10 HOURS AWAY | A Novel

chapter 22 - the beginning

10 Hours Away

I hadn't expected it to be a quiet ride home. If I wanted to be on my own, process all of this while being on the road and be comparatively free from noise, I'd have gotten myself an Uber.

Instead, Dylan was behind the steering wheel as he drove through the packed streets of New York City. And I was all right with having him by my side.

Maybe he had heard everything Noah and I said. But if he hadn't, he definitely knew it had been a burdensome conversation.

Did I mind Dylan hearing us? I didn't. Noah couldn't paint a pretty picture anymore because Dylan knew we had this talk.

Knowing Noah liked me, didn't ease the pain. Neither did it give me comfort knowing someone was capable of liking me, too. All in all, I was very conflicted at this point.

"I didn't want to eavesdrop, but we've got thin walls." Dylan said.

I shot a glance at him. He tried to lighten to mood. Or he wanted me to finally talk about what had happened. Both worked.

"And what is the real reason?" I asked him.

"I wanted to get myself a drink." he answered me. "It wasn't my intention to hear all of it."

"You've heard all of it?" I was bewildered.

"I'm sorry, Liz." he said scrupulously.

He had given me the second apology of today.

After I accepted the fact Dylan had been there the whole time, I was back at the beginning.

Leaving Noah behind didn't give me the satisfaction I had hoped for, it was never my intention to get out of there and fall into a melancholy mood.

Even though it had ended in a way I didn't want to, I thought I would at least feel like I had closed a chapter so I could move on to the next one. It just didn't feel right. That's why I kept myself engaged in a battle in the back of my mind; calculating if what I had done was the right resolution.

"Can I say something, Liz?" Dylan asked me.

"Of course you can." I promised him.

"I'm not going to defend Noah." he mentioned beforehand. "It's downright awful he treated Daisy and you like that. He should've decided from the start what he wanted." he added.

"I couldn't agree more." I said as I smiled weakly.

"If I had known about this, I would have stepped in." Dylan spoke up confidently.

Yet we both knew it was too late to get involved. Also, if Dylan had talked to Noah ahead of time, would it have changed the outcome? Would Noah have listened to Dylan's advice?

Then, to my surprise, Dylan parked the car between two yellow cabs. He excused himself before he got out and crossed the street in a rush. I wasn't fast enough to ask him where he was going nor why he decided to leave me alone in his car.

I searched for my phone to entertain myself and to keep Mia posted. Quickly, I sent her a text. In short, I explained what had taken place and how I felt about it. Telling her about the unsuccessful outcome made it all more real to me.

My phone started buzzing, and I saw Mia's number and name showing up on my screen. I didn't think she'd respond so fast.

"Hey." I greeted her gingerly.

"I'm so sorry, Liz." she breathed out. "I didn't see all of this coming."

I looked down at my lap. "Me neither." I said