No Hard Feelings

three

"You agreed to do two weeks of your brother's laundry for this?" She gave him an incredulous look, wrapping both her hands around her drink. "You could have just called. That counts as a greeting too."

Dexter gave her a helpless shrug. "I'm out of my mind, remember?"

"You are," she agreed, her voice merely above a whisper. Her eyes lost their sharp edges, her expression soft and thoughtful. She took a step closer and surprised him by standing up on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "So hurry up and get out of mine. You're taking up too much space."

The line nearly made him choke on nothing. He eyes snapped to hers, wide from disbelief. "Did you just--"

She punched him in the shoulder before he could finish. "Yes," she said, keeping her eyes trailed on the ground. "Now shut up and never mention this again because it's the last time I'm ever saying anything like that."

It probably was, but at that time, he was so deliriously happy all he could do was smile and say he'd be more than willing to do his brother's laundry forever if it meant hearing her say something as affectionate as that again.

But Hadley just isn't the affectionate type. That's the way it is; and Dexter's fine with that too because he knows Hadley, and she never would have allowed him to revolve around the same orbit as her if she didn't like him enough.

And he's been in her life for two years now. That's perhaps the only proof he needs.

"I'm out front," he tells her now as soon as she answers the call. "And I brought you some Oreos. Double stuffed."

"What?"

Dexter's brows furrow slightly, not quite used to this kind of response. "I'm standing in front of your house."

There's a pause, then, quietly, she says, "I'm not home yet."

"Oh."

Something heavy settles in Dexter's gut. He checks his wristwatch and sees it's already half past eleven. His grip on the phone tightens.

"Are you... are you still out with Josh?"

At first, she hesitates. He waits, and isn't surprised when she eventually says "Yes."

He doesn't know what to say to this, and his silence sounds heavier over the static, his confusion growing as the seconds tick by.

"Hey, Dex? Sorry, but can I call you back?" she suddenly says. "I'll tell you all about it later."

He swallows, looks up at the sky and numbly says "Okay."

"I'm sorry."

Dexter kicks at a pebble he sees and nods, even though Hadley can't really see him. "No, no. It's fine. I guess I just didn't expect you'd still be out." With him.

"We'll talk soon."

"Yeah," he says. "And Had?"

"Mm?"

"Be careful."

She lets out a snort. "I always am."

"I mean it."

"Is this your way of subtly telling me to use protection?"

A funny feeling washes over Dexter. Only it isn't funny. In fact, it's confusing, and numbing, and it's completely, utterly stupid for him to feel in the first place, so he shrugs it off and says "Well, it's cool if you don't as long as you promise that I get to pick the middle name—"

"First off," she cuts him off, "I don't plan on getting pregnant anytime soon. Or ever. Second," she says firmly, "Josh and I are just talking."