Denying Dylan | ✔️

(4) "Don't tell her I said that."

"Have your June wedding," I grumble loudly. "Marry that Caroline Forbes wannabe in June. Just do it."

"Now I'm a little confused?" Dylan chuckles softly, his eyes scanning my face for some indication that I'm messing around.

"I can't ask you to not get married because I'm scared I'll lose you." I shrug his hands from my shoulders, not able to stand his touch anymore. "You were willing to put your wedding on hold for me, I think it's safe to say I won't lose you."

"I tried to tell you that," he clacks his tongue and gives me a warm smile that quickly tangles my emotions. "Are you sure you're gonna be okay though?"

"Yes!" I assure him, meeting his stare and matching it. Neither of us become unwavering as our eyes bore into one another. "Marry her."

"In. . . June?" He asks slowly and for a moment it doesn't sound like he's asking about the 'when' he should marry her, it almost sounds like he's asking if he should marry her at all.

I scan his features. The slight furrow of his brow, the part in his lips as his tongue nervously dances over the top of his teeth, the way his eyes dart around my face as if he's reading a map that he can't quite make sense of.

The tone in which he'd spoken those two words.. 'in June?'

They sounded as if there was a deeper meaning behind them. But there couldn't be and I quickly convince  myself that I'd heard something that I wanted to hear because apparently I like self inflicted torture.

"In June." I reply firmly, nodding my head with a poker face, hoping my neutral smile isn't giving away the inner turmoil that's weighing me down.

"Yeah," his face contorts for literally a millisecond. It's so fast that I barely see it, but because I know this boys mannerisms like the back of my hand I know that I distinctly saw a flicker of disappointment and that further confuses me. But as fast as it had come, it's gone and a wide smile lifts his lips. "Come on, everyone's gonna be wondering what's going on."

He wraps his arm around my shoulder and leads us back to the apartment door. I recall the alarmed looks everyone had worn as I'd stormed out with a panicked Dylan running after me. I didn't care at the time because I was too busy having a fit about my best friend marrying an abomination to actually care, but the embarrassment is starting to seep in and I feel a blush creep up my neck.

"Oh I'm sure Charlie filled them in on your best friends instability." I roll my eyes, disguising the shame with hostility.

Dylan chuckles but doesn't say anything as we walk into the apartment and enter the living area, all eyes immediately landing on the two of us standing wrapped in an embrace.

It's dead silent for a beat. And then another and then another. Not even the toddler is making any noise as her tiny face darts around the room. If this goes on for much longer I'll have another panic attack.

Charlie stands by the window, her arms folded across her chest as her menacing glare zeros in on Dylan's arm around my shoulder. Brecken looks like he's enjoying every moment of this hideously awkward situation and Judy and Allan look completely perplexed.

"Uh should we eat?" Dylan finally suggests, his voice slicing through the silence like a sharp knife. He drops his hold on me and starts walking towards Charlie, leaving me with an instant lonely chill running through my veins.