Settle Down

She awoke the next morning, alarmed.

At first, she thought it was just the wind blowing aggressively against her door, but the moment it got louder; she knew it was a person. Glancing at the digital alarm clock on her nightstand, her eyes widened, unaware of the fact that she slept through the night.

Hopping out of her bed, she glanced down at her outfit, and quickly changed out of her clothes from yesterday into a pair of comfy, lounge shorts, and a tank top. Scurrying out of her room, Avery did her hair into a poor excuse of a bun, but didn’t care so much since she didn’t want to keep whoever it was waiting. She pulled the door opened, smile faltering, and mouth falling agape.

“Dylan?”

The handsome brunette towered over her while standing in the doorway, a shy smile adorning his pale features. “Hey.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I come bearing gifts,” he raised both of his hands, one holding a cup carrier with two coffees and the other held a bag of what she assumed was food.

She couldn’t withhold the smile from spreading, biting down on her lip to stop herself from looking like a complete idiot, “Come in.” She stepped to the side, granting him access to her small, cozy apartment. He sheepishly smiled at her before stepping in, quietly observing her home in awe.

“Your apartment is so…” his eyes continued to roam every aspect of it, taking in the art pieces on her wall to the books she had on her shelves. “Simple.”

She chewed on her bottom lip. “Is that bad?”

“No, no,” he quickly said, turning around swiftly with wide eyes. “I love the black and white theme going on here. You don’t usually see girls with that.”

She chuckled lightly, “Yeah, I’m not one for bright colors.”

He smiled, “Are you hungry? I brought breakfast.”

“Famished,” she returned his smile with one of her own, feeling her heart flutter when she stared into his eyes. He placed the bag of food on top of her dining table, taking everything in it out. She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as she watched him. The events of yesterday began to flood her mind, suddenly feeling guilty for leaving him. Here he was, being the perfect gentleman, bringing her breakfast and setting it out graciously for her. “Dylan, I-I’m really sorry for leaving so early yesterday.”

He stopped what he was doing, looking over at her with a small smile. “It’s alright. Tyler said you had to unpack some more.” He continued setting the table with the plastic ware in the bag before motioning for her to join. “Let’s eat.”

She slowly made her way over, taking a seat across from him as she hungrily gazed at the food. An assortment of scrambled eggs, bacon, hash brown, and toast was before her. The two started eating in silence for a couple of minutes. She didn’t have to look at him to know he was sending her nervous glances, finally letting curiosity get the best of her. “Is everything okay?” She asked as she stopped eating, sending him a concerned look.

“Not exactly,” he muttered, placing his fork down. “I didn’t just come here to bring you breakfast. Well, I mean, I did, but there was something I wanted to talk to you about.” He drew in a breath.

“About what?”

He sighed, leaning back in the chair. “Tyler told me some surprising news yesterday.” She waited patiently for him to continue. When he didn’t, she leaned forward on her elbows, pushing the food away.

“What news would this be?” She watched as he chewed on the inside of his cheek, a habit of his whenever he was anxious or uneasy.

Finally, he leaned forward as well, “Avery, I really like you.”

“I like you too, Dylan,” she replied softly. “What’s going on?”
A sigh escaped his lips as he ran a frantic hand through his hair and what he said next; she wished she never asked. “Britt’s back.”

She blinked a few times, staring at him blankly. Did she just hear right? He kept his eyes on her, waiting for her to say something, but she didn’t know what to say. What could she say? That she was happy? Or he was? Her mind began to spin. What was she compared to Britt?

“Say something,” he whispered.

She tried to smile, but failed poorly, “That’s good news.” Good news? Her heart was slowly breaking as the seconds passed. She should’ve known better. How stupid of her to let her guard down for a silly boy. She blinked back the tears, taking a sip of her coffee in hopes of it calming her down.

“I was going to stop by her place after,” he said, averting his attention away from her watery eyes that he was completely oblivious to. “I wanted to see you first though. I wanted…” he drifted, taking that pause to clear his throat. “I wanted to know how you felt.”

“About Britt?”

“No,” he replied, shifting his gaze back to her. A painful look flashed across his features as he stared into her eyes, taking in the tears that were daring to fall any minute, but she wasn’t going to give in. “I wanted to know how you felt about us. About me.”

A sad chuckle left her lips, “We’re just friends, right? I mean, nothing from yesterday meant anything.” She looked away from the hurt expression that flickered across his complexion. “Aren’t you happy that Britt’s back? Now you guys can resolve your relationship in person.”

“Avery,” he reached a hand out to grasp hers, but she hurriedly pulled back.

“You wouldn’t want to keep Britt waiting,” she pushed back her chair, hearing the wood scrape against the floor as she got to her feet. She turned around, making her way towards the front door, and hearing his chair make the same noise as hers; she felt him close behind.

“Wait,” he pulled her arm, causing her to stop. “Avery, listen to me. I came here because I know there’s something between us. That kiss –

“That kiss was just a spur of the moment,” she interrupted, “We weren’t thinking.” She felt him turn her around.

“Is that really what you think, Avery? You honestly think that kiss meant nothing?” Frustration was seeping from his voice as he stared deep into her eyes. “I’ve had these feelings for the past week. I didn’t know what it was, but the moment I kissed you. I knew.” He pulled away from her, shaking his head. “You told me you moved on.”

“I lied,” she choked out. He nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. The tension was building the more they stood there in silence. “You should probably go.”

He looked at her once more and every time he did so, she felt herself melting under his gaze, aching to just wrap her arms around him. She wanted nothing more than to take everything she said back, but she couldn’t. He made his way pass her, opening the door. Stopping in the doorway, he turned his body halfway to face her again.

“You really had me fooled, Avery,” he spoke softly and then he was gone.

Before she knew it, she was on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest as she stared blankly out the door.

“Yeah,” she mumbled to herself, “I had myself fooled too.” And the tears started to fall.