forum •Favorite Liar• [one/one]

Started November 26, 2022 by @Dayzed forum

tune

Tamryn felt like the lecture would on for hours, it was only one but it felt like an eternity, especially when he couldn't keep his eyes open long enough. The class was to get a criminology degree but Tamryn had no interest in that. The only reason he took the class was to find more insight into what they looked for in a suspect. He took other classes that were aimed at the same subject, just different material, but the classes had helped him a lot. Not in the way it was supposed to be used, but they wouldn't know that.

As Tamryn was starting to doze off, the door to the classroom slowly opened, the sound of the door being closed behind the student made Tamryn's heart skip a beat as he sobered up. He knew exactly who it was as no one else was usually this late to the lecture.
Tamryn turned to see the figure looking around until her eyes landed on him. She walked to his row and sat beside him.
There was something about Andy that made him nervous. He wasn't sure if it was because he found her particularly attractive, or because she was scary good at the course and picking up clues. She was his best friend and had been for a long time, but for some reason, he felt the need to keep his secret from her. It was safer this way. The fewer people that knew about it, the better.
"Looks like I'm winning this time" Tamryn whispered as he slid his notes onto her table so she could start copying them. It's usually what happened. She was late, and Tamryn would lend her his notes. He had no issues with it, as she did the same when he was late. And when they were both late? Well, at that point they were screwed for that day's material.

Andy and Tamryn had a bet going on. Who would get the most tardies for the month? The person who got the most would lose and they would have to buy lunch or dinner whenever they had time. It was a fun game in Tamryn's opinion as he would put in extra effort to mess with Andy, even if it meant no sleep for him. Tamryn enjoyed it when they went out and talked to their heart's content. Andy was always entertaining and her bright aura brought a smile to Tamryn's face. It was someone who he loved being around.
"Hope you're prepared for the exam today, I heard most of the students failed yesterday," Tamryn said, though, there was a slight frown on his face, indicating that he knew he probably wouldn't pass. He barely paid attention to the boring parts and only seemed interested when it came to his line of work.

She snorted and rolled her eyes as he informed her that he was winning, but to be honest, she loved the game even if she lost almost every month. It gave her a good excuse to go out to eat with him. Not that she couldn’t usually do that, but her uncle didn’t like Tamryn much. She never understood why.

“Oh, great. An exam.” Andy placed the side of her head on the table and let out a groan. “Thanks for the notes, but at this rate, I’m better off just quitting school and becoming an… I don’t know, a stay-at-home mom. Maybe I’ll marry some cranky rich guy. I’ll have a big house, maybe a pet horse.”

Andy laughed lightly at her own comment, knowing that she would never drop school. She did like to imagine what it would be like sometimes, to toy with the idea, but being a police officer had been her dream since she was a child. She had other reasons as well, of course. Reasons that had to do with her aunt.

Andy continued whispering to Tamryn, and occasionally, they would pass notes to each other. They were having a small conversation about the course and the Professor when the student sitting in front on Andy turned around in his chair and glared at them. Andy would recognize that face from anywhere. It was Josh, one of her least favorite classmates. Sure, there wasn’t really a social hierarchy in college like there was in high school, but there were a certain few individuals that managed to get on her nerves.

“Quiet down,” he hissed. “Some of us are actually trying to learn.”

When he turned back around, Andy made sure to give him her best nasty look before she glanced at Tamryn. “How did Josh do on the exam? Do you know?”

Tamryn watched her curiously as she laid her head on the table and spoke about being a stay-at-home mom. Now that he could not imagine, he did wonder what that was like though. Maybe if the roles were reversed he'd be a stay-at-home dad, though, he didn't think he'd be able to manage that. He always needed to be doing something or else he felt useless, and it was a feeling he avoided at all costs. Cleaning and cooking were no easy job, that, he had learned the hard way. There was always some spot you were missing, couldn't get everything out. As for cooking, well, it wouldn't hurt to learn. How hard could it be?

"You make it sound so tempting" Tamryn replied, a small smile on his face now. Dropping out had never been an option for Tamryn, he needed to get a good job and somehow ditch his current one. He could work part times, but he figured he'd go to college to look for something more fulfilling. He didn't want to be stuck working at a restaurant for the rest of his days.

"Maybe I'll marry a rich man with a big house too" He teased, wondering how easy that would be, to just be a prized wife to show off to your friends, and in return? You'd get what you've always wanted, anything. He laughed softly along with her, making sure not to attract too much attention, though, that seemed to backfire.

He glared at the student. Maybe he'd be his next victim, Tamryn played with the idea, though he'd never really follow through with it.

"I think he did poorly by his reaction, he seems on edge" Tamryn snickered a little, the thought gave him satisfaction. Sure, Tamryn wasn't exactly here to learn everything, but that didn't mean that he wasn't trying! He was basically pulling his ass out of bed every day for a class he didn't technically need. That ought to count for something.
But since they had been warned, Tamryn decided to write his thoughts out to Andy instead, not wanting to cause any more trouble.
Want to head out and get something to eat later? Unless you have to study, in which case I'll join you if you don't mind. Read Tamryn's note.
The rest of the class went on as predicted and it ended with the exam. Tamryn was basically sweating bullets at the questions, they felt like alien words to him, and somehow he answered them all, half-assing his classes was never something he did, but he was tired. Oh so tired. Half-assing this exam was nothing, surely it wouldn't plummet his grades, it was only one exam, out of what? Several. He was confident that he'd be fine. And yet, he would think about it the entire day until he got his results back.

As soon as she read Tamryn’s note, a smile crossed her face. She wasn’t the biggest fan of eating out; she didn’t make much money at her job, after all. However, she knew that Tamryn loved to eat out with her, and she enjoyed spending time with him. So, she took out her pen, flipped the paper over, and scribbled out her response.

‘I would love that. But we’re going somewhere nice. If I eat Wendy’s again, I’m gonna barf. And I do have to study a little, but we can go to your house and do it after.’

She slid it back into his hands and listened as the Professor droned on and on. Finally, the exam was passed out, and Andy wiped her sweaty palms on her dress pants as she was handed hers. To her surprise, she knew most of the answers, and there were only one or two she had to skip over. She answered the harder ones with the process of elimination, and by the time she finished up, she believed she had done well. Now that that was over an the nervous knot in her stomach had subsided, she could finally go out with Tamryn and enjoy herself for once.

As students began to leave the classroom, Andy stood up and slung her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s go out. Right now.” She grinned and winked playfully at him. “I’ll drive us.”

With that, Andy collected the rest of her belongings before she headed out the door of the lecture hall.

Somewhere nice, got it, I can do that. Came his reply.
Tamryn's heart swelled with glee at the thought. There were two things he loved in this whole wretched place and that was Andy and food. Put them both together and you pretty much had his happy place down.
Once the exam was over he looked up at Andy. He had finished…a little early. Which was suspicious. They always said that it was better to take longer and read over your answers than to finish quickly. Tamryn figured it was because you either caught a mistake you made or changed your answer to the correct one. Second-guessing was Tamryn's worst enemy, it drove him mad.

"R-right now?!" He said, a little startled but quickly gathered his stuff and followed her. Walking from home to school always made him a nervous wreck, and going out into society made his anxiety even worse. He was constantly thinking about the many ways he would get caught. What if they stopped them and told Andy he was a wanted criminal? The thought mortified him. Out of all the ways he could get caught, that one scared him the most. He had pictured how that would go down again and again. The look of horror on Andy's face, maybe even disgusted with him.
A shiver ran down his spine.

Once in the car, Tamryn looked around. It was a familiar place, but he still liked to take in the details, it was a habit he had formed. Knowing what everything looked like to put it back where it once was. Not that he would do anything to Andy. Never. He'd be damned if he ever laid a hand on her, or if anyone else hurt her. He'd definitely make sure they'd disappear without a trace.
"How about this time you pick? Since you're always paying, I'll do the honors this time and let you choose where we go. Surprise me" He mused. Tamryn, no matter how much money he had, was always in survival mode and basically cashed all his money to the bank into savings. You never know when you're going to need a few extra dollars He would say to himself. What if there's an emergency? Can't be too careful. But he always had room when it came to eating out and Andy, other than that, he pretty much never spent his money on expensive things.

She took in a deep breath as she stared up the car, listening to sound of the engine coming to life. One of her favorite things to do when she wasn’t at college was to take long, scenic drives around the city. Not that she liked New York much— she had always planned on moving closer to the coast after she finished school- but she did enjoy the feeling of driving with the wind brushing against her face.

“Oh, you’re going to hate where we’re going. There’s a new restaurant downtown that’s pretty nice. And in the bar area, guess what it has? A freaking dance floor.” She grinned at him. “Dance time, baby!”

She drove further down the road, her windows rolled down, the music on, and her sunglasses covering her eyes. It was the best feeling, especially when Tamryn was with her.

Soon, she pulled to a stop at the restaurant and got out of the car, slinging her bag over her shoulder. She was definitely not dressed in the best clothes for this; she would prefer to be wearing some sort of dress with heels. However, this wasn’t the time to be complaining. She was going to have fun, after all, not matter what she was wearing.

Tamryn raised an eyebrow at that. There was no way he was going to hate it, maybe dislike but ha-Then the words tumbled out of her mouth and Tamryn paled.

"A dance floor..?" He swallowed nervously. Where people can see me?! Oh god. And suddenly he felt sick. Surely she wouldn't drag him to dance- he couldn't. He was a terrible dancer, when would, pray tell, he have the time to practice his dancing? He'd make a fool out of himself!

"Wait- on second thought, the Wendy's sounds delicious, mmm yes-" But before he could persuade her to change her mind, they were on the road with the windows rolled down.

It always amazed Tamryn how someone could drive with the music blasting in the car, he couldn't even hear himself think. Which was probably a good thing, now that he thought about it.

Tamryn stepped out of the car and looked around briefly, on the lookout for meddling eyes. When he saw none he followed Andy into the restaurant like a scared puppy. Social situations ruined him, so he was grateful it was only the two of them. Fast food restaurants made him feel a false sense of safety for some reason, and big fancy restaurants…well, there was most likely security there. As long as he didn't bring attention to himself, he'd be fine.
"Where did you hear about this place?? It's oddly…nice" He said in a hushed tone as the waiter finished talking to Andy.

Andy sat back at their table which was located in a more quiet, secluded corner. There was something about nice restaurants that she’d always loved. Sure, she definitely shouldn’t have been eating there with her lack of money, but she had always enjoyed the calm, relaxed nature of it all.

“I heard about it from a friend of mine. He took his girlfriend here not too long ago, and he said it was pretty cool, so I figured hey.” She shrugged. “Why not give it a shot?”

She glanced over at the dance floor, where a couple of men and women were laughing, talking, and dancing with each other. She would definitely get Tamryn out there somehow. She didn’t want him to feel pressured to do anything he didn’t want to do, but she also wanted him to be able to let loose a little. Have a little fun. She knew how much he hated social situations, but she knew that if he tried dancing, he would probably like it.

“Tam, thank you for coming out here with me,” she said gently, giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “I know it’s not really your thing, but it means a lot.”

Tamryn listened attentively as Andy talked. Hmmm, he could probably guess who it was, must have been nice.

"Well, it does have a nice atmosphere, I'll give it that" He hummed and picked up the menu, looking it over. Tamryn focused on the menu but would peak at Andy from time to time. He noticed her looking over to the dance floor and panicked, because of course he would let her drag him out onto the dance floor. He might dance like an idiot, but it was worth the memories.

He literally killed for a living, how was it that he couldn't do a simple thing like dance?

With Andy's hand on his shoulder, he tore his eyes away from the menu and gave her a quick nod.
"No need to thank me, you're a good friend, why wouldn't I put my fragile mental state at risk for that?" He joked, though, for him, nothing came close to doing stuff with people he loved. It was his love language. Spending time with others.
After a moment of talking, something caught Tamryn's attention. Something that made the blood drain from his face. The place had a darn T.V. and on it was the discovery of a new victim. It wasn't the same one he had done in last night, but the previous one before that one. It had been two weeks since he had dropped that body, but someone had found them. Who the hell would be so far into the woods? It was basically madness.
Tamryn looked back at his menu, his palms sweating slightly from the initial shock. They were getting better. Faster. Soon, they'd find him while in the process of murdering someone.
Curiosity took over his mind. Wondering who had found them, but he forced himself to talk out of nervousness.
"What do you think you'll be getting? There are a lot of options here and to be honest, they all look really good" He made up some basic ass line to get himself to focus in on the moment, here with Andy. If left to his own devices, he'd zone out for a good half hour.

She didn’t answer at first. She had followed his gaze over to the TV, and she was watching it intently. It used to be that murders barely ever happened around her town; however, recently, it seemed as though this area had become accustomed to more and more violent crimes. Why was that, though?

“I think I’ll get steak. I’ve heard it’s good.” Her eyes went from his face back to the TV. “Gosh, I can’t believe they found a dead body. What kind of monster would do something like that…?”

Andy sighed and stared down at her friend. If only she knew. She knew it was selfish, the way her aunt’s face would always flash through her mind when she saw anything related to murder. Her aunt had been killed in cold blood, and it seemed like her death was the start of all of this madness.

“You know, I think that’s one of the reasons I’m becoming a police officer. To hunt down crazies like that and hold them accountable for their actions.” She let out a small laugh. “Let’s just hope I make it through college.”

"I think I'll follow suit" Tamryn spoke, maybe a nice steak once in a while wasn't so bad. He could treat himself now and then.
It was at these moments that a tiny voice decided to say something. Why should you treat yourself when you're everything wrong with the world? and it made him lose his appetite at times.
With Andy's next words, it felt like he had been stabbed in the gut. What kind of monster would do something that? Him. He would. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. Tamryn knew about Andy's aunt and how she had been murdered. He didn't know if it had been him or not though, and frankly, he was too scared to find out. He had murdered countless people at this point, but he didn't know if Andy's aunt was in the mix. He prayed to God that she wasn't. Not that it made him any cleaner.
Tamryn nervously gave her a smile, the words stuck to his tongue as he didn't know what to say to that. I mean, normal people would have the same normal reaction. It's not like he was expecting for her to be any different. Why would she be?

Tamryn swallowed and shoved every emotion that threatened to burst out of him down.
"It makes you wonder what goes on in someone's head to do something like that" Tamryn played along. Maybe having your family be held hostage he thought, but frowned. It was no excuse. And if he truly thought that way, then he was definitely scum of the earth.
"It is a dangerous job though…you could get targeted," He said, the thought never having crossed his mind, but knew it was a possibility. Not by him, but by others who did the same thing as him. There were definitely others and Tamryn had gotten to know a few of them. Mostly women. It almost blew his mind the number of women that were in the field. He would have never guessed.
"Yeah…" He muttered at the end. "But I'm sure you'll make it out of college, you'll make a good officer" He gave her a gentle smile.
"Besides, you have me to help you," He said, though his words held a double meaning.

Andy ate her food as she continued to watch the news, and it wasn’t long before the dark story of the murder change to a different news segment. It always seemed strange to Andy, how fast the news covered stories like this. A murder of friend or loved one would probably be the most devastating event to happen to a person, and yet the news spent five minutes or less discussing it. It wouldn’t be long before people completely forgot about the murder, and Andy knew of plenty of cases who didn’t get any coverage at all. Take her aunt, for example. Her name appeared in the paper once or twice, but after her funeral, the memory of her seemed to be erased from the earth except in the minds of her family.

Andy couldn’t help but wonder whether people would forget her name when she died. It was a morbid thought, sure, but Andy couldn’t think of many people who would remember her. Tamryn, her uncle… and who else?

Andy brought herself back to reality as she forced down the rest of her steak. She was supposed to be having fun. This was a fun night out with her best friend, not a time t9 be thinking about death and people remembering her. She tried her best to forget about it as she gently took Tamryn’s hand and stood up.

“Come,” she said, pulling him along. “Dance with me.”

Before he could protest, she led him into the crowd of people on the dance floor. Under the bright, vibrant lights, she led his hands to her waist before she placed hers on his shoulders.

“This won’t be so bad,” she told him. “I promise.”

Tamryn seemed to have lost his appetite but shoved the food down regardless. He didn't want to seem like he wasn't enjoying this. It was just the news. It would be gone just as soon as it had come and he could relax a little after that. No use worrying about the future now. What was done was done.

It was pretty quiet as they ate. Tamryn didn't know what to say at these moments. Mentions of dead bodies and murder were a sensitive subject for him, though he was sure it was for Andy too.

Tamryn hadn't quite finished his food yet, but it seemed like he wouldn't be doing so anyways. He let Andy lead him over the dance floor, though the look of horror was plastered on his face.

The words Come, dance with me, seemed to intoxicate him however and he looked around before he relaxed his hands on her waist. Normally he would completely freak out on the inside, but today was different. The mood was set and it felt like if there was anywhere he could do this, it was here.
Tamryn's face was a bright red, the blush also reddening the top of his ears a little. He wasn't used to being so close to Andy. Sure they were friends but, this was something else.
"I would lead…if I knew anything of the sort," Tamryn said quietly as eyes were suddenly on them. He could feel them staring at him, but tried not to pay them too much attention.

She smiled faintly, noticing the redness across Tamryn’s face. Normally, if one of her other friends was this red, she might tease them, but she decided against it this time. Besides, her cheeks were feeling a bit hot as well.

“Well, let’s start by relaxing your shoulders. You’re a bit tense,” Andy replied. “It’ll help if you keep your focus here. Ignore the people around us.”

She silently began to show him how to dance, gently swaying back and forth to the music the DJ was playing. Some people around them preferred to add more of a flair to it, spinning their partners or dipping them if they were feeling dramatic, but Andy decided it was best to stick with the basics.

“Hey, you’re doing great,” she said softly. “Just let me know if you get too overwhelmed, and we can sit back down.”

Tamryn nodded at her words and tried relaxing his shoulders but he still seemed very stiff. He looked at Andy, his eyes going from her eyes down to his shoes. He couldn't do it. Look at her in the eyes. It made him panic. If only she knew who he really was, this would all be different. She wouldn't be standing here with him and treating him with so much kindness. The thought wilted him. It made him grow desperate. He couldn't take it.
"I'll try…" He muttered, looking back at Andy with his dark brown eyes and trying to keep his attention on her. When she complimented him, he basically almost melted right then and there. Praise was something he didn't get often, so hearing it for the first time in a long time, made him flustered.
"Th..Thanks.. I'm trying" He laughed nervously as he swayed with her. "And thank you again, I'm sure I won't die if I dance a little," He said, though he was sure he actually would. Of embarrassment.

You would think that Tamryn would be used to Andy's shenanigans by now, taking him places and having him join in with her on things he normally wouldn't do, but he wasn't. The timidness was there when doing public things. If they were alone he might have let loose a little more, but that was not the case here.
"How do you think you did on the exam? I got stuck on…several questions." He said, trying to take his mind off the people watching them, even though most of them had lost interest after a while.

"I'm sure you got most of them right though, you go to the actual thing so I wouldn't be surprised" He boasted for her.

He was right. She knew she got an A on the exam, and she oh-so-desperately wanted to rub it in Josh’s face. Maybe she would get to during next week’s class. Ever since the beginning of the school year, her and Josh had had it out for each other. He had tried to hit on her on the first day, and she had completely turned him down in front of the entire class. Ever since then, he had been trying to make her life a living hell.

“Oh, I think I did pretty good. I might have missed a few problems here or there.” She shrugged as she moved her hands to his neck. “I studied pretty hard for that exam.”

She continued speaking with Tamryn as they danced, and for most of the time, her attention remained on him. However, during the third song, her attention began to be drawn away by someone on the sidelines. It was a man, sitting at one of the small, two person tables surrounding the dance floor. He was middle aged— probably in his 40’s or 50’s— and he looked as though as he was from the rougher side of town. He was staring straight at them and had been for a while.

Andy tried to convince herself it was nothing. After all, they were literally on the dance floor, dancing in front of everyone. However, as time went on, she began to get more anxious. She didn’t want to let Tamryn know that, of course. He had started becoming incredibly anxious in situations like this. Andy never knew why that change had taken place— maybe something to do with his upbringing- but she didn’t want to scare him. So, she pulled him to the side and tried to stay out of the man’s view.

Tamryn's eyes softened at her response and smiled.
"I don't doubt it. It's why you're always late to class, you stay up too late studying." He said with a hint of lightheartedness to it. He knew she needed to study for those exams if she wanted to get the job she wanted so much. Besides, it's not like Tamryn could really speak on the matter. He never really got sleep either. Not because he didn't want to, but because some images in his mind kept him up all night.

The man sitting on the sidelines didn't seem to catch Tamryn's attention. In fact, he seemed pretty oblivious to the fact that the man was staring. So when Andy dragged him away from the dance floor, he seemed pretty confused.
"I can keep going if you want, you don't have to worry about me," He said, thinking that maybe something in his demeanor had tipped Andy off and she felt the need to pull him away.

"Or if you're not feeling well we can leave, go study for a while? Maybe get you home?" He said gently, wondering what was wrong.

Tamryn had a reputation among the criminals, everyone knew each other's face, at least, from the department that he was from. Some criminals targeted each other so there was more money for them from the companies that employed them, but others did it purely for the fun of it. Those were the ones you stood clear of. It was something that had been taught to Tamryn. Which was why he tried to get away from the public eye so much and why he felt uneasy. He was constantly on the lookout in case he spotted one of the more "dangerous" killers. He didn't want to be a target so he kept a low profile.

“Oh, uh… yeah. We might wanna go to your home, though. My uncle, well… you know he’s not the most fond of you.”

She led him back over the table and waited until their check arrived. The whole time, Andy was incredibly anxious. She couldn’t understand why. There were creeps in public all the time; this wasn’t the first time she had been gawked at in public. But something about this man was different. She tried to hide the fact that she was anxious from Tamryn, but it was difficult. Her knee kept bouncing, and she couldn’t help but keep glancing around for their waiter. Meanwhile, the man was still there, waiting.

Finally, their check arrived, and after they got done paying for their food, they left. Outside, it was already nighttime, and the parking lot was completely empty. However, even with no one there, Andy could still feel the presence of someone looming behind them. She hurried to her car and got into it. That’s when she saw him. The man had come out after them, and he obviously hadn’t see what car they had gotten into because he was going around looking into other car’s windows and trying their doors.

Andy knew this situation was going to escalate in one way or another, and she knew that Tamryn would eventually get a hint as to what was going on. She would tell him herself.

“Tam, look at me.” She reached over and grabbed his hands. “Someone has been staring at us for the past hour, and he just followed us out of the restaurant. Now, don’t freak out. I’m gonna try and get us out of here.”

Ah, yeah, he had forgotten about that. Tamryn didn't know what it was, but he sensed that the man knew what he had done, or at the very least felt his vibes were off with the way Tamryn carried himself. Tamryn never said anything and never tried to get friendly with the man either. He felt that any attempt he made at trying to prove he wasn't who he was, was time wasted.
"Yeah, I have no problems with that" He shrugged, but it made him feel uneasy, that someone caught onto who he was, even if they didn't have solid evidence that he was a killer. The fact that certain people could feel something was off before they even ever fully got to know the other person, freaked him out.

Tamryn reluctantly followed Andy and got into the car, wondering why she was in such a rush. Maybe she really wasn't feeling good and it was that bad.
But then she took his hands into hers and spoke to him like a parent would a toddler when something bad was about to happen. With Andy's request, he looked at her, dread filling his stomach. He was starting to panic.
The words that came out of Andy's mouth seemed to numb Tamryn. Followed? A man?
Tamryn looked around to search for the man, and when he saw him, they made eye contact. Oh shit.

"You said to not freak out, but I am very much freaking out right now!" He said as the man booked it towards them.
"Don't want to be that guy but I think it's time to get out of here!" He said in a panicked tone. Who the hell was that guy? And what did he want with them? Was it him? Did he want Tamryn? What if he was one of the psycho killers and decided Tamryn's time was up? The thinking only seemed to make everything worse as Tamryn suddenly felt sick. He was going to die. Right here. In front of Andy. He was going to die and everything he had done would be uncovered and then no one would attend his funeral and he'd go to hell.
Tamryn took in a shaky breath, trying to calm himself but to no avail. The thoughts circled him like vultures, and then the worst one crept its way into his mind, Andy would die too if they didn't get out of here now or if he didn't do something about it.
Tamryn knew some techniques for taking people down bigger than him, as in, killing them efficiently and quickly. He didn't know how to hold back, as he had been taught no such thing.
He didn't want it to come to that. It couldn't come to that.

With her back turned towards the window, she didn’t see the man approach, but her attention was quickly ripped from her friend and back to the window when the man began to pound on the window, ordering Andy to open the door. Instead of listening to him, Andy sat there, not moving, staring at the man. Her mind yelled at her to move, to start the car, to do something. All she had to do was put the car in reverse and hit the gas. But all she could was sit back and watch as the man kicked and hammered on the car, a psychotic glaze over his eyes. The only thing that managed to bring Andy back to reality is when the man took something out of his shirt and pressed it to the window. By the shape of it, she immediately knew what it was. A gun.

She could feel herself finally come out of her state of shock as she reached down and put her car into reverse. She slammed on her gas, and the car flew back, flinging both Andy and Tamryn forward. She managed to turn the wheel just in time to avoid the car parked behind them. Her wheels screeched as she sharply turned her wheel, set the car into drive, and sped out of the parking lot. As she was leaving, Andy’s eyes flickered to her mirror. The man was darting towards his car, and it was only a matter of minutes before he would be after them.

Andy turned onto another street. She had to lose him. She didn’t know how, and she was sure it would involve plenty of illegal driving moves, but she had to get him off her tail. As they sped down the road, Andy reached over and grabbed Tamryn’s hand, holding it tightly. It wasn’t exactly safe to drive with one hand, but she didn’t care.

The man tried everything to get them to pull over. He tailgated them, tried to push them to the side, and even shot at them a few times. Eventually, however, at an intersection, Andy managed to lose him. She pulled into Tamryn’s neighborhood and parked the car in his driveway.

She almost died. Andy thought they were going to die. So many questions filled her mind about the man, but all she could do was sit there and sob, rocking herself back and forth and clutching Tamryn’s hand.

"Andy!" Came Tamryn's voice, trying to shake her from whatever trance she was in. He didn't know why she had frozen up, it was at these times when she was supposed to be the most alert.
As soon as Tamryn saw the gun, he stopped breathing. This was it. This is where they died. Tamryn closed his eyes tightly and waited for the gun to go off.
But it didn't. And suddenly the car started to move, tossing Tamryn violently forward even though he had his seat belt on. The action pained him, but at least he wasn't dead yet.

Once out on the road, Tamryn's eyes were wide as Andy swerved into different streets trying to get the man off of their tail. He held on tightly to the seat belt strap and pushed himself back into the seat to secure that he wouldn't be jerked forward or to the side as violently as before.

The last thing on Tamryn's mind was Andy wanting to hold his hand, but once he felt hers, his mind seemed to relax a little, his body was still very tense, but knowing that Andy was there with him put him at ease. In a way, he felt protected, not something a killer would be too concerned about, but due to Tamryn's nature, it comforted him.

When Andy pulled into his driveway he let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding the entire time. It was better this way, cause even if the guy found Tamryn's house, he'd be waiting. Tamryn could take him on. So could Andy, he liked to believe, but the extra trauma and trouble were something he wanted to spare Andy from. Tamryn knew he couldn't always be the protector, yet he wanted to do as much as he could for Andy, even if she was capable of maintaining her own.
Tamryn was soon snapped out of his own thoughts when he heard Andy crying. Pure dread washed over him. Was this his fault? Had he provoked this? It wasn't clear who the man had been after, Andy or him, but since he had gone to Andy's side, he figured she was the target. But why?
"Hey, hey, hey, it's alright, he's gone, you lost him-" He paused and looked to the window to make sure no one was pulling up behind them. There was no one. Good.
"Why don't we go inside? I'll make you some tea or whatever you want, maybe it'll help us calm down a little?" He said, his heart racing a little more now. His heart had previously been pounding out of his chest with the car chase, but now it was something else, something a little more anxiety-inducing and warm, in a good way.

“Okay…”

Andy released Tamryn’s hand as they got out of the car, but as soon as she left the safety of the vehicle, she went right back over to his side and slipped her arm around his waist. She wanted to mentally kick herself for acting like such a coward. She was a police officer in training, after all; she was going to have to deal with worse than this.

Andy looked back over her shoulders at the empty street before the two of them walked inside the house. It was dark, and shadows hid the corners of the home. She had never been a fan of the dark, but especially not now. Not with what just happened. She released Tamryn as he went off to fix the tea and began going around the house, locking windows and making sure no one was there. The whole while, she was deep in thought about what had occurred. She shouldn’t have froze. Police officers don’t hesitate. It’s what gets them killed. If they died in that situation, it would’ve been her fault. She wouldn’t be surprised if Tamryn was angry at her for moving faster. Angry because she almost got them both killed.

Once she finished checking the house, she went to the kitchen and sat down at the table, watching Tamryn fix the tea. There was something nice about the dim lighting in the kitchen; it was almost comforting despite the knot of anxiety still looming in her stomach. When Tamryn set the tea down on the table, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close.

“I’m sorry, Tam,” she said softly. “I’m so sorry.”

Despite everything that had happened, the small gesture of Andy wrapping her arm around his waist made him blush. He didn't understand why now. They had been friends for a long time, but it had never crossed his mind to date Andy or even see her that way. Yet, recently he found everything that she did charming, her bright personality was something to be admired.

Once inside Tamryn turned the lights on, leaving the setting on low. If he needed to he could turn on the lights completely, but he felt safe knowing that the lights were dim and wouldn't draw too much attention if the man decided to pass by their house. He didn't know if that helped or anything, but he liked to think so.
He watched as Andy locked everything. He didn't stop her as he would have done the same thing if she hadn't. As she did so, Tamryn went over to the stove and filled a pot with water, turning the stove on, and he waited. He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms. Now that his thoughts had started to settle, the anxiety cleared away and a new emotion took root inside him. Anger.
Not at Andy, but at the man. Who did he think he was? Targetting someone like Andy? Someone who hadn't done anything wrong? She was singlehandedly the most positive person he knew, she had her whole life ahead of her and he wanted to smother that.
Guilt with anger mixed inside Tamryn. That's probably what the family members of the people he had killed said. But this was different. Andy wasn't a target. Most of the people, the organization claimed, had done something wrong that deserved for them to be taken out. Tamryn never questioned what they had done that warranted that, but he just took their word for it. He was told not to snoop or he'd get killed- or even worse, thrown into jail.
After a while, the water started to boil, as did Tamryn's blood, the more he kept replaying the scene of what had happened in his head. There was a slight hissing sound as the water boiled over and hit the flames. Tamryn quickly turned the stove off and reached into the top cabinet for two ceramic cups.
He pulled out a small tin box with chamomile pouches inside. He had bought them last winter and never finished them even though he was an avid tea drinker. Tamryn set them inside the cups and gently poured the hot water inside, not filling it all the way to the top so it wouldn't spill over when he transferred them over to the table.
Tamryn sat one of the cups down in front of Andy before he sat down himself with his own cup. He lightly cupped the ceramic mug, hoping to calm his nerves some.

When he got pulled close by Andy he looked down, avoiding eye contact. He was too flustered by her loving nature, he knew she probably didn't mean it like that, but something inside him stirred every time she touched him. It was a fuzzy feeling, something he couldn't get enough of, but he wouldn't tell her that. He couldn't. He wouldn't ruin the friendship, it's the only thing he had going for him.
With her apologies, he frowned and it was only then that he looked up to meet her eyes.
"Don't you dare apologize. Anyone would be panicked if something like that happened to them. Even I froze, it's human nature" He tried to reassure her, but his voice came out stern. He didn't want Andy to blame herself for the events that had unfolded. No one could have predicted that.

She didn’t know if she was hugging him because she wanted comfort or because she loved the feeling it brought. To be honest, if she was more confident, she would be hugging him a lot more often. He felt so warm, and even with the anxiety gathered in the pit of her stomach, she couldn’t help but feel a slight sensation of butterflies.

“But, Tamryn, I’m supposed to be training to be a police officer. They don’t freeze at the sight of danger.” She pulled back, hanging her head. “Besides, what if you died? What if he killed you?”

Andy didn’t want to imagine that, a life without Tamryn. Even though she loved her uncle dearly, Tamryn had felt like the only thing she’d had after her aunt died. She couldn’t imagine standing at his funeral, knowing he was gone. She pulled him tighter just thinking about it.

“I would hate myself forever if he hurt you, Tam.”

Tamryn opened his mouth to protest that, but she was right. She was in line to become a police officer, someone who dealt with danger. If she froze like that all the time, she would surely get killed. The thought brought on more anxiety on his part. He was only grateful that the car had protected them from the man. The windows could have easily been broken but even with all the man's punding, that hadn't happened. Had they not been in the car when the man had gotten to them, they would surely be goners by now.

"Well, yes-" He started, then stopped to think. "But you're still in training, you're not supposed to know everything now. Having control over your feelings is a huge thing in dangerous jobs like that, but they teach you techniques and stuff to deal with people like that. Don't beat yourself up for it, I'm sure when the time comes, you'll be a great police officer and you'll catch even the most notorious criminals" He laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood.
With her next words, Tamryn thought about it. What if he had died? That probably would not have been ideal, but as long as Andy was alive, what more could he ask for?
It was then and there that he decided that he wouldn't mind it. If it meant protecting Andy, he would willingly throw himself into harm's way.
"If I had died…." Tamryn repeated. "I'm sure not a lot of people would mind" He gave her a sad gentle smile. "Only you and a few members of my family would mourn me. I know you guys wouldn't want me to die, but…." Some would be better off if I did He thought to himself. And that was the bitter truth. So many more people would live and not meet a tragic end.
"You could live without me," He said at last. "It might hurt at the moment, but you'd go on to live the best life you can. If I die-" He paused again.
"It's what I would want you to do" He finished. The talk about his own death shook him. Of course, he didn't want to die, but if it came to it, there was nothing he could do about it. Slowly the realization was starting to hit him. For the longest time, he had anxiety about people finding out who he was, even after he was dead. But if he was dead, that was it. If people hated him for it after he was gone, it's not like he would know about it, so what was the problem?

Although Tamryn said this and felt Andy squish him against her, he couldn't help but say those words. It's what he truly felt, even if it was harsh. He didn't want people to mourn him, he didn't want people to ruin themselves over him, he wasn't worth all that.
"I know…I would be torn if something happened to you too, I don't think I could go on living" He breathed, words to be alarmed by as they implied suicide, but Tamryn thought nothing of it. He genuinely would not know what to do with himself if she died and he lived.