Even After All

Part Fifty Four

Chapter Fifty Four

Matilda’s protests of “what do you mean?” fell on deaf ears. Dylan absorbed her into a bear hug and was snoring in a few moments. Leaving her to stare at the ceiling. Visiting her father, that was the purpose of this trip, but suddenly it was the last thing she wanted. Her brother would pour scorn on her decisions, she knew that, and that was what she feared, he and Dylan had always had a volatile relationship. They didn’t need any added stress, not at this stage...not that Gareth was speaking out of turn really, he’d seen how devastated she’d been, he’d seen her personal hell, and there was the added fact that Dylan could do no wrong in their mother’s eyes, she knew that Gareth was envious of that. And who could blame him. He’d grown up in a well rounded normal family, and didn’t appreciate what it was to have supportive parents, Dylan having had the opposite was overwhelmed by her parents and the way they supported him, and his actions and reactions only reinforced that. It had led to a standoff with Gareth.

So why were they visiting him? There was no need to get them all involved. She didn’t want them to know about Dylan until she was comfortable and confident in her own way. And she was a long way from that. Now he was about to change that in typical controlling Dylan fashion.

She took a deep breath; this was his problem, not hers. Her family would be glad to see her; he could deal with the animosity. He’d forced this. That was her final thought as she succumbed to much needed sleep.

Matilda could barely lift her eyes lids, she was aware it wasn’t dark anymore, yet she was exhausted, but then she’d done more thinking than sleeping the previous night, her mind wasn’t keen to turn off. She could hear movement in the adjacent lounge, Dylan was an early riser. Glancing around the room, she spotted a shirt of his, not the one she’d virtually ripped off him the previous night, but another one. Sliding it over her naked body, she stretched, rubbed her eyes then moved into the lounge.

Dylan was hunched over his laptop talking urgently into his phone, it wasn’t a pleasant conversation, he was hissing, trying not to raise his voice, but she could hear the anger, see the tension in his shoulders. He was only wearing a pair of board shorts, which seemed ridiculous when he was engrossed in so technical and deep a conversation.

Seeing her out the corner of his eye, he looked up and gave her a smile, then ended the call abruptly.

                “David, I don’t care who authorised it, it wasn’t me. So I suggest you find out and deal with it...I am on vacation!”

As he tossed the phone on to the table beside his laptop he turned to her and pulled her close, his arms wrapping around her waist, which meant that still seated his head rested on her stomach. She placed her hands on his head, appreciating the poignancy of the moment. Eventually he gave his head a little shake and looked up at her.

                “New York?”

He nodded, pulling her astride his thighs, “yep. Some huge screw up that only I can deal with apparently!”

                “Ah.” She lowered her head to his shoulder, suddenly not able to think about time without him now that he’d thrust himself into her life.

Chuckling, a deep sound, he lifted her head, looked into her eyes, “and I told them to get over it. Wild horses or economic collapse will not drag me away from you. I will not make that mistake again, ok?”

Smiling she accepted his kiss, the warm reassurance of his lips on hers, but she couldn’t make him do that, not deep down.

                “If you have to go, then you must.” She felt emotional as she said it, but she couldn’t expect him to put everything on hold for her.