Faked an identity

Tyler has never been the kind of person to sit down and reflect on his life.

Emotions, consequences, self-awareness-all of it has always felt like a foreign language to him.

Life has always been simple: find something fun, dive in, and worry about nothing else.

When he started talking to Tanner as Tayler, he thought it was just another joke, a harmless thrill to keep himself entertained.

Even when the flirting began and escalated-when late-night chats turned into hours of teasing, banter, and swapping absurd stories-he still brushed it off as fun.

But now, as he sits in his room, staring at the wall, something churns in his chest.

Seeing Tanner downstairs earlier, looking at Tayler with that intensity, that vulnerability, stirs something he can't define.

The man who has filled his nights with laughter and silly arguments now looks at someone else that way.

It makes him feel... something. Something unfamiliar.

The slam of his bedroom door echoes, startling him.

"Why did you bang the door like that? Do you want to break it?!" his mother's voice cuts through the silence as she steps into the room.

Tyler blinks at her. "I did that?" He doesn't even remember slamming it.

Her eyes narrow as she studies him. "Yes, you did. What's going on with you? You've been acting off since yesterday."

"Ah... sorry, Mom. It was an accident," he says, brushing it off.

"Sit down," she commands, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"What? Why?"

"Because something's bothering you. I'm your mother, Tyler. You can tell me anything. Let me help."

He laughs nervously. "Mom, seriously, I'm fine. There's nothing to talk about."

"Honey, You think I'd ask if I didn't notice something was wrong?"

Tyler sighs. "Okay, fine. I'm not okay. But I don't know why I'm not okay."

Her face softens as she moves closer to him. "Oh, honey, don't cry. We'll figure it out together." She brushes a hand across his cheek.

"Crying?" Tyler touches his face, surprised to feel wetness on his fingers. He hadn't even noticed the tears.

"You silly boy," she teases gently. "If you can't even tell when you're crying, how will you figure out what's wrong?"

Tears have always been something Tyler avoided at all costs. To him, they're pointless-a waste of energy. But now, here they are, exposing feelings he can't quite name.

"Is it Lexy?" his mother asks.

Lexy. Her name hits him like a brick. He has a girlfriend-a girlfriend he hasn't thought about in days, maybe weeks. Not since Tanner.

"This has nothing to do with Lexy," he says quickly, avoiding her gaze. "Mom, you can go. If I need to talk, I'll let you know."

She hesitates but eventually stands and walks toward the door. Before she can leave, Tayler's voice rings out from the hallway.

"Oh, you were here? I was just coming to see Tyler!" Tayler chirps.

"Sure baby, he is in." Rachael says.

"So, what's up?" Tayler asks, closing the door behind her. "Is this about Tanner?"

Tyler sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't think it matters anymore. You two seem to be getting along just fine."

Her eyes light up. "If it's anything to do with Tanner, you have to tell me. Please!"

He studies her for a moment, then gives in. "Alright. First, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have used your image to talk to people. But for what it's worth, Tanner's the only person I ever messaged. I deleted the account."

Her expression softens. "Aw, you did it for me. It's fine, really. I get it now. And since it's Tanner, I don't mind. Can I see the messages? I need to catch up."

"No way," he says quickly. "Those messages are... let's just say they're not suitable for you. But here's what you need to know: you two are 'dating' now, and you don't want Mom and Dad to know yet. That's what we agreed on-well, what you agreed on, technically."

"Okay. When did we start dating?"

"Two days ago."

"And he said he loves me?"

Tyler hesitates. "Yeah."

Her face turns pink, and Tyler realizes just how far gone she is. She's completely smitten.

"Can I see that message? Just that one, please!" she pleads.

Reluctantly, he grabs his phone and scrolls through their messages. There are more than he realized-pages and pages of texts.

"Punk?!" Tayler laughs, reading the name saved in his phone. "Why'd you save him as that? He's such a cutie. Just how long have you two been talking?"

He ignores her teasing and finally finds the message. She reads it, her blush deepening.

As Tyler scrolls further, he notices an unread message:

Tanner: "You said you don't want your parents to know yet, but you're the one flirting openly. I bet they already know there's something between us. Your mom didn't seem displeased at all. Let's just tell them already, babe."

Tayler sees it and squeals. "Don't answer that! I'll handle it. Give me his number so I can text him and say I've changed mine. Oh, and tell him not to call or text you anymore."

She types Tanner's number into her phone, saving it as Babe with an embarrassing number of heart emojis.

"Brother," she says, grinning. "I never thought you'd do something this amazing for me. I've done so much for you, and you've never done a thing for me-until now. You hate gays, but you still pretended to be one just for me!"

"I don't hate gays," Tyler corrects. "I just don't understand how a man can be so crazy over another man. Big difference."

"Sure, sure," she says with a wink. "But I owe you one. Big time."

She leaves the room, deliberately leaving the door open. Tyler shakes his head, smiling despite himself.

She's happy, he thinks. Really happy. I should just let her be. I've spent so long wondering if she'd ever like anyone. Now she finally does.

He picks up his phone and dials a familiar number.

"Hey, babe, how are you." he says when Lexy answers.

"Since when do you care how I am?" she snaps, clearly upset.

"Listen, I'm sorry. I've been dealing with... something. But it's over now. Can we meet? I'll explain everything."

"Fine. When?"

"Now. Are you free?"

"Yeah."

"Let's meet at the park in thirty minutes then."

"Okay," she says before hanging up.

Tyler sets his phone down with a sigh. He has no intention of telling Lexy the truth.

The last thing she needs to know is that her boyfriend has been living in some bizarre, self-created fantasy. He'll make up something.

For now, reality calls.