With You┃Dylan O'Brien ⓵

Chapter Nineteen : Bad News Now Good News Later

After school, Dylan tells me a funny story about how in Photography he was getting really frustrated because he couldn't get his camera to focus. After ten minutes, he realized it was just because he wasn't wearing his glasses and that really, nothing was in focus.

We drive to a nearby eyeglass store so he can purchase some eye contacts in lieu of glasses. When we leave the store, I can't help but discuss the conflict I'm experiencing about the whole contacts versus glasses bit.

"I don't know how I feel about you not wearing your glasses," I say on our way towards his house.

"Why? Do you have some sort of glasses fetish?"

"No, not really? I don't know, I guess... You know how you just get so used to seeing someone a certain way, like with glasses, that when they don't look that way anymore it's just... weird?"

"So I look weird to you without my glasses?"

"Not weird, necessarily. Different."

"Different bad or different good?"

"It could never be bad, I like your face too much."

He grins, "I like yours, too."

School the next day is nothing special; it seems completely ordinary. Well, that is, until after school when Naomi and I walk together out of Spanish and into the courtyard. There are many people gathered around -- even more than usual -- and they seem to be focused on something or someone in particular. As the two of us continue to walk I see-- oh mY GOD.

Dylan and Adrian are standing together with gigantic, white pieces of paper with very colorful and large words written on them. They each have flowers in their hands, too. I can't. I start freaking out before I even read what the words say.

Why is everyone staring at us? What, people are taking videos? The very second I start reading what Dylan has written, I burst into laughter:

Anita date to formal... will you be mine?

Leave it to him to make a pun out of my name. It's cheesy and cute and so Dylan that it's perfect. Covering my mouth in surprise and happiness and bashfulness, I can feel my face heating up in a blush. I rush up to him and see the grin forming on his face at my reaction. I throw my arms around him and he hugs me back for a while until we pull away.

"Is that a yes?", he asks, looking hopeful.

"Duh," I laugh a little before concocting the brilliant idea in my head that, wow, would this be a great time to let our classmates know that we are a thing!

I pull him down to my level by his neck and tilt my head before giving him a good kiss square on the lips. He seems surprised by the action, even though he really shouldn't be, considering he's my boyfriend. A second later he's kissing me back, and I hear a few murmurs throughout the crowd of people.

"I'm surprised he had the balls to ask anyone out, let alone her!"

"Never knew he had it in him!"

"This is such a plot twist!"

"There's always that saying about the underdog..."

Kissing my boyfriend without his glasses on feels different. But it's definitely a good different; I feel closer to him now than I did before, and closer is always better with him.

When we pull away, Dylan kind of sheepishly stares around at the ground, one of his hands finding mine. He mumbles something about forgetting to give me the flowers and hands me the bouquet of beautifully assorted and colorful roses.