6. Dylan
Chapter six
Dylan
Iknow I’ve double—no, triple—checked every room. I haven’t left anything behind, but there’s this growing, eating, worry building in my subconscious that I must have left something here. Something important.
“About ready, man?” Dom asks, finding me in my living room, scanning every inch of the place for something I’ve left behind.
But there’s nothing.
Dom’s leaning against the wall, hands in his pockets, ankles crossed, and a line across his forehead that tells me there’s an undercurrent of concern filtering his words.
“Just checking one more time,” I say. Even I can hear the defeat. How many times have I checked already?
“Want me to take a look around too?” he offers, his tone light, but after living with me for a few years, he knows better than most how much it helps me move on when I get that reassurance from someone else.
Relief has my shoulders sagging. “Thanks.” He nods before heading down the short hallway to my room.
I close my eyes and take a moment to remind myself that there’s no emergency. I’ve got everything I need. The guys helped me pack up the rental truck this morning. I’ve got a place to stay…my stomach drops.
I picture Dee, laid back in that lawn chair, face lit by the bonfire, eyes sparkling with the discovery of her solution to both of our predicaments. Trepidation spirals deep in my gut and I struggle to swallow, my jaw clenching with something else…anticipation, maybe?
I don’t have enough time to make sense of my thoughts before Dom returns to the living room of my now-empty apartment.
“All clear. We got it all.” He slaps me on the shoulder as he walks by. “We’re going to strap down some of the furniture and head over to Dee’s place. We’ll see you there in a bit?”
“That works. And Dom? Thanks.” He nods, and then he’s gone again.
Dom’s reassurance, another set of eyes confirming that I haven’t left anything behind, has me sucking in a full breath for the first time since I woke up this morning.
The hard part is done, right? I’m all packed up. Now there’s just the unpacking to worry about.
We’ll go to Dee’s place first to unload the things I’ll need while I crash with her.
The rest—mostly furniture I won’t be needing since Dee’s apartment is fully furnished—will be going into Dominic and Ellie’s basement until one of the million apartments I’m on a waitlist for calls me to let me know they have a vacancy.
I allow myself to relax for a moment before my phone rings and my mom’s face appears on the screen. I accept the video call to find both of my parents huddled close together and talking in soft, muffled voices.
“You two are clearly up to no good,” I say.
“Who? Us? Never.” Dad plays dumb like those two are never conspiring against me, their only child. Except they always are. They’re professional meddlers.
“We were just checking in on this totally normal day. Nothing major happening at all.” Mom lays the sarcasm on extra thick, and I smile. Yeah, the apple definitely didn’t fall far from the tree.
“Yep. Just slept in this morning. Made a cup of coffee. Sat around thinking about how nothing exciting ever happens.” I smirk and my parents laugh. “The guys are downstairs. Truck is all packed up.”
“It’s a big change. You’ve lived in that apartment for years.
You feeling okay about everything?” Mom asks.
I can tell she’s trying to play it off as a light comment, but her concern bleeds into every word.
She’s like me. Not able to turn her brain off, even when it would make things so much easier.
“Eh, I think the hard part is over.”
Dad studies me and I bristle. My parents know me well, and sometimes I don’t want to hear what needs to be said.
“If it gets to be too much, give Nick a call and set up an appointment. The apartment, the Bridge. You got a lot on your plate, Dylan.”
“Yeah, Dad. I’m aware.” I struggle to keep my voice even.
Any ease I began to feel before this call is going to be undone.
They’ve seen me at my worst, so I know they say things like this with the best intentions, but when I’m in the middle of something stressful, the last thing I want is to be reminded of that fact.
“How about I give you a call tomorrow after I’m settled.
I know I’m going to be exhausted and crash into bed early tonight. ”
“I’m just saying, don’t wait until you’re underwater,” Dad says, persistent as ever.
“I’m not underwater. I’m not even in the sand yet.” It’s not a huge lie…okay, I guess I’m at least waist-deep in the water. But I can’t take care of myself if I’m worried about my parents who are worrying about me.
“Of course, honey. We love you. Just wanted you to know we’re thinking of you,” Mom adds, with a gentle smile. An attempt to soften Dad’s more direct approach to everything.
“I’ll send off a flare if it gets to be too much,” I concede. It’s not fair of me to write off their concern when the three of us all know I can get swallowed up and then it’s ten times harder for me to find my footing.
Mollified, my dad nods, his posture softening.
“Tell Deanna we say thank you,” Mom says. “I was getting worried you’d be sleeping on couches and we’d have to drag you home.”
Yeah, my parents offered for me to come home, which would make my commute ninety minutes. One way. Clearly, I was getting desperate if I was considering driving three hours to work every day.
“I can’t do that.” I shake my head. “You haven’t met her yet. Knowing she’s already won over my parents with this one favor would put me in her debt forever, and her already inflated ego would grow so big there wouldn’t be room for me in her two-bedroom apartment.”
“Dylan Brooks,” Mom shouts. “You better not give her this attitude or she should kick you right back out.”
“Trust me, Mom. If anyone enjoys putting me in my place, it’s her. You don’t need to worry. In fact, you should probably be more worried about me.”
Dad laughs. “I like her already. We’ll let you get back to it, but call us once you’re settled.”
I reassure them that I’ll call tomorrow, and we say goodbye before hanging up. I let my phone hang heavy in my hand as my head drops back, eyes closing as I take a deep breath, reminding myself to take one step at a time and focus only on the things within my control.
Dee’s boisterous laugh fills my head and I chuckle, knowing everything is about to spin wildly out of my control.
Dee has always been the one wild card I’ve welcomed into my life.
Once again, the unpredictability of my situation that would typically set my nerves on edge and cause anxiety to control my thoughts leaves me riddled with… anticipation.
I look around my apartment one more time before locking the door behind me—double, then triple-checking that it’s locked—then I leave it all behind, sights set on the next step.
***
“Hey, roomie,” Dee chirps, peering over the railing of the parking garage stairwell two floors above me.
Her shining smile is on full display, dimples and all.
“Should we start calling ourselves The Double D’s?
Figured we should get our nicknames established fresh out of the gate.
” When I don’t answer, she keeps going. “Two D’s for the price of one? ”
Fuck, I can’t believe I’m doing this.
“Okay, how about Donald and Daphne? Dumb and Dumber? Dingleberry and Dung Beetle?”
Jesus. It’s clear she’s just getting warmed up. I pull a face.
“You’re right. Needs work. All in good time.” Her head disappears back over the railing, and she storms down the steps to meet me. Her short hair skirts around her shoulders, all loose waves. She blows a sharp breath to keep the strands out of her mouth, her face positively beaming.
“Welcome home.” She reaches out to grab the top box from the stack in my arms.
“Thanks,” I say, allowing her help as I follow her to the elevator, knowing if Dee wants to help, then she’s going to help. It’s not worth picking our first argument this early.
We’re not even in her apartment, after all.
Thankfully the complex has an attached garage with an elevator connected to the building. And a loading area in the back near another set of elevators. The move should be relatively easy.
“When do the guys arrive with the rest of your stuff?” Dee asks as she presses the button for the fifteenth floor, managing the box in her arms easily. She might be a foot shorter than me with a slender frame, but she’s strong.
“Aiden texted to say they’re about ten minutes out.”
“Great, I’ve got everything cleared out of the guest room except the bed, obviously, a dresser, and a desk. But you can do what you want to rearrange everything.”
She’s talking a mile a minute, and I can’t stop staring.
“But”—she turns to me, leveling me with a malicious stare so hot it could burn through steel—“if you even think of touching the thermostat, then you better come prepared for war.”
Struggling to keep my face neutral, I bite my lip before muttering a quick, “I wouldn’t dream of it.” Her eyes narrow, not quite trusting me. The elevator doors open and she’s hurrying down the hall. I follow after her, my earlier stress forgotten.
She turns to me abruptly, throwing the box on top of my stack again, then unlocking the door. I take a moment to balance the additional weight before following her into the space.
It’s just after four, and the sky is melting from blue to a blend of orange and pinks.
Her living room is attached to her kitchen, divided by a long island with several bar stools seated underneath the countertop.
Floor-to-ceiling windows highlight her view of downtown, and as I step closer and peer down, I can see the bustle of people leaving work and heading to happy hour on the street below.
She has a large couch opposite the TV and two oversized chairs, one green and the other bright yellow. There are framed photos hanging on the walls, some of her with the girls and some with people I don’t recognize, presumably her family.
There are small pieces of Dee everywhere.
Her stuff is stacked high on the yellow chair, maybe two jackets and a hoodie, topped with a purse and a larger bag.
A bowl on the kitchen counter is overflowing with what looks like earbuds, chopsticks, and other random things.
The space is clean, but lived in. Spacious, but very Dee.
“Had I known about your view, you wouldn’t have had to twist my arm to agree to this.”
She crosses her arms, giving me a withering look, pure exasperation pouring out of her. “My presence alone should have been enough to sway you, but no. The view? The view is what seals the deal?”
I hike my shoulders, taunting her with an oversized grin. “Doesn’t hurt. What other amenities come included as your plus one?”
She nearly chokes on her own saliva. “Puh-lease. Do not call yourself that. And there are no amenities. Other than a parking space.”
“Miles above what I was looking at before.”
“We both know your other options were being woken up by Hopper or Luca every morning. It was Aiden’s couch or Dominic’s, wasn’t it?”
It was. Almost.
“Dominic and Ellie have a guest bed. But I have a feeling you’re right. The wake-up call would have been tough.” Luca and sleep? From what Ellie and Dom have told me, that’s a rough relationship.
“So, from now on, I only want to hear, Dee, you are the kindest, most generous, most beautiful landlord in the entire state. I worship at your feet, and will never, never push down the trash to make room for more trash instead of taking out the trash.”
“What?”
“Oh right. That’s my adorable habit. Watch out for that.” She gives me a wink before opening a door directly off the living room and stepping into the space.
The setup is exactly as she described, but more spacious than I was expecting.
Large windows, though of course not as large as the living room, with deep blue curtains.
The bedding is blue and beige on a queen-sized bed with a natural-looking wooden bed frame.
The matching desk is simple, bare, sitting off to the side along with a dresser.
If there were decorations before, she’s since taken them down.
A clean slate. A key and parking pass sit on the desk, and I drop the boxes onto the floor before picking up the key.
“You sure you still love this idea of yours, Deanna Perry?”
“Don’t weaponize my full name, Dylan Brooks.”
“It’s not too late to back out.” I wave the key in the air.
“Coming from the man with no other options. I still don’t have a job offer, and I think I can safely assume you didn’t find an apartment, as you are here with a moving truck full of shit maybe five minutes away. Are you having second thoughts?”
“Nah, this will be fun.”
Her answering smile would scare another man. Hell, it should probably scare me.
But Dee has this effortless way of recalibrating my brain. The heaviness that weighed on me earlier, the flood of worry and unease that muddled my thoughts and gave me brain fog has lifted, as if it was never there.
Dee brings light and life wherever she goes. And even if she can antagonize and berate me to within an inch of my sanity, damn, I love to watch her work.
A knock on the front door drags Dee’s attention away, and she leaves me in my new room. I hear Dom, Aiden, Chris, and Jake’s voices filtering in as they bring the first load of my things up from the truck.
I take one more look around my new bedroom before joining my friends. My entire world might be turned upside down right now, but I remind myself that I have a lot of people to fall back on, and with one intentional calming breath, it’s time to unpack.