Finding You || Dylan O'Brien

nine (edited)

___

The Friday had been delayed to Saturday. Dylan's heart had sunk when he heard Astrid tell him. But he understood - he had to understand. Her sister was slowly getting worse, and there was nothing they could do about it.

"I'm sorry, Hobbit Boy," she had told him on Thursday night over the phone. "She's not doing very well and I have to stay with her for another night."

"It's alright." he had told her reassuringly. "We're still having our date. Tell her I said hi."

"I wi- hey! No! What are you- no! I-"

Bonnie's voice came, weak but sturdy. He could hear her thin smile.

"Hi hottie," Bonnie greeted excitedly. "Astrid is always talking to you. She likes you."

He flushed. "Really?" He asked jokingly, though a large part of him hoped this was true. 

"Totally," she said. He heard Astrid's cries of protest in the background. "She can't stop talking about you. 'Oh my god Dylan is so hot, Dylan wouldn't have done that oh my gosh that's such a Dylan thing to do!" She mocked. 

He laughed.

"I swear," she continued. "If you don't get with her, I will stop fighting and just die. I wouldn't be able to take it anymore."

He heard Astrid in the background. "Bonnie! Don't say that!"

"Shit!" Bonnie squealed through the phone. "She's attacking me! Have fun on Saturday!"

And the line clicked dead.

Bonnie. Thirteen and already consumed by the thought of death. He planned to spend more time with her. She needed someone other than her sister.

Her sister. The date.

Where the fuck am I supposed to take her on a first date?

On Friday, during his usual afternoon shift at the library, he spent the entire day fiddling with a bookmark, thinking of all the places he could take her. The problem, however, was that every place he thought of always had a flaw. The cinema was too casual, a restaurant too fancy. Every amusement park was closed at 6, and he knew that she had a curfew, for her sister.

Then, at midnight of Friday, an idea struck him whilst he was rolling around in bed. He knew that it would be perfect, and that she wouldn't have to keep worrying about her sister, and that it would romantic as fuck.

He called her that morning. It went to her voicemail.

"Hi. This is Astrid. I'm - hey! Give that back! B -"

"Hi, this is Bonnie, Astrid Hallowood's sister. She's busy doing art stuff right now. Leave a message at the beep"

The phone shuffled. Then Bonnie's muffled voice came again.

"I've always wanted to say that"

A beep. He smiled.

"Hi, Hermione. It's Dylan. I just wanted to tell you that I'm a genius, and that you don't need to go home on Saturday. Just stay in Bonnie's hospital room and I'll get you, okay? See you then."

___

He arrived at Bonnie's hospital room at six. Astrid was reading a book in a chair, next to the window. Bonnie was fast asleep. Astrid looked up from her book to see Dylan with a wide grin and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"Hi Hermione." he whispered, as not to wake Bonnie.

She marked her book and walked to him, gratefully taking the flowers. "Hi. You didn't have to get me flowers."