Chapter 27.
Holy shit. I liked Dylan. As more than just friends. The revelation shook me to the core, mostly because I had spent so long telling myself that Dylan and I were just friends, and that he was like a brother to me. But I didn't think of him as a brother. I was attracted to him. And the worst part was, I wasn't sure what to do about that.
Did I tell him? But then, what if he didn't like me back? It would ruin our friendship, and I wasn't sure I could handle life without him. Dylan was my best friend, and I would rather pine over him from afar for the rest of my life than make things weird between us and have him stop being friends with me.
"Lilly?" Luke asked, eyeing me warily. "Are you okay? You look like you're about to pass out."
"I like Dylan," I breathed, shaking my head. How had this happened? When had this happened?
Luke nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said easily. "Anyone with eyes can see that."
"What am I going to do?" I groaned, putting my head in my hands.
Just then, someone knocked on the door, and I froze.
"Who is that?" I asked.
Luke grinned, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Don't kill me," he said, "but I invited Dylan over. Talk to him. It will make you feel better."
"I can't," I said, panicking. "I don't think I can face him. How am I ever going to look him in the eye again?"
Luke smirked. "Don't you think you're being a tad melodramatic, Lillian?"
He pulled the door open, letting Dylan into the house, and I drew in a sharp breath, feeling sick to my stomach.
"Lilly?" Dylan asked, his voice concerned. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," I managed, unable to meet his eyes. My face burned bright red under the scrutiny of his gaze.
"Are you sure?" he pressed. "Because you don't act fine."
"I'm going to be in the other room if you need me," Luke said, leaving to give Dylan and I some privacy to talk.
I gulped, suddenly even more uncomfortable now that Luke was no longer there to serve as a buffer between Dylan and me.
"Talk to me, Lilly," Dylan insisted, pulling my face up so that I was looking him in the eyes.
I blushed ever brighter red, feeling like my face was going to combust with what. If it was possible to die of embarrassment, I probably would have.
"It's nothing," I muttered. "It's just been a weird day. Don't worry about it."
Dylan would not be so easily deterred, though. "Please, Faye. Just talk to me. Don't shut me out."
I glanced down at my lap, picking at my fingernails instead of meeting Dylan's gaze. "I realized something today," I said quietly.
Dylan was quiet, waiting for me to continue, and I gulped, trying to find the courage to get the words out. What was the best way to tell your best friend that you were possibly in love with them?
"I realized that...well, maybe I...It's just that..."
"Spit it out, Faye."
"I think...well, the thing is... I like you Dylan," I said, the words rushing out.
He was quiet, and I hurried to explain. "I'm not exactly sure when it happened, and I know I always said you were like my brother, and maybe you don't feel the same way, but I think you need to know. I like you and if you want to just stay friends, that's fine. I'll deal with it. I value our friendship, and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that. I know you probably don't feel the same way, but--"
Dylan cut me off by pressing his lips to mine, and I drew in a sharp breath, my eyes fluttering closed. I had been kissed before, but never like this. Dylan's kiss set every nerve in my body on fire, and my entire body threatened to go boneless at his touch.
"Any questions?" he asked, pulling away with a soft smile.
"So many questions," I breathed.
Dylan smirked. "Well, you see, Faye, when a guy and a girl really like each other, and they start hanging out and become good friends, sometimes, they decide to date. And that means, they can kiss."
I blushed bright red. "Don't be a smart ass," I said, punching him softly on the shoulder. "Does this mean you're my boyfriend?"
"Do you want me to be your boyfriend?" Dylan asked.
I nodded shyly. "Yes," I breathed. "I think I would like that."
Dylan flashed me a playful grin. "First, I have to ask: who's the better kisser, me or Luke?"
"Oh, definitely Luke," I teased.
Dylan frowned, glaring at me. "Well, we'll just have to change that," he said, pulling me in for another bone melting kiss. I nearly swooned when his tongue gently brushed against my lips, asking me to open my mouth for him. I obliged, allowing him to deepen the kiss, and that made it even more intoxicating.
When he drew back, he left me panting for breath, gaping at him. No one had ever kissed me like that before, and I was hungry for more. I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be nearly impossible for me to get enough of Dylan. Ever.
"Now who's the better kisser?"
I shrugged, pursing my lips as I pretended to deliberate. "Eh, still him," I said, fighting to keep the smile off my face.
Dylan kissed me again, even harder this time, trying to stake his claim on me.
"Now?" he asked as he pulled away.
I giggled. "What can I say? He's a really great kisser."
Truthfully, I was just enjoying the fact that every time I told Dylan that Luke was a better kisser, Dylan responded by kissing me again. I liked that a little too much, and if teasing him made him keep kissing me, I was prepared to tease Dylan mercilessly.
"Seriously?" Dylan growled. "What does a guy have to do to win best kisser?"
Luke popped his head out of the other room, grinning triumphantly at Dylan. Apparently, he had been eavesdropping on us. "What can I say?" he joked. "The ladies love me."
Dylan rolled his eyes, pulling my face towards his for one more kiss. "We'll just see about that," he muttered, kissing me until I could barely remember my own name, let alone what he had been talking about.
"Now?" he murmured.
"What was the question?" I asked, my face flushed.
Dylan grinned. "I guess that settles it," he said. "I'm the best kisser, once and for all."
I nodded in agreement. "You're the only guy I want kissing me," I admitted.
Then, pulling back from him, I watched him closely. "I'm confused, though," I told him. "You really like me?"
Dylan smirked. "Uh, yeah, I thought I'd made that pretty clear. Do you need me to kiss you again to clear things up?"
I shook my head. "I don't understand. How long have you liked me?"
Dylan grimaced, his lips bunching up to the side as his cheeks turned faintly pink. Was it possible that Dylan was...embarrassed? "Since right after you and Luke broke up."
I choked on air, which was of course the most inelegant response possible. "That long?" I managed. But then why did you set me up with Ben?"
"I set you up with Ben to help you get over Luke. You weren't supposed to date him for two years," he grumbled. "That about killed me."
"But...Avery?" I asked. "Why the heck did you date her, if you were supposedly interested in me?"
Again, he grimaced. "Okay, so maybe that wasn't the best decision I ever made," he admitted. "But, I only dated Aver because I wanted to make you jealous. You hated her so much, and you had made it pretty clear that you didn't want to date me. I thought dating Avery would make you jealous, and maybe make you realize that you liked me as more than a friend. In retrospect, I know it was a stupid idea."
"I don't get it," I said. "Why did you think I wasn't interested in dating you? I was crazy jealous of Avery, and I didn't like seeing you with any girl. Even watching you take Madison to the dance nearly drove me insane."
Dylan laughed incredulously. "You want to talk about jealous? I had to watch you cozying up to my cousin. He was sleeping in your room, he took you to the dance, you kissed him at that football game. I thought for sure the two of you were getting back together. And you told me you weren't interested in me when you told Avery I was your boyfriend. You were pretty insistent that we were just friends."
I giggled. "Yeah, only because you acted so offended at the idea of dating me. You gave me such a hard time for that, I assumed it was because I wasn't the type of girl you usually dated."
"I gave you such a hard time for that because I wanted it to be real, and you were still dating Ben at the time."
"I had no idea," I said, shaking my head. "All this time, I had no idea you liked me like that."
"Moral of this story is, you're both oblivious idiots," Luke called from the other room. "Now that you've got that settled, can you just admit that you're crazy about each other and start dating already?"
I laughed at that, looking at Dylan. "Well?" I asked. "What do you think?"
Dylan's lips pulled up into a wry smile. "I think that could be arranged," he said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. "What do you say, Faye? Will you be my girlfriend? Officially?"
I nodded. "I'd like that," I told him. "A lot."
"Finally," Luke groaned, rejoining us in the living room. "It took you meatheads long enough. Everyone has been wondering for years when the two of you would finally get together."
"Seriously?" I asked.
Luke nodded. "Um, yeah, everyone with eyes has known for a while that the two of you have chemistry. It was obvious to literally everyone but you."
I smiled shyly at Dylan. "Sorry I'm a slow learner," I told him. "Don't hold it against me?"
"Wouldn't dream of it," he murmured. "I'm just happy I can finally do this," he said, pressing his lips against mine.
—
Annnnnd it's official, Lilly and Dylan are a couple.
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