My Baby, My Darling.

"Brian? You're Annie's date?" My eyes widened, traveling between Brian and Annie. Annie held a confused expression on her face as she looked between Brian and I.

"Wait. You two know each other?" Annie questioned.

I nodded, narrowing my eyes at Brian. "Yeah, something like that."

Brian stood still, drinks in hand as his eyes traveled between Annie and I. "Wait, how do you two know each other?"

Annie turned to face Brian, a confused look still on her face. "Chelsea is Dexter's new gal." She took one of the drinks out of Brian's hand and gestured for him to sit down.

I opened my mouth to refute what she had just said, but was suddenly interrupted by the groom. "There you guys are!" A man, resembling Dexter, called out from behind me. I spun around, meeting eyes with who I assumed to be Ben, holding his gleaming wife closely towards him. I remembered hearing her name as Rachel. 

"We have to take the family pictures," Ben smiled brightly at Dexter and Annie. I looked to my right and saw that Dexter had now made eye contact with Brian, sending him death glares. I put a hand on his arm, turning his attention towards me.

"Your brother's calling you for the wedding photos." I spoke into his ear. He looked past me at Brian, and back at me again, sending me a look asking if everything was okay. I gave him a slight nod and gestured for him to go.

Annie gripped my shoulders and yelled over the music, "Keep Brian company while I'm gone, yeah?"

I forced a smile and nodded to her, watching as Dexter, Annie, and their dad walked off towards the outdoor patio, where a photography station was set up already. Every so often, Dexter would look back in my direction and send me a hesitant smile, which I willingly returned.

"So you replaced me with pretty boy, huh?" Brian plopped down in Annie's chair beside me. I rolled my eyes, turning to face his arrogant smile.

"You're one to talk, Brian." I glared at him and scoffed, "What brand is your suit, Abercrombie?"

"You should know. You took it off of me once or twice."

I slapped him on the back of the neck, "You and I both know that isn't true, asshole."

He winced, rubbing the back of his neck, "Good to know you haven't changed. You're still a prude."

I scoffed, sending him daggers, "I seem to remember that's what drove you away. Right?" I turned to face him, raising my eyebrows, "And I want you to stay away from Annie. She's one of the good ones, Brian. Not another one of your many sluts."

He threw his hands into the air dramatically, signifying defeat. "Alright, alright."

"I'm serious, Brian." I narrowed my eyes at him. "At least follow through with one thing for me. You and I both know I deserve it after what you put me through."

"Really, and you think pretty boy will treat you better?" he scoffed, "Why don't you ask him how many girls he's gone through. Better yet, ask him about Monica." I furrowed my eyebrows at the mention of the name Monica. What was he talking about?

He whistled loudly, "He didn't tell you about her, did he?" I averted my eyes, staring at the crowd of people out on the dance floor. I was sick and tired of all the crap he fed me every time I talked to him. I then moved my gaze out the glass windows, watching as Dexter stood beside his family, smiling widely. Dexter was in no way like Brian, nothing like him. "I guess there's a lot more you don't know about him, huh? You may not think so, but you have a type, Chelsea."

"Just stay the hell away from Annie, alright asshole?" I snapped, standing quickly and making my way towards the bar. I shuffled past a few dancing couples and stubbed my toe on a few table legs before finally reaching the bar on the opposite end of the reception hall. I sat down on one of the stools and was about to call out my drink to the bartender when Dexter slid onto the seat next to me.

"You know they won't serve you right? Ben makes it a priority to card anyone that looks younger than 25." he smirked, a gorgeous expression that had now grown on me.

"You finished up the pictures already? That was fast."

He shrugged, "It would have taken longer, but Rachel started stressing about all the other guests she still hadn't said hello to yet."

I nodded, "She seems really nice, Rachel."

"She is," he looked over to where she and Ben were now saying hello to a bunch of her old college friends. "They've been together for a long time, you know. It's about time they got married." Someone pushed up against me from behind the bar, just as someone stumbled over Dexter's barstool. I shrank away from one of Dexter's sweaty relatives, trying to step off of the bar stool.

"Do you want to go outside?" I turned to face him, trying not to touch any of the crowd of people now ambushing the bar. "I need some air."

His eyes furrowed in concern as he nodded, standing up and helping me off of the bar stool. I realized that I'd grown more tolerant to Dexter's many chivalrous acts. He'd done them so often out of habit that I just went with the flow and stopped trying to ruin it.

He offered me his hand, leading me through crowds of people towards the double doors that led to the patio. Once I was relinquished from the mass of body beat, I took a few deep breaths, relishing the fresh air. I moved toward the railings of the patio, overlooking the city. It was a beautiful view. The city lights flashed in the distance as I realized how far away we were from the city, and how high up. Dexter's tall frame approached the railing, standing at my side. We both stood in silence, admiring the beautiful image in front of us. This scene, this moment was far too familiar.

"Deja vu." I smiled lightly, turning to look at his face.

He smirked, remembering the last time we had stood together in silence, overlooking the city from a rooftop. "Let's just hope you don't run away this time."

I laughed lightly, shaking my head. "As long as you don't try to propose or anything, I think we'll be good." I put my arm around his waist, grinning widely up at him.

He smirked, placing an arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer to him. He placed a kiss on the top of my head as his fingertips rubbed my bare arms. I breathed deeply, leaning into his frame. This moment was perfect, if only I had my film camera to capture the beauty of it all.

"We've certainly come a long way, sweetheart." he smirked, staring off into the horizon.

I blinked, a light smile forming on my face. "Shut up. Don't get all dramatic on me now." I jokingly narrowed my eyes at him.

He laughed, throwing his head back. Dexter shrugged, pulling me into his frame, a wide grin on his face, "I just thought I'd give it a try."
---

The reception ended well past midnight, my curfew. However, my parents were out of town on one of my dad's business trips. Ever since my older brother moved out, and I graduated from high school, they've really embraced their sense of freedom. Once I move out and decide on which college I want to go to next spring, I doubt they'll ever be home anymore.

I spent a majority of the night attached to Dexter's hip and  greeting his many relatives, staying as far away from Brian as possible. A majority of them expressed deep concern over how he's been doing and why they never see him around anymore. He would answer all of their questions with a smile, but his grip on my waist would tighten, pulling me closer towards him. I smiled politely at all of his relatives and answered all of the questions directed towards me. I told them about my applications to art schools, where I grew up, and how long I'd known Dexter. I could tell they were holding back on some personal questions for both me and Dexter because I could see the pained looks in their eyes. Most of the stares were directed towards Dexter. I paid close attention to him. Never would he express how uncomfortable he was out loud, but I knew by how tightly he would grip me that he was growing antsy. I would always find a way to excuse ourselves to get away from the conversation. We didn't say another word to Brian or Annie that night.

"You never told me you applied to art school," Dexter furrowed his eyes as he focused on the the open road ahead, signaling for a lane change. We had been driving for two hours and it was now nearing 3 AM. We decided that I would just sleep at Dexter's apartment because my house was all the way across town, which meant a longer drive for him. I didn't mind. Honestly, by that point I was dead tired.

I shrugged, pushing hair out of my face, "There's still a lot you don't know about me, Dex. And the same goes for you." I yawned, trying to stay awake.

"I think I know myself pretty well." he smirked, turning onto his street.

"Not what I meant, Dexter." I swatted at his arm, grinning lazily as I turned to face him.

He grinned, pulling to a stop near the entrance to his apartment building, "Well, I guess we're both still learning about each other, then."

I nodded, unbuckling my seatbelt and stepping out of the car, smiling lightly as I saw Dexter running around to my end of the car, stopping to see that I had already opened my door. "Sorry, I forgot." I muttered, sending him a tired smile.

He shook his head lightly, closing the door behind me. "Let's just get you into bed. You look exhausted."

I nodded feebly, feigning a smile as he led me up the flight of stairs, to his apartment. He pushed open the door, allowing me to walk through first before following behind me and tossing his keys onto the coffee table, closing the door behind him. His apartment looked the same as we had left it before leaving for the wedding. Annie's stuff was strewn across the living room floor, and empty dishes sat on the counter from when she had attempted breakfast this morning, and the mornings before that. Dexter had been so busy lately with school that he hadn't really taken the time to clean up after Annie. 

I heard Dexter call me from his bedroom. I walked through the sliding door and yawned, watching as he ruffled through his dresser drawers, pulling out a huge t-shirt and pajama pants and holding them out to me. "You can sleep in here. I'll sleep on the living room floor." He nodded his head lightly before starting his trek out of the bedroom.

"Dex," I called to him lightly, stopping him before he walked out the bedroom door, "You can sleep beside me, tonight. I mean, I don't mind. I just, I hate forcing you to sleep on the floor. It's your bed."

He looked at me, furrowing his eyebrows slightly as if in deep contemplation before nodding slowly. "Yeah. Okay, sure. If you're okay with it."

I gave him a reassuring nod and made  my way into the bathroom to change. I took off my dress and pulled the large t-shirt over my shoulder, immediately surrounded by Dexter's scent. I looked down, noticing that the shirt reached below my knees. The pants really weren't neccessary, considering the fact that Dexter was 6'4". I picked them up and walked out of the bathroom, placing the pants on his dresser. I turned towards the bed and let out a breath, gazing at the image in front of me.

Dexter snored lightly, sprawled on the left side of the bed in his pajamas. Well, half of his pajamas, at least. He wasn't wearing a shirt, so his toned stomach lied there, captivating my sight. I yawned, severely overcome with exhaustion. I stumbled to the other side of the bed and lied down, resting my head on the pillow, facing Dexter's relaxed face. For once, he wasn't smirking or furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. He was serene, content. Occasionally, he would wince, as if in pain. But, eventually would return to his calm stature. This image, his innocent expression. His defined jawline, and slightly ruffled hair. This is the last image I remember before submitting to my slumber, allowing myself to be pulled deeper into darkness next to the gorgeous Dexter McHale.