Stranded 22

Who is this Sterling guy?
I really began to wonder.
He was so excited about meeting Tyler Carson.
Abnormally excited.
And Tyler Carson is no different than Luke Gray.
I’m one of the two survivors.
Why is it he would get so much more excited to see the other one?
But I saw through him. I thought about what he usually wants.
I thought about when and how he wants it.
I considered where I first met him.
What he really is started to surface.
I’ll spell some out for you.
I was on an interview once and all he wanted to do was make love that night while I was on TV.
I was writing in this journal that I will one day publish about my “celebrity” experience and what does he do?
He gets all romantic over it.
But I don’t know that it was romantic specifically towards me.
I think it was for him.
He wanted to sleep with someone a little different than him.
Someone famous.
A celebrity.
And to him, I must be his celebrity.

My name is Luke Gray. Let’s go see Tyler.

438 Days After Being Rescued

As a result of my hypothesis I had one last test.
I agreed to let Sterling come with me.
I wanted to see how he acted to another “celebrity”.
Was it me that he was special to or was it anyone famous?
I had to know.
And letting him come was the one way I had means to prove it.

Well right off the bat my theory seemed to be true.
I was waiting in the car for him and when he finally came outside, he was wearing the same tight suit he wore for me a few weeks ago.
Only this time it didn’t look so adorable.
He climbed in and buckled up.
He turned to me with a huge smile like a kid going to an amusement park.
Luke – Nice suit...
Sterling – Well, this is Tyler Carson we are going to see.
I rolled my eyes at him and started the ignition.
Luke – Yeah, and I’m Luke Gray.
I said it subtly. I don’t think he picked up what I was hinting at.
Sterling – You aren’t gonna wear something nicer?
Luke – What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?
Sterling – Well, isn’t this your ex? Don’t you want to make him jealous?
It was an interesting point.
But Sterling looked so cheesy dressing that way.
Luke – I don’t need to make him jealous. As I told you, we are only going to get something from him. That is all.
He didn’t say much else on the way to Tyler’s.
Just a few remarks about useless things we passed by.

Luke – This is his apartment complex I think.
I pulled into the parking lot.
It was only an average building. Nothing like what I was expecting from Tyler.
We both climbed out of the car and proceeded to his apartment door.
I knocked on the front door very lightly.
Sterling was rocking back and forth from his heals to his toes.
He was making it easy to hide the emotions I was experiencing.
In a way, standing there waiting for Tyler to come, I was glad Sterling was next to me.
Because in my mind I was doing the same thing as him, but he kept me grounded.
I was able to appear unphased by finally seeing Tyler.
I did indeed want him to be jealous of me.
I wanted him to hate himself for giving me up.
He had to see me as completely fine with not being with him.
He had to want me back.
I wanted to make him beg for me back.
And the door opened ever so slowly.
Tyler stood exactly how I remembered him.
Tyler – Hey Luke.
He had on a nervous but happy smile.
Luke – Hi. This is Sterling.
I pointed to him.
Sterling – Hi Tyler Carson.
Tyler – Uh, hi..
Sterling walked right up to him and enthusiastically shook his hand.
Then he walked in past Tyler, basically uninvited.
Tyler let him pass without saying much.
He still stood in the doorway in front of me.
He looked me in the eyes.
And I broke down.
In my mind at least.
There he was.
The man my heart still craved.
The last day I saw him I woke up in his arms.
Tyler – Hey you.
I smiled at him.
Tyler – Come here.
He put his arms out as I walked into them.
Luke – I missed you so much.
Tyler – I missed you too, Luke.

After a few seconds he released me and opened the door allowing me to enter.
It was nothing special.
It looked like any single guy’s apartment.
Not very organized. Not properly decorated.
Almost like a dorm room.
I saw Sterling ahead standing in the middle of the room.
He slowly spun around taking it all in.
Sterling – Wow, Tyler Carson’s home!
Tyler – Uh, yeah.. You can call me Tyler.
Sterling was still walking around looking at all his stuff.
Tyler whispered to me.
Tyler – Who is he?
Luke – Long story.
Tyler – Is he your boyfriend?
Luke – Uh...
I looked into Tyler’s eyes. He was jealous. It was very obvious.
Luke – Yes.
Tyler – I see. Well I’m glad you’re doing well then.
Luke – Yeah, I guess.
He turned away from me.
I think it might have bothered him.
He walked over to Sterling who was admiring a DVD collection, which was quite large.
I could never imagine Tyler as a movie person. He seemed the type that would have a shop in the basement.
You know, always working with his hands on some type of project.
But he couldn’t do that here.
Sterling – Awesome movies.
Tyler – Thanks.
I watched the two of them interact.
It was actually kinda awkward to see my current boyfriend interacting with my ex who I was still in love with.
I wanted his attention again.
And I wanted to know what he had for me.
If he wasn’t going to offer himself back to me, I didn’t want to be there anymore.
Luke – Tyler?
He turned towards me.
Tyler – Yeah?
Luke – Can I talk to you?
He came back over to me.
Luke – What do you have of mine?
Tyler – Oh right. Let me get it.
He walked out of the main living room.
I looked at Sterling who was entirely oblivious of me standing on the other side of the room.
It pretty much proved my hypothesis to fact.

Tyler came back with a regular sized envelope.
Except when he approached me I noticed it was very old and worn in.
On it was simply my first name.
Tyler – Alright, I’ve thought long and hard about giving this to you.
Luke – What is it?
Tyler – Let me explain.
He took a breath.
Tyler – You need to open this when the time is right. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in a month. But I think this could really help you when you need it most.
Luke – I don’t understand.
Tyler – But you definitely can’t open it in front of me. I just can’t watch you.
He held it out and let me take it from his grasp.
Tyler – Promise you won’t open it right away?
Luke – Um, yeah, I guess.
I looked into his eyes. I couldn’t read anything from his expression.
Tyler – I found this on the island. Well I found this in Dylan’s hand.
Luke – Is it Dylan’s?
Tyler – It’s not really anyone’s. I found it in his hand after the incident.
Luke – Oh...
Tyler – Luke, I have thought long and hard about this. I know what you two meant to each other. Dylan really loved you. If this doesn’t prove it then I don’t know what will.
Luke – Uh, I really have no idea what you are talking about.
Tyler – I know, just listen to what I’m saying and think about it before you open this. It kinda has something to do with my actions.
An envelope makes him abandon me?
Tyler – But the thing is, this was Dylan’s very last wish.
Tyler was confusing me and more than that he was scaring me.
The envelope started to burn in my hand.
Tyler – He wanted you to have this.
Tyler put his hand over mine and the envelope.
Tyler – Just open it when the time is right.
I had no idea what to say to him.
But I didn’t want him saying anything else about it.
It was scaring me and I had to leave.
Luke – Okay. Well I guess that is all.
Tyler – Yeah, I guess so.
Luke – So I’ll see you later then maybe.
Tyler – Yeah, that’d be nice.
I walked out the door and slowly proceeded back to my car.
I climbed in, started the engine, and pulled out about to enter back into the street.
His words were replaying in my mind.
This was Dylan’s very last wish.
It has something to do with my actions.
It could help you when you need it most.
What the heck?
I need to know what this is.
I looked down to the empty seat next to me.
The envelope sat glaring back at me.
I just wanted to get back home.
I started to let the car roll forward and enter into traffic.
When I heard my name.
I looked up and saw the last person I could ever imagine.