“Katie!”
I shrieked, my body jolting to a halt when Dylan jogged up behind me.He was dressed in a black tank top and shorts.He was even wearing a cap.
Just seeing him made my heart thump in my ears, my face flushing red.
Dylan laughed, the sound low and hearty.His eyes were bright as he held out a bottle of water toward me.“Thought you might need this.”
I blinked, still caught off guard by his sudden appearance, but took the bottle.“You scared me,” I said, trying to sound annoyed but failing miserably.
“Oh, come on,” he said, his grin widening as perspiration lined his forehead.“Running alone in LA at this hour?Not very smart of you, Katie.”
“Maybe I like danger.”I rolled my eyes and took a sip, the cool water soothing my dry throat.
Truthfully, I was glad he was with me.I hadn’t realized that it had gotten so dark and I’d have to take a taxi back.
Dylan snorted, falling into step beside me.“Then you’re my kind of girl.”
I smiled, the tension in my chest easing just a bit as we continued walking toward a nearby park bench.The world around us seemed to slow, the hum of distant cars and chirping crickets making the moment feel intimate.
We sat down, the bench creaking under our combined weight.
“I didn’t know you were running behind me for so long,” I said, eyeing him as he removed his cap and ran a hand through his hair.
I swallowed, ignoring the heat spreading in my stomach.Jesus, calm down.He just removed his cap, not his shirt.
“I saw you leave in those tight shorts and I had to run after you,” he said with a cheeky grin.“Make sure you are safe.”
I scoffed, “Yeah, right.”
We stayed quiet, enjoying the silence as a gust of wind breezed through us.After a few moments, I asked him, “So, when did you start running?”
Dylan stretched his legs out, leaning back casually.“I was into sports and very active since my teenage years.Football, swimming, and lifting weights.Running’s a great form of cardio.Not the best though.”His green eyes met mine as he winked at me.They looked so bright and colorful.“I can’t sit still, and it helps me focus.”
I nodded.“Makes sense.”Amanda always bragged about how many medals and competitions he had won.
He tilted his head.“What about you?”
I sighed, fingers tracing idle patterns on my thigh.“My childhood home… wasn’t the best place to grow up,” I admitted, my voice soft.My chest felt tight, as hesitated before continuing, “Fights were normal.Doors slamming and screaming matches.It was almost like living in a war zone every single day.I’d go for a run before school and sometimes late at night.Whenever I needed to escape my head or my parents.It helped me think.”
Dylan listened, his gaze never leaving me.How does he know that there was more?
His hand closed around me, and the warmth of it made me continue.
My voice cracked.“There was this one time.I didn’t know how the fight started, but my mom told me I was too weird, too broken…toorobotic for anyone to love.That I didn’t even know what that word meant because I was selfish… selfish for packing my lunch for school and not making her anything.”
I remembered that day as if it had happened yesterday.Her eyes wild and hair a mess.She had another fight with Dad the night before, got drunk and mad at me because of her hangover.I had already made pasta for her, but she didn’t see that.
She was only looking for someone to get angry with for the wrong choices she had made in her life.Like staying with dad until he died.
Dylan squeezed my hand, and I cleared my throat, hoping the lump in my throat would go away.I looked down at our hands and said, “She belittled me, called me childish, stupid.I didn’t know I was autistic back then.I just thought I was… less than.”
My vision blurred as the tears fell.Warm and heavy, sliding down my burning cheeks.Embarrassment took hold, and I looked away, wiping the tears.I hated crying.It made me feel small and exposed, as if I was showing the worst part of myself.
But Dylan’s hold on my hand was strong and steady.He didn’t say anything, and I was grateful for his silence.
After a long pause, I forced a shaky smile, trying to pull myself together.“It’s fine.Really.”I tried to sound normal, but my voice was hoarse.
Dylan frowned, his eyes stern as he said, “Don’t use a fake smile with me, Katie.”
