“Dylan, we have to focus. My parents are in the other room,” I hiss.
He kisses my neck one more time before pulling away. We’re sitting at the dining room table working on our history homework. “I’m over history,” he grumbles.
“Fine, but playoffs are coming up. It would suck for you to be sitting on the sidelines.”
“Fuck,” he hisses under his breath.
We’ve been dating for a few months now. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to play hardball to get him interested in keeping his grades up.
“I have you. I don’t need the playoffs.”
I know he means it, but I also know he loves football and this is his last season. It’s my job to be the hardass girlfriend and keep him on track.
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s go over the study sheet two more times, and then we can quit and do whatever you want. It’s only two o’clock now. If we hurry to get this done, we’ll have a couple of hours before I have to be home.” It’s Sunday afternoon and my curfew is ten on a school night.
“Deal.” He pushes the study guide toward me and shuts the book. We spend the next hour going over it and by the second round, Dylan gets all the answers right. I know that doesn’t mean he’ll ace the test since he’s not much of a test taker, but he says our study sessions seem to help him. We get to spend time together, so it’s a win-win situation in my eyes.
“You kids finished?” Dad asks, taking a seat across from us.
“Yeah, we just finished. Where’s Mom?”
“She ran to the store. She has to make brownies for work tomorrow.”
“Do you care if I go to Dylan’s for a couple of hours?”
“Your dad going to be there?” he asks.
“Yes, sir,” Dylan answers.
“You kids have fun. Av, you be home at ten,” he reminds me.
“I will, Dad,” I say, fighting the urge to roll my eyes. I quickly clean up my books and run them up to my room. When I come back downstairs, I find my dad, Dylan, and my brother sitting around the table talking about the playoff games that start next week.
“Av, you can’t be keeping him out all night. He needs to rest up for practice this week.”
I give Alan a hug. “You excited?” I ask, ignoring the jab.
“Hell yes, I am. My boys are going to go all the way.”
I chance a look at Dylan and he’s grinning at my brother.
“You ready?” I ask. He stands and says goodbye to my family, and then we load up in his truck. He always wants to drive me, says we get to spend more time together this way. I admit he’s right, but I’m not naive enough to think our parents aren’t on to us.
Dylan’s dad is sitting on the couch when we walk in. “Hey, kids,” he greets.
“We’re going to go to my room and watch a movie,” Dylan tells him.
He stares at us for a long time. “Door open. Above the covers. Don’t think I won’t be checking,” he warns us.
“Got it.” Dylan grins, grabs my hand, and leads me back to his room. “It’s nothing great, but it’s mine,” he says, guiding me to the bed.
I take in the surroundings: black and gray comforter on the queen-size bed, matching gray walls, dresser covered with trophies and a helmet. “Was that yours?”
“Yeah.” He reaches over and picks it up. “This was my very first helmet. I was five. They got new uniforms the next year and Dad bought everything from the school. Pants, jersey, helmet—all of it.”
“Aw, he’s such a softie.”
Dylan just shakes his head. “Don’t encourage him.”
“So, what are we watching?”
“Anything you want,” he says, pulling me into his arms.
“Hmmm, how about… The Notebook?”
“Whatever you want, baby, you know that.” He kisses my forehead, then steps away to grab the remote from his dresser. I watch as he kicks off his shoes and grabs a blanket out of a laundry basket.
“He said no blankets.”
“I know that, but I know you like to snuggle with a blanket when you watch a movie. You can be under and I can be over. Don’t worry about Dad.”
“Always thinking about what I want.” I stand on tiptoes to press a soft kiss against his lips.
“Just you, Aves. All I think about is you.” He pulls away from me and climbs into his bed. I wait for him to adjust the pillows and get situated, and then he opens his arms for me. “Come here.”
I waste no time climbing in beside him. He throws the cover over me, making sure I’m all covered up before he wraps his arm around me, pulling me to his chest before starting the movie.
This is one of my all-time favorites, but I can’t help but fight sleep. I’m all bundled up and warm, with Dylan caressing my back, his scent surrounding me. It’s not long before I’m drifting off to sleep.
“I thought I said no covers,” I hear Dylan’s dad whisper.
“You did,” Dylan whispers back. “But Aves likes to snuggle with a blanket when she watches movies. I wanted her to be comfortable. I stayed on top.”
“I see that. Looks like you’re holding on pretty tight, son.”
I keep my eyes closed, trying not to let them see I’m awake.
“Damn right,” Dylan says.
His dad chuckles softly. “She’s good for you.”
“I know.”
“You’re going to miss her when she’s gone.”
“Like a limb, but she’s worked hard to get that scholarship. Her dream is to be a teacher. I’ll be here waiting for her when she finishes college. I’ll even drive up to visit. It’s just a five-hour drive.”
“You know how hard that’s going to be?” I can hear the sorrow in his voice. “To be without her that long.”
“I can imagine,” Dylan says. “You know what though? I can’t imagine my life without her in it at all. She’s my reason, Dad.”
“Don’t ever forget that, how you feel right now with her here. It’s going to be a long four years.”
“Don’t care. The end game is me and my girl and whatever the future holds. I’ll make sure she knows I’m not going anywhere.”
“Don’t let her forget it. Even when there are miles between you, never let her forget how much she means to you, or how much you miss her. Remember to always be honest with her. It’ll all work out like it’s supposed to.” I hear footsteps and his voice sounds farther away. “You probably ought to wake her soon to get her home before curfew.”
“I know. The movie just ended. I wasn’t going to wake her until I had to.”
“You be safe driving her home. Love you, son.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
The bed shifts and Dylan’s runs his finger down the side of my cheek. “Babe, it’s time to wake up.” I don’t do anything at first, keeping up with the ruse that I’m still sleeping. “Aves, baby, it’s time to wake up.” This time he presses his lips to mine. I roll over and stretch, blinking like I’m just waking up.
“What time is it?” Luckily my voice is groggy from my nap and I don’t have to fake it.
“Just after nine. I need to get you home.”
I burrow under the covers and curl into him. “I missed it, all of it. The movie, our snuggle time. I’m sorry.”
“I’m not. I got to hold you, watch you sleep. No regrets on my end. Come on, sleepyhead. Up you go.”
I let him pull me from the bed. I grab the blanket to fold it but he reaches out and stops me. “You don’t have to do that. I’ll be sleeping with that tonight.”
“What? Why would you do that? You’ve already got a blanket on your bed.”
He smiles down at me and my heart melts. “It smells like you, Aves. You’ll be here with me all night.”
“I’m jealous,” I say, not realizing what I’ve said until the words are out of my mouth.
Dylan studies me, then looks around his room. He grabs a Montgomery Warriors hoodie that he wore yesterday and hands it to me. “I only had this on for a few hours yesterday, so it’s not really dirty.”
I bring the shirt to my face and breathe him in. “Thank you.” I wrap my arms around his waist for a hug.
“Let’s get you home.”
In normal Dylan fashion, he walks me to the door. I get a soft kiss to my forehead with a promise to text when he gets home. I don’t bother watching him leave; I know he won’t until I’m safely inside.
I find my parents in the living room, Dad sitting on the end of the couch with Mom’s head in his lap. “Hey, kiddo,” he says.
“Hey, what are you guys watching?”
“Dad’s watching How It’s Made again. I’m reading.” She holds up her Kindle.
“I’m going to head up to bed. Good night.” I wave and head upstairs. After quickly changing clothes, I wash my face and brush my teeth. My phone pings just as I climb into bed.
My #17: Just got home. Sweet dreams.
Me: Good night, Dylan.
I plug my phone in and leave it to charge on the nightstand. Holding Dylan’s sweatshirt close to my chest, I think about the conversation he had with his dad. I love how honest he is, even with his father. It’s one of the reasons why I love him.
And I do. I’m madly in love with him. I want to tell him, wanted to tonight, but I don’t want to ruin it. What if he doesn’t say it back? I know he cares about me, but love? That’s huge. So huge that my heart is spilling over with it.
I’m in love with Dylan Knight.