My Baby, My Darling.

Dexter POV

I quickly drove back to my apartment, trying to erase all thoughts of Chelsea from my mind. I couldn't do this, I couldn't get closer to her. She was just supposed to be another one of the girls I met at parties, a fuck and go kind of thing, easy. I can't have feelings for her, it won't happen. I can't open up that piece of my heart up for her, it will only be shattered again.

My mind flashed back to last night at the rock arena, how she'd seen right through me. Every word she'd spoken to me I absorbed, as if everything she told me had a hidden message that i had to decipher. When she was clinging to that rock wall, I saw the fear on her face. My heart opened slightly, and all I wanted to do was protect her. When I pulled her safely down, it took all my strength not to hug her, not to comfort her and offer her the world, not to let her further in. I had to keep her on the surface, purely superficial. I had to take her home, and quickly find another girl to help me forget about her. I remembered how mad she was in the car, how irritated she was that I didn't speak to her, or at least give her one of my snarky, arrogant remarks. I justcouldn't speak to her, I had to ignore her. I had to put up a barrier so that she couldn't inch her way in any further. I was nearly to her house, nearly home free when Annie called me. Then, my mind shut off entirely. But then, when she smiled at me after I said goodnight to her, something happened. That was all it took.

I walked back into my apartment just as Annie was pushing the couch around the living room. I froze in my tracks and noticed that nearly all my living room furniture had been rearranged.

"Annie, what the fuck?" I threw my keys and phone onto the coffee table, running over to my sister's petite body as she pushed her back against my large couch. "You need to sit down and recover, before you relapse!"

She waved me off, breathing heavily and moving the couch a few more feet so it was up against my brick wall. "There!" she spun and gestured to the couch, "Much better."

I let out a heavy sigh and sat her back on the couch, moving hastily to the kitchen to get her a glass of water and Advil. When I came back, she was sprawled out on the couch looking through my phone. I moved to sit on my now repositioned coffee table and snatched my phone away, handing her the pill. She rolled her eyes and swallowed the pill, accepting the glass of water I offered to her.

"What are you doing, Annie?" I asked, furrowing my eyebrows.

She shrugged, "I read in a magazine about the chi and aura of a room, and how that can be determined by furniture and a readjustment of energy so that-"

"No. I meant that on a larger note," I shook my head sternly. "Dad and I haven't seen or heard from you in two months."

"I've been busy." she blinked.

"Annie, I found you passed out in a drug house last night. Why are you hanging around a scumbag like Jason again?" I sighed, "I thought you were done with that."

She shrugged, "Dex, you are not the boss of me."

"Oh, real mature, Annie." I snapped.

She stood up quickly, "You're one to talk about maturity! Chelsea? What you're doing to her, that's what you call mature?"

"What about her?" I shook my head, "Nothing's going on with me and her."

"Well, not yet." she muttered, "But we both know your track record. What number is she, Twenty four? Forty-nine? You can't keep using girls to get over Monica. And I like Chelsea! You can't do that to her."

I clenched my jaw and looked away from Annie, trying to hide my irritation.

"Unless," she smiled, trying to meet my gaze. "There's something more." She paused, searching my eyes, but I merely dodged her attempts. "Oh, you like her Dex! I knew it. I can sense these kinds of things, you know? I just, I looked at you two together, and BAM... I knew! And I approve."

I shook my head sternly and turned to her, "You don't know shit."

She nodded quickly, "Oh, Dexter. I knew it. You know, she's not like the other girls you usually bring home. That gal, she's got real class. A bit of a pottymouth, but my-oh-my is she beautiful! Where did you find her, Dex?"

I stood up and walked to my bedroom in the middle of her rant, only to have her follow closely behind me as she continued to talk. "So where did you guys go last night? Out on the town, for sure! You wouldn't do anything less. However, you guys didn't even seem intoxicated, did you? So what was it: clubbing, bowling, ice skating, moonlight strolls?" she persisted.

"Neither of those," I stated as I hoisted my hamper into my arms and quickly started picking up the dirty clothes strewn around my bedroom.

"Well then tell me what it was, Dex. Or I'm going to have to call her and find out myself. I got it off your phone already." she said, following my every footstep closely. I knew she was lying, I didn't even have her cell phone number. Crap, I didn't have her number. No, it's good that I don't have her number. I have to avoid her. Right, just avoid her. Simple solution.

I glanced over my shoulder to face her, shaking my head sternly. "No."

"Dexxxxx!" she whined. "Please tell me. I won't stop pestering you. This could go on all day. You and I both know I have nowhere to be, so you might as well just tell me and save yourself the trouble."

"The rock arena," I spun around to face her and clenched my jaw, quickly averting my eyes and staring past her shoulder.

Her eyes widened, "The rock arena? Dex, you took her to mom's rock arena...for a date? Why would you do that?" her voice lowered slightly like it always did whenever we mentioned anything related to mom.

I shrugged, "I-I don't know." My voice tried to remain solid, but my stutter gave way.

"But that was mom's rock arena, Dex. You couldn't have take her to a movie or something?" She whispered, looking at my chest and crossing her arms.

I closed my eyes and shook my head slowly, "I guess it was more for me, kinda." She blinked, still staring at my shirt, waiting for me to continue.

"I usually get a sense of where to take my dates just by looking at them. Skimpy blonde, out clubbing. Shy brunette, bowling date." I looked down at the floor, "I didn't know where to take Chelsea. And, I just...I looked at her, and I thought of the arena. I don't know why, it just...it happened." my voice dropped lower, solemn. "I'm sorry. I wasn't really thinking." I searched her face, trying to make eye contact with her, but her eyes kept scanning the ground.

She stood there for a moment, arms crossed and pouting as if she were a child and nodding, taking in my words. After a few moments of silence, her eyes finally inched up to meet mine as a wide smile swept across her face, "You're hooked, big brother."

---
Chelsea POV

"HORROR MOVIE THURSDAY!" Gabe yelled directly into my face when I opened the front door. "

I jumped slightly at the sudden noise, "Fuck, Junior! It was all quiet in the house until you showed up," I shoved him as he entered my house. Travis grinned and followed closely behind him. "Hey Travis," I smiled lightly, closing the door behind him.

"Chelsea," he nodded, following me into the living room where Gabe was harassing Nicole on the couch as she attempted to beat my high score at Temple Run.

It had been nearly a week since I had last seen Dexter, and ever since I stepped out of his Jeep that Sunday morning, his face always seemed to creep back into my thoughts. I remembered how his expression could change from an arrogant smirk to confusion and concern in a matter of seconds. I remembered how his body tensed up when he was angry, and the focused look in his eyes when he was driving, or in deep thought. He could change from an arrogant asshole into a person I didn't mind being around instantly. When I first met him, I wanted nothing to do with him, and now I couldn't go ten minutes without thinking about him. What was wrong with me?

Nicole's voice erupted loudly, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Gabe, I swear to god. If you yell 'horror movie Thursday' in my face one more time I will punch you in the ballsack," she hissed, returning her gaze to her iPhone.

Gabe threw up his hands in defeat and leaped off the couch, walking over to the movie rack to start the selection of gore and blood. He was always the most excited when Horror Movie Thursday came around. Ever since Gabe and I were little, we would meet up at least once a week during the summer. Eventually, Nicole and Travis joined in and the four of us would meet up at my house and have a movie marathon. Gabe and Travis were kind of film geeks, so we never really ran out of selections.

Travis and I laughed silently, rolling our eyes at the scene and proceeded into the kitchen to start making the popcorn. I walked over to the cupboard, pulling out the box of popcorn packages. I tossed a pack to Travis who easily caught it, placing it properly into the microwave and removing the wrapper. I leaned up against the counter and reached for the salt and special flavoring. Unfortunately, my 5'4" height wasn't cooperating with me because I could t reach the spices even if I jumped. Suddenly, Travis's tall frame stood next to me and easily brought the salt and seasonings down, placing it on the counter.

I smiled lightly, "Thanks, Travis."

"No problem," he grinned, leaning his back against the counter.

"So how have you been?" I asked casually, closing the cupboard and grabbing a large bowl from the dish rack in the sink. "I haven't seen you since, what, last Friday at Dexter's party?"

He nodded slowly, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. "I've been good. Picking up a few extra shifts at the record store."

After a few minutes the microwave beeped and I quickly pulled out the bag, carefully opening it and letting the heat out. "That's right!" I nodded, "you work at that Record Store across town. Anything new cross your path?"

He shook his head and handed me the salt and seasoning as I poured the bag into the bowl, "Not really, but I did notice that one band you like, The Velvet Underground?"

My eyes widened in shock as I sprinkled salt and seasoning into the bowl, "Your record store carries them? I feel like no one even knows who they are anymore."

"Yeah, I set it aside just in case you wanted it. I remembered that you mentioned them once." he nodded, gesturing for me to hand him the bowl.

I gave him the bowl and grinned up at him widely, meeting his eyes. "Thanks, Travis! I'll come by tomorrow and pick it up. Wow, I can't believe you found their record." I shook my head in disbelief. I started walking back into the living room, Travis following behind with the bowl in hand.

He popped a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth and shrugged impassively, "It's no big deal."

As we walked into the living room, I saw Gabe writhing around on the floor in pain, his hands hovering over his manliness. Nicole sat on the couch calmly, staring at her iPhone more concentrated than when we left her. I put my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh and hopped over the back of the couch, sitting beside Nicole and pressing the play button on the DVD remote.

I looked over to the other side of the couch as Travis laughed at something Gabe had said and tossed him a pillow as he plopped himself down on the couch. Gabe gestured for the popcorn and Travis tossed a handful onto Gabe's stomach. My eyes scanned Travis's laughing face, searching for something I hadn't seen before. My mind drifted off as I thought about him flipping through records at his job and coming across a record that reminded him of me. Travis had never made a gesture like that before. 'Does that mean something more?' I thought to myself as I combed back the strands of hair in my face, my hand dropping down to the arm rest at my right. I silently shook the idea out of my head and attempted to focus my attention on watching the movie, flinching everytime a head was severed on screen. However, somehow my mind always found a way to drift back to Dexter.