The Moment I Knew

When Brian showed up I was sitting on the cold, wet, pavement watching the cars zoom past and listening to mindless chatter amongst careless teenagers. He pulled over right where I was sitting and jumped out of his car to help me up.

“Hey! Are you alright?” He asked as he grabbed my numb hand and pulled me off the ground. When I was fully upright he hugged me, but pulled away just as rapidly. “Wait, where’s Dylan?” I laughed nervously as I shook my head.

“Well,” I started. “If you weren’t in such a rush on the phone I would’ve been able to explain it to you.” He threw his head back and sighed.

“Get in the car and explain on the way back to your house.” He smiled. He was kind of cute. Kind of.

“So, let me get this straight.” Brian turned onto my road. “He answered a phone call, started acting funny, and just left you? Like, without a warning? Or a ride?” I looked over and saw his hands tense against the dirty beige steering wheel. I didn’t say anything, I just nodded my head. “That’s insane. I never knew Dylan would do such a thing.” ‘I was thinking the same thing’, I thought. I looked out the window and noticed the glass fogging up. I always thought that looked so beautiful. The way it fades out the real world. Brian turned down the radio a bit while we were turning into my long, dark driveway.

“Thank you so much.” I said as he put his car into park, headlights shining onto my doorstep. “You have no idea how much I appreciate this. I owe you one.”

“Okay, I’m holding you to that, though. Just so you’re aware.”

We said our goodbyes and I made my way into my apartment, exhausted. I paced around for awhile after I got into my pajamas and started thinking about the events that occurred tonight. I couldn’t help but wonder why Dylan up and left so suddenly. I tried to call him a few times at the theatre, but of course he didn’t pick up. Maybe I should call again? I dialed his number and let it ring once before I hung up. What’s the point? It’s not like he can change what happened tonight. Next time I talk to him I’ll find out what happened, so I’m not going to rush to figure things out. Like my mother always taught me, everything happens for a reason.

I woke up the next morning and found myself laying on the couch, with blankets and everything. I don’t remember doing any of this last night. Last I could recall I went to my room to watch television. Not fall asleep downstairs. I got up in confusion and made my way to the kitchen. I rubbed my eyes with the back of my hands, looking around. Breakfast was somehow already made. What the hell? I turned around and went back to the living room. I saw a pair of shoes messily placed near my front door, and a blue sweatshirt hanging on my staircase railing. Both resembling Dylan’s clothing from the previous night.

I stumbled over my feet as I walked up the stairs cautiously. I heard a high pitched squeaking noise coming from the bathroom as someone turned off the shower. I waited in the hallway for what seemed like forever. The door finally opened and revealed Dylan, shaggy hair sprawled across his forehead and his body dripping with little beads of water. A smile formed on his face, allowing his small dimple to appear on his cheek.

“Goodmorning, sleeping beauty.”

“Dylan,” I started, stuttering slightly. “What the hell are you doing here?” He ran his hand through his hair, shaking it roughly.

“Damn. I thought you’d be more excited to see me.” He playfully frowned. “I felt really bad about last night so I thought I’d come over and make it up to you. But when I got here, you were passed out on your bed. I was planning on spending the night with you, but you were taking up too much space. So, I carried you downstairs and fell asleep with you on the couch.” He shrugged. “I even brought down your blankets, pillows, and your favorite stuffed animal I know you love. When I woke up I thought it’d be nice to make breakfast for us and then I got ready.” He paused. “Do you not want me here?” A rush of happiness filled inside of me.

“Of course I do! I just wasn’t expecting all of this!”

“Well, I thought it’d be sweet since I kind of ditched our date last night. Speaking of, I don’t want you to think I didn’t want to be there with you. Believe me, I did. My mom was the one who called during the movie. She told me that my grandmother was rushed to the hospital. I had to leave and see if she was alright. I’m sorry, I should’ve told you before I left anyways.” He moved a few inches closer. “But she’s fine, thankfully. And now I can spend the whole day with you to make up for last night.” He was close enough that I could feel his warm breath against my face, making my body shiver. He smelled like a mix of his cologne (my personal favorite) and minty toothpaste. I reached up onto my tiptoes and lightly kissed him. He kissed back, letting it linger for a moment. I pulled away and tapped his nose.

“My turn to pick what we do.”