Lean a Little Bit Closer

"Dillon, are you closing up?"

I looked towards the back room, watching Josie take her apron off and stuff it into her locker. I sighed, nodding after a moment.

"I guess so," I told her. She lifted an eyebrow, her eyes drifting past my shoulder as the bell above the door rang. I turned around just in time to see a lanky body flying forward, almost right across the counter. With ease, I grabbed the familiar arms and steadied him.

"Can I help you, John?" I asked, my lips turning upwards. He shook his head, his hair flopping into his eyes as he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine. He didn't speak, just kissed me, and I eventually had to push him away after Josie loudly cleared her throat.

"As nice as that was, what brings you here?" I asked, my cheeks heating up slightly. He slid off the counter and walked around to stand in front, an excited smile on his face.

"We finally did it," he said proudly, and I tilted my head in confusion.

"John, what are you talking about?" I questioned. He stepped forward, placing his hands on my shoulders.

"We're going on tour, Dillon. Boys Like Girls wants to take us with them on their summer tour for the next three months," he explained.

I felt all the color drain from my face as he pulled me against his chest, hugging me tightly. I hugged him back, but not out of excitement. I hugged him merely for the fact that if I let go, I didn't know how I'd react to the bomb he'd just dropped on me.

How was I supposed to feel about John leaving? We'd grown up together here in Arizona--we'd hardly spent more than a few days apart in all the years we'd known each other, even less since we'd started dating in junior high. And now he expected me to just accept that he was going away for nearly three months? No. That's not how it works.

"Dillon? Hello, are you in there?"

I looked up to see John's hand waving across my face, his smile faltering as he noticed my blank expression. I saw Josie walk into the back room out of the corner of my eye, and for that I was grateful.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, and I crossed my arms, looking at the floor. "Is this about me leaving?"

Something in me snapped, and I aimed a steady glare up at his bright green eyes. "Of course something's wrong. My boyfriend is going away on tour for three months and he expects me to be happy about it? What the hell, John?" I put my hand on my forehead, feeling a headache brewing already.

The tall boy's face fell, and he stepped away from me. "I...I thought you'd be happy for me, Dillon," he mumbled, but I just shook my head back and forth.

"Because let me guess, I'm supposed to be thrilled that the boy I've loved since seventh grade is miles away, living out his dream, while I'm stuck back in Arizona waiting for him. Alright," I said with a snort.

"Why are you being so selfish about this?" he asked, and I bit down on my tongue to keep the tears from falling. When I didn't answer, he sighed and ran a hand through his hair restlessly. "Look, I'm going to give you some time to cool off. I'll be over at Jared's if you want to talk later."

Without another word, he walked out of the cafe, the bells jingling softly as the door closed behind him. When he was out of my sight, I took a deep breath and let the tears spill onto my cheeks.

Josie emerged slowly from the back room, glancing at me briefly.

"I'll close up if you want," she offered in a low voice, and I sniffled slightly before shaking my head.

"No, I can do it," I tried to say confidently, but my voice cracked.

"Go home, Dillon," she said more forcefully, and I looked up to see her giving me a hard, yet concerned stare. I nodded once and immediately fled to the back, tearing my apron off quickly.

It wasn't until I got into my car five minutes later when the full force of what was happening hit me.

He was leaving.