, it escaped him. He looked down at her as she wrapped her arms around his waist like she always did. A small smile spread on his face. It was one of Andy's little quirks, along with all the other little things she did that made him happy. He wondered what more he had been missing out on when they had just been friends.
He pulled her into a hug, a little more relaxed now.
"You know what I could go for right now? A classic pancakes, eggs, and bacon breakfast" He hummed at the thought. After the shower and his confused thoughts, he seemed to be in a better mood. He still wasn't all the way there, but he seemed at least content, more than he had been before.

(( Super sorry if the writing isn’t too good. Allergies are absolutely kicking my butt, so my brain isn’t working very well xD ))

Andy pressed her lips in a firm line when he asked her if there was anything interesting on. From his reaction, it didn’t seem like he was suspicious of her, but she did consider telling him about Josh and his disappearance. After all, it was Josh’s decision to stay behind, so it technically wasn’t their fault. But, at the same time, the police would probably be even more interested in them if they found out that they were around Josh before he went missing, and if Tamryn knew, it would only add more stress to Tamryn’s hectic life. She would tell him eventually, but for now, she decided to keep it to herself.

“Nah, nothing much,” she said. “Just the same old same old.”

As she walked over and slipped her arms around Tamryn, she looked up at him, studying his face. He had always been more attractive than most of the men she knew, but she didn’t notice how truly beautiful he was until recently. She smiled faintly as she studied him, her eyes darting his russet eyes, his blonde waves, and his smile. However, there was a small glimpse of fear in her gaze. She loved him, yes, but she now was all too aware of the evil deeds he had done. This man had killed so many people, and yet, despite her better judgement, she still loved him. It was that thought that kept eating her alive.

She pulled in a shaky breath, trying to push away the thoughts as she brushed the blond hair from his face. “A classic breakfast, huh?” she said. “Well, there’s a cute little restaurant down the road. We can go there.”

She stood there with him, holding him for a while before she eventually led him back out of the hotel. The countless people that her boyfriend had killed would continue to haunt her, but she got some sort of solace in knowing that he was a victim in this too. He was unwillingly pulled into this, and Andy wouldn’t rest until she found the people responsible for the deaths and had them arrested.

Once they made it to the car, Andy climbed into the passenger seat. She took Tamryn’s hand and held it tightly in hers. “Tamryn, try not to worry about what happened yesterday too much, alright?” she said softly. “We’ll figure it out after breakfast, but for now, take a break.”

(XD you're all good!!! your writing is always good, I love :> maybe take some meds for allergies? :00 could help perhaps :))

"Mmm, I see," He said, kind of dismissing the subject when he found the response to be a boring one. Tamryn stared into Andy's eyes, there was a hint of coldness behind them, almost predatory-like, even though he looked exhausted to all hell. It was something that hadn't been there before, only surfacing recently when he had been found out about his 'job'. Anyone who looked at Tamryn at first glance would think he was just another college student struggling to get papers in at the last minute, but his intimidating aura had increased since high school.
Andy's eyes held something wary behind them- against him, and while he picked up on that slightly, he didn't say anything, instead opting to look away when he couldn't hold her gaze any more.

The action of Andy brushing his hair out of the way made him blush slightly. His eyes softened at that, eliminating the intimidating look he had prior.
"I'd love to go there then," He said, giving her a half-hearted smile.
Tamryn held onto Andy's hand as she led the way out of the hotel and to the car, watching the faces of others as some made eye contact with him. It always seemed that everyone was watching him and it made him paranoid. It felt like they knew his secret and it mildly terrified him even though he knew it wasn't possible. They didn't know.
Yet.

As Tamryn got into the driver's seat he felt Andy's hand on his. Don't worry about yesterday. She said. But he wasn't just worried about yesterday. He was worried about the past two years of his life. He was worried about all the people he had put in danger and those who were still living, waiting to become corpses. He was worried about his future, and how he had screwed everything up. He was worried about the people coming after Andy and her uncle who she loved so dearly. He was worried he was going to snap. He was worried, worried, worried.
Tamryn cracked the most disingenuous smile he could muster. If he smiled wide and big enough, then maybe everything would be okay, though the smile never reached his eyes. His eyes were distant and the smile seemed to be plastic. It was bordering on unsettling. The smile wasn't aimed at Andy though, he was looking through the window at two policemen talking by the doors of the hotel, he looked at them as if plotting something. Though that only lasted a second before his smile wavered as if he were about to cry. It looked like a nervous smile- the one he had on his face when he first met Andy in kindergarten and had to introduce himself to the class. He had been trembling from the anxiety of talking in front of everyone and a smile was the only thing that felt like a shield to him, something to protect him from the embarrassment.
"A break…" He echoed. If only. "A break sounds good," He said finally and turned the engine on. He pulled out of the driveway and down the road. His life was at an all-time low and just when he thought it couldn't get any deeper, there he was with a shovel, stabbing at the ground to open up the gates of hell for him.

(( Haha thanks! :DD And I just realized I have allergy meds. They say non drowsy, but I gotta say, I have a hard time believing that xDD ))

Andy couldn’t help but release a sigh at the look that crossed Tamryn’s face as she mentioned taking a break. It was a look that she’d seen many, many times before, especially as of late. She could see the anxiety that filled his eyes and the trembling of his lips as he tried his hardest to smile at her. She wanted nothing more than to reach over to him and pull him into her arms, but before she could, he started up the car and began to back out of the driveway. So, instead, she reached over and gave his arm a gentle squeeze before they headed down the road.

There was something about Tamryn that had always concerned Andy. In front of others, Tamryn likely seemed like an average young adult. Sure, he could be quiet and reserved, but he was a generally happy guy who was pleasant to be around. But Andy, on the other hand, knew another side to him. He had dealt with so much in his life. She hadn’t known the full extent of it until now. Despite how hard he would try to hide it, she would see him start break down sometimes, and she always felt like she was holding a ticking time bomb in her hands. She had no idea how long it would be until he broke.

Even with her growing concern for him, she still tried to make small talk with him as they drove to the restaurant. Once they arrived, she was finally able to reach over and pull him into a hug. It didn’t last long before she pulled away to unbuckle her seatbelt.

“You know what? I have a better idea,” she said to him. “Wait in here, and I’ll run in and get our food. I want to take it somewhere else to eat.”

Andy got out of the car, and she soon came back with two to go boxes full of breakfast food. She pushed Tamryn over to the passenger seat as she got into the driver’s side, ready to lead them to whatever location she was planning on eating at. It took a while to get there, but they eventually arrived at a long meadow surrounded by trees off on a desolate road. It wasn’t too far from Andy’s old house, and she and Tamryn used to play there when they were younger.

“Remember this place?”

She sent Tamryn a warm smile before grabbed their food and taking it out of the car.

(<3 haha yeah, i feel like allergy meds do that even though they say it will not make you drowsy, though if you're home and you got nothing else to do for today, I'd say give 'em a shot! even if they knock you out, at least you'll be at home if you start feeling a little sleepy :))

Tamryn willingly participated in the small talk Andy was providing him. It took his mind off things. He didn't want to think about anything else and Andy was doing a hell of a good job of distracting him at this particular moment.
It felt that more than ever in these past few days Andy was trying really hard to take care of him- keep him together from breaking. And he appreciated that, but it brought a lot of unwanted emotions too. He felt like this fragile glass vase that if even touched lightly would shatter into pieces. He hadn't known a time like that ever. He was all anger and confrontation. Bloodied knuckles and rough looks, if you will. There was no room for tears and guilt and suicidal thoughts. Fuck feeling bad about himself, he needed to do something. That's what he had told himself when all of this started, but now? His inner child was weeping and the more he tried to shove that little bastard down, the more agonizing his cries were.
Every time Andy hugged him, every time Andy kissed him it would heal a small part of him and he wasn't drowning underwater anymore, but as soon as he was left with his thoughts for more than five minutes again, he couldn't breathe. So when Andy let go and pitched the idea of eating somewhere else, he could only nod. He didn't know what she had in store for him, but he knew it would be nice regardless.

In the time Andy was gone Tamryn found himself eyeing the highway they had come from. The thought had crossed his mind. It was present more than ever, the way his eyes would stay a second too long on the knives in his kitchen, the way he would stare into oncoming traffic when they crossed the street to get to their classes, and the way he would think I hope this is my last every time he closed his eyes at night.

When Andy came back and pushed him over, demoting him to the passenger seat, he looked at her confused. He stared out the window as Andy drove, it was only a few minutes into the drive that he saw the familiarness of the road they were taking.
Remember this place?
Yeah, he remembered. Like that time he had climbed a tree and got a little too ambitious, resulting in him falling and breaking his arm. He had a cast on for what felt like forever and it was hell, unable to move his limb and the itching. Though, there was one thing he absolutely loved about having that darn thing on. The signatures of all his friends at the time. He would go home and look over all the little drawings and messages scribbled on his cast and for a moment he wasn't alone when he had to eat dinner by himself.
Tamryn swallowed hard, feeling the facade he was trying to keep up crack. He promptly got out and helped Andy with the food as she led the way.
"This place is so old" He gave a weak laugh, trying to keep everything level and upbeat as best as he could.

(( Oh yeah I took them one time before work. I almost dozed off at the cash register xDD But they’re definitely still worth it ))

“Oh, don’t say that!” She gave him a playful nudge as she carried their food out into the field. “You’re making me feel old.”

Even she still had plenty of heavy thoughts weighing down on her shoulders, Andy felt more free standing out in the field. Not only were the memories nice to relive, but she always felt at peace when she was out in nature. When she was younger, she wanted to work up in a fire lookout alone with just her and the nature. Maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Andy sat down in the grass and began to eat, stealing a few glances at Tamryn as she did so. Here, out in the bright light of the sun, she began to notice things about him that she hadn’t noticed in the hotel. He had dark bags under his eyes, and while he seemed a bit less anxious, she could still tell that something was bothering him. She would do anything to take all his struggles away, but she knew that was impossible. They had dug themselves into a pit, and it would be hard to make it out. But Andy knew that they could if they tried hard enough. It would just take time.

Once they finished eating, Andy slipped her arms around Tamryn, pulling him close as she buried her head in his shoulder. She knew that they had a long road ahead of them, but Andy wasn’t willing to leave quite yet, and she figured Tamryn wasn’t either. She lifted her head from his shoulder and pulled his face near hers, peppering his face with gentle kisses.

She looked down at him, smiling. “Is this our official first date?”

(haha yeah, i would hope so)

Tamryn followed behind her, snickering a little at her playful nudge.

In this moment, Tamryn seemed perfectly content, like nothing was bothering him at the moment. Right now things felt normal like he wasn't a wanted criminal and Andy wasn't in danger and they were back in their high school years fooling around. His appetite had also come back a little as he eagerly dug into the food. The nature around him put him at ease, the wind gently blowing and the sun spilling through the leaves on the tree branches.

Tamryn wiped the side of his mouth with his thumb as the egg yolk got a little messy on him. Andy laid her head on his shoulder and he smiled. When pulled in for the kisses Tamryn scrunched his nose up playfully, a small sound leaving his throat, almost like a laugh. He was still eating at this point and his cheeks were kind of puffed up from all the food he had shoved in his mouth. Tamryn usually wasn't a messy eater, but right now everything felt free. His soul felt free here and in a way, it was therapeutic. He finished chewing his food and swallowed, then laid down on the grass, taking Andy with him.
When she propped herself up and looked down at him he hummed a little at her words.
"I'd say so," He said, now looking up at the sky, hands on his stomach as his eyes scanned the clouds and some of the trees that blocked the sun.
"This is a pretty good first date I'd say, it's too bad I didn't think of it first" He let out a low soft laugh. Even though Tamryn looked tired, his eyes shone a little more, as if recovering a little bit of himself.
"I could sleep here all day every day," He said, a satisfied smile playing on his face. "We should do that" He concluded, closing his eyes. This was also the perfect time to talk about their problems, in a nice calm environment but Tamryn didn't want to, he didn't want to ruin the perfect moment. It could wait.
"We should run away.." He muttered at last. It was meant to be more of a thought for himself, and as soon as they came out he opened his eyes to look at Andy again. He knew that wasn't fair. Running away would solve nothing.
"Kidding" He added after a beat of silence passed through them.

Andy laughed as Tamryn pulled her down into the grass, and even though she was normally a very smiley person, this laugh sounded… different. It was the first genuine one she’d had in ages. Being out in the field with her boyfriend brought that out in her, and in that moment, she realized she would do anything to stay there forever.

“Face it. I always think of the best date ideas,” she teased, resting her head next to his. “You’re lucky to have a girlfriend like me.”

She smiled at his next comment, closing her eyes to soak in the rays of the sun. Even though the days were growing colder with the coming of the winter season, that day was oddly warm. The sun was out with no clouds in the sky, and Andy could feel a gentle breeze brushing up against her as she laid with Tamryn. It was truly the perfect day for a date.

They laid there for a few moments in complete silence before Tamryn mentioned running away. At first, she was against the idea. They had so much to do here; they both had a whole life ahead of them, and they needed to find her uncle. But, at she continued thinking about it, she began to grow more and more open to the idea. What futures did they have here? Tamyrn was a literal serial killer, constantly on the run from the law, and Andy’s whole future as a policeman had been thrown out the window. What was keeping them from simply leaving?

“Why can’t we run away?” she said softly, glancing over at him. “I mean, sure, people will say we’re irresponsible and stupid, but that’s nothing new. Besides, they haven’t been through the crap that we’ve endured.”

"No kidding" He smiled back.

When the silence ended between the two he looked over at Andy with a sort of surprised yet gentle look.
"Why not?" He asked. "Well, for starters, you've got to find your uncle and figure out what all this mess is about, and the other thing….well…" He trailed off and bit his lip slightly as if trying to decide whether to say it.
"Andy, I know you're not fond of people like me, but because it's me, you tolerate it. It shouldn't be like that." He said softly, keeping the conversation as light as possible without dampening the mood. "Besides, do you think our conscience would let us live peacefully if we were just to abandon everything?" It was almost like Tamryn was trying to find an excuse to stay here and not run away even though running away had been his first thought since all of this. He had pitched the idea, yet he knew it was wrong. It felt wrong and sooner or later his past was going to come back to bite him in the ass and he knew it. He wanted to solve things the right way, even if the right way was scary as hell.
"I was just thinking out loud, this just feels really nice and I want to be able to experience more of it" He spoke, almost as if he felt like he wouldn't be able to.
"Anyways, just lay here with me, let's take the day off of everything and….relax." He finished. "Unless they're something you want to talk about specifically" He added quickly. Tamryn didn't know if Andy wanted to go over what they were going to do or if she even still wanted that explanation from him. It had to happen sooner or later and while he was dreading it, he also wanted to get it out of his system for good.

“Well, we would definitely find my uncle first. I have to make sure he’s okay,” she said softly, absentmindedly playing with Tamryn’s hair as she spoke. “But once we figure out this whole mess, I don’t see why we couldn’t just leave. I mean, I know, it probably won’t be that easy, but we’re adults. We’re bound to go off together and try to start a new life at some point. Think of it like a… I don’t know, a permanent vacation. We could even come back at some point.”

She listened to the rest of his statement, and while she frowned, she couldn’t refute what he’d said. It was true. If this wasn’t Tamryn, she would’ve already tossed the murderer in the prison and thrown away the key. But this was her best friend. The only person who understood her. She couldn’t do that to him even if she wanted to.

“Of course I tolerate it, Tam. You’re my best friend.” She sighed. “I know that doesn’t make it better, but still. Besides, I overheard that phone call outside the house you were cleaning. I know that you got yourself dragged into this mess somehow. I know that doesn’t fix the mistakes, but maybe if we leave some sort of anonymous tip to police, they can track the people responsible down. We’ll be long gone by then.”

Andy scanned Tamryn’s face as she began to gently caress his cheek. “But… you’re right. As usual. It’s probably a bad idea,” she whispered. “But it just seems so nice. We could leave. Go to Europe like we’ve always talked about. We could get a house far away from society where the two of us could live away from all this. I’m so tired, Tamryn. So, so tired.”

She pressed her lips in a firm line as Tamryn spoke, thinking deeply. She knew they needed to find her uncle, but they needed a break from everything that had happening to them. Andy tried her best to reassure herself that her uncle would be fine. Besides, the men didn’t seem to know about his whereabouts. They would get far without Andy’s help.

“We eventually need to talk about our plans to find my uncle, but I dunno. I like the idea of relaxing for now. Spending time with you.” She leaned over him, a soft smile playing on her lips. “I love you, love of my life.”

She gently touched his lips with her thumb before leaning down over him. She brushed her lips against his once or twice, teasing him, before finally kissing him.

He smiled at that. A permanent vacation. Though it soon turned a little sadder at her next words. He had known this was true but hearing it from her felt worse than just speculating about it.

"A tip? On people who probably work for the government? I don't know much about them but I do they're involved somehow, maybe not directly but somehow." He said softly. "Besides, where would we go? To a different country?" He asked, kind of liking the idea, but also feeling strange with the new thought and the possibility that they might take action upon that.
"Europe sounds so nice" Tamryn nearly whined, almost longing for that kind of freedom. "Then when we grow old we'll throw seeds and bread at the birds and laugh when they sit on your head because that's going to happen," He said in a playful yet warning tone. "Maybe we'll kidnap one or two and keep them in the house- no cage though, just like around," He said vaguely, motioning with his hands to the sky. Tamryn didn't know why he was saying all of this. It was a pretty pathetic attempt at trying to dodge the talk about houses and cleaning.

Finally, he laid his hands back down on his stomach and stared at Andy, a small smile creeping onto him.
"I'm tired too," He said. "I think it's impossible to be this tired" He laughed, trying to lighten the mood, though it sounded a little forced.
His expression turned serious as Andy talked about plans. He wanted to groan and roll over away from her in protest, but he didn't. He simply had this tired look on him as she spoke.
"Later then. Right now, just me, you, and the sun" He hummed as Andy leaned in for a kiss. At the second tease, he drew her in closer, not wanting to wait anymore.
Love of my life. He repeated in his mind.