Crawling Back To You

Dina’s POV

The brisk New York air took no mercy on me as I walked the short distance between my apartment and the restaurant. I let out a long sigh, watching the physical representation of my breath in front of my face. The café’s heat hit me as the bell above the door chimed, announcing my presence to the restaurant. Most people quickly glanced at the door to see who entered before going back to their food and conversations. I spotted Damien sitting at a table for two in the back corner. He looked up from his menu and caught my eyes with his before refocusing his attention on the menu.

Already feeling my insignificance, I begrudgingly made my way towards the empty seat across from Damien. My legs were shaking as I walked, proving how scared I actually was for what was about to come. Damien likes to be in control. The last thing he wants to hear is a girl breaking up with him. That’s supposed to be his job.

“You’re late. I told you not to be late,” was the first thing he said to me as I pulled out my own chair. I sighed, thinking about how Kevin always pulls the chair out for me and any females in his presence.

“Sorry,” I replied dryly.

“You’re not actually sorry, so don’t say it. Do you know what you’re getting yet?”

“I’m not really that hungry. What are you getting?”

“The same thing I always get. I’m not one for change.”

“Funny you should say that,” I muttered under my breath.

“What was that?”

“I um, I have something to talk to you about.”

“So talk.”

“Alright, well I um, lately I’ve been uh.”

“You can do it, Dina. Spit it out,” Damien said in a babying voice.

“We’re done.”

My jaw slightly dropped after those two words escaped my lips. My eyes stayed on Damien as I found myself unable to divert them. His eyes were like a car accident you pass by that you don’t want to look at, but you can’t find yourself looking away from.

“Ha, yeah right. Good one, D.”

“I’m not kidding.”

“You’re breaking things off with me?”

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“No. You see, it doesn’t work like that. If this is going to end, I’m going to end it.”

“Well it’s too late for now, isn’t it?” I added in a spicy tone, frustrated with his obnoxious handling of the situation.

“You know what, fine. Whatever. But if you think this is that easy, it’s not. Now that we’re over, I can say some things without feeling the slightest bit of guilt.”

My throat instantly dried with his words. I had no doubt that he was not going to hold back any thoughts or feelings he had about me. Given the current situation, it was going to be even more hurtful than he is on a day to day basis.

“I guess the first thing you should know is that I cheated on you I don’t even know how many times. I lost count after five. All those guy’s nights I had? Yeah, they weren’t guy’s nights.”

Using all my willpower, I fought back the forming tears in my eyes. I couldn’t believe I fell for all those guy’s nights. How could I have been so stupid? I guess coming from Kevin, the most honest man alive, I was used to believing everything I was told.

“My rep told me to date you. He heard that you broke up with Jon-ass and were coming to New York. He thought it’d be a good idea for me to date you because Jonas’ only date good girls and I needed a good girl to straighten out my image or some bullshit like that.”

He looked at me and nodded his head, almost beckoning for me to say something. “Oh,” was all I could get out.

“Yeah. It worked though. I look a lot better in the public eye, so thanks. You helped my name and I got you over an ex-boyfriend. This relationship meant nothing and we helped each other out. So we’re even, right?”

“This meant nothing to you?”

“Nothing at all. Wait, this—us—actually felt like something real to you?”

“Kind of.”

In response, Damien laughed. He laughed. That was the last straw. On cue with his satanic laugh, the tears started to fall from my eyes. I tried to hide them, to keep Damien from receiving any satisfaction, but I was already too late.

“Don’t cry, Dina. I’m sure that Jon-ass will swoop in and save the day. Is that what this is about? Is he back in the picture?”

“Yeah, he is.”

“I should probably be mad about that, but then I’d be a hypocrite because I went behind your back multiple times. That’s kind of surprising, though. I mean, don’t get me wrong or anything. The guy is an absolute tool. But he’s still Nick Jonas.”

“Kevin Jonas,” I corrected him.

“Same difference. He’s still got that last name. He could probably get any girl he wants and he chose you? Every day, I see ordinary girls walking down the street that are prettier than you. You’re not really that special. He can do better than you.”

While it is obvious that Damien is a jerk, there unfortunately was some truth to his words. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Kevin could absolutely do better than me. After all the pain I put Kevin through, there was no need for any more. I put him through pain by being with a guy who saw me as nothing more as a reputation booster.

“Well,” I said, standing up. “I think enough has been said. I hope I helped your reputation as much as I needed to. Goodbye, Damien.”

I excused myself from the table before he could get in any last words. The air outside felt colder than it did before. Maybe it had to do with my mood, which had taken a complete turn. I was anxious to get home when I remembered what—or rather, who—was waiting there for me. My pace slowed down as I pictured an apprehensive Kevin sitting on the couch with his leg bouncing up and down waiting for me to return with good news.

Opening the familiar door, I entered the dark, slightly smokey room. I smiled when I saw the man standing behind the bar with his back towards me. I walked towards my best friend, still unnoticed. I tossed my keys on the bar, the jingling noise caused him to turn around.

“Is that Dina Cordon, my long lost best friend?”

“Yes! Hey Evan!”

“Dina, where the hell have you been?!”

“I’m sorry! I haven’t been here in a while because things have been busy. How are you?”

“I’m doing great. Business is going well, so I can’t complain. How are you? Still with that guy?”

“No, not anymore. If you had asked me twenty minutes ago, I would have had a different answer.”

“What happened?” Evan asked while wiping down the counter in front of me.

“I broke up with him. Kevin came back into the picture.”

“No way! Really? I always knew you’d go back to him. You two are destined.”

“Yeah, it might seem that way, huh? Hey Ev, can I get a shot or two?”

“Sure, of what?”

“The strongest you got.”

“You okay, D?” Evan asked, grabbing a bottle of liquor.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll be even finer if you double those two shots to four shots.”

“Dina, I don’t know about this.”

“Evan, you’re the bartender. You can’t deny a customer, so hit me.”

With a small smirk, Evan lined up four glasses in front of me. I watched as the clear liquid filled up the glasses. The strong scent of the liquor made me feel slightly relieved, already knowing it was going to temporarily take away my problems. When the pouring was finished, I took the first glass in my hand and lifted it to Evan.

“You’re a great friend, you know that?” I said, before tilting my head back and tipping the glass towards my mouth. The liquid burned the back of my throat on the way down, but that didn’t stop me from reaching for glass number two.

Kevin’s POV

I had officially lost the ability to sit still. My body was taken over by nerves as I tried to justify why Dina left two hours ago and I still hadn’t heard anything from her. I called her four times, hanging up with frustration as I reached her voicemail each time. I didn’t want to think the worst, but I couldn’t help it. What if Damien didn’t handle it well and did something to her? As terrible as the thought was and as much as I hated to think it, it was still flowing through my head.

When my phone started to ring a few minutes later, relief overtook me as I saw Dina flashing across the front screen. “Dina, are you okay?” I quickly spoke into the phone.

“Umm, not quite,” a masculine voice responded.

“Keller?” I grunted out, fearing the worst was true.

“No, no. It’s Evan. I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Dina’s high school friend.”

“Oh, yeah. Hey, of course I remember. Is Dina with you?”

“You know how I own the bar down the street? Dina came in here before and seemed a little upset. She’s had a little too much to drink. I would bring her home but I’m working, so you may want to come down here and get her.”

“Where is she?”

“I brought her to my office and put her on the couch.”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Thanks Evan.”

I hung up quickly and grabbed my coat. Shaking my head partly in disbelief and partly in disappointment, I slipped my feet into my shoes. Placing my hand on the doorknob, I sighed, allowing my head to roll back and my eyes to shut tightly.

“God Dina, what did you do?” I said to no one, before bursting through the door and running down the steps. She may have made a mistake, but I still need to save her from it.

The cab dropped me off at the bar and agreed to stay after I told him I wouldn’t be long. When I entered the bar, I immediately recognized Evan. At first I tried to stay under the radar, to keep my presence unknown, but looking around at the crowd, I realized I wouldn’t have many issues.

“Kevin!”

I turned my head in the direction of the call and saw Evan waving to me. Quickly walking over to the bar, I greeted him feeling slightly embarrassed. Dina and I were supposed to be happy now that Damien is no longer in the picture. We were supposed to spend tonight feeling overjoyed. We’re supposed to release the months of bottled up love for each other. But instead, Dina went out and got trashed. Is that supposed to mean something?

“Thanks for calling me,” I said with an apologetic tone.

“No problem, man. Dina told me you were back in the picture. That’s great, dude. I’m happy for you guys.”

“Thanks. I’m happy, too. So where is she?”

“Through that door, first door on your left.”

“Thanks again, Evan,” I said, beginning to follow his directions.

I found myself standing in front of the door. Only a piece of wood stood between me and a sight I had no desire to see. Was Dina going to be happy to see me, or push me away? My head was going with the latter, considering her track record. Sucking in a deep breath, I pushed the door open as I let the air escape as a large sigh.

“Kevin?” Dina asked, curled up on the black leather couch against the wall.

“Dina.”

“Why are you here?”

“Evan called me,” I replied, walking towards the couch. I stopped when she was within my arm’s reach. Her response to my presence would decide my next move.

“I’m glad he did.”

“You are?” I asked with more shock in my tone than I intended.

“Can you take me home?”

“Of course, baby. Stand up.”

As she planted her feet on the ground, I took a step towards her, my arms extended out in case she needed them. Her attempt to regain some balance failed as she swayed back and forth, her face falling into her hand. Solving this problem, I slid one arm under hers and placed my other arm at the bend in her knees. Slowly, I lifted her delicate body into my arms.

“You okay?” I asked. I felt a nod against my chest as she nuzzled her face into my neck.

Kicking the door shut behind me, I walked back into the bar. When Evan saw us, he smiled as I simply nodded in return before heading for the door. I put Dina back on her feet, keeping a tight hold of her elbow, as I opened the cab door. Guiding her in, waited for her to be completely situated before shutting the door lightly and running to the other side.

The car ride was filled with silence. It wasn’t awkward, but it wasn’t comfortable. Dina’s head was against my shoulder, my arm resting around her neck. Part of me felt like this was too easy, like she wasn’t putting up as much of a fight as she usually would. This shift in Dina brought out the nerves in me, but if she wasn’t pushing me away, I wasn’t going to push for answers.

I carried Dina up the steps to her apartment. When I reached her bedroom, I tenderly placed her on her bed. I slipped off her shoes and helped her get into a pair of sweatpants under her dress. Dina slowly lowered herself down until her back hit the sheets, until her head hit the pillow. A half-smile appeared on my face as I brushed the hair out of her face. Even drunk, Dina looked beautiful.

“Kevin?”

“Yeah?”

“You need to leave.” Here comes the Dina I know.

“Leave you like this? You must be crazy.”

“I’m fine, Kevin. Thanks for bringing me back, now go.”

“No. I’m staying.”

“Paul Kevin Jonas II, get the hell out of my apartment.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Please do yourself a favor and go find someone better than me.”

“Better than you? Seriously Dina, this crap again?!”

I raised my voice more than I meant to. I knew I did so when Dina grabbed her head and shut her eyes tightly. I rolled my eyes and headed for the bathroom. After filling a glass of water at the sink, I grabbed Advil out of the medicine cabinet.

“I can’t wrap my head around why you think you’re not good enough for me,” I called, still in the bathroom. “Why would you ever think such a crazy thi—”

The sight as I entered the room cut off my sentence. Dina’s eyes were lazily shut. The room was silent other than her evenly spaced breaths. Still annoyed, I placed the water and the Advil on the nightstand, knowing she would need it in the morning. Shutting off the light, I left the room, closing the door behind me, careful not to make too much noise. I allowed my body to dump itself on Dina’s living room couch. Staring at the ceiling, I tried to imagine how the morning following this crazy night was going to go.

After a few minutes, I still had no idea.